his post was originally published on our sister site DroneRush.com
Traditional RC toys rely on dedicated controllers to operate, but modern technology put an extremely capable smart device in your pocket and many manufacturers look to use it for their new toys. I’m being vague, I refer to quadcopter style drones you can control with your smartphone or tablet.
Higher-end drones still rely on a dedicated remote for actual flight controls, but many toy class units fly using nothing more than an app and a WiFi or Bluetooth connection. Let’s take a look at some of the best on the market today.
We will regularly updat this post with new and exciting drones that you can control with your phone. This month we added the new GDU O2, one of the most portable drones we’ve ever laid hands on.
DJI Spark
Forget your smartphone, control this drone with your bare hands! That’s right, the new DJI Spark was designed for the maximum in ease of use, wher a controller can be cumbersome to transport and a smart phone can be used, but maybe you want to save the battery, you can use hand gestures to control the quadcopter. From start to finish, you can fly this drone, capture some aerial selfies and land it right back in your hand.
If you own a larger smartphone, you’ll find it is larger than this drone, it’s that small. I mean, the fuselage is small, there’s still propeller arms and the folding propellers to deal with, but hey, it’s still one of the more portable flying machines around.
Pre-orders are open now, but the drone does not ship until mid-June. You’ll need $499 for the drone alone, a Fly More bundle will run $699.
Parrot Bebop 2
Parrot is an interesting little company with some great ideas and they look to create a premium experience on most things they do. This sometimes means premium hardware, and sometimes premium experiences through software or features. In the case of their drones, most are able to be flown entirely using just your smartphone. They still offer a controller if you need more, but more than just the basics are only an app away.
The Bebop 2 is one of the newest drones from Parrot, a feature packed quadcopter with a number of autonomous flying modes and a fairly capable camera.
Your smartphone acts as controller as well as FPV viewer for the Bebop 2, using their app, called FreeFlight 3, you’ll get the basics for free, then fork over some cash via in-app-payments to unlock advanced flying modes.
Check out our Parrot Bebop 2 drone hands-on review
The Parrot Bebop 2 can be had for as low as $399 for just the drone, but look to spend about $599 to get the whole package with FPV goggles, dedicated controller and more.
Hubsan X4 H501S Pro
We spent some time with Hubsan at CES behind closed doors, they have some interesting and fun stuff in the pipeline, but next to hit the market will be the new Pro version of the brushless H501S. Despite using their advanced controller with FPV video screen, you can actually fly this drone, as with many other Hubsan drones, using just the app.
They have a special tiny controller in the works that seems little more than a phone dock, which, to be fair, is basically what it is. Put your phone to use on a number of Hubsan drones, including the X4 H501S Pro. or the lesser expensive X4 H501S Brushless for $268 on Amazon today.
Parrot MiniDrone rolling spider
It’s a car, nope, it’s a quadcopter? Parrot is not offering both in one device, but the MiniDrone Rolling Spider has large wheels that can spin along, adding a new level of fun and safety to indoor flying. These are not powered wheels, but they do protect the drone from crashing, allow you to scoot along the floor when there is not enough battery life left to take off, and have fun ‘crawling’ up walls when there is power.
Equipped with a small camera, this small drone is controlled by smartphone or tablet and can be yours for $40 on Amazon.
DJI Mavic Pro
We hesitated to add this here, the Mavic Pro, as with other DJI drones that can be controlled via smartphone, benefit greatly using the controller and smartphone in combination. Thing is, there is a WiFi mode that allows you to take control using just your phone. Range is limited, capabilities are not all utilized, but you can do it. Take the control method out of the equation and I can do nothing more than gush at how great of a drone you are getting here; the compact, folding design is unrivaled today, particularly in this capable of a 4K video recording drone with excellent autonomous features.
Check out the DJI Mavic Pro for $999 as the base package, $1299 in the Fly More bundle from Amazon today.
