For years now, low battery life has been the #1 complaint amongst drone owners.
Longer flight times mean more opportunity to get the shots you need, inspect what you need to inspect, and have more fun in the air (rather than waiting for batteries to charge).
Keeping extra batteries handy can sometimes help short flight times, but even that can become a hassle.
Thankfully, there are drones out there with ample battery life on one charge. These quadcopters are excellent for giving you enough time in the air to get the job done.
This article breaks down the best drones with the longest flight time for sale in 2018.
The models are arranged by longest to shortest flight time. Scroll down to start from the beginning, or use the table below to get an overview of each drone.
And don’t forget to check out the price level column on the right. It will help you find the rigs that fit your budget.
Mobile Users: Click and drag the table to the left to view additional columns.
Table of the Best Long Flight Time Drones
# | Model | Camera | Flight Time | Price | Price Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4K / 20MP | 30 minutes | $$$$ | ||
2 | 4K / 12MP | 28 minutes | $$$$ | ||
3 | 4K / 12MP | 27 minutes | $$$$ | ||
4 | 2.7K-4K / 12MP | 25 minutes | $$ to $$$ | ||
5 | 1080P / 14MP | 25 minutes | $$ | ||
6 | 1080P / 14MP | 25 minutes | $$ | ||
7 | 4K / 12MP | 25 minutes | $$$ | ||
8 | 4K / 12MP | 22 minutes | $$$$ | ||
9 | 1080P | 19 minutes | $$ | ||
10 | 4K / 12MP | 18 minutes | $$ | ||
11 | 4K / 12MP | 18 minutes | $$$$ | ||
12 | 1280×720 | 15 minutes | $ | ||
13 | 2MP | 15 minutes | $ |
1. DJI Phantom 4 Professional
Flight Time: 30 minutes
This is the DJI Phantom 4 Professional. It’s one of the best drones on the market, if not the best drone right now.
The Phantom 4 Professional is the upgraded version of the Phantom 4. DJI did two things that catch attention immediately:
They upgraded the camera to take 20 megapixel still photos, and they bumped up its range from 5 to 7km. They also increased flight time to 30 minutes.
However, they also gave this long flight time quadcopter five directions of obstacle sensing to allow it to sense almost the entire world around it.
The remote control comes with a built-in 5.5in 1080p screen for FPV flight and to adjust in-flight settings, and the drone can fly at speeds up to 31mph, making it great for fast moving aerial pans.
From the built-in screen, you can take advantage of DJI’s standard intelligent flight modes (Course Lock, Follow Me, Waypoints, Point of Interest, and Home Lock) as well as Draw, Active Track, TapFly, Return to Home, and Gestures, making this a fantastic GPS drone.
The DJI Phantom 4 Professional is by far one of the best all-around drones available today.
2. DJI Phantom 4
Flight Time: 28 minutes
DJI’s latest release brings out the big guns.
The DJI Phantom 4 is one of the most advanced drones on the market, harboring some extremely sophisticated technology.
The Phantom 4 shoots 4K video, takes 12 megapixel stills, and has a flight time of 28 minutes (longest in the Phantom line).
It also comes with an obstacle avoidance system. The drone will literally move out of the way or bounce backwards when obstacles come in its way.
The Phantom 4 offers five intelligent flight modes — Follow Me, Course Lock, Waypoints, Home Lock, and Point of Interest.
This camera drone‘s price has come down significantly since its release, so you can get some of the most advanced features available for an even better price.
3. DJI Mavic Pro
The DJI Mavic Pro is one of the only top tier drones that’s also compact and easy to transport. The quadcopter can fold down to the size of a water bottle.
Mavic comes with a powerful camera that shoots crisp 4K video and takes 12 megapixel still photos. It has a long flight time of 27 minutes and a control distance of 7 kilometers. This gives you a ton of time and range to get the shots you’re looking for.
The drone can fly at speeds up to 40mph, making it great for action sports photography or quick pans. Mavic’s vision positioning system includes paired GPS and GLONASS to give the quadcopter precise positioning both indoors and out.
Mavic comes with all of DJI’s intelligent flight modes:
- Course Lock
- Follow Me
- Waypoints
- Point of Interest
- Home Lock
As well as:
- Return to Home
- TapFly
- Active Track
- Gestures
- And obstacle avoidance (the drone uses its ultrasonic and ToF sensors to sense and avoid obstacles up to 49 feet away).
The DJI Mavic Pro is one of the best all-around drones you can get.
Specs
- Camera: 4K video, 12MP stills (with Adobe DNG RAW support)
- Flight Time: 27 minutes
- Range: 7km
- Price Level: $$$$
4. DJI Phantom 3 Series
Flight Time: 25 minutes
The DJI Phantom 3 gives the broadest range of pilots the features they want at an affordable price.
The Phantom 3 comes in four versions:
1. The Phantom 3 Standard —The Phantom 3 Standard offers less features than the other versions, but it is also the cheapest. Even so, it has a 25-minute flight time, can shoot 2.7K video, and it takes 12 megapixel still photos. This puts the Phantom 3 Standard ahead of many other drones in its price range.
2. The Phantom 3 Advanced —The Phantom 3 Advanced also shoots 2.7k video and takes 12 megapixel stills, but control distance increases to 5 km and it offers live FPV (first person view) streaming of the camera’s view to your controller.
3. The Phantom 3 Professional —The Phantom 3 Professional’s video quality takes a massive jump up to 4K, making it an excellent choice for professional pilots.
4.The Phantom 3 4K —The Phantom 3 4K offers 4K video capture capability, just like the Professional, but control distance decreases to 1,200m.
For $449 for the Standard up to $799 for the Professional, you can’t beat the price-to-features ratio of these amazing quadcopters.
5. DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ V3.0
Flight Time: 25 minutes
This is DJI’s version 3 of their Phantom 2 Vision+.
It comes with the classic DJI Phantom features, like a long flight time, first-person-view capability, and a powerful camera.
This version includes an upgraded controller with rechargeable batteries and a gimbal control dial, updated motors, and more efficient propellers.
The built-in 3-axis gimbal also gives you smooth footage and stable still images.
The DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ is a great camera quadcopter that won’t break the bank.
6. Parrot Bebop 2.0
Flight Time: 25 minutes
The Parrot Bebop 2.0 is the upgraded version of the original Parrot Bebop drone.
The Parrot Bebop 2.0 is one of the best remote control drones for beginner aerial photography and videography pilots, because it has an excellent price-to-features ratio.
The camera takes enhanced 14 megapixel photos and shoots video in 1080p. And thanks to a powerful 2700 mAh battery, the Bebop 2.0 has a stunning 25 minute flight time.
And its powerful motors allow it to handle harsher flight conditions, making it a versatile camera quadcopter for under $500.
7. Yuneec Q500 4K Typhoon
Flight Time: 25 minutes
The Yuneec Q500 4K Typhoon is one of the best drones with a long flight time, and one of the best drones to buy in general.
The built-in camera shoots 4K video in 1080p, and it takes 12MP still photos. The Q5004K also comes with two autonomous flight modes — Watch Me and Follow Me — standard.
The controller comes with a built-in touch screen that lets you adjust flight settings. And you can get a first person view feed from the drone camera.
Flying this quadcopter is a great choice for aerial photography and videography.
8. Yuneec Typhoon H
Flight Time: 22 minutes
The Yuneec Typhoon H is a direct alternative (and competitor) to the DJI Phantom 4.
It’s a hexacopter (6 blades) which typically provides a more powerful lift than the 4 blades of a quadcopter. The drone comes with an obstacle avoidance system, like the Phantom 4, through a sonar system contained in the front of the rig.
The landing gears retract, giving your camera a 360 degree view. This makes it a lot easier to get shots at tough angles.
And the Typhoon H has a 22-minute flight time, films in 4K resolution, and takes 12 megapixel stills. This hexacopter is a powerhouse standing in the top tier of drone models.
9. Hubsan H501S FPV Quadcopter
Flight Time: 19 minutes
Hubsan has been a trusted brand in the small unmanned aerial vehicle industry for years now. And rightly so.
They’re products are fun, durable, and they get the job done.
The Hubsan H501S is no different.
This quadcopter is on the smaller end of the spectrum, yet it still comes with a powerful 1080p camera and FPV capability. The drone’s remote control comes with a 4.3 inch LCD screen that gives you a real time view of what your drone is seeing.
The H501S also comes with some surprisingly advanced features:
- GPS Hold
- Headless Mode
- Return to Home
- Altitude Mode
- Follow Me Autonomous Flight Mode — The drone will lock onto your position and follow you as you conduct an activity
- 19 minutes flight time
The H501S is a compact FPV drone that’s great for having fun and getting quality shots at the same time.
10. UPair One with 4K Camera
Flight Time: 18 minutes
The UPair One is a great aerial photography drone.
It shoots video in ultra-crisp 4K, and the quadcopter comes with a large 7-inch LED screen attached directly to the controller. This allows you to get a first-person-view of what your drone is seeing in real time.
The quadcopter is also extremely advanced for this price range, as it comes with a GPS return-to-home function and follow me mode (you can set the drone to automatically follow and record you as you conduct an activity).
And the 5400mAh battery enables up to 18 minutes of flight time.
This UPair One is a good starting point for aspiring aerial photographers and videographers who want an affordable way to build their skills.
11. DJI Inspire 1 V2.0 Bundle
Flight Time: 18 minutes
The DJI Inspire 1 V2.0 is the upgraded version of the original Inspire 1.
It comes with a built-in 4K camera that takes 12 megapixel stills and a powerful Zenmuse X3 gimbal stabilization system.
With version 2 of the Inspire 1, DJI added new propeller kits to make installation smoother. A more reliable locking mechanism reduces the abrasion that is common in propeller installation, prolonging the propeller’s life. DJI has also improved its motor performance, making it more powerful.
And this package comes with a ton of helpful add-ons:
- Extra battery
- Extra propellers
- Remote control harness
- 16GB MicroSD card to save and store your images/videos
- Carrying case for easy transport
- And more
The Inspire 1 V2.0 is the top choice for many commercial pilots.
12. Holy Stone F180C
Flight Time: 15 minutes
The Holy Stone F180C is an awesome cheap drone with a long flight time.
It comes with a 1280×720 pixel photo/video camera standard, and its controller contains an LED screen for viewing flight telemetry data (like battery percentage).
The F180C also has a solid 15-minute flight time to maximize your sessions. It’s small enough to fly indoors, and big/powerful enough to take videos and pictures outdoors.
For less than $100, the F180C is one of the top mini drones with a camera.
13. QCopter QC1
Flight Time: 15 minutes
The QCopter QC1 is one of the best inexpensive quadcopters for one reason:
It comes with a 15 minute flight time.
That’s extremely long for a drone in this price range. Not only this, QCopter put an extra battery in the package, bumping up your flight sessions to 30 minutes. Battery life has long been the number one complaint of drone pilots. QCopter knows what they’re doing in this department.
Other than battery life, the QC1 comes with a camera, LED lights for low-light conditions, and propeller guards standard. It’s a great quad for getting your feet wet and enjoying long flight sessions.
