Drones are hot right now, but they're also quite expensive—even the entry-level DJI Phantom 3 Standard will set you back a pretty penny. The Parrot Bebop ($499.99) doesn't fly as high or far as a Phantom, but backyard drone pilots looking for a GPS-stabilized quadcopter to tool around with shouldn't count it out. When purchased in this configuration you'll need to control it with your phone or tablet—Parrot sells a Bebop bundled with the Skycontroller remote, but it's overly expensive at $900. Our Editors' Choice drone is still the DJI Phantom 3 Professional, which is easy to fly and records video in 4K. But if you're looking to spend less, and aren't as ambitious when it comes to operating range and automated flight capabilities, consider the Bebop as an affordable alternative. Flying With Your PhoneI reviewed the Parrot Bebop with Skycontroller ($269.00 at Amazon) earlier this year, but couldn't get around one major sticking point—its price tag. For the same amount of money, yo...
The small Parrot Bebop doesn't climb as high as competing drones, and its flight time is limited, but it's easy to fly and records stable video.
Stable 1080p video; Safe to fly indoors; Capable of performing aerial rolls and flips; Controllable via tablet or phone; Optional remote control available for purchase; Supports Raw and JPG image capture
Limited flight time; Not the most stable drone in the air; Indoor video footage is noisy; Remote control is expensive