Best Motion Controlled Drones In [year]

If you’re a star wars fan, you’ve probably tried controlling things with your mind. Technology hasn’t made such an advancement yet (telepathy practitioners aside please) but you can still control flying objects with the motion of your hands. There are numerous drones in the market that include motion-activated sensors. However, not every product promises a great quality build.

After researching several drones for 134 hours and interviewing expert drone pilots, we’ve compiled a list of the best motion-controlled drones of all time. Our research concluded that the DJI Mavic 2 Pro is a prominent drone for motion control. However, choosing a great product is not just about knowing the best picks.

Best Motion Controlled Drones

1. DJI Mavic 2 Pro – Best Finger Controller Drone

Drones have become very useful for creatives with time. When DJI announced that Mavic 2 Pro includes a 1″ sensor, there was great hype in the market. We already knew it was going to be a game-changer. Due to this, we were very excited to get our hands dirty on it. The Mavic 2 Pro is a very strong drone for both seasoned and experienced pilots.

Although with a 1/2.3” sensor it doesn’t perform well in low-light, it is a great daylight drone that can easily shoot close subjects. In comparison to the Mavic Air, the Mavic 2 Pro excels in all aspects such as battery life, flight distance, lens quality, video quality, and maximum flight time. On the other hand, Mavic Air provides a very small footprint.

Talking about the build quality, we found it to be excellent for the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. We tested it in a variety of harsh weather conditions and uneven terrains. The drone perfectly survived in all conditions with no issue. The sensors make sure that you don’t crash your drone in flight. Even the controller (and the drone) feels great and appears to last for a long time.

Although the controller is significantly bulkier and larger in comparison to Mavic Air, the additional size also provides better functionalities and higher capabilities. The controller also uses the OccuSync technology that provides a signal transmission range of 8000 meters along with clear sight. It is virtually double the range of Mavic Air’s Wi-Fi controller.

We also loved the battery life of the DJI Mavic 2 Pro which is comparatively better than that of the Mavic Air. With a total capacity of 3850mAh, the craft provides you airtime of up to 31 minutes. While flying a drone, you may lose track of the time. Therefore, we’d always suggest you carry a couple of extra batteries with you.

Bottom Line

All in all, we are greatly impressed with Mavic 2 Pro. The flight experience was wonderful and we had a great time testing it in the wild. From the build quality to the camera, everything is perfect about this drone. Whether you’re a beginner or professional pilot, the DJI Mavic 2 Pro is your ultimate companion to get started with drones and aerial photography.

2. DJI Mavic Air – Best Hand Motion Controlled Drone

DJI is known to make some of the best drones in the market but you can’t think of carrying most of them while traveling. Apart from the Mavic Mini, the DJI’s Mavic Air is one of the most lightweight and portable drones. It can be easily carried while traveling. In comparison to other DJI models, the Mavic Air is cheaper and compact due to its foldable design.

The unit feels very premium and comfortable in hands. Moreover, the controller has a great build quality and feels like it’ll last for a very long time. Our tests encouraged the drone to take off from different terrains and fly through a variety of environments. The drone successfully survived all the situations very well and also didn’t got affected by water damage.

We were surprised to know that it only weighs 430 grams. Even DJI Phantom’s controller is double the size of this drone. The carrying case also includes ample space in which you can easily carry batteries and charging equipment. Furthermore, the drone charger features two standard USB ports that can be used to charge your smartphone and drone at the same time.

If you’re in a place with only a single power outlet, the feature can be really handy for you. However, we were disappointed with the fact that the gimbal in this drone appears fragile. There’s an additional plastic gimbal protector available for traveling. It allows you to cover your gimbal and keep it protected.

The Mavic Air’s controller is very small and compact whereas, in Phantom 3, the controller is massive and bulky. It includes two foldable antennas and removable joysticks that allow you to keep it in your pocket easily. Moreover, setting up the controller is a cakewalk. You just need to reattach the joysticks and unfold the antennas and you’ll be ready to fly it in no time.

Bottom Line

In a nutshell, we had a very great experience with the DJI Mavic Air. It has a very compact design that allows you to carry it with ease. The obstacle avoidance feature of this drone works really well and the camera can record in 4K. All this makes it one of the best motion controlled drones in the market.

3. DJI Mavic Air 2 – Best Hand Controlled Drone

Being the latest craft of DJI, the Mavic Air 2 is considered to be a consumer camera drone with a budget-friendly price. The design of this drone greatly resembles the Mavic air. However, there are some huge differences in the performance and camera capabilities that we’ll point out. The DJI Mavic Air 2 has a folding size of 180x97x84mm and it opens with a size of 185x253mm.

Moreover, even with a bulky 3500mAh battery, the unit feels very lightweight in hands. There’s also a 48-megapixel camera with 4K at 60 fps that makes it a perfect match for aerial photography enthusiasts. We also loved the video quality of this drone at 12p Mbps. It also includes a SmartPhoto Scene Recognition Technology that automatically chooses the best camera settings.

Talking more about the camera, the DJI Mavic Air 2 also features automatic QuickShots like its successor. The drone also includes ActiveTrack 3.0 that identifies objects with ease. The manufacturers planned to release an 8K hyper-lapse update but there’s no progress on it to date. Hopefully, Mavic Air 2 owners will be able to use the Hyper Lapse in the future.

Simply put, we believe that the DJI Mavic Air 2 has adopted the design and camera from its successor and compactness and ease of usage from its cousin Mavic Mini. However, the controller is what makes it different from others. The Mavic Air 2’s controller includes space at the top for the smartphone. There are sprung grip slides that keep your phone intact. 

Under the rubber grip, you can also find a storage area to keep your USB-C and Micro USB connectors. You may find the storage to be slightly fiddly but it’s very secure and neat. The upward positioning of the screen made it even more comfortable. Furthermore, OccuSync 2 enables the controller to automatically switch between radio channels within 10km of range.

Bottom Line

Overall, we believe that the DJI Mavic Air 2 is a great craft with endless capabilities. It is one of the best motion controlled drones for a majority of people. Although it’s bulkier than Mavic Air, the additional grams also provide great improvements in terms of features and footage. For aerial photographers, the features like ActiveTrack and QuickShots are a great boon.

4. DJI Spark – Best Wrist Controlled Drone

The drone market is filled with various beginner-friendly crafts. The DJI spark was introduced as an entry-level drone for kids and adults. In no time, it became people’s favorite drone with wrist control capabilities. It has a very portable design with a pocket-friendly price. Although it’s a beginner-friendly craft, it still has long-range control and a great camera for aerial photography.

With the Spark, DJI focuses more on user experience rather than performance and that’s why it is a very convenient drone in the market. We had a great time testing the amazing features of this tiny beast. There are numerous other drones at the same price range such as Parrot Bebop, FIMI A3, Holy Stone HS720, and so on. The Spark aims to be a tough competitor for this segment of drones

We were impressed with the fixed-wing design of this drone. Although the unit isn’t collapsible, it is still very lightweight and has a fairly small frame that weighs only 300g. In visual terms, it’s half the size of a Mavic. We also found the design of DJI Spark to be better than its cousins but that’s completely a personal preference. The drone needs to be registered through the FAA if you live in the US.

Its small size allows you to fly it in public places such as parks and open grounds and makes the flight experience a lot less intimidating. The design and build quality of this drone make it feel very reliable and robust in hands. The best part is that the spare parts are readily available for this drone in the market and DJI’s official website. This allows you to easily replace damaged parts in case of accidents or crashes. The camera quality of this drone is also praiseworthy.

Bottom Line

All in all, the DJI spark’s par level compactness and reliability make it one of the best motion controlled drones in the market. As most of its features are taken from higher-end DJI variants, the drone provides you amazing capabilities at the budget of a shoestring. If you’re a beginner looking to get started with drones, this is certainly a perfect match for you. It also allows you to get your hands on aerial photography with its great quality of the camera.

5. DJI Phantom 4 Pro – Best Aircraft Gesture Controlled Drone

Ever since DJI introduced the Phantom series of drones, the drone market had a tough time competing with it. The drone brings some of the most amazing features, capabilities, and functions. With this drone, DJI introduced a new design, a better camera, and a variety of intelligent flight modes that also includes gesture control technology.

It’s certainly a perfect match for professionals looking for a high-quality drone. In comparison to its predecessors, the Phantom 4 Pro includes a streamlined design with cleaner lines and secure housing. This provides a unibody and sleek look to this drone. However, the construction highly resembles its predecessors. The magnesium frame adds an extra level of agility and strength to it.

We’ve noticed that the new design comes optimized for better safety and performance. The motors are raised at a higher level to prevent propellers from interfering with the frame. This eradicated the major problem in which the camera entered the frame when tilted above the horizon while recording. We also noticed that the motors are made more powerful and there’s a significant improvement in the speed of this drone.

The camera quality remains the same (roughly) as that of its predecessors. However, there are some signs of improvement. The sensor is the same ½.3″ CMOS that provides still images of 12.4MP. Moreover, it also captures the C4K video at 24 fps. DJI introduced a new super-slow-motion video capture in 1080P FHD at 120 fps.

The Phantom 4 Pro also includes a new 20mm f/2.8 lens that includes shaped edges and less chromatic aberration. In a nutshell, the lens provides greater image quality and reduced barrel distortion. Another update is that the gimbal now includes two mounting points that reduce vibrations in a better way.

Bottom Line

In conclusion, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro is still one of the smartest drones in the market. It acts as a superior hybrid that inherits the proven strengths of its predecessors with a personal touch of additional features and improvements. This allows it t stay way ahead of its competitors. As far as the price range is concerned, all we can say is that the drone provides you a great value for your money.

Buyer’s Guide – How To Choose The Best Motion Controlled Drones

1. Flight Time

With great features, comes excessive battery consumption. The flight time of your drone depends on the size of the battery and your aircraft’s type. Depending on the aforementioned figures, the flight time of your drone can range between 5-30 minutes. Beginner-friendly drones usually have 5-10 minutes of airtime. But they provide you easily replaceable batteries so you can swap them easily and continue your flight. However, when you talk about professional-quality drones, even a single piece of accessory can cost you a surplus amount of money. If you’re serious about your hobby, you can feel free to invest in additional batteries and virtually double your airtime. During an array of situations, flight time can completely make or break your experience. We almost had a perfect aerial shot before running out of battery. According to our research, we are confident that the DJI Mavic 2 Pro has the best flight time out of all other drones.

2. Headless Mode  

Every drone has a frontal part and a back part. If your drone is facing the same direction as your vision, the controls are directional with your hands. For instance, pressing the right directional stick should move your drone in the right direction. However, when the frontal part of the drone is opposite top of your vision, the controls are inverted. This means pressing the right directional stick should move your craft towards the left direction and vice versa. For non-experienced flyers, this can cause a little confusion and lead to a crash. With headless mode, you can eradicate this confusion forever. When this mode is turned on, the controls won’t be inverted regardless of the direction of your aircraft. This allows you to concentrate more on flying rather than observing the direction of your drone. We found the headless mode of DJI Mavic Air to be very effective. It made our flying experience easier and more immersive.

3. Camera

When it comes to drone accessories, the camera is probably the first thing that comes in your mind. While cheaper drones offer a camera as an add-on, the professional-grade crafts have built-in cameras. If you’re interested in taking aerial photographs and shoot videos, you need to keep a keen eye on the camera of your drone. There are some drones that have preinstalled cameras and others have an extension to attach the GoPro action camera. Moreover, there are various features in drone cameras that vary according to the manufacturer such as ISO, image quality, shutter speed, and many more. Almost every DJI drone comes with a great camera but the DJI Mavic Air 2 is what excites us the most.

4. Return Home Function

As the name suggests, the return home function does exactly what it sounds like. It returns your drone to its launch location with a single press of a button. This feature comes really handy when the aircraft is lost out of your sight and lose control over it. However, the same function differs highly in an expensive GPS-enabled drone and a cheap drone for kids. IN a GPS-enabled drone, you need to wait for the craft to connect with the satellite and known where it took off from. So, when you use the return home function, the drone should get back to you normally. On the other hand, when you use the return home function on a cheap drone for kids, it will just fly backward, that too if the headless mode is turned on. Otherwise, you have to chase it. Therefore, make sure that the headless mode is turned on before flying. As far as this feature is concerned, the DJI Spark works perfectly for it.

5. Range

The range is the distance in which you can control your drone. To consider the ideal range, you need to determine your requirements. However, we’ll suggest you go for a long-range drone as it’ll provide you better connectivity. According to our tests, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro has a great range along with amazing connectivity.

6. 3-Axis Gimbal

Gimbal is a device attached to the camera to make it leveled. It keeps the motion stabilized on 3-axis: pitch, roll, and yaw. This allows you to take stable footage while flying your craft regardless of its direction and tilt. The 3-Axis Gimbal can be found in most of the DJI drones.

7. Spare Parts

While choosing a drone for your purpose, you need to make sure that the spare parts are readily available for it. There’s a high chance of getting in a situation where you’ll need spare parts. Even the simplest crash can require you to replace your motor, landing gear, propeller, camera, and so on. Therefore, make sure that your craft has easily available spare parts.

The Takeaway

Motion controlled drones make your flying experience more immersive and engaging. They’re easier to control and fun to fly. This rundown introduces you to some of the best motion controlled drones in the market. However, the final call is awaiting for you. So, go through our buyer’s guide, if you haven’t already, and choose the one that fits the bill for you.