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The Best GPS Drones – Smart Autopilot and Navigation

Introduction

There are three kinds of drone enthusiasts, beginners, intermediates and experts. For beginners and intermediates, it can be tasking and confusing to select just one out of hundreds or even thousands of the best GPS drones on display at the drone stores. There’s a lot going beyond the looks of a drone that goes to inform whether your choice is right.

Just like owning a car comes with responsibilities, the same applies when you own a drone. It is hence prudent for drone enthusiasts to factor in certain issues surrounding owning a drone. These include;

In most countries, if you own a Quadcopter or a drone, it must be registered. When testing your drone for the first time, ensure that it is always within your sight. One is discouraged from depending too much on First Person View-FPV alone to monitor the drone as it may lead to accidents such as hitting power lines, crashing into birds, or losing your drone completely.

The cheaper the drone, the less versatile it is. Beginners opt to purchase cheap drones owing to the increased risk of crashing or damaging their drones as they learn to fly. For this reason, cheap drones tend to have poor quality video recording, and lack the ability to sense and avoid obstacles

There are drones that are GPS enabled and those that aren’t. For a little more cash you can purchase a drone with GPS as this allows you an even greater experience. With a GPS feature, it is unlikely for you to lose your drone as you can always tell where your drone is.

Such drones are great at navigating and exhibit incredible stability. Even better, your drone can fly far away out of your sight and after a while find its way back home. If you want to buy a new drone with GPS, there are some details and features to look out for. Such features are as discussed below.

Types of Drones

Drones, otherwise known as quadcopters come in different sizes, shapes and have different uses. A quadcopter is the most preferred type of drone and the most sought after. It typically has an X or H shape and takes off using four rotors, and four identical propellers. A quadcopter is fitted with an accelerometer and a gyroscope which aid in measuring the position of the gadget in the air. It is safer and easier to operate compared to other types of drones.

In addition, there are photography drones, racing drones, sports drones, toy drones, among many others. The purpose for your drone is what informs your choice in the type of drone you should go for. For instance, if you want to participate in a racing competition, a racing drone with GPS would be the perfect choice for you.

Life of the Battery

When looking for the best drone with GPS, it is important to factor in the battery life of the drone. Regardless of how expensive the drone is, its abilities are limited to its battery life. Once the battery almost runs out of power, the drone will usually blink red or give you some kind of signal to tell you to recharge the batteries.

Recharging the battery can take anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours. Having a spare battery, therefore, rids you of the inconvenience of having to take time off from your flying experience. Remember to include the additional cost of the spare battery into the total cost of the drone.

Best GPS Drones Comparison

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Drone Camera

The best drones with GPS can either come with their own built-in cameras or leave you with the option of installing your own camera. For a drone that’s already fitted with a camera, you must focus mainly on the camera specifications and resolutions.

This is if you want to purchase a drone to help you record videos or take photos. A good camera provides a good sized photo and incredible video footage, it also has the best ISO, and shutter speeds to do a professional job from an aerial angle. Thanks to this feature we can see mountain peaks and craters without having to climb all the way up.

Follow me Feature

When venturing deep into the forest with your car, up the mountains with your bike, or across the sea with your boat the follow me feature becomes a necessary and convenient feature. Here, you don’t have to worry about getting lost and instead lets you focus on your journey.

The drone is able to record your progress and track you by following you everywhere you go. Some drones are GPS enabled but do not have the follow me feature with other drones performing better than others. Be sure to check or inquire whether the drone you want has the follow me feature and how well it can perform.

Gimbal Integration

The best drones with GPS usually have gimbal integration systems. This feature works by keeping the drone stable and sturdy while flying high up in places where there’s a lot of wind. This is a particularly important feature when you are looking for a photography or videography drone. The gimbal feature is to thank for taking steady footage through all the turbulence.

Availability of Spare Parts

It is advisable to purchase a drone whose spare parts aren’t hard to find. Many are the times when something will break or stop working and you are out looking for the replacements in order for your drone to work as desired. A light may crash, landing gear becomes faulty, propellers break, the camera and motors stop working, anything can break down. Most spare parts can be found online. Take a quick look through the internet to see if the drone you are looking at has available spare parts online.

Best GPS Drones Reviews

1. Upair One Review

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  • Excellent Control Range
  • Durable Construction
  • High-Quality Camera

  • Low Flight Time
  • Low Control Range
  • Affected by Winds
The Upair One drone can be programmed to follow a predetermined route. You only require to download an Android or iPhone app and enjoy unending adventures with the drone. This drone with its sleek design and stylish look allows you to take aerial photos.

The fear of the system crashing is excluded as you can chart the route where you want it to follow and take high-quality photos precisely. The battery power has a flight capacity up to 18 minutes when fully charged. It charges quickly for your outdoor adventures use.

Its auto landing capability makes it a great choice for beginners. Because the mode works automatically, you can choose the landing position just by following simple prompts displayed on the screen. In the case that you are flying the device in an area with high chances of crash and destruction, the auto landing mode comes to your rescue.

The product’s controller comes with a clean white finish. It has a huge 7-inch display quality which is perfect for FPV purposes. The quality of the display is good and is superior to the classical smartphone-powered FPV. The smart features make this one of the best GPS drones.

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2. DJI Mavic Pro Review

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  • Compact, folding design
  • Automated flight options
  • Small remote control

  • Frequent firmware updates
  • Slightly pricey
  • Smartphone required
This is the best compact drone you can get. As the second Mavic drone iteration, it measures 3.3 by 3.3 by 7.8 inches when folded coupled with its 1.6 pounds weight. This makes it be easily stowed in either a camera bag or a messenger bag especially while traveling. With a dedicated remote that is also compact, it has a flight performance that is top-notch.

This device has 12MP Raw and JPG stills. It also adds a charging hub (which can handle four batteries at a time without charging them simultaneously), a car charger, and an extra spare propeller pair.

The drone uses both its GPS and GLONASS satellites to gather information data. Its precise satellite position makes it pick up location easily. Its downward-facing sensors read the ground patterns to keep the device steady during while being flown indoors.

Its inbuilt automated return-to-home safety feature and forward obstacle avoidance make it a fantastic choice for several aerial videographers. YouTubers also have a great deal on its crisp 4K video. Its flight time lasts up to 28 minutes per charge while adding two extra batteries.

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3. DJI Spark Review

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  • Controller-free gesture controls
  • Automatic Quickshot modes
  • Portable Design

  • Short flight time
  • Spotty Wi-Fi connection
  • Easily swayed by the wind
With a size like your smartphone, the DJI Spark perfectly describes how small drones can be. Though tiny, this drone is fully equipped with technology, which includes GPS, obstacle detection, stabilization and hand-gesture recognition as flying commands. It measures 143 x 143 x 55mm and weighs 300 grams (10.6 ounces.)

This drone could be controlled with just a wave of our hand. It comes in a little foam box that will fit perfectly in your bag. The storage box included also has its compartments to accommodate two extra batteries and four replacement propellers.

It is the first drone to come in different ranges of colors: from Lava Red to Alpine White, Meadow Green to Sky Blue, and Sunrise Yellow. This is a welcome piece of personalization in the drone market.

The product has tiny instead of an extended landing gear keeping in part the drone as small as possible while also making it convenient to hold when you land the drone on your palm. The Spark’s stubbly feet makes it difficult to land on rocky and uneven surfaces.

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4. Yuneec Typhoon HS200 Review

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  • Stable, reliable flight
  • Dedicated touchscreen controller
  • 360-degree camera

  • Long battery recharge times
  • Rotor support hinges feel flimsy
  • Slightly pricey
This drone is a hexacopter. This implies it has six rotors rather than the usual four. It only requires five to fly. In case one rotor gets damaged, the drone will detect the problem and fly back safely to the home position for repairs.

The camera of the drone is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal which can swivel in 360 degrees. You can retract the landing gear at the flip of a switch. This makes you take safe shots.

It is also equipped with an inbuilt obstacle avoidance feature which uses sonar technology. This implies it can avoid obstacles in complete darkness and low light. The avoid system is mounted on the drone’s nose and can only detect barriers if approached forward-facing.

Another feature of the product that stands out is its autonomous flight modes. It boasts of features like Orbit, Cable Cam, Follow mode, and a whole lot of others — all of these make the user focus solely on the camera control rather than the control of the drone’s flight.

The drone comes equipped with its dedicated controller called The ST16 ground station. This implies that you don’t require either a tablet or a smartphone to enjoy all the features the drone affords you.

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5. DJI Phantom 4 Review

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  • Automated flight modes
  • Easy to fly
  • Extremely stable

  • Pricey
  • A bit difficult to set up
  • A third-party app required
DJI’s Phantom latest version adds a computer vision and complete autonomous capabilities. It has been designed both for complete amateurs desiring to start flying and professionals who seek complex and dangerous shots.

For starters, this product comes handy with a carrying case, and a grey Styrofoam suitcase. It is more compact and durable than its predecessor: Phantom 3, which only has, on its cardboard box, a handle.

Its battery life averaged beyond 25 minutes after fully charged in an hour; this equals the comparable camera-sized drones. You can charge both the remote control and the battery at the same time. The drone can last up to three full flights without no hitch.

It has a shiny plastic frame, a thinner and a more aerodynamic body. The exposed metals are in shiny metal. It’s a grey plastic belly. The controller takes a resemblance to the previous editions, except that it replaced a matte plastic with a shiny coat.

Though pricey, the top-end consumer drone offers excellent value for its price with an operating range of 720p Live View, raw and JPG still capture, a smooth 4K video capture and 20mm wide-angle lens.

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Best GPS Drones Summary

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Summary

Note that if you want the drone to know exactly where it is before take-off, wait until it locks on to surrounding GPS satellites. This becomes a very convenient feature to use in case your drone gets lost.

You can simply press the return home button and since the drone already knows exactly where it came from, it will return right back to where it first started flying. Owning and flying a drone is a fun and exciting experience for anyone who shares their love for drones.

However, making the wrong decision when buying a drone quickly cuts short your joy and anticipation to have fun and test your drones’ strengths. With the aforementioned information nevertheless, you are well equipped and ready to venture out into the blood rushing world of flying drones.

This article should help you pick one of the best GPS drones for waypoint navigation. Happy flying.

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