Since its launch in 2021, the Mavic Air 2S has received constant praise from drone enthusiasts who consider it the ultimate drone under 1000 USD. Nevertheless, as technology continues to evolve, with compact designs, affordable options, and an array of advanced features such as waterproofing and mapping, this drone’s supremacy is now facing fierce competition for the leading position.
In this article, I’ll go through 7 drones under 1000 USD that are top performers with a range of advanced features including its top contender; the Mini 3 Pro.
Drones Under 1000 Reviewed in this Article
| Flight Time | Range | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 31 min | 12km | 20 MP 1" sensor | |
The Best Mini Drone Under 1000  | *34-47 min | 12km | 48 MP 1/1.3" sensor | |
The Best Mapping Drone Under 1000  | 4 x 25 min | 4km | 21 MP | |
The Best Fishing Drone Under 1000  | 17 min | 800m | 12MP 1/2.3" sensor | |
 | 31 min | 10km | 12MP 1/2.3" sensor | |
 | 28 min | 10km | 48MP stills 1/2.8" sensor | |
 | 20 min | 10km | 12 MP 1/2.3" sensor |
The New Best Drone Under 1000? DJI Mini 3 Pro
Mini drones are rising in popularity as drone technology becomes more compact without losing quality. These lightweight, folding drones can easily be thrown into a backpack or pocket to take on hikes or bike rides without hassle making them a popular choice among drone photographers.
The DJI Mini 3 Pro was released in 2022 and it’s a serious contender for the best drone under $1000. For the full break down on how the DJI Mini series has improved over time check out this article on DJI Mini SE v Mini 2 v Mini 3 Pro.
Mini 3 Pro vs Mavic Air 2s
The Mini 3 Pro matches, if not exceeds nearly all of the capabilities of the Mavic Air 2S including flight time and range.
Although both models have tri-directional obstacle avoidance, the coverage on the Mini 3 Pro is far better. Take a look at the diagram for the Mini 3 Pro in the Drones with Obstacle Avoidance article to see how much wider the sensor range is.
Which drone under 1000 has the longest flight time?
The Mini 3 Pro has the longest flight time for drones under $1000. When using the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus the Mini 3 Pro has a maximum flight time of up to 47 minutes but even the standard battery surpasses the maximum flight time of the Mavic Air 2S. The max flight time of the normal battery on the Mini 3 is 34 minutes and the Mavic Air 2S has a max flight time of 31 minutes.
For other drones with impressive flight times check out The Top 10 Drones With the Longest Flight Time [All Over 30 Mins] and The Best Drone Under 200 with the Longest Flight Time.
Which drone under 1000 has the best range?
Both the Mini 3 Pro and the Mavic Air 2S have a range of 12km. Other models that come close to this for under $1000 are the DJI Mini 2, Autel Evo Nano+ and DJI FPV which all have a range of 10km.
Range tends to increase with price, the longest range drones are the Atlas T Multicopter and the DJI Mavic 3 which have ranges of 15-20km.
What drone under 1000 has the best camera?
Camera quality is the one category where the Mavic Air 2S is still the best drone under 1000. It has a 1″ lens making it ideal for low light photography. Most drones in the 500-1000 price bracket have 4K photography but the Mavic Air 2S exceeds this with 5.4k video.
While the DJI Mavic 3 is the overall best drone for professional photography, it exceeds many people’s budget, making the Air 2S a popular choice. For more on what to look for in drone cameras check out Drone Photography for Beginners.
Drones Under 1000 That Don't Need to Be Registered
The Mini 3 Pro, Autel Evo Nano+ and the Mini 2 are all top performing drones that cost less than 1000 AND are under the 250g registration weight cut off. This means that if you’re just flying for fun, these drones don’t need to be registered with the FAA.
Although the Mini 3 Pro has the best features of these 3 drones, here is how it stacks up against the Mini 2 and the Autel Evo Nano+ in case you’re looking for a cheaper option.
Mini 3 Pro vs Autel Evo Nano+
The Autel Evo Nano is a good alternative if you’re looking for a DJI alternative. Some drone pilots don’t like the geo-fencing safety feature that’s built into DJI drones which prevent the drone from flying into restricted areas. Other people and organisations are looking to DJI alternatives like Exo Drones because of data security concerns after DJI was added to the US Entity list.
The Autel Evo Nano + is almost identical in capabilities to the DJI Mini 3 Pro. Like the Mini 3, the camera takes 4K video, has a 1/2.8″ lens and takes 48 MP stills with a 3-axial gimbal and tri-directional obstacle avoidance.
Where the Nano+ falls short of the Mini 3 is the flight time and range. The Nano + has a maximum range of 10km and 28 minutes flight time per battery compared to the Mini 3’s 12km range and whopping 47 minutes max flight time.
Mini 3 Pro vs Mini 2
The Mini 2 was released in 2020 and even though it’s been superseded by the Mini 3, it’s still in production by popular demand.
I go through all the details in the difference between the Mini SE, Mini 2 and Mini 3 Pro in this article but here are the main differences in a nutshell:
- The Mini 3 Pro has a larger camera sensor so it takes better-quality photos
- The Mini 2 doesn’t have obstacle avoidance
- Both have very good flight range ( Mini 2 has 10km range and the Mini 3 Pro has 12km range)
- The Mini 3 Pro is compatible with the DJI RC controller which has a large built-in screen, which means your phone is free to use separately.
Mini 3 Pro vs DJI FPV
The DJI FPV was designed with a focus on the immersive, flight experience. It was released with FPV goggles and the DJI Motion Controller. The Motion Controller makes controlling the drone simpler when you can’t see the buttons, its held in one hand and is sensitive to the angle that it’s tilted.
The DJI FPV has super fast transmission, meaning the time between the image captured by the drone and you seeing the image with the FPV goggles is near immediate.
It’s important to remember when we’re wearing FPV goggles we need to have a spotter with us to abide by the FAA drone flying regulations. All drones must stay in the visual line of sight for safety.
The main points to note between the Mini 3 Pro and the DJI FPV are :
- The DJI FPV takes lower resolution photos (12MP compared to 48MP)
- The max flight time is less than 1/2 the Mini 3 Pro (20 minutes compared to 47 minutes)
- The Mini 3 Pro has a greater range (12km vs 10km)
The Best Drone Under 1000 for Mapping
Parrot Anafi Work
Most commercial drones used for mapping cost tens of thousands of dollars but the Parrot Anafi is a great example of how advanced drone technology, like creating orthomosaics, is coming down in price.
Drone mapping or drone photogrammetry is the process of taking hundreds or even thousands of photos from a moving drone then stitching them together into a high-resolution map, survey or 3D model.
The Parrot Anafi Work package includes a 1 year subscription to Pix4Dmodel which creates 3D models from the drone footage. The value of this subscription alone is worth about 500 USD!
Some of the industries that use drones for surveying or high tech drone imaging are:
- Construction
- Agriculture; ie NIR imaging
- Surveying : Mining, oil and gas
- Inspection : Solar turbines, roof inspection
- Surveillance : Public events and private property
- Real estate ie 3D models
Although the Parrot Anafi is over the 250g ‘mini-drone’ weight it’s still a very compact, portable design. It folds down to fit into a small shoulder bag making it easy to transport and take to the work location.
The Best Waterproof Drone Under 1000 for Fishing
SwellPro Spry+
Most fishing drones, underwater drones and water resistant commercial drones cost way over $1000, but the SwellPro Spry+ is the exception. While newer versions like the SwellPro V4 have advanced features for fishing, the Spry+ was one of the first fully waterproof drones released for water sports.
The drone body and controller both float if dropped in the water and the Spry+ can even take off from the water surface.
The camera quality is pretty good with 4k video and 12MP still photos but doesn’t have a 3 axial gimbal or obstacle avoidance. The flight time and range are also the least impressive of the 7 drones compared in this article but I think it’s kind of unfair to directly compare a waterproof drone to standard aerial drones since they are built to be more robust. The flight time of the Spry+ is 17 minutes and the flight range is 800m.
Wrap up - Is the Mavic Air 2S still the best drone under $1000?
While the Mavic Air 2S is still a top performer, there is now a lot more competition and choice in this price bracket. The Mini 3 Pro matches many of the features of the Mavic Air 2S and boasts a much better flight time when used with the Intelligent battery. The one area where the Mavic Air 2S still comes out on top is photography. At its core, this comes down to the 1-inch lens; the larger lens means better quality photos.
For those that prefer an alternative to DJI, the Autel Evo Nano+ is the best option but falls slightly short when flight time and range are compared to the Air 2S and the Mini 3 Pro.
For commercial drone pilots or those that want the capability to produce maps and 3D models, you can’t go past the Parrot Anafi Work, the value of the 1 year subscription to Pix4D is worth about $500 on it’s own!
