Not so long ago, taking photos of yourself, aka selfies, with a camera on a stick was unthinkable. Now, for many it’s impossible to imagine a day without a selfie. And it doesn’t stop there! Since we’re living in the future, instead of a phone on a stick to take a photo you can use a Selfie Drone!
It’s still a relatively new concept but I’m pretty sure it will be a common thing very soon. Hence, I’ve gone through hundreds of quadcopter models and thousands of customer reviews to find the very best selfie drone.
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What is the Best Selfie Drone?
We could say that we traveled the world to find for you the Best Selfie Drone and it’s partially true – we’ve been on the road since 2011 after all.
More importantly, we have done a very thorough research online and have gone through most of the available drones for selfies that you can buy today. We read the comments left by people who bought and used these selfie drones.
We also wrote a brief selfie drones Buying Guide and FAQ sections to address most questions you may have.
Without further ado, here’s the list of top 9 drones for selfies based on their pricing, specs and ratings by real users.
1. DJI Mavic Mini Light Foldable Drone
| Specs |
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| Price: 💲💲💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.5 Pounds (0.2 kg) Max Flight Time: 30 Minutes Control Range: 1312 ft (400 m) Gimbal/ Stabilization: Yes SD Card Slot: Yes |
See it in your local store:
I used this quadcopter for a month in Scotland and, I have to say, this is the reason why I decided to buy one. Flying DJI Mavic Mini is a bliss – easy, intuitive and satisfying. It’s also a lightweight and perfect for outdoors because its battery lasts up to 30 minutes so you have plenty of time to find the best shot, making it the best hiking drone out there. Footage also positively surprised me with good quality, especially when it comes to photos. The 3-axis gimbal stabilizes the camera so that the videos are very smooth and look professional, even in strong wind.
DJI Mavic Mini also excels in control range of around 1300 feet. Then, with the built-in SD card, even when your smartphone loses contact with the drone, the footage continues to be recorded in the highest quality, which you’ll be able to download to your computer later.
If you have even bigger budget, you can go for the newest version, DJI Mini 2, which is a Premium Choice here.
Pros
- 3-axis gimbal ensures superior camera stability and ultra-smooth footage,
- Very long flight time (up to 30 minutes),
- lightweight and not requiring FAA registration,
- Crisp video footage in all weather conditions,
- Extremely easy to use even for those who never flew a drone before,
- Very reliable with a long control range,
- Fly More Combo is a great value add
Cons
- Price is a limiting factor for most users,
- No smart controller support
2. DJI Mini 2 Lightweight Drone
| Specs |
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| Price: 💲💲💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.5 Pounds (0.2 kg) Max Flight Time: 31 Minutes Control Range: 32 800 ft (10 000 m) Gimbal/ Stabilization: Yes SD Card Slot: Yes |
See it in your local store:
You’ll find DJI Mini 2 almost identical in appearance to its predecessor DJI Mavic Mini, but don’t be fooled by the appearances because the devil is in the detail. DJI Mini 2 is significantly better in performance which is reflected in most of its specs.
While this is still a drone under .55 pounds, hence not requiring a registration, the photo and video quality makes you feel like a Holywood filmmaker. Features like 4k video, 4x zoom, 3-axis Gimbal come together with easy-to-use software that helps capture quick shots that are impressive (easpecially on social media).
Another great improvement on the previous model is the control range, flight time and motor power to help in windy conditions. Thanks to these you’ll be able to fly further and longer, but most importantly safer and less likely to lose the drone by flying out of range.
The obvious downside is the price that is by far highest on this list. DJI Mini 2 is hands-down a Premium buy. Also, I wish it had an active tracker to follow us around, but there’s a chance this will be introduced as a software update at a later date.
Pros
- Absolute best in its category – drones not requiring a registration to fly,
- Impressive 10 kilometers control range (over 6 miles),
- Stable and clear footage even in very strong winds,
- Much better controller than in DJI Mavic Mini,
- Cinema quality video resolution with 4K video and wide-angle 180° view
Cons
- Sometimes may experience short term difficulties connecting to GPS,
- Doesn’t have active tracker to follow you,
- Soft padded case not as good as previous version so you can consider a drone backpack
3. Teeggi M71 Drone
| Specs |
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| Price: 💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.3 Pounds (0.1 kg) Max Flight Time: 12 Minutes Control Range: 230 ft (70 m) Gimbal/ Stabilization: No Charging Time: 90 Hours |
See it in your local store:
Teeggi M71 is a great budget hiking drone as it comes with a long-lasting battery, high quality camera, easily foldable, and most importantly, lightweight. It looks and feels very similar to DJI Mavic Mini which costs a few times more. However, Mavic Mini is still significantly better so you should go for Teeggi only if the budget is your concern.
Pros
- Lightweight and easy to carry,
- Camera that captures HD videos in real time,
- You can control the flying direction by tilting your phone
4. Attop X-Pack 1 Drone
| Specs |
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| Price: 💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.4 Pounds (0.2 kg) Max Flight Time: 8 Minutes Control Range: 164 ft (50 m) Gimbal/ Stabilization: No SD Card Slot: Yes |
See it in your local store:
Great toy-grade drone to start flying. While featuring 720P HD camera, the visual aren’t that good and there’s no SD card slot so the footage is sent to your phone via WiFi and stored there. Losing connection means losing footage which is is the biggest downside to this drone. Other than that, it’s great to fly and play with.
Pros
- Very easy to fly,
- Low price and lightweight,
- Very durable and great for worry-free flying due to High-quality ABS material
5. Contixo F22 Camera Drone
| Specs |
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| Price: 💲💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.5 Pounds (0.2 kg) Max Flight Time: 20 Minutes Control Range: 750 ft (229 m) Gimbal/ Stabilization: No SD Card Slot: Yes Charging Time: 120 Hours |
See it in your local store:
A beginner-friendly machine incorporating several options for automatic control. From selfie mode operated with hand gestures, drawing a flight path on your smartphone, to drone following you in real time. The drawbacks are the poor stabilization so you’ll have to do it on your computer in post-production if you’re recording in a windy weather, and the Return Home that doesn’t always work well resulting in crashes.
Pros
- GPS functionality that let’s you draw a flight path on your smartphone for the drone to follow,
- High quality camera to record videos in Full HD,
- Beginner-friendly options for easy learning
Cons
- Not very good stabilization,
- Return Home function often doesn’t work properly and may result in the drone crashing
6. Simrex X300C Drone
| Specs |
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| Price: 💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.4 Pounds (0.2 kg) Max Flight Time: 10 Minutes Control Range: 148 ft (45 m) Gimbal/ Stabilization: Yes SD Card Slot: Yes Charging Time: 60 Hours |
See it in your local store:
Cheap drone option, especially good as the first Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to learn how to fly and capture aerial footage. Easy to control with built-in safety controls.
While the price is so low it could seem it’s a toy, the footage is still better than most videos you have recorded on your mobile just a few years ago. Still, if you’re thinking of starting a YouTube career, this drone may not be enough for today’s audience.
Pros
- Easy to control and ideal for drone flying training,
- It can be used with VR glasses to experience the speed sense of flying,
- The low price makes it the best option on a tight budget
7. JJRC H71 Beginner Drone
| Specs |
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| Price: 💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.2 Pounds (0.1 kg) Max Flight Time: 22 Minutes Control Range: 328 ft (100 m) Gimbal/ Stabilization: No SD Card Slot: No |
See it in your local store:
JJRC H71 is a cheap drone with quite decent specs. It will work very well as your first drone and thanks to its very light weight under 250 grams, it doesn’t require registration while it has a long battery life and at the same time costs very little for what it offers.
Works best as a training for beginners or as a toy drone for kids.
Pros
- Ultra light design,
- Long flight time,
- Very cheap quadcopter,
- Durable and good at surviving crashes
Cons
- No SD Card Slot so video is recorded only when the connection is good,
- Short control range
8. Teeggi Visuo XS816 Drone
| Specs |
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| Price: 💲💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.4 Pounds (0.2 kg) Max Flight Time: 20 Minutes Control Range: 164 ft (50 m) Gimbal/ Stabilization: No |
See it in your local store:
Comparable machine to DJI Mavic Mini but at a much lower cost. This is one of the lightest drones on this list making it great for trekking, especially if you’re going for several days and the backpack space is tight.
One of the most unique features of this model is the dual camera, filming both front and back of the quadcopter at the same time. It also says it’s 4K HD, however, after looking t the actual footage, it doesn’t seem to me it records at this quality.
Pros
- Affordable for all the features it provides,
- 2 cameras; filming front and back at once,
- Long flight time
9. SELFLY Flying Phone Case Drone
| Specs |
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| Price: 💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.1 Pounds (0.1 kg) Max Flight Time: 5 Minutes Control Range: 49 ft (15 m) Gimbal/ Stabilization: No |
See it in your local store:
One of the easiest to carry and smallest drones on the market, SELFLY is a flying phone case with a built-in camera. If you have one of the most popular smartphones, then you can even get a phone cover for your phone which will fit this drone. Otherwise, it will come in a small box, the size of a phone.
Pros
- Folds into a phone case so it’s always with you,
- Thinnest drone on the market to fit in your pocket and works as a power bank,
- Designed specifically for selfies with face recognition
Verdict
TLDR: Quick summary of our findings as to what can be considered best selfie drone below:
Overall best selfie drone out there: DJI Mavic Mini Light Foldable Drone
Premium Pick if money is not much of an issue: DJI Mini 2 Lightweight Drone
Budget Choice – there’s no shame in spending prudently: Teeggi M71 Drone
Our other reviews you may find useful in your research:
Questions and Answers About Selfie Drones
What are selfie drones?
Selfies drones are small-size and lightweight quadcopters that can be used to take selfies instead of using “phone and a stick”. The most important is the ability to take them everywhere with you and to take photos without the need to hold a remote control.
Can you fly a drone under 250 grams anywhere?
In most countries around the world you do not need a registration or special permission to fly a drone under 250 grams. However, you cannot fly it in restricted or no-fly zones. You can use Apps like AirMap for Drones to check these.
