With the holidays around the corner, people want to know what is the best drone to give as a gift? I get asked that question all the time, but answering that question is not very easy. My favorite drone is the Mavic 2 Zoom, but I wouldn’t recommend that drone to everyone. Your purpose and your budget are two hugely important factors when looking for a drone. If your goal is to have fun, then I would recommend one of the inexpensive drones on my list. If aerial photography is your focus, then the best beginner drone has been the DJI Spark, but now there is some competition under $400. I’ll take a look at the entry-level competition as well as some of the higher performing birds, like the Mavic 2 Pro.

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Despite positive reviews of the Anafi, sales at the French drone-maker Parrot have dropped by 40% compared to the same quarter last year. The company has reacted by announcing that it will cut 100 jobs. The market responded to the news by cutting the value of the French drone maker in half on the Paris stock exchange. The layoffs are bad news for the once-dominant Parrot, but the company’s troubles could provide a short-term benefit to consumers. The Anafi is now being sold for a fraction of the price that it was a few months ago. The Anafi is on sale for under $550 on both Amazon and Parrot.com.

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The DJI Spark has been the best drone under $500 for quite some time now. At its new reduced price of $399, the Spark is officially the beginner drone for most people. There really haven’t been many other options for people who want a good aerial photography drone on a budget. That’s changing now, with some smaller players moving into the affordable consumer drone space. Let’s take a closer look at the best drones under $500. expand full story

Parrot announced an update and new pricing for the Parrot Anafi. This new Anafi update adds the ability to do more your Anafi. New features include HDR in both video and photos, hyperlapse video options, more cinematic flight modes, better dolly zoom options, and three more follow-me modes. These updates make this drone, which is one of my personal favorites, even better.

In addition to these new features, the base price has dropped to $649, with the option for a $799 extended bundle. The bundle includes two batteries, a travel bag and a handful of other accessories. Parrot continues to improve the Anafi, giving DJI’s Mavic Air ($799) better competition.

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