CHEAP FLIGHTS

Aerial mastery needn’t cost the earth

Ryze Tello

The Tello has been available for years now, but for our money

(and not a lot of it) it’s by far and away the best ‘toy’ drone on the market, and a perfect first flyer to help young and/or inexperienced pilots master the basics. Fun features include ariel stunts and a bounce mode where it flies up and down from your hand. It works best indoors, however, due to a lack of proper wind-resistance. £99 / ryzerobotics.com

Fimi X8 Mini

With 31min battery life, range of up to 9km, solid wind-resistance, 4K HDR recording and a three-axis gimbal to keep the camera steady while you’re filming, the Fimi X8 is a (sub-250g) grown-up flyer in toy drone’s clothing. Good things really do come in small packages here – the Fimi is a fine alternative to a DJI Mini 2 SE, although it can be hard to find at UK retailers (outside of importers).

£300 / fimi.com

Eachine E520S

A solid and affordable option if a 4K camera is a must for your drone, the E520S – which offers a 16min flight time – comes with GPS tracking and a control range of up to 250m. There’s also a hands-free Follow Me mode for automatic tracking of a subject, which is a great feature to have. And of course, it’s lightweight and easy to carry with the arms folded away.

£169 / eachine.com

DJI Mini 3

If your budget can stretch a little further, don’t hesitate to grab the Mini 3. Lightweight (yes, it hits the legally liberating sub-250g mark) and pocketable when folded, its brilliant 38min battery life, simple but responsive flight controls and strong camera performance (it captures 12MP stills and 4K at 30fps or 2.7K at 60fps) make it unquestionably the best budget drone around.

£429 / dji.com