A long range drone is a great investment if you want to race for long distances, or you want to get the kind of footage you couldn’t manage otherwise.
But the question is what should you be looking for in a long range drone?
The first priority is the range itself, obviously. How far can the drone transmit from?
To qualify as “long range,” generally a drone will need to be able to transmit from 1 kilometer (about 0.62 miles) away or more. This type of drone is rarely available on the market for less than $500.
Special Features
Next, you’ll want to consider the other features you’re ideally looking for in your drone.
Are you trying to capture any particular kind of footage? What smart technology do you want available?
Also, how many autopilot features and other smart programming capacities do you want available through the controller?
These are all important questions to ask yourself before you part with your hard earned cash.
Your Budget
You’ll also want to give careful consideration to your budget. How much are you willing to spend?
Afterall, a professional photographer looking for cinema-grade shots will need to have a larger budget than an amateur simply looking to have racing fun and adventures with their friends.
LONG RANGE DRONE | PICTURE | QUALITY | HOW IT LOOKS | POPULARITY | PRICE | OUR OVERALL RATING |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJI Phantom 4 Pro |  | 5 | 4 | 4 | $$$$ | 4.3 |
| DJI Inspire 2 Quadcopter Premium Combo |  | 5 | 5 | 1 | $$$$$ | 3.6 |
| DJI Mavic Pro Drone Quadcopter |  | 4 | 5 | 3 | $$$ | 4 |
| GoPro Karma with Hero5 |  | 4 | 4 | 4 | $$$ | 4 |
| Autel Robotics X-Star Drone |  | 4 | 3 | 5 | $$ | 4 |
1. DJI Phantom 4 Pro
The DJI Phantom 4 is not a very cheap long range drone, but it is one of the longest range drones for sale. Many people find it the best drone for range under 2,000 dollars.
This long range drone has a drone range of 4.3 miles, and the ability to provide an HD video feed from that distance, which is quite something!
However, this long distance drone range is only applicable in the best conditions. Though even in subpar conditions, it still makes the list for drones with the best range.
This is truly one of the longest range drone for sale, with many other drones not even coming close. With a stunning camera and features, there’s a lot to love about the Phantom 4.
The flight performance of the drone is impeccable, with a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour.
While, this isn’t quite the fastest drone on the market, but still it’s very impressive.
This long range drone is rated to stay airborne for up to 30 minutes of flight time, although that’s only in the best weather conditions, so check the weather report first.
The battery recharge time is about 1.5 to 2 hours, which isn’t the shortest on the market – it can test your patience unless you are prepared with some back up batteries.
The drone includes an omnidirectional obstacle avoidance system that can detect obstacles and avoid them right away.
So no need to be nervous about that lamppost.
And even if you have obstacle avoidance capabilities turned on, this long range drone can still fly at up to 31 miles per hour.It has a number of other autopilot features too.
To orbit a point in space, use the Point of Interest Mode. The Waypoints setting lets you repeat flights across a preset path.
Meanwhile the Follow Me mode will have the drone follow you.
The Terrain Follow is a feature that, prior to this drone, was only part of the DJI Mavic line.
With that feature the drone can maintain a certain distance from the ground, even over uneven terrain. Pretty impressive!
There’s another feature called Tripod mode that lets you choose a point, then lock the drone into position as you shoot – a nice photography feature.
The DJI Active Tracking system also has been through some new updates.
Portrait mode lets you track subjects as the drone matches your pace horizontally.
Spotlight locks onto a subject while the drone flies in multiple directions around it.
And 360 mode allows active orbiting of any subject you want.
This drone is certainly not lacking in features!
Pros:
- Longest range drone for sale with 4.3 miles
- High quality HD camera that shoots in 4K
- Multiple smart technology features
- Smart return-to-home function
- 30 minutes of battery recharge
Cons:
- Not very portable
- May be expensive
- Somewhat long battery recharge time
“Best Drone for Range with Comprehensive Features”
OOR: 4.3
2. DJI Inspire 2 Quadcopter Premium Combo
The DJI Inspire 2 is by far the best drone for range if you’re a professional cinematographer or videographer.
Also, it’s the best long range drone with camera if you want to keep your camera safe.
While the Inspire 2 is the best drone for range, it’s definitely not a cheap long range drone.
This particular entire bundle costs several thousand dollars, so it’s probably out of reach unless you’re a professional. Anyway, let’s see what you get for that money.
The Inspire 2 has a functioning drone distance of 4.3 miles, similar to the Phantom 4.
The Inspire 2’s dual battery setup keeps the drone airborne for a longer period of time, while also preventing malfunctions and providing extra power for the drone.
In addition, the long range drone has an FPV capable Zenmuse camera, which gives you multiple ways to take footage.
As long range drones go, this is one of the most versatile ones for video capture.
The Inspire 2 is outfitted with multiple barometers, processors, and motion sensors that make flying easier.
It’s even possible to fly with two controllers instead of one.
The drone’s stability makes it very easy to get your camera into the air.
The Inspire 2’s rating is 27 minutes of total flight time. As far as long distance drones go, it’s one of the longest times.
With that being said, you’ll have fewer minutes of flight time if you’re using active features that drain the battery, sadly.
Recharge time is about one hour. In addition, the charging dock included with the drone can charge about 4 batteries at once.
It’s a lot heavier than the Mavic Pro and the Phantom, but it’s still nimble and quick in the air.
The top speed it can reach is 67 miles per hour, with the capacity to fly faster if you have a tailwind behind you. This makes it great for following fast-moving objects like cars or even speedy RC boats.
Piloting features include the usual DJI suite of smart features, along with Spotlight Pro mode.
This mode lets the drone lock onto some subject while flying, no matter whether the drone is flying toward the subject or not. This lets you get shots that would otherwise be impossible.
The Inspire 2 also has an awesome return to home function that includes a number of obstacle avoidance capabilities.
In other words, it’s almost impossible to crash.
Your precious drone will be safe and sound.
This long range drone is compatible with DJI Zenmuse cameras, which can be easily removed and upgraded.
Also, later generations of Zenmuse cameras have the capacity to shoot at up to 60 fps while still in 4K.
Pros:
- Long range drone can transmit HD videos for up to 4.3 miles
- Max speed of 67 mph
- Dual battery setup gives 27 minutes of flight time
- Spotlight Pro lets you take shots you can’t get with other drones
- Comes with all smart technology features included in the Phantom
- Return-to-home functionality easily avoids obstacles
Cons:
- Very expensive option for amateurs
- Not the most portable option
- Kit may include more accessories than needed
“Longest Range Drone with Camera for Cinematographers”
OOR: 3.6
3. DJI Mavic Pro Drone Quadcopter
If you are looking for a cheap long range drone you’re still going to be out of luck with the Mavic Pro, even if it is quite a bit cheaper than some of the other drones on our list.
However, the Mavic Pro should still be considered pretty good value for money when you take into account all the must have accessories that the Fly More kit includes.
In terms of accessories the Fly More kit includes 3 batteries, along with a camera gimbal bundle just to name a couple.
As far as long range drones go, this is your go-to long range drone if you want maximum portability.
The design includes 24 (seriously that seems too many) different high-performance computing cores and a transmission range system that provides 4.3 miles of range.
The 5 vision sensors allow for excellent obstacle avoidance making the Mavic Pro pretty good at avoiding crashes.
Also, it’s rated at 27 minutes of flight time when used in ideal conditions, with a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour.
The camera shoots in 4K HD and is stabilized by a 3-axis mechanical gimbal.
Also, the drone is compatible with the majority of Android as well as iOS smartphone operating systems.
The Fly More bundle includes multiple charging components, a Micro SD card, cables and adapters, three batteries, a shoulder bag, and multiple extra pairs of propellers.
Also included are multiple protective carrying cases for different parts of the drone, a lens protector hood, a USB card reader, and a drone care kit.
You will certainly not need to invest in any ‘extra’ accessories with this one.
Pros:
- Fly More kit includes 3 batteries along with other supplies
- 4K professional camera package stabilized by 3-axis mechanical gimbal
- Range of 4.3 miles
- Up to 27 minutes of flight time
- Speed of up to 40 miles per hour
Cons:
- May have more accessories than necessary
- Doesn’t have as many smart features as more advanced drones
- Doesn’t integrate with as many extra accessories as some other drones
“Long Range Drone Kit with Multiple Accessories”
OOR: 4
4. GoPro Karma with Hero5
The GoPro Karma is made specifically to integrate GoPro cameras and features, making it the best drone for range for GoPro.
It’s also the cheapest long range drone that includes a GoPro Hero 5 camera. So, if you want to get a long range drone cheap that also includes a great camera, go with the Karma.
On its own, the Karma is similar to the MJX Bugs.
This particular package also comes with the GoPro camera.
No matter whether you hold the camera by hand or mount it on the body, the Karma lets you capture high quality smooth footage.
The trick is in the Karma Stabilizer that allows you to capture shake-free videos regardless of whether you’re on the ground or in the air.
The Karma Stabilizer can be removed and attached to the Karma Grip for steady handheld shots.
The Karma Grip then also integrates with GoPro mounts to let you get steady footage when the camera is mounted on the body.
The drone also folds into its own lightweight case, making it conveniently portable
Quite versatile isn’t it?
The drone can reach max speeds of 35 mph and has a transmission range of 1 kilometer, with a battery that lasts about 20 minutes.
Not bad for a drone at this price.
Pros:
- Best accessory kit for capturing handheld and body-mounted footage as well as mid-air footage
- Comes with Karma Stabilizer and Karma Grip
- 35 mph top flight speed
- Range of 1 kilometer
- 20 minutes of battery life
Cons:
- Not built for non-GoPro cameras
- Shortest transmission distance on the list
- Doesn’t have as many smart features as more expensive drones
“Longest Range Drone for Sale with GoPro”
OOR: 4
5. Autel Robotics X-Star Drone
The X-Star Drone has a long range drone camera that makes it the best long distance drone for a limited budget.
It’s also the longest range drone for sale at a ‘cheap’ price (compared at least to the Karma and DJI models above), with the capacity to transmit HD videos through 1.2 miles.
In terms of cheap long range drones it doesn’t get much better than this.
The X-star long range drone comes with a 4K ultra HD video camera mounted on a quick-release 3-axis gimbal stabilizer, ensuring you get shake-free and steady camera imaging.
Great for photographers!
The HD live view capabilities are available up to 1.2 miles of range — not as long as the DJI drones, but longer than the Karma.
The drone includes autonomous flight modes that can be accessed by using the Starlink app, compatible with Android and iOS systems.
The dual GPS and GLONASS navigation, protection against magnetic interference, and positioning system all help the drone to navigate like a dream.
Also, the intuitive remote controller includes an LCD display, with one-touch button capabilities that make this drone great for beginner pilots.
Also included in the accessory bundle is a 64 GB MicroSD card, a charger that charges in 1 hour, and spare propellers.
Pros:
- Transmission distance of 1.2 miles
- Autonomous flight modes accessible through the Starlink app
- 4K HD video camera comes with 3-axis gimbal for stabilization
- Smart positioning system and outdoor navigation keep it from getting lost
- Intuitive remote controller includes LCD display with one-touch buttons
- Includes a case, SD card, spare propellers, and fast charger
Cons:
- Not the longest transmission distance on the list
- Doesn’t have as many smart features as DJI drones
- Somewhat short potential flight time
“Cheap Long Range Drone Providing HD Videos “
OOR: 4
Final Thoughts on Finding a Long Range Drone
So what’s the best long range drone for you?
The answer all depends on what you need.
Keep in mind exactly what kind of footage you want to capture, what kind of aerial maneuvers you want to accomplish, and what smart technology features are best for your particular needs.
Most long range drones will cost more than $500 if you want quality features, but they’re also well worth the price!
So go ahead and pick the long range drone that suits you best and I guarantee you’ll never look back 😊
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