Among the tech devices of the year, drones are a great tech gift for Christmas 2016. Let's see together which are the best models
When you think of a tech gift for Christmas 2016, consoles, video games, smartphones and fitness trackers immediately come to mind. Few are those who consider drones, the small or large quadricopters that in recent years flutter freely in the sky of our cities.
Many are frightened by the price of drones, thinking that the cost exceeds well over a thousand euros. But in reality it is not so: many quadricopters can be purchased at a price that does not exceed four hundred or five hundred euros. Drones can be used for both filming and taking pictures, but they also prove to be very useful for having fun during the weekend with your child. In fact, the slightly smaller models can be used as toy drones and become a great Christmas 2016 tech gift for your child.
Before buying a drone, however, you need to make sure that the quadcopter complies with Italian regulations. In fact, drones weighing more than 300 grams and reaching a speed of more than sixty kilometers per hour require a license in order to be remote controlled. But if you have chosen to buy a quadricopter of a few hundred euros, they usually respect these parameters. If you don't know which drone to give as a Christmas gift, here is our buying guide. To find out which are the best quadricopters of the moment you just have to browse the photo gallery above.
Parrot Bebop 2
(Taken from YouTube)
Parrot is one of the leading companies in the drone industry thanks to several years of experience that have allowed it to create the Parrot Bebop 2, currently one of the best quadricopters available on the market. If you're looking for a value-for-money drone for Christmas 2016, the Parrot Bebop 2 has top-of-the-line features (it allows you to record videos with a 1080p resolution and take high-definition pictures) at a price well below average. In fact, the quadcopter can be purchased at a price of around 400 euros. The drone reaches a maximum speed of 60 km/h horizontally and 21 km/h vertically, moreover, it ensures excellent stability even on a windy day. The Parrot Bebop 2 can be controlled directly from your smartphone via the application made for Android and iOS. Thanks to sensors such as the accelerometer, all you have to do is rotate the device to maneuver the drone. To facilitate the landing and takeoff, just press a button on the smartphone screen and the drone will perform the maneuvers independently. Finally, during filming you can activate the Follow Me mode: the drone will follow the GPS of the user's smartphone and film every single second of their adventure. The feature is very useful especially for those who use the quadcopter to film their mountain bike descents.
Archos Drone
Among the low-cost drones, Archos Drone is one of the most interesting devices. In addition to being very lightweight and easy to carry, the quadcopter allows you to record high quality videos (with a 1280 x 720 resolution) and stream the footage live to your smartphone. The drone can reach a maximum height of about 50 meters and a speed of about twenty-five kilometers per hour. To manage the drone in flight you can use the controller in the package. Archos Drone can be purchased for just under 100 euros.
DJI Mavix Pro
The price is not within everyone's reach, but the DJI Mavix Pro is a drone amateur but for functionality and technical characteristics is very close to the professional quadricopters. The camera mounted on the aircraft allows you to record videos with a 4K resolution at 30fp or 1080p at 120fps. The camera sensor, thanks to the stabilizer, offers the possibility to take the perfect pictures even in the most complicated situations. The weight of the DJI Mavix Pro is not excessive (just under 800 grams) and can be folded on itself and carried comfortably in your bag. In addition, the company has developed FlightAutonomy technology that allows the drone to autonomously avoid obstacles it encounters in flight thanks to a special system composed of the GPS sensor, ultrasonic field detectors and a Glonass navigation system. In case you lose visual contact with the drone, there is no need to worry: just press a button and it will automatically return home. If you want to give a long-lasting drone for Christmas 2016, the DJI Mavix Pro ensures at least a couple of years of operation. The quadricopter can be purchased on the main e-commerce sites at a price of about 1200 euros.
Hexo+
When it was launched on Kickstater Hexo+ reached the set quota of fifty thousand dollars in just under an hour and at the end of the crowdfounding campaign the sum collected exceeded one million dollars. The success is linked to its functionality: in fact it is the first self-driving aircraft. The user will only have to connect the drone with his smartphone through Bluetooth and the quadricopter will follow the GPS sensor of the device for the duration of the battery (the autonomy is about 13 minutes). Both the landing and take-off phases are automatically managed by the drone. Hexo+ reaches a maximum speed of 70 km/h and reaches an altitude of 4600 meters. The only problem is the lack of sensors that detect obstacles in the air. The drone can be purchased for about 600 euros on major online e-commerce sites.
Goolsky Hubsan H501S X 4
Drone produced by the Chinese company Goolsky, the Hubsan H501S is an excellent quadricopter that allows you to record movies in high definition (1080p) thanks to the camera mounted on the bottom. But the photo compartment is not the only noteworthy feature. The Hubsan H501S drone has a Return to Home system when you lose control of it and integrates Follow Me technology. In fact, all you need to do is connect the quadcopter with your smartphone and the drone will follow the device's GPS signal. For enthusiasts, the drone can also be operated through a radio control. The battery life is about 20 minutes. The cost of the Hubsan H501S drone is about 280 euros on the main Italian e-commerce sites.
Syma X5SW
If for Christmas 2016 you want to give your partner a drone but your budget does not allow crazy expenses, one of the best choices is the Syma X55W. The quadricopter can be purchased for just under seventy euros on major online e-commerce sites and despite not having top of the line technical features, it still manages to do its job quite well. The drone allow you to see streaming on your smartphone, through the application developed specifically for Android and iOS, the footage of the camera mounted on the bottom of the aircraft. Unfortunately, the autonomy of the drone is very limited and does not exceed five minutes. The Syma X55W can be controlled via the remote control inside the package: the signal coverage is about 30-40 meters, but through tricks can be expanded.
DJI Phantom 3
DJI is one of the leading companies in the drone industry and if you do not want to spend more than 1000 euros for the Mavic Pro you can choose from the different models presented in recent years. One of the quadcopters to give as a gift at Christmas 2016 is definitely the DJI Phantom 3 that allows you to record movies at a quality of 2.7K (inferior to the 4K resolution, but still acceptable) and take high-definition images thanks to the 12-megapixel photo sensor. Through the application available for smartphones and tablets you can check flight statistics, set the return point and take pictures or start recording videos. It can be controlled via the radio control given in the package. It is a semi-professional drone that can be used for creating high quality amateur videos. The DJI Phantom 3 can be purchased for just under 500 euros on e-commerce sites.
Parrot AR.DRONE 2.0
(Taken from YouTube)
The Parrrot AR.DRONE 2.0 can be defined as the drone of social: in fact, the quadricopter allows you to send live streaming footage on YouTube and share the link on your social profiles. The videos are recorded in high definition, while the autonomy of the quadricopter is 12 minutes. The drone can be piloted via the app available for smartphones and tablets. Thanks to the app, you can also monitor your flight statistics and check if any other drone enthusiasts are flying nearby. The Parrot AR.DRONE 2.0 can be purchased for a price of around 200 euros.