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I can't understate how much fun drones are, and how they extend creativity, but having the right one – for the right price – is even better. Sadly, especially this time of year, it can be very hard to choose the right cheap camera drone as retailers sneak some bad old drones out under the cover of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales to clear old stock. Me? I'd choose a great deal and a drone you'll be happy with – and that's what this is about...
I'm a drone expert; I've used them professionally, I've built them myself, and I've written internationally bestselling books about them (modest much?) I have tried and tested most of the drones that are out there today, or worked with people who do, so you can trust me when I tell you which is actually worth having and which to be suspicious of.
I'm also very conscious of safety and educational (or STEM) value. A drone can be a great gift for children of all ages, but there are safety concerns. Luckily, as a qualified operator AND a dad, I've been able to try a lot of drones with the 'target market' (trust me, kids enjoy and learn from drones) and find out whether they really do live up to their promises!
The 5 best drones in the world right now:
Compare Black Friday Deals on the best cheap drones
Best drone deal retailers this Black Friday 2024:
• Amazon: 🇺🇸 USA DJI Drones | 🇬🇧 UK DJI page
(Top tip – the US Amazon page is oddly subtle; some good deals don't shout "Black Friday," so click through to drones of interest to assess the deal)
• B&H: 🇺🇸 Drones | 🇬🇧 Drones filter applied
• Adorama 🇺🇸 Consumer Drones filter applied
• Walmart 🇺🇸 Drones filter
(personally I'd only search for a product you know, as Walmart have some great deals because they work with a lot of suppliers).
• DJI Store Black Friday Deals
(OK, very brand specific, but there are good deals to be had, and they ship 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇦🇺)
I admit that there isn't a lot you can learn from this picture about the Holy Stone HS210 inside the box, but I wanted to show you the look of enthusiasm on the face of my, let's say "reviewer's assistant" once he learned he'd be assisting me with testing this drone – which says it's suitable for ages 8 and up. I'll be sharing the full write up and some more pics over the weekend, but it'll be broadly positive and the deals have started already!
If you're looking for a great price on a FPV – first-person drone – starter kit then you can get into the market for a lot less than DJI's digital gear. Why? Because DJI uses entirely digital tech so even the 'cheap' Neo is a lot more than the more traditional – and also super light and safe – BetaFPV Cetus Pro FPV drone kit which I've just seen for just $209:
🇺🇸 Amazon.com 'Black Friday deal' $247.99 $209.99
Something I've noticed out there where people are promoting 'drone deals' is that not every site is clear about what you're getting with FPV deals. If you've never bought an FPV drone, a deal like the original 🇬🇧 DJI FPV drone from DroneSafe for £599 can seem quite tempting, but the much newer Avata 2 'drone only' is actually less at Laptops Direct: £359 (£70 off).
My advice is to ask yourself if you'll actually be able to use that drone. The DJI FPV needs compatible goggles and a controller which means it'll cost more.
You can check my original review (and see how much younger I look) for the DJI FPV (note that I needed the whole combo to review it!), and of the Avata (1) and Avata 2.
An interesting deal I've seen is the Holy Stone HS175D (see my original HS175D review) – not a great drone when it comes to image quality, but it is robust and easy to use and comes with a nice kit bag, so at the 30% off it is being offered I start to see the appeal.
🇬🇧 was £219.99 NOW £153.42 (Save 30% at Amazon.co.uk)
🇺🇸 was $169.99 NOW $135.99 (Save 20% at Amazon.com)
Here's the thing though – personally, if that was my price ceiling, I'd choose to spend a similar amount on the DJI Neo and use my phone as the controller until I had the spare cash for a separate DJI remote control (budget about $100, less used).
Unless it's very windy, the Neo actally has a better camera! The HS175D is a bit better in high winds as it is heavier, and comes with a plasticky but real controller in the box, so it does have advantages as well as an appealing all-in-one low-cost nature, so I'm flagging it.
We shouldn't forget the more serious users are also being catered for this Black Friday, and the DJI Mavic 3 Pro – a drone with three brilliant cameras – is also being discounted. The most financially efficient of the deals seems to be the 'Fly More' with the DJI RC which, frankly, is perfectly good enough (the DJI RC Pro feels very professional but you're unlikely to need it). It looks an even better deal at some retailers as they're matching the Amazon deal!
At this point, the Brits are definitely getting the better discounts on the Mavic 3 Pro, but I'll keep my eyes open!
🇺🇸 DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo from the DJI store with free gift $2,999
🇬🇧 DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo with RC Pro at Amazon.co.uk was £2,549 now £2,291
Or, if you don't like Amazon:
🇬🇧 DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo at DronesDirect.co.uk was £2,700 now £2299
If you want to charge your drones (or indeed power nearly anything) on the move, then the DJI Power 1000 portable power stations have always been a great choice, and well-priced, especially in America. I've just spotted a deal while scrolling that seems to push that even further:
🇺🇸 DJI Power 1000 Amazon.com was $699 now $419
There is also a big discount in the UK, from the much higher asking price:
🇬🇧 DJI Power 1000 Amazon.co.uk was £879 now £599
In both cases stock looks limited!
I've seen some good pricing on both sides of the Atlantic for the DJI Mini 3 (see Mini 3 review) is a great drone if you're looking for a better camera and more features while sticking at the low weight with all the regulations and safety advantages that brings. The Mini 3 boasts the same rotating gimbal as the Mini 3 Pro and Mini 4 Pro drones so it can easily get excellent vertical footage for social media while saving money on the collision sensing system that, let's face it, we don't need most of the time anyway!
🇺🇸 Mini 3 at Amazon.com was $419 now $329
🇬🇧 Mini 3 at Argos was £459 now £399
The DJI Avata Pro View Combo is on sale at B&H for a pretty spectacular $848 – well over $500 less than the asking price. Now, sure, the Avata has been replaced with the Avata 2, but this is still a very solid drone with an excellent camera and a very cunning control system and all of that comes in this bundle. You can read how much I enjoyed playing with it and catching some great videos in the original DJI Avata review – oh, and, ahem, very thoroughly testing how robust it is 😅!
🇺🇸 DJI Avata Pro View Combo FPV Drone with DJI Goggles 2 at B&H
was $1388 NOW $848 (save $540)
When you're looking at drones, don't forget the accessories. One of the things people often forget when buying camera drones is a memory card, and most of them require one. Of the drones in my guide, only the DJI Neo and the HoverAir X1 record onto internal storage (while, of course the excellent toy HS210 doesn't record at all!) Otherwise you might need a good, fast, MicroSD card. (The need to be fast because 4K video produces high data rates. Personally I prefer to go for the financially efficient 256GB and swap cards from time to time rather than carry too many eggs in one basket, too, but click through and you'll find other data sizes available).
Right now, anyway, these seem like enticing discounts (I promise to keep checking):
🇺🇸 SanDisk Extreme at Amazon.com was $27.99 now $21.49
🇬🇧 Lexar Silver Plus 256GB at Amazon.co.uk was £24.99 now £20.89
Just so you know I'm still here and looking at all the live deals, I thought I'd share that there is also a reason I'm not flagging some drones even though they are heavily discounted! I saw, for example, some sites showing deals (not even especially good ones!) on the DJI Spark – a drone not only discontinued but no longer supported as of October 1 2024.
The fact DJI kept up software support for a low-end consumer drone from 2017 for nearly 8 years shows why I respect them as a company; that's good going. Plenty of professional products don't get that. But I'm not going to recommend devices you might not be able to actually with the latest phone OS update on this guide no matter how good the deal (after all, if your phone is anything like my iPhone 16 Pro, it probably updates itself in your sleep! 😉)
Here's an interesting drone which I've got to admit I've not personally tested but, given its heritage and its current pricing, I'd certainly be inclined to at least give a pop for this black Friday. Holy Stone – behind my favourite super-cheap yet robust kids drone – also do a variant with a camera in it.
No don't expect amazing quality, and if the company's larger drones with cameras are anything to go by the usability will be so-so, but for the price of a toy drone without a camera, perhaps it's worth checking out? (Not for actual serious imaging – this isn't stabilized or anything – really just a bit of fun...)
🇺🇸 Holy Stone HS420 Mini Drone with HD FPV Camera was $59.99 NOW $39.99 at Amazon.com
I've noted on this guide how interesting Potensic are, having taken a lot of the brilliance of DJI's 'Mini' sized drones and managed to come in even cheaper and with some interesting innovations (like their extending phone grip controller) with the Atom and Atom SE.
Did you know, though, that this Black Friday the company is trying to turn the traditional sales even into a bit of a video game?
Let me explain – on their website they've actually got a page with what look like 'Loot boxes' - Mystery boxes. That sounds a bit like gambling to me, but perhaps I'm old fashioned:
Potensic Store (international site)
If you're the sort of person who sits scrolling deals sites Something interesting this Black Friday is that no one much is talking about the Mini 4 Pro and the Mini 3 Pro.
These drones were the talk of everyone last year, representing higher end versions of the ultra lightweight category, but now when everyone is desperately looking for low prices we can forget what is effectively a 'mid tier' pricing category.
Today, though, I'm seeing some discounts (save £69 throguh DJI retail in the UK, for example) on this drone which has collision sensors and an excellent camera while side-stepping a lot of regulation. It is a pro as you can get in the weight category, in fact, which is probably why it isn't being discounted like last week's sausages, but if you're after quality a good deal is a deal on the product you WANT, not the one you tell yourself you'l settle for!!
🇺🇸 DJI Mini 4 Pro bundles at Dronesafestore.com
🇬🇧 DJI Mini 4 Pro at DJI Retail
If you're looking to learn about the best memory card for the drones on this page (or nearly any drone) then you'll need a MicroSD card. Ideally, a higher write speed if you're going for a better drone and of course the read speed saves everyone time. The best place to check which card is the Digital Camera World Best Memory Card MicroSD card guide.
Fun fact though – the HoverAir X1 has built-in memory, as does the brand new DJI Air 3S; perhaps it's the way of the future (personally I still quite like being able to move a physical card, though it's nice to have the backup).
I've just seen there is a new deal with the HoverAir X1 - the selfie drone that can follow you without a controller, take off from and land in your hand, and fold into your pocket with built-in safety cage. I really liked this thing in my review, and while there have been developments (I've tried the nearly-ready-for-prime-time new model) this is still pretty spectacular and an extra battery would solve the device's one main gripe – the lightness that makes it extra safe and easy also means the flight times aren't as good as the competition. Check out the deal in your region:
🇺🇸🇬🇧 HoverAir.com - Grab the free battery deal + discount (save an extra $160)
I also found time for a quick opinion piece on why the drone deals today haven't been that exciting EXCEPT these three.
Though, to be fair, that was BEFORE I saw the HoverAir X1 with the extra battery.
Not strictly 'deals' for Black Friday on the US site, but it is worth knowing that the DJI Mini 3 Fly More combo – which is the drone, three batteries, a charging hub, and a color , a : Was $719, now $559 at Amazon. The Mini 3 is a popular choice, and this bundle gets you everything you need to get started.
🇺🇸 DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo was $719 NOW $559 at Amazon
🇺🇸 DJI Mini 3 was $419 NOW $329 at Amazon
On the UK site, a very similar discount on the same drone is explicitly called a 'Black Friday Deal' – weird huh?
🇬🇧 DJI Mini 3 was £429 NOW $295 at Amazon.co.uk
A very nice deal on the Autel Robotics EVO II Pro 6K Rugged Bundle V3 at B&H for those looking specifically to avoid DJI. Check it out.
The drone has a 1-inch image sensor and is capable of 6K video recording and, while I might not choose the brand personally, I live in the UK so the government hasn't started interfering with my choices (yet). If you're in America it's worth checking out, especially if you have clients who – for legal reasons – are squeamish about DJI.
One of the great things about my tests with Autel drones is their no-nonsense approach to rugged packaging and design; you know this is about getting the job done!
🇺🇸 Autel Robotics EVO II Pro bundle v3 was $2099 NOW 1679 at B&H
Morning Black Friday. I think still the biggest battle of the day is between a brand new drone with NO discount and the DJI Mini 4K, so don't forget there is also a separate versus for DJI Neo v DJI Mini 4K.
I've also said elsewhere that it's worth remembering that the thing no one seems to be talking about this Black Friday is that prices might well go up next year anyway, so a decent deal today (even just a good price like the DJI Neo) is probably still a 'Win' compared to likely increases in the future.
If you've been following this, I'd like to draw your attention to a deal I've just seen from B&H – sadly only available in America – which was already amazing but has got $100 dollars better – the DJI Avata (1).
Now I flew this drone into a tree at the better part of 30 mph and it barely blinked, so this is very, very robust. It has a 4K camera so it takes great video. And you're looking at high-end digital goggles in the box, with low latency, if you go for this bundle. You can read more about how impressed I am with this deal here, or my review of the Avata (when I was more measured because the price was A LOT higher) here.
🇺🇸 DJI Avata Pro View Combo with goggles and controller was $1,388 NOW $748 B&H
If you're waking up and, like me, you didn't do as much actual buying as you planned (yet) because you got mired in research, the good news is that A LOT of the deals further up this page are still live. Some of the deals are active until 'Cyber Monday' (or, you know, Monday as other people call it) so that's nearly 3 days – the better ones might end as stock runs out.
I can't help but notice that the enticing deal on the HoverAir X1 I've been enjoying so much does now have a stock alert in the US, so it might be a last chance folks:
🇺🇸 HoverAir X1 was $399 NOW $319 at Amazon.com
🇬🇧 HoverAir X1 was £399 NOW £315 at Amazon.co.uk
I honestly don't know if this feels like enough of a discount to mention? It's the current model, so any discount is good, right, and this is a high spec device with all the goodies, but, well, £50 off seems a minimal chunk, right?
The Mini 4 Pro is the BEST ultralight drone in terms of specs and camera quality there is – pro drone without the paperwork and all.
Then again, in a year the most attractive drone for many is the Neo, with no discount at all, and where the Mini 4 Pro has already sold out for 2-3 weeks in the US, perhaps this isn't a bad offer!
🇬🇧 DJI Mini 4 Pro Fly More Combo Drone with DJI RC2 was £979 now £929 at Argos.co.uk
It's the last day of the HoverAir sale today, and they've got the HoverAir X1 on an even better price in the UK and USA:
🇬🇧 HoverAir X1 Pro max was £419 now £299 at hoverair.com
🇺🇸 HoverAir X1 Pro max was £429 now $299 at hoverair.com
With valuable seconds ticking away until the end of Cyber Monday I wouldn't want to distract you from the deals, but I did just see a lot of people seem to be getting excited about the idea of a Samsung drone to go with a Samsung S25 Ultra. There's even a render doing the rounds, so I thought I'd explain why it was a fake – check it out!
