Best 4K Drones Under 250 Grams

Drones have come a long way. Nowadays, you don’t have to go for the bigger drone because it has more features.

Drone manufacturers have found ways to add the most crucial features while keeping them under 250 grams.

This leads to little but powerful machines you can carry around, launch into the air within seconds, and create footage your viewers will love.

Besides being portable, a drone weighing less than 250 grams doesn’t need to be registered unless used for commercial purposes.

So, with the many options available, which are the best 4K drones under 250 grams?

The best 4k drone under 250 grams is the DJI Mini 3 Pro. Other options include the DJI Mini 2, DJI Mini 3, Potensic ATOM SE GPS, Holy Stone HS710, and Autel Robotics EVO Nano Plus Premium Bundle.

Please keep reading to learn more about why these drones made it to the top of our list.

1. DJI Mini 3 Pro #

✅ Pros #

• It’s a lightweight drone
• It’s ideal for beginners and experts alike
• The flight time is approximately 34 minutes
• The APAS 4.0 features help keep the drone safe by analyzing the environment

❌ Cons #

• It’s not ideal for continued use as it overheats and may need extra batteries

Weighing only 249 grams, the DJI Mini 3 Pro is light and portable and currently the best under-250-gram drone you can get for personal and professional use.

» MORE: Can the DJI Mini 3 Pro Be Used Professionally?

Its ability to avoid obstacles is superb. Its three directional (forward, backward, and downward) vision sensors make this possible.

Therefore, you can rest assured that your drone is safe when flying in a zone with trees and bushes and will not crash.

However, keep in mind that it doesn’t sense obstacles on the sides, so you still need to be careful about where you fly.

Obstacle avoidance is also only excellent when there is enough lighting. Hence, this drone is not ideal for night usage.

Since it’s easy to set up and fly, the Mini 3 Pro is among the best drones for new pilots. One great thing you will love about this drone is its quietness. Hence, it will not grab anyone’s attention even at 70 feet.

The Mini 3 Pro has a great flight time of approximately 34 minutes with the standard battery and up to 47 minutes with the larger battery. The flight time, however, could go down based on weather conditions.

For example, the flight time could decrease on a windy day as the drone consumes more power. The same applies when you use the Sport Mode or fly the drone at high speed.

Another reason this is the best drone on this list is the intelligent flight modes, especially ActiveTrack, also known as Follow Me.

Obstacle avoidance makes it possible to use this feature in areas with few obstacles, though you should primarily use it in open areas.

Below is 4K footage created using the DJI Mini 3 Pro:

2. DJI Mini 2 #

✅ Pros #

• Many flight modes are available
• Light, foldable, and portable
• Easy to control, thus ideal for beginners
• GPS is stable

❌ Cons #

• ActiveTrack is not available unless through third-party apps
• Vertical shooting missing
• Lacks obstacle avoidance

I have owned the DJI Mini 2 for some time, and I can promise that it produces some decent footage. With a 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor, you can comfortably record videos in 4K at 30 fps or 2.7k at 60 fps.

While the Mini 3 Pro came as an upgrade to the Mini 2, the latter is still worth it since it’s cheaper, has a good camera, and its SDK is available, allowing you to access features like follow-me through third-party apps like Litchi.

Below is a clip showing 4K cinematic footage from a DJI Mini 2.

3. DJI Mini 3 #

✅ Pros #

• Has vertical shooting.
• Excellent battery life
• Stronger transmission thanks to the updated transmission system

❌ Cons #

• The larger battery makes the drone heavier, necessitating registration
• The larger battery is prohibited in some areas, such as the UK

If you’re fascinated by the Mini 3 Pro but find it too expensive, DJI also has a cheaper version which they released later, the Mini 3.

Before the Mini 3 Pro, one of the best under-250-gram drones that can shoot in 4K, was the Mini 2 mentioned earlier.

While the Mini 3 Pro came as a huge upgrade, adding features like obstacle avoidance and ActiveTrack, not everyone can afford it.

On the other hand, while the Mini 2 is cheaper, it may be limited. So DJI created another drone that is as light as the Mini 2 but has some features you will find in the more expensive Mini 3 Pro.

For instance, the Mini 3 has a larger sensor, meaning it will produce better high-quality footage. It also supports HDR at up to 4k at 30 fps.

If you’re a social media creator, you will love that the Mini 3 also features vertical shooting, where you can automatically change the camera to a vertical position.

By doing this, you will not have to crop the footage before posting it on your social media channels.

The Mini 3 also has a longer flight time of up to 38 minutes or 51 minutes if you want the drone to be heavier. On the other hand, the Mini 2 lasts between 25 and 30 minutes.

Curious about what the footage from the Mini 3 would look like? Below is a good example.

4. Holy Stone HS710 #

✅ Pros #

• Great for beginners as it’s easy to use
• It’s a light drone and comes with two batteries
• Not overpriced, and Holy Stone customer care is excellent
• Not only is the drone’s control intuitive but also highly responsive
• The drone app is compatible with your smartphone, and it is user-friendly

❌ Cons #

• Has a short range

If you’re looking for a 4K drone under 250 grams and all you’ve got is $300, you should consider the Holy Stone HS710.

Weighing only 240 grams, the HS710 is powerful and has a maximum flight time of 25 minutes. With this drone, you will never worry about windy days because it stays stable.

However, flying on a windy day may cause the batteries to drain fast, but you can still fly for more than 20 minutes.

Due to its foldability, you can carry this drone to any place you wish without getting fatigued. Also, the HS710 features Point of Interest and Follow Me modes.

Nevertheless, you can only use them in an open area since the drone lacks an obstacle avoidance feature.

HS710 features a lens with wide angles (120 degrees). Consequently, you get smooth, high-quality shots. Other crucial features of this drone include:

• 5GHz FPV technology
• Emergency Stop
• One Key Take Off and Landing
• Intelligent Return to Home
• Altitude Hold Technologies

With Altitude Hold, your drone hovers in the air — you do not need a throttle for that like in manual FPV. This also gives you time to learn the controls.

The One Key Take Off and Landing features also make it an excellent choice for beginner drone pilots or when you need to launch the drone as fast as possible.

Below is an overview of the HS710, plus the kind of footage you can get from it:

5. Autel Robotics EVO Nano Plus #

✅ Pros #

• Excellent battery life
• No geofencing and registration
• Obstacle avoidance is awesome
• The drone is easy to use and set up
• Has a high-quality camera that takes excellent photos and videos

❌ Cons #

• While in the Ludicrous mode, the collision avoidance mode is inactive

If you’re looking for an alternative to the DJI Mini 3 Pro for a slightly lower price, the Autel Robotics EVO Nano Plus Premium Bundle is worth a shot.

Why? Not only is it easy to learn and fly, but you can also get some of the best footage.

The 1/1.28 CMOS sensor is huge enough to give you 4K footage at low light conditions, but Autel also added RYYB Technology that adds more light, allowing you to get better footage in low light conditions.

The Autel Evo Nano Plus also shoots 50 MP stills, which is the highest resolution we have so far in this list.

This is your ideal drone as a realtor or someone who does aerial photography for fun or commercial purposes. It is also easy to adjust the sensitivity of the drone’s gimbal movement depending on the nature of the shot you want to take.

The drone also has a Dynamic Tracking feature, which is what they call their Follow Me feature.

When you combine that with three-way obstacle avoidance, you can easily have this drone track you in most scenarios without crashing.

Moreover, all around, the drone has 12 imaging sensors (digital). Also, at the bottom, it has two sonar sensors. Therefore, unless due to other reasons, you will never crash your drone.

However, it is vital to note that the obstacle avoidance feature does not work in Ludicrous mode.

Let us discuss how long you can fly your drone before recharging the batteries.

One battery can last up to 28 minutes in optimal conditions and 20 to 25 minutes in most situations, which is a good time considering it comes with three batteries.

Below is 4K cinematic footage from the Autel Evo Nano Plus:

6. Potensic ATOM SE #

✅ Pros #

• It has tutorials to help beginners learn how to use it
• For its price, the quality is great
• Quick and easy setup
• Gives excellent videos and photos with sharp and vibrant colors
• Remains stable on windy days though the battery may drain faster than usual
• Great customer support

❌ Cons #

• Lacks a three-axis gimbal
• The drone’s lens tends to fog when the camera is facing the sun

This is another excellent option for a 4K drone under 250 grams for those on a budget. Like the Holy Stone HS710, you can get this drone for less than $300.

This is a good price for the features since it has an excellent camera for videos and photos, and it also comes with two batteries with a runtime of 62 minutes.

However, you may expect the drone’s battery to drain quickly on windy days and when flying at high speed. Potensic ATOM SE GPS has brushless motors, and its takeoff is incredibly fast.

In sport mode, the drone’s max speed when descending is 4m/s and 5m/s when ascending. On the other hand, the horizontal speed stands at 16m/s.

As a beginner, you will not have trouble flying this drone for the first time because it has tutorials to guide you through your first flight. Besides, its remote control is also easy to use.

While this drone does not have an obstacle avoidance feature, it is among the best 4K drones under 250 grams for its price.

Below is sample 4K footage from the Potensic ATOM SE: