Top Five Drones for Christmas 2017

Heliguy-Top_5_Drones_for_Christmas_2017-Blog_Header-optimized-250x131.png Top Five Drone for Christmas 2017 It’s that time of year again; the days are getting shorter, the weather colder and Christmas is slowly creeping up on us. Heliguy Insider have been looking at the best drones available as Christmas gifts and have narrowed down the options to help you decide what to get your loved ones. So, if you’re looking for a gift for a drone enthusiast or someone who’s interested in entering the world of drones, keep reading to find out which drone is the best gift you can buy them.

Specification Comparison

Let's start by taking a look at the drones on the list and their key specifications:

Now you've seen the specifications, we'll take a look at the individual aircraft to give you an insight into which drone will be the best gift.

1 - DJI Spark

If you’re looking for a drone for someone who is new to quadcopters but loves all things tech, the DJI Spark is likely to be the perfect gift choice. The Spark is a mini quadcopter design specifically for the consumer. It’s small in size but powerful and filled with DJI’s Intelligent Flight Modes. You can control a Spark using its remote controller, a smartphone or using the palm of your hand. The Spark can capture stills in up to 12MP and video at 1080p using its 2-axis mechanical gimbal. You can instantly edit and share your pictures and videos using the DJI GO 4 app’s templates and filters. Speeds of up to 31mph can be reached in the Spark’s Sport Mode or a flight time of up to 16 minutes. Intelligent Flight Modes allow pilots to launch and land the aircraft from the palm, control the Spark with hand gestures including taking selfies, capture pre-planned shots and videos, track a subject and many more. In addition to the Intelligent Flight Modes, the Spark can be used to capture panoramas and image spheres in the recently release Sphere Mode. These small but fun features are great for improving the pilot experience. Five different colour options are available for the Spark through Heliguy. These can be purchased as a standalone aircraft for £519.00, the Fly More Combo for £699.00 with additional batteries, remote controller and more, and as a limited special-order combo for £529.00 which includes a remote controller. Spark-Christmas-Post-250x167.png 1 - DJI Spark

2 - DJI Mavic 

Taking a step up from the Spark, the DJI Mavic Pro is a drone that is closer to the middle of consumer and professional levels, due to the high-quality results it can produce. The foldable design of the Mavic Pro makes transportation easy. It can be carried in its case or in any other bag and even a large pocket. This makes it the ideal aircraft for someone who enjoys travel and photography. Despite its size, the Mavic Pro’s 3-axis gimbal can capture up to 12MP stills and 4K stabilised video. Additionally, images and video can be captured in RAW, giving pilots a greater level of creative freedom in post-production or, like the Spark, edit and share on the go with the DJI app. The Mavic has a flight time of up to 27 minutes and can reach speeds of up to 40mph. Single or dual controllers can be used with the Mavic Pro as well as your smartphone over Wi-Fi. Like the Spark, the Mavic Pro has several available DJI Intelligent Flight Modes. These include TapFly, ActiveTrack, Gesture Mode and Cinematic Mode as well as many more. Also available is the new Mavic Pro Platinum. The Platinum features new 8331 propellers and FOC (Field Oriented Control) Sinusoidal ESCs (Electronic Speed Controller). This gives the Platinum an additional three-minute flight time and has reduced the noise level by up to 4dB during takeoff and landing. The Mavic Pro and Mavic Pro Platinum are a great gift for a creative who would like a little more out of their drone. RAW files types and 4K video can give users more creative flexibility and produce some great results. You can buy the Mavic Pro from Heliguy for £1099.00, the Mavic Pro Fly More Combo for £1359.00, as well as the new Mavic Pro Platinum for £1199.00 and Platinum Fly More Combo for £1459.00. Mavic-Christmas-250x141.jpg 2 - DJI Mavic Pro

3 - DJI Phantom 4 Advanced

The Phantom 4 Advanced is the most affordable aircraft in the Phantom 4 Series. Based on the design of the Phantom 4 Pro, the Phantom Advanced was designed to keep as much of the functionality but lower the price tag. The Phantom features a one-inch sensor capable of up to 4K video at 60fps and 20MP images. Burst Mode stills can also be taken at 14 fps. Further to this, 11.6 stops of dynamic range are available resulting in a great performance in high and low light conditions. Another outstanding feature of the Phantom 4 Advanced is the huge flight time of around 30 minutes and a max speed of 45mph. The Phantom 4 Advanced also features a FlightAutonomy system including five vision sensors for 2-directional obstacle sensing and forward-vision obstacle avoidance. This is a great feature to help keep the drone safe during flight, especially with newer pilots. Like the Spark and the Mavic, the Phantom Series also has access to DJI’s Intelligent Flight Modes. Draw, Gesture, ActiveTrack are all available as well as the unique Backward TapFly. The Phantom 4 Advanced is also available as the Advanced+ model. This comes with an integrated 5.5-inch 1080p display screen built into the remote controller. The screen has a brightness of 1,000nit, twice as bright as a traditional smartphone screen offering more visibility during flight. The remote controller uses a 2.4GHz frequency and a Lightbridge HD video transmission system. The Phantom 4 Advanced is a great drone from the Phantom 4 Series. It may be preferable to the Pro if you’re on a tighter budget as it features the majority of the functionality with a reduced price. The Phantom 4 Advanced is available from Heliguy for £1469.00 or £1589.00 for the Phantom 4 Advanced+. Advanced-Christmas-250x143.jpg 3 - DJI Phantom 4 Advanced

4 - DJI Phantom 4 Pro

The Phantom 4 Pro has all of the features of the Phantom 4 Advanced, however, has additional rear vision sensors as well as left and right infrared sensors used infrared 3D scanning between the aircraft and obstacles. As well as the additional sensors, the remote controller can access 5.8GHz frequencies, in order to maintain the best available connection with the aircraft. Like the Phantom 4 Advanced, you can also purchase the Phantom 4 Pro in the Pro+ edition, featuring the same 5.5-inch display screen. The Phantom 4 Pro and Pro+ are great aircraft for pilots with some drone experience who's are looking to increase the quality of their work. The Obstacle Sensing and Avoidance allow for more complicated shots whilst keeping the drone safe. You also have the option of the new Obsidian grey, in addition to the white model. This gives the option of a whole new look to the Phantom 4 Series. The cost or the Phantom 4 Pro is £1589.00 and the Phantom 4 Pro+ is £1819.00. There’s no price difference between the two colours. Pro-Christmas-250x167.jpg 4 - DJI Phantom 4 Pro

5 - DJI Inspire 2

The DJI Inspire 2 is the perfect gift for an experienced drone pilot or commercial drone pilot, who is looking to take their work to the highest level. The Inspire 2 is a powerful aircraft, capable of 0 to 50mph in just five seconds and a max speed of 58mph. An impressive 27-minute flight time is available with the X4S, the lightest available payload. Dual self-heating batteries, IMU and barometer redundancy add near-complete reliability to the Inspire 2. The Inspire 2 has two direction obstacle avoidance and can detect obstacles at 30 meters away at speeds of up to 34mph. To give complete creative freedom to the pilot, the Inspire 2 is compatible with three cameras from DJI, the Zenmuse X4S, X5S and the new Super 35 camera, the X7. Zenmuse X7 – Cinema-level camera with a Super 35 sensor able of capturing 6K CinemaDNG video and 5.2K Apple ProRes footage as well as still as 24MP. The X7 can access CineCore 2.1 image processing system and the new DJI Cinema Colour System. Four DJI lenses are compatible ranging from 16 to 50mm. Available through Heliguy for £2699.00 with a lens required. Zenmuse X5S – Equipped with a Micro 4/3 sensor, able to capture 5.2K 30fps CinemaDNG video and Apple ProRes video at 4K 60fps. 12.8 stops of dynamic range are available and stills at 20.8MP. The Inspire’s CineCore 2.0 image processing system is used on the X5S. Eight lenses are compatible ranging from 9mm-45mm. Available through Heliguy for £1,439.00 with a lens required. Zenmuse X4S – Features a one-inch sensor, capable of up to 4K and 5.2K oversampling, 20MP stills. 11.6 stops of dynamic range can be accessed and use of the CineCore 2.0 image processing system. Available for £629.00 from Heliguy. As well as the camera flexibility, advanced storage options are also available for the Inspire 2. Several versions of the DJI CINESSD can be used, all able to record video at 4.2Gbps. Like all the aircraft we have discussed, the Inspire 2 has several Intelligent Flight Modes. This includes a dedicated Spotlight Pro mode, TapFly, ActiveTrack and many more. Lightbridge master and slave controllers can also be used in frequencies 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz giving the highest level of control over the drone. The new Cendence remote controller is also compatible. The Inspire 2 is available form Heliguy for £3059.00. As you can see, it is the most expensive aircraft on the list and is suited to an experience drone pilot, PfCO pilot or someone looking for a career as a commercial operator. Inspire-Christmas-250x116.png 5 - DJI Inspire 2

6 - Hubsan H107P X4

I know we said the top five drones for Christmas, but we wanted to include the Hubsan as our special addition to the list as it’s the perfect stocking filler. The Hubsan H107P is a mini-quadcopter and a perfect gift for someone looking to get into the world of drones with little to no experience. Pilots can use the Hubsan to gain some basic knowledge of the principals of drone flight before investing in a more expensive aircraft. The H107P is ideal for indoor flight and outdoor in low wind conditions. The Hubsan also features an altitude hold mode and ATTI mode, similar to those on larger drones. The Hubsan has four orientation LEDs which will help instantly recognise the direction of the aircraft to aid flight, especially for beginners. You will also receive approximately 10 minutes flight time which is huge for an aircraft of this size. The body and blades of the of the H107P are extremely robust which will help pilots who are completely new to flying quadcopters. If someone you know is interested in getting into the world of drones, the Hubsan H107P quadcopter is the perfect gift before purchasing a more expensive drone from our list. Available through Heliguy for £42.99. Hubsan-Christmas-250x167.png 6 - Hubsan H107P X4

Why Heliguy?

So, you’ve chosen which drone to buy your loved one as the perfect gift, but why choose Heliguy? Through Heliguy you will receive the following:

• Free Silver Crash Cover - Heliguy are currently offering one year of Silver Crash Cover free of charge across a huge number of their product range. This means if the worst happens and you crash your drone, you will receive a free inspection of your aircraft and free labour on any repairs.

• Technical Support – Heliguy’s UK-based Technical Team are a DJI approved repair centre who offer support with all technical queries. They're available by phone and email for support.

• Training Team – Heliguy are a CAA approved NQE who offer commercial drone operator training in three locations across the UK. The team can offer support with queries on drone rules and regulations.

• Sales Team – Heliguy Sales Team can offer general support and advice in all areas of the drone industry, no matter the query.

• Interest Free Finance – To help make drones more affordable and accessible, Heliguy offer 0% finance with different payment plans available to suit you. For more information and to see whether you’re eligible, head to our website.

• Extended Christmas Returns – Gifts can be refunded or exchanged up until the 31st of January as long as all other conditions on our Refunds & Returns page are met.

• Next Day Delivery – Orders over £99.00 and ordered before 15:00 will be dispatched on the same day for next day delivery.

To discuss any information from the above post, or any DJI or Freefly product, please give one of our team a call on 0191 296 1024 or email us at info@heliguy.com.

Keep checking back to Heliguy’s Insider Blog for more announcements, insights into drones and, of course, the latest news from the drone industry.