Fly, Camera, Fly! 4 Drones That Are The Talk of The Town This Fall

All summer long you’ve had the chance to read about latest drone models, all the quirky ways they’re being used right now and even find out how this dronemania came to be.  This fall, we’re drawing the line and making a top 4 of the most talked about drones of the moment, all of whom we had the opportunity to see up-close at IFA Berlin #actionmagic

DJI PHANTOM 4

DJI launched Phantom 4 in Spring but visitors saw it in action this year at IFA. The team developed a special arena for it, showing us all how the active tracking system works and what it can do. Sebastian from DJI reminded us that the flight time is actually 25 minutes and that the companion app helps you see all vital info on the smartphone. Plus, if you run out of battery, he said, Phantom 4 knows where he belongs to and come back to you. We loved the racing abilities, too – in Sport mode, Phantom 4 can reach 45 mph.

If you’re tempted to get the original white drone this fall, the price is $1.199. 

PARROT DISCO + COCKPITGLASSES

Parrot brought at IFA its latest drone, Disco ,a two-winged drone with a single propeller. It definitely looks more like a plane, than a helicopter, and I appreciated the change in design. The wings are very light, thanks to the EPP used, which is good and bad in the same time. I had the feeling they made the drone extremely vulnerable and fragile, although I was reassured that it’s not the truth. Plus, the wings are easy to replace.

The great thing about Disco is that it’s very fast, reaching speeds of 80 kph, it flies for 45 minutes and comes with FPV glasses. I quite liked the idea of throwing it into the air and watch it soar the sky, like I did with paper planes as a kid.  The price is not at all bad – just $1.299 for drone and glasses. 

YUNEEC BREEZE

We found the Yuneec stand brimming with drones. The popular Typhoon H was there but also multiple drones that cater to Millenials called Breeze. We covered them in detail here , but the thing you should keep in mind is that they’re probably one of the most budget-friendly drones on the market right now.

At  $499, the camera shoots in 4K, has a bunch of camera modes you can select from and it can share footage from the app directly to any Social Media platform. Live transmission is possible, too. All of these features you usually find in professional drones helped it become one of IFA’s sensations.

XIRO XPLORER MINI

Xiro was the newcomer that had a lasting impression on us. Their colorful design for Xplorer Mini earned them a Red-dot award and convinced us it deserves a sport in the top 4 drones this season. With interchangeable casing design and customized patterns, it’s bound to keep users entertained. Although, something tells me it’s impossible to get bored if you’re editing your videos and photos from the app before sharing on Social Media. As Breeze, this is another drone dedicated to young people who spend more time in the virtual world than in the real one.

The price should be around the same value as Breeze, considering their Xplorer drones are around  $600.

Bottom line: I think we’re slowly entering the age of mini drones, as all the big companies brought a smaller model along. Strength and extreme stabilization aren’t the only things that count anymore. Drones seen as flying cameras are beginning to interest the manufacturers, as more young consumers are searching for ones that are easy to carry around and provide content for Social Media in real time.