DJI is still selling the Mavic Mini, which was recently replaced by the Mini 2. The Mavic Mini is $50 cheaper, but it’s not worth it at that price. Spend the extra money on the Mini 2 and you’ll get a much better deal. If you find the Mavic Mini on sale for $300 or less, then it’s a little more sensible.
Then there’s the “toy” drone market. The internet is awash with drones in the $50 to $150 price range. There are two reasons for this. First, well-made drones are still expensive. Even our budget pick is $450. But drones also share many components with smartphones, which means chips, camera sensors, and tiny lenses are cheap at the wholesale level. Cue a million knockoffs. Unfortunately, you do tend to get what you pay for.
While two of the under-$100 models I’ve tested were fun to fly, the photos and video they produced were hot garbage. I also have my doubts about their long-term durability. I think most people would be better off buying one of the tiny toy drones above and save up for DJI’s Mini 2. That said, if you don’t care about creating content, just want to have fun flying, and don’t mind taking a risk with a no-name brand of questionable quality, these “toy” drones might be worth a look.
