Best Drones Under $500 Categorized by Battery Life

August 31, 2017

Charged.io, a website on all things transportation and technology, is the ultimate hub for different rankings and lists for drones currently in the market. We took their "Best Drones Under $500" list, and rearranged them in order of battery life. Flight time for these devices are seemingly short, however more costly premium drones such as the DJI Mavic Pro or the DJI Inspire 2, which both top the charts with their 27 minute flight times, only last 4 more minutes than the top contenders in this affordable list of commercial drones. The following drones can be used by both hobbyists and law enforcement officials alike, and give you more bang for your buck: 



1) Parrot Bebop 2: Up to 25 minutes of flight time (via Wired

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Features: 1080p video capture, 14MP fish-eye lens, powerful rear flash LED for better visibility, requires FAA registration to use.
$525 on Amazon.com or on sale now on their website for $350



2) DJI Phantom 3 (Standard): 23-25 minute flight time

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Features: 2.7k Video Camera, 12MP stills from a 3-axis stabilized integrated camera, GPS assisted flight features using a free DJI Go app for phone and tablet.
Starting at $408 on Amazon.com for Standard (comes in 4 variations: Standard, Professional, Advanced, 4K)



3) Hubsan H109S X4 Pro: Around 20 minutes of flight time (based on various reviews)

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Features: 1080p video capture, live video streaming, GPS enabled flight.
$400 on Amazon.com



4) Hubsan H501S Brushless: Up to 20 minutes of flight time (based on various reviews)

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Features: Follow-me modes, waypoint guided flight and return to home functions
$250 on Amazon.com



5) DJI Spark: 16 minute flight time (via Mashable)

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Features: Compact with folding propellers, controllable by hand gestures or optional controller, one of the best "selfie drones" on the market.
$499 on Amazon.com



6) Yuneec Breeze: Up to 12 minutes of flight time depending on conditions

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Features: 4K videos and photos in ultra HD, portable and lightweight (less than 1 pound), automatically returns home with a press of a button.
$400 on Amazon.com



7) DBPower UDI U842: 9 minutes of flight time

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Features: 720p camera, live video feed from mobile device.
$140 on Amazon.com



8) Walkera F210 3D: 8-9 minutes (via RCGroups)

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Features: Deemed one of the "Best racing drones", it has both regular and night vision cameras, and is lightweight with a sturdy build.
$415 on Amazon.com



9) SYMA X5C-1: About 8 minutes

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Features: Built-in 6 axis gyroscope for precise hovering, HD Camera, perfect "trainer" drone for beginner UAV pilots.
$55 on Amazon.com



In critical applications, capacity is the leading indicator of battery health, especially during GPS mapping or rescue missions, due to their relatively short flight times. Although there is no current way to increase drone battery life, investing in multiple drone batteries for your drone missions is a solution. Having a Cadex Battery Analyzer will ensure that you are aware of your battery fleets capacity at all times, allowing you to switch batteries whenever needed.


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