Black Friday and Cyber Monday are nearly upon us, taking place on November 29th and December 2nd respectively. But for retailers, that's just the start of things as the holiday season begins in earnest. Since they absolutely want your business, you can expect some serious savings on FPV drones. Last Black Friday, for example, saw a $100 discount on the DJI FPV Combo and a massive $400 off the DJI Avata Pro-View Combo.
FPV (first-person view) drones differ from camera drones, such as the DJI Mini 3, which you view and control from afar. Instead, you wear goggles that give you a first-person view from the drone's onboard camera; you see what the drone sees.
The one snag is that these drones are typically self-build, which could put you off if you're a beginner. But more and more FPV manufacturers are producing complete ready-to-fly (RTF) kits that come with everything you need to get started.
Some also feature camera drone controls so beginners can ease into FPV drone flying. You'll often find these kits on sale during Black Friday through Amazon, other online retailers,t or the manufacturers themselves.
Want to know more about FPV drones? We've catalogued the best FPV drones fully reviewed and tested by our experts. And if you're shopping for more Black Friday bargains, take a look at our dedicated Black Friday space gift deals for the best deals on drones, telescopes, cameras, binoculars, star projectors, Lego and more.
Drone models to look out for in 2024
BetaFPV is one of the leading FPV manufacturers of FPV ready-to-fly kits. There are many kits available, buy it's the Cetus range (featuring three models) that many beginners go for.
We reviewed the BetaFPV Cestus X and were impressed with its brilliant features for beginners. You can even record your flight footage to Google DVR.
BetaFPV's drones are available both from www.betafpv.com and Amazon. It's also worth keeping an eye out for discount codes. Last year, BetaFPV had a 15% sitewide discount, though that's expired. You can, however, get 5% off if you visit www.betafpv.com and sign up for their newsletter.
BetaFPV Cetus Lite
We had good things to say about the BetaFPV Cetus Lite when we reviewed it. It's the most basic Cetus kit and is incredibly easy to fly, inexpensive and designed for indoor flight. It's ideally suited to children because it remains level at all times.
It can't be flown in manual mode for freestyle/acrobatic flight which might seem like a disadvantage, but it prevents young ones from getting too carried away and crashing it.
But given its limitations in terms of power and functionality, adults would ultimately be best served with either the Cetus Pro or Cetus X.
BetaFPV Cetus Pro
The BetaFPV Cetus Pro is the Cetus line-up's mid-tier offering, and is a great balance of features and cost. It might not be as powerful or feature-heavy as the Cetus X, but it's still a great kit for learning to fly FPV drones and includes everything you'll need.
You can start off slow and then progress through the different flight modes and speeds available to eventually fly in manual mode for freestyle/acrobatic flight, as we explored in our BetaFPX Cetus Pro review. It's also a much more versatile option than the Cetus Lite for adults. But children learning how to fly FPV may find it tricky because it's much faster and harder to fly than the Lite.
BetaFPV Cetus X
The BetaFPV Cetus X is the most powerful and versatile Cetus model, but is still extremely beginner-friendly. It'll comfortably take you from FPV beginner to experienced pilot and beyond as we found when we reviewed the BetaFPV Cetux X.
The Cetus FV model features hover functions, handy for finding your feet when learning to FPV. And all Cetus X kits have everything you need to get started, including a higher-spec controller and goggles than other Cetus kits. Flyers can also graduate to manual/acrobatic mode when they become more experienced.
DJI FPV
We reviewed the DJI FPV back at the end of 2021 but while it's is a few years old, it's a powerful and popular model that regularly gets discounted during sale events.
it's still a remains a popular model that frequently enjoys discounts during sale events. So if you're after a large, powerful and speedy drone that supports FPV and camera drone modes, watch out for the DJI FPV. It's fantastic for shooting immersive 4K video and we think it's the best premium FPV drone.
DJI Avata
We reviewed the DJI Avata in 2022 and while it's been superseded by the DJI Avata 2, it's still a superb FPV drone with plenty in the way of power and features. And despite that power, it's absolutely beginner-friendly.
Last year's Black Friday saw Amazon knock $430 off the DJI Avata Pro-View, a bundle which included immersive goggles and the controller you need for manual flight. The drone has a respectable battery life and if this year's Black Friday sees a similar discount, this could be the FPV drone to buy.
Which drone model is best for you?
The Cetus range of FPV kits has a lot going for it, from the child-friendly and low-cost Cetus Lite to the powerful Cetus Pro, which boasts with additional features including a higher-spec controller and goggles that can record the FPV camera feed. All models in the Cetus range are supremely beginner friendly, so it's hard to go wrong with any of the trio.
But if you want an FPV drone that can also fly like a camera drone, with GPS positioning and hovering, alongside the ability to fly manually for freestyle flight, take a look at the flying powerhouse that is the DJI FPV.
It's also worth keeping an eye out for deals on the DJI Avata 2, which we think is the best FPV drone overall. Reviewing the DJI Avata 2, we loved how much functionality it packed in while still being easy to use. It's a new model so it's less likely we'll see a deal this year but we have our fingers crossed.
Why should I wait for Black Friday?
This year, Black Friday is November 29th, with Cyber Monday happening on December 2nd, so you've only got a few weeks to see what deals will be available on FPV drone kits. There are even some early Black Friday deals, though we've yet to see a serious discount on FPV drones.
In the extremely unlikely event that there are no additional savings to be had, prices won't be going up after Black Friday. So waiting a couple of weeks gives you the best chance of finding the best deals.
If the FPV drone kit you'd like to buy isn't discounted, you can simply purchase it at the normal price. And while older model drones may get discounted, you needn't worry that you'll purchase an FPV drone and find it's obsolete.
Check out our Black Friday 2024 deals page for discounts on telescopes, cameras, binoculars, star projectors, Lego and more.
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