Drones come in various weights, from extremely light drones that fit in the palm of your hand to much larger and heavier ones.
Many people looking for drones seek out ones that weigh under 250 grams, meaning you don’t have to register it with the FAA.
But what is the best drone under 250 grams?
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The Best Drones Under 250 Grams
1. DJI Mini 3 – Top Pick
- Price: Check latest price at Amazon here
- Camera quality: 12 MP
- Zoom level: 4x
- Thermal capabilities: N/A
- Flight time: 38 minutes
- Max speed: 39-46 mph
- Noise level: 70 dB
- Weight: 249 g
- Video: 4k
- Wind resistance: 38 kph (level 5)
Pros
Long flight time, up to 51 minutes with extended battery
Features GPs and FlySafe
Provides incredibly high-quality and professional-looking videos and photos
Cons
Fairly expensive for a lightweight drone
Lacks obstacle detection
The DJI Mini 3 unquestionably stands out as the best drone under 250 grams. No other drone packs more features into such a small, lightweight frame.
You can harness the power of its 12MP camera to shoot breathtaking 4K visuals. And when the sun goes down, the Night Mode features let you explore the night skies without losing visibility…just bear in mind that nighttime recordings might lack a bit of clarity and blow out bright external sources.
The DJI Mini offers a commendable 38 minutes of airtime for casual flights. But, if you upgrade to the intelligent battery plus, you can get up to 51 minutes of flight time.
Like all DJI drones, the Mini 3 operates fairly quietly, and it’s fast – it can dart through the skies at speeds up to 46 mph.
But, remember to navigate cautiously as it lacks obstacle detection sensors.
Overall, the impressive flight time, impeccable DJI camera quality, and balance of price and features make the DJI Mini 3 my top pick for lightweight drones.
Video: 4K HDR | Flight Time: 38 min | Max speed: 39-46 mph | True Vertical Shooting
2. DJI Mini 3 Pro – Best premium drone under 250 grams
- Price: Check latest price at Amazon here
- Speed: 16 m/s
- Flight time: 34 mins with intelligent flight battery
- Max transmission range: 12 km
- Camera quality: 48 MP
- Video: 4K HDR video
- Weight: under 249 g
- Wind resistance: level 5
- Zoom: 4x
Pros
Extended battery life for longer flights
Focus track to keep your subject in focus even when it is in motion
Tri-directional obstacle sensing
MasterShots allows you to automatically create a cinematic video when you choose your subject
Cons
More expensive than previous DJI mini models
Lacks the 1” camera sensor common in pro models
Only 1.28GB of internal storage
The DJI Mini 3 Pro couples luxurious features with a feather-light design. DJI added larger propellers to their newest Mini Pro drone, as well as aerodynamic body tilt to make this drone capable of longer flights. The sophisticated obstacle-sensing system helps you keep the drone away from danger for safe flights.
Heading to the mountains? Or perhaps a tranquil beach? Wherever you go, the foldable Mini 3 Pro is super easy to transport. You can literally slip it into your backpack and be ready to capture memories from anywhere.
Whether it’s the golden hour or an overcast afternoon, the Mini 3 Pro delivers. The drone has a 48MP camera with 4K UHDR video capabilities, far better than previous DJI Mini drones.
While it does come with a premium price tag, to get such a high-quality camera, zoom, and other features within a 249g drone is unbeatable.
The DJII Mini 3 Pro drone is a lightweight UAV with 4K video, 48MP Photo, 34 Mins flight time, less than 249 g weight, tri-directional obstacle sensing, and RTH . This drone is geared for adults.
3. Holy Stone HS110G – Budget-friendly and beginner lightweight drone
- Price: Check latest price at Amazon here
- Speed: 15-25 mph
- Flight time: 13 minutes
- Range: 300 meters
- Camera quality: 1080p
- Weight: 176 g
Pros
Budget-friendly option ideal for beginners or hobbyists
GPS and return to home functions so it comes back if you lose signal or battery is low
“Follow me” mode great for moving shots
Cons
Short 13-minute flight time
Lacks obstacle avoidance
1080p camera is not on par with the 4k cameras in higher-end drones
If you’re fine with lower camera quality (1080p, versus for example 4K UHD on the DJI Mini 3 Pro), then the Holy Stone HS110G is a great pick. It’s well under 250 grams, weighing in at just 176g, so you’ll have no issues with registering. This nifty little device is perfect for both beginners and seasoned pilots looking for a reliable secondary drone.
The main standout feature is the HS110G’s affordability. It offers a blend of performance and features that’s hard to beat at this price point.
While it may not be the fastest drone, it offers decent 15-25mph speeds. The flight time is fairly short, at 13 mins, but that’s still enough to record decent videos on the 1080p camera. Though it lacks gimbal stabilization, this stability should still suffice if you’re a casual flyer or hobbyist.
Overall, if you want a super lightweight and super cheap drone in the under-250g category, the Holy Stone HS110G is ideal.
This GPS drone features an HD camera with FPV Live Video geared for Adults and Kids. This quadcopter version HS110G has been upgraded with 2 Batteries, altitude hold, follow me and auto return features. Easy to use for beginners.
4. Autel Evo Nano+ – Best lightweight drone for photography
- Price: Check latest price at Amazon here
- Speed: 15 m/s
- Flight time: 28 minutes
- Camera quality: 50 MP photos
- Video: 4K30
- Weight: under: 249 g
- Wind resistance: Level 5
Pros
SkyPortrait feature for automatic drone selfie
Subject tracking to follow a person subject in motion
Obstacle avoidance to help you fly safe
Cons
Less refined than some more professional drones
Poor customer support
Unreliable app for drone control
The Autel EVO Nano+ combines innovative features and intuitive controls. Aspiring drone photographers, will especially love this drone.
The EVO Nano+ excels in low-light conditions, capturing the magic of twilight hours and dusky landscapes with ease.
Even more impressively, when HDR mode kicks in, it takes multiple shots at varying exposures. It then meticulously blends the images to produce a single photo rich in contrast and dynamic range – a feature usually reserved for more premium drones.
Catering to complete novices, as well as seasoned drone enthusiasts, the EVO Nano+ comes packed with four automatic shooting modes. This ensures that capturing that perfect shot is just a click away, regardless of your skill level. It also offers key safety features, like three-way obstacle avoidance, to ensure safe flights.
The Autel EVO Nano+ offers an impressive array of features for its size and price bracket. Despite limitations, its innovative functionalities might outweigh the downsides, making it a worthy contender in the lightweight drone segment.
249g Mini Drone with 4K RYYB Camera, No Geo-Fencing, PDAF + CDAF Focus, 3-Axis Gimbal, 3-Way Obstacle Avoidance, Extra 64G SD, Nano Plus Fly More Combo, White
5. Ryze Tello – Best drone under 250 grams for kids
- Price: Check latest price at Amazon here
- Weight: 80g
- Speed: 17 mps
- Flight time: 13 minutes
- Camera quality and zoom: 5MP, 1x zoom
- Maximum range: 100 m
The Ryze Tello is one of the most popular drones for kids and is incredibly light, weighing in at just 80g.
There are several different features that make the Tello perfect for new drone fliers. It offers a 5MP and 720p HD camera that’s pretty good for such a cheap drone, so it’s a great introduction into aerial photography and videography.
This drone is actually made by Ryze in conjunction with DJI, the number one manufacturer of camera consumer drones – more on that later. So, with the Tello, you get a lot higher quality than with most other drones under $100.
For example, you can use DJI’s famous EZ shots feature with the Tello. This sees the drone perform coordinated motions while recording to provide professional-looking videos that you can share instantly on social media.
Another interesting aspect of the Ryze Tello is that it’s one of the most popular programmable drones. This is because it supports the Scratch programming language, meaning you can command the Tello simply by dragging coding blocks on the Tello Edu mobile app.
6. DJI Mini SE – Affordable yet powerful drone under 250 grams
- Price: Check latest price at Amazon here
- Weight: 249g
- Speed: 29 mph
- Flight time: 30 minutes
- Camera quality and zoom: 12MP, no zoom
- Maximum range: 4km
DJI is the market leader when it comes to consumer camera drones and its range of mini drones are generally regarded as the finest on the market, the Mini SE being a great example of why that is.
For starters, it offers seriously impressive camera capabilities – 12MP aerial photos and 2.7k HD video, so you can capture genuinely stunning footage. Like all DJI drones, the Mini SE uses a 3 axis motorized gimbal to help keep the camera steady while flying for as smooth a recording as possible.
Another great thing about this mini drone under 250 grams is that it has a seriously impressive range of 4km, and you can stream 720p video in real-time within that range.
While most drones less than 250g are considerably less powerful than larger, heavy drones, that’s not the case with DJI models. The Mini SE has level 5 wind resistance, meaning it can resist winds up to 38kph, so you can fly it even in challenging conditions.
It can also fly up to a max altitude of 4,000 meters and reaches speeds of 13m/s, so it’s more than capable of scaling a variety of landscapes, from coastline cliffs to forests.
The Mini SE also offers 30 minutes of flight time per charge, which is impressive for such a light drone, and for one in this price category.
Another feature that’s characteristic of DJI drones is intelligent flight and recording features. The Mini SE has a variety of QuickShot modes, such as Helix, Dronie, and Circle, which see it perform elaborate preset motions while recording to give your footage that cinematic edge.
Video Capture: 4K | Battery Life: 31 min | Weight: 4.12 lbs (1.9 kl) | Product Dimensions: 9 x 9 x 6.4 inches
7. DJI Mini 2 – Overall Best Drone Under 250 grams
- Price: Check latest price at Amazon here
- Weight: 249g
- Speed: 36 mph
- Flight time: 31 minutes
- Camera quality and zoom: 12MP, 4x zoom
- Maximum range: 10km
The DJI Mini 2 is the direct upgrade of DJI’s original Mavic Mini and is without doubt the best drone under 250g on the market.
With this drone, you get all the same great features you do with the Mini SE as well as some more advanced capabilities that help you take your drone flying to the next level.
For starters, it has a significantly higher transmission distance of 10km, which is simply incredible and makes the Mini 2 one of the longest-range drones on the market. It also has an increased flying speed of 16m/s, so with this drone you can explore further and farther than with any other sub-250-gram drone.
Plus, as it uses DJI’s advanced OcuSync 2.0 transmission system rather than WiFi, the image feed is much smoother and more reliable than with the original Mini or the Mini SE.
While the camera offers the same 12MP and 2.7k HD video as the Mini SE, with the DJI Mini 2 you can capture both RAW and JPEG images, rather than just JPEG as is the case with earlier models.
Different photographers have different views on whether RAW or JPEG is better. For example, many favor RAW images as they feature far more shades of color, wider dynamic range, and finer adjustment potential, whereas others prefer JPEG images as they don’t require post-processing, require less storage, and can be more easily shared.
As the Mini 2 supports both files, you can adjust based on your personal preferences or your needs for different situations.
You can still buy the cheaper original Mavic Mini if this drone is out of your budget, which is a fantastic drone in its own right. But if you’re looking for simply the best drone under 250 grams, then the Mini 2 is the one to go for.
Why Buy a Drone Under 250 Grams?
No Need for FAA Registration
If you’re new to the drone scene, you may be wondering what’s so special about a drone that weighs under 250g.
Well, the main reason is you don’t need to register a drone that weighs 250 grams or less with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
FAA registration isn’t a hugely complex or expensive process, but it is something that a lot of people would rather not have to worry about. You can register your drone online or by mail by providing a few basic details about yourself and the drone, and there’s a $5 registration fee per drone.
You’ll then be sent a certificate which you must have on you whenever you’re flying, and you have to label your drone with your registration number. If you fail to register a drone over 250g, you could be liable to civil penalties up to $27,500 and criminal penalties of up to $250,000 — and possible imprisonment.
So, even though it’s not very difficult, you can see why many would rather avoid the hassle, particularly if you’re a beginner or just a casual flier.
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$159.99 | $419.00 | $998.00 |
While the FAA rules for drones under 250 grams apply to the US, similar laws are also present in the UK, Canada, Australia and many other countries around the world. The reason countries have these drones under 250 grams regulations is because light drones are less likely to cause serious incidents or injuries in the event of a collision.
Of course, while you don’t need to register a drone under 250g with the FAA, that doesn’t mean you can just do anything you want with it. In fact, all the FAA rules on how and where you can fly a drone apply to drones of all weights.
For example, FAA regulations state you can’t fly a drone over groups of people or near other aircraft and you must stay below 400 feet above ground level. Whether you’re
Other Benefits of Drones Under 250g
Being exempt from FAA registration isn’t the only reason why people go for drones under 250. In fact, there are several other benefits of these drones.
For starters, they’re extremely lightweight and compact, most being the size of an average smartphone. This means they’re extremely easy to transport – much more so than larger, heavier drones – and many even have foldable propellers to make them easier to carry around. Most standard camera drones range from 400g to 700g in weight, so they’re often twice as heavy as drones under 250 grams.
Another benefit of choosing a small under 250-gram drone is that they’re generally easier to fly and control than heavier, bulkier drones. Not only does this make them suitable for beginners, but it also means you can fly them both indoors and outdoors in a safer way than with most larger drones.
That’s not to say everything about drones under 250g is better than larger models – they’re generally a lot less powerful and can be less robust, for example. But if your priority is easy indoor and outdoor flying or avoiding FAA registration, then it’s certainly worth considering a drone under 250 grams.
