NOTE: This can be found on Amazon for $300
Ok, I own one of these as well as a DJI Phantom. The Phantom is the best drone ever made and some of the best money I ever spent. However, the Phantom v1 with built-in camera costs $500, which is $200 more than the Parrot. The basic model Phantom is $400, but you need to have a GoPro camera to take video.
What this drone does good:
It is simple to fly and pretty stable. I've taken it out in 15mph winds and it handled fine. Anyone can fly it without experience, and after a few hours of flight time you will be a master. The camera takes decent video which streams to your phone or tablet real-time and the video is automatically saved to your photos. It is pretty rugged and can hold up to some crashes. At $300 it comes with everything you need to fly, and it is ready to go right out of the box.
So, why only 4 stars? The main drawback is the control system. It connects to your phone or tablet via WiFi. In other words, the Parrot creates its own WiFi network, and when you connect to that WiFi network you can then use the app to fly the drone. There are two problems with this: First, it only has the range of a WiFi network, which means that at best you can only fly it around 35 yards away from you before the signal gets weak. Compare that to the average standard 2.4ghz R/C transmitter (like the Phantom uses) which has a range of about a mile. Second, since you use the phone as a control, you control it using the touch screen. If you have ever played a FPS or other type of video game on a touch screen you know how much less sensitive it is than using joysticks (i.e. like the joysticks on your PlayStation or XBox remote). You can also use motion control to fly the Parrot. This means when you hold down a "button" on the app, it will move in the way you tilt your phone. Tilt your phone left and it flies left, tilt it forward and the Parrot flies forward. This works really well, as well as it possibly could- but it's STILL not as sensitive as a joystick would be. If they gave you the option to use a transmitter to control it rather than just your phone, this would be a 5 star product.
So now I will talk about it compared to the Phantom: the Phantom is more stable, more powerful and faster, can fly farther, and is easier to control. I have taken the Phantom to the edge of the legal flying height for R/C vehicles (400 feet), I have made it zip around at 20 meters per second (45 mph) and with the GoPro3 it takes insanely good HD video and photos. However, the Phantom v1 with a built-in camera is $500, and the basic model (which I bought for $400) needs a GoPro to take video.
So my final verdict is this:
If you already have a GoPro- it's a no-brainer. Get the Phantom. The extra $50-$100 is TOTALLY worth it. Same if you want a drone and don't care about recording video.
If you don't have a GoPro and don't mind spending around $500, get the Phantom.
If you don't want to spend any more than $300 because of your budget, or because you want a drone but don't want to spend more than $300 for what is essentially a toy, get this.
It is worth the price, and you will have tons of fun with it.
TIP: Buy an extra battery. Each battery has approximately 10 minutes of flying time and takes about 1 hour to charge.
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