DJI/Ryze Tello Mini-Drone is, as the name suggests, a new and tiny drone from the people who created my lovely DJI Mavic Pro. The important differences are, however, compelling:
- This guy is really small!
- It’s only $99 USD
- You control it over wifi or bluetooth
- Aviation laws don’t apply because it is so light
- It’s much safer to fly indoors
Seeing as I already had the Mavic, my DIY drones, and had just bought Dobby (also a sub 250g wifi drone), why did I buy this as soon as I heard about it?
You might have heard of Tiny Whoop. Arguably, this brand has done most to popularize the smallest drones, and flying indoors.
I was close to getting one of those but this Tello came around just in time. As I said before, I love my Mavic, and I trust the DJI brand. Some of what makes a drone fun is the smart tech inside it, and DJI are the best at what they do.
At only 80g, it should, ahem, fly under the drone flying regulations. While the camera is only 720p, it’s still in spec for “selfie drone” status, even if not going to be National Geographic quality.
In some ways, it is easier to fly than the Dobby, although I did crash on my first flight.
As with Dobby, it is controlled through a wifi-connected app:
Interestingly you do NOT get a charger, and only one battery.
Please ignore the cat fur – Tello was napping on the cat bed when this charging picture was taken.
It’s fun, it’s tiny, it’s about as cheap as something this quality can get, and you should be able to fly it anywhere (subject to weather and local rules, naturally).
I love it.
Check it out at Amazon for the full details.
Running Raspberry Pi AND Arduino for the Best of Both Worlds