If you've been looking for a Black Friday drone deal and aren't sold on DJI's beginner-friendly efforts, then you can do a lot worse than the Potensic Atom.
It's still ideal for the novice drone pilot, and offers a whole host of features on top of the standards you may expect, making it an easy pick as one of the best drones for beginners.
It's under 249g in weight, making it impressively portable, and the smartphone companion app is intuitive and easy to use even for newcomers to the hobby.
A word of warning, though — there's no Collision Avoidance tech here, so you'll want to be particularly careful on flights around other objects. That's not uncommon in this price range, though.
Why are we bringing the Potensic Atom up, though? Because it's Black Friday, of course, and Amazon has slashed the price of the drone. We've also been testing this for the past few weeks and have a review coming soon. See our 4-star review of the Potensic ATOM or the slightly more entry-level Potensic ATOM SE for a little more insight into this brand of drones.
The retailer is offering an 18% discount, cutting $80 off of the MSRP to bring it down to just $369.99.
- Read our Black Friday 2024 deals page for big discounts on space gifts
You won't need FAA or Remote ID registration, meaning you can get the Potensic Atom out of the box, set it up, and be ready to take flight relatively quickly.
Even better, this bundle includes an additional battery for the Atom, so you can get two flights out of it before packing up to head home, as well as a handy remote control that attaches to your smartphone to help you more accurately guide it using thumbsticks.
This 'Fly More Combo' even includes a carry case, so when the drone initiates its Auto Return feature, you'll have somewhere to store it, too — very nifty.
For more on the Potensic Atom, be sure to check out our full Potensic Atom SE review. For more on the best drones, be sure to check out our list which covers everything from single-camera drones to kids' drones, and everything in between.
Key Specs: 8.8oz/249g weight, dimensions are 3.5x5.6x2.3in / 88x143x58mm folded / 8.3x6.0x2.3in / 210x152x58mm unfolded. Video, normal, and sport modes. Up to 4K resolution with 2.7K and 1080p options. 2330 mAh battery allows for up to 32 minutes of flight time. Video transmission range is 3.7 miles/6 km.
Consensus: Between its high-resolution video (at 30FPS), manual camera control and subject-tracking functionality, there's a lot to separate the Potensic Atom from other beginner models, helping blur the line between it and more intermediate models.
Buy if: You're new to the hobby and want to grow into some advanced features.
Don't buy if: You're already an expert, or you'd like collision detection. You're expecting strong winds.
Alternative models: If you'd like the safety net of Collision Avoidance, consider the DJI Mini 4 Pro. If you're expecting to fly in more challenging conditions, with strong winds, then maybe the DJI Air 3 is worth a look since it's larger and has stronger motors.
Check out our Black Friday 2023 deals page for a roundup of the best discounts and deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, Lego and much more.
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