Tello: $99 Drone for Beginners

Product Description

Feel the Fun

We set out to build the most fun drone ever, and we came up with Tello: an impressive little drone for kids and adults that's a blast to fly and helps users learn about drones with Scratch programming. Get yourself a Tello to find out just how awesome flying can be!

New to Drones? No Problem.

Flying Tello couldn't be easier! Just pull out your phone to fly anytime or anywhere with intuitive controls.

1.Smartphone VR Headset Compatibility: Fly with a breathtaking first-person view.
2.DJI Flight Tech: Industry-leading components ensure stable flights.
3.Tello App: Getting started is extra easy with the Tello app's friendly UI.1
4.Controller Compatibility: Precise control for unforgettable experiences.

See the World from the Sky

Whether you're at a park, in the office, or hanging out at home, you can always take off and experience the world from exciting new perspectives. Tello has two antennas that make video transmission extra stable and a high-capacity battery that offers impressively long flights times.

13-Min Flight Time3
2.100m Flight Distance4
3.720p HD Transmission
4.Smart Switch 2 Antennas

Fantastic Features for Endless Enjoyment

Thanks to all the tech that Tello's packing, like a flight controller powered by DJI, you can perform awesome and complex tricks and with just a tap on screen.5 Flying has never been so fun and easy!

1.Throw & Go: Start flying by simply tossing Tello into the air.
2.8D Flips: Slide on screen to perform cool aerials stunts.
3.Bounce Mode: Tello flies up and down from your hand automatically.

Capture Great Pictures and Videos

Equipped with a high-quality image processor, Tello shoots incredible photos and videos. Even if you don't know how to fly, you can record pro-level videos with EZ Shots and share them on social media from your smartphone.

Features

• Little drone for kids and adults that’s a blast to fly and helps users learn about drones with coding education.
• VR headset compatibility,fly with a breathtaking first-person view.
• Tello has two antennas that make video transmission extra stable and a high-capacity battery that offers impressively long flight times.
• Start flying by simply tossing Tello into the air.Slide on screen to perform 8D flips cool aerial stunts.
• Equipped with a high-quality image processor, Tello shoots incredible photos and videos. Even if you don’t know how to fly, you can record pro-level videos with EZ Shots and share them on social media from your smartphone.

Top Reviews

Good value for less than $100
by BGB (4 out of 5 stars)
March 4, 2018

Was considering getting a DJI Mavic, but didn't necessarily want to drop that much money on my first drone. I had $40 in Amazon credit, so I picked this up for $60. It's a fantastic drone for under $100.

I've flown it three times since receiving it yesterday and gotten nearly 12 minutes of the purported 13 minutes of flying time from the battery each time. It's very responsive and quick (in fast mode - almost 20mph). The range, vertically, is about as advertised (30') - horizontally, it's probably more like 80 meters in open space, not 100. The auto-flight modes all work (flips, throw-and-go, etc.). It's very stable - I haven't had to run the calibration routine yet. The Intel sensing tech works very well when there's plenty of light, so it stays put when hovering and maintains altitude when moving forward/backward/left/right. Moves well outside, but if you encounter any real wind, it's a problem to control, since it's so tiny and light. The photos (5mp) are surprisingly good in environments with decent light and when the drone is still. The video would be exceptional (the Intel stabilization feature is pretty good), if not for the oddly low bitrate (4mbps?!) - this results in HD (720) video coming back to the phone from the drone, but you get a stuttering effect every 4 seconds because of the shallow throughput. [UPDATE: Turning Bluetooth off seems to have stopped the stuttering issue for me.] It's a little disappointing to see decent video later on your phone, but have it ruined by these halting periods throughout. Connecting my Pixel 2 was easy, save one quirk. Since it's peer-to-peer WiFi, you connect directly to the drone. Once connected, you'll get the alert/notification that says "Connected , but limited services" or whatever. Normally, when connecting to cameras and other devices, I just swipe that away and start using them. However, if you do this and then start the Tello app, the drone will not show as connected. In order for it to be recognized (at least for me), you have to tap on that alert-notification and then click "OK" each time - then open the Tello app and it shows as connected.

The only real downside is that I cannot get the Tello software to recognize the GameSir T1s Bluetooth controller. This is the controller they list as compatible on both the DJI and Ryze sites, as well as in the manual (as well as in the videos they show of the product being used). I emailed support and they were quick to respond, but their solution did not work. I've read elsewhere of others not being able to get this to work either. Hopefully, it will be fixed/work soon, as flying with sticks is more tactile than pushing virtual pads around on a screen.

All in all, very happy with this as first drone. I'll probably get a Mavic or a new Spark when the next iteration comes out.
[Update: Despite the GameSir T1s being listed as compatible and shown in use with the product videos on the Ryze & DJI sites as well as Ryze support's initial email response saying it WILL work with the Tello, I've received a follow-up from Ryze support saying the GameSir T1s actually will NOT work with the Tello and will NOT be supported in the foreseeable future. Only the GameSir T1D is compatible - and it hasn't been released (nor is there a date for its scheduled release). So, if you've got an Android phone and plan to buy a GameSir T1s to use with your Tello, don't because it won't work. Amazon is accepting the return for my controller, so not a big deal. Still a great little drone - just have to get used to the phone screen controls.]
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Great flying drone for the money! Video still leaves a LOT to be desired.
by Hayduke453 (3 out of 5 stars)
March 16, 2018

I would rate this drone 5 stars on general flying experience, 3 on photos, 2 on the video ability and 1 on controller connectivity.

This is the best flying mini-drone I have ever tried. It is very stable and predictable for indoor flying. I even took it out in a light breeze and it had no problem holding position. Flips are rock solid and the drone maintains exact altitude when flipping. Most other drones with flip ability will lose several feet in altitude, making it very risky to do indoors. Hand launch and land work very well. I have flown out several full charges indoors and out and have yet to even smack a wall due to the solid handling. This thing flies like drones costing hundreds more. And the flight time is amazing for something this small - almost equal to the Spark! I didn't do a range check but I did shut down the app to see what would happen. I expected it to land or RTH but it just sat there hovering until I reconnected and told it to land. Not sure I like this feature. I would prefer RTH but at least it didn't take off full throttle toward China like my Holy Stone model did!

As for the camera - The video has obnoxious banding of green and purple. Still photos are decent. The photos are much better than anything else in this price range. Too bad about the video defect. Even if it had good color the video would be essentially useless due to the low bit rate which causes constant stuttering every few seconds. They need to fix this if they are advertising it as video capable, which it is really NOT.

Another major issue is that the connectivity is absolutely NOT as advertised. Most controllers will not work with it (check out the owner forums). I got the advertised GameSir T1 and the drone would not even recognize it much less connect. Now I have a useless controller I am returning.

I also tried flying with the Scratch programming platform. After a long and involved installation procedure (instructions for which are buried on the Ryze website) I managed to get it to takeoff, flip and land but only with individual commands. It simply refuses to perform a whole program for some reason and all other commands are totally ignored. Other users have this same issue so I'm hoping it will be dealt with in a firmware upgrade since this is one of the main advertised features of this drone.

I am returning this drone due to the defective camera. Hopefully the next one will work. After printing the return label I realized it was not prepaid. I emailed DJI about this and they sent a pre-paid Fedex label for return. Quick response!

UPDATE: The video banding issue was caused by my Droid Turbo not handling the video properly. I tried it with an iphone and it worked fine - Except for the stuttering problem which is probably caused by using wifi for both control and recording. Not sure they can fix this with a firmware update. I really wish they had included a memory card slot instead. There is also no easy way to share or move photos and videos that are saved to your phone. You have to hunt for them with a file explorer and manually move them. This is a really dumb oversight and will hopefully be fixed in a future update.

After updating to the latest firmware I again tried Scratch programming and it works great now. Very simple to program moves as long as you insert at least a one second pause between actions. Overall I'm still very impressed with this drone, especially with some of the junk on the market for an equivalent price.

UPDATE 2, Oct 2018): So I've been flying this drone for several months now and still love it for general playing around the house and yard. I've discovered a few more things. The T1D controller will only connect with certain Android phones. I finally bought a cheap no contract phone that actually connects with no problem. It's a Samsung J3 from Wallyworld for $49. I loaded up all my drone apps and it works great EXCEPT for the absolutely useless video feed which has not improved at all. If you have an i-Anything with current ios you should be able to use it and get decent video but only if you keep the bit rate down to about 1 Mbps. But what is the point of having a nice video feed you can't use at full rate? Hello, Ryze??

About the Xiaomi wifi extender - it works great except you can not use it simultaneously with the bluetooth controller or you risk dropping connections. So either pick flying at long range with the extender and phone or short range with the controller. "Long range" is relative with this drone. You can push it two or three times the usual limits but it's still well within sight. For flying higher, try the TALS app. It does one thing - sets your altitude limit anywhere up to 30 meters. I actually had it hover in place like it had a ground lock at full altitude. I didn't think it would hold in a light breeze but it did. Impressive.

Another impressive feature is how tough this drone is. It takes a beating. I've smacked a couple walls and the ceiling and tangled the props in the curtains with no damage. I had to replace a prop but only because it flew off and got lost in the grass. No lasting damage. One time it seemed to "heal itself" somehow after a crash. It flew up and shuddered and twitched a little for a few minutes then just started flying again like nothing happened. No apparent damage so I kept flying.

I recommend the Drone Blocks app for trying out flight programming. It's drag and drop to build your flight routine. Then just click a GO command and the drone does it all with no input from you. Lots of fun and the kids can learn the basics of programming without even realizing it.
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Excellent for photography. Videos not so much.
by Wandering Albatross (5 out of 5 stars)
April 25, 2018

So why five stars? Because I've been looking for this for a LONG time! Ever walk around a scenic area, maybe a rustic small town downtown and think "Hey, this would look awesome from up there?" That's where this thing excels. I've taken it to a few interesting spots now and this thing has proven to be quick, efficient and discrete.

I can simply walk around and between this and my phone, take interesting photographs. I connect with my phone, toss it into the air to launch, fly up to frame the shot, shoot and then land it back in my hand and continue on about my day. Its positioning system works very well outdoors in the daylight, I can control it pretty easily with my phone (typically prefer sticks) and though it's seems really loud indoors it's small and quiet enough that passers by don't even notice it half the time. Also, it doesn't use a fisheye lens (or at least, if it does, it crops it for stabilization) so there's minimal post processing required. I've also trimmed two trees with it and it survived each. One knocked it out of the sky but it didn't sustain any damage. Also, the little guy is quite snapping in high speed mode!

So those are the pros. Here are the cons.
- It doesn't fly high enough to clear most treetops, so when I carried it into some woods it literally couldn't see the forest for the trees.
- Around a bunch of houses, it can suffer from WiFi interference.
- No gimbal, so when the drone is leaning into the wind the resulting photos will need to be centered (rotated). You can easily do this on your phone, of course.
- Downward positioning sensors work poorly indoors, complain about insufficient light. And it's kinda noisy indoors, too.
- Video stinks. Use it as a flying point and shoot camera instead.
- Doesn't handle windy days. A five mph breeze is reasonable, though.

Lastly, here are a few tips.
- Don't use the prop guards. I got mine tangled up in ceiling fan cords because of them and have seen YouTube videos where guys get them stuck in trees. The prop guards are too flexible to actually protect the props and only good for getting it stuck in thing.
- Don't bother using the fiddly "land in hand" feature in the app. Just tell it to land and put your hand underneath it; it'll figure it out.
- Grab an extra battery or two and keep them and the drone in your glove box. I keep mine in there, along with the Moment lenses I sometimes use on my iPhone 8. Ready to snap pics anywhere!

Bottom line, this thing's video isn't very good, as I'm sure other reviewers are reporting, but it's an excellent little flying point and shoot so long as there's decent light. I've dropped coin on a few little fliers to try and fill this niche and was quite released when this came out because it actually works! I've since ordered it a case and three extra batteries, and will probably get it a multi-battery charger once they have some reviews. When it's not wise to send up my Mavic Air, this little guy gets the nod!
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Tuff little toy and FUN, FUN,FUN!!!
by Grumpy (5 out of 5 stars)
June 26, 2018

First off, be clear, the Tello is a TOY and should in no way be considered anything more.

The Tello can be so much fun and is well suited for young children, seniors, experienced UAV pilots and anyone else who is even remotely interested in what the whole drone thing is about.

One of the things that makes the Tello different than other toy quads is you can program it, using Scratch, an easy to use free programming language created for children ages 8-16. The intent is to help get children become interested in coding, creativity and problem solving while having fun.

Tello does have a basic camera capable of 5MP photos and 720P HD video. I found the photos to be quite good and videos though not great, they aren't horrible. The kids will love the camera.

For us old folks, ok kids too. It's just FUN to play with. My wife and I fly DJI UAVs, a Mavic Air and a Phantom 4 Pro, both are far from toys but we love playing with our Tellos. The Tello is best suited for indoors but we play out in the yard, you just need to stay inside if there is any wind at all (Tello + wind = FAIL). We have three Tellos, Mine, Her's and a spare. There are four ways we play with our Tellos. 1) Just flying around the yard practicing maneuvers and tormenting the dogs. 2) Plain old racing. 3) Obstacle corse race, around the tree, under the chair, over the table, through the tire kind of thing. 4) This is why we have a backup Tello. Dog Fighting or our version of. Flatten a small ball of poster hanging putty on top of the Tello then stick a LEGO people into it then fly around and try to knock each other's LEGO guy off (without crashing) much fun and very difficult. We thought we would destroy at least one of the little birds in short order but the worst so far has been a couple lost props (Tello comes with two sets).

The Tello is controlled by your cellphone or tablet and supports both Android and iOS. I have only used current iOS devices and have had 0 problems. I have seen where some Android devices were not working 100% so I recommend you check the Ryze web site to see if your device is supported. Also worth mention,the Tello does not come with a battery charger. To charge the battery you will need a battery charger with a micro USB output. Most cellphone chargers work fine but you may need an adapter or separate cable. There are many 3rd party chargers available if you need to purchase one.

Now for the EXTRAS. Not required but recommend (by me), additional battery, or two or... you can never have to many (we have 8). Standard charge time is +-1 hour, it can put a damper on the fun flow. Today's price for a Tello battery is $19 usd. Second thing to consider is a game type controller. Not required but it does make everything come together and make for a more enjoyable experience. We are using the GameSir t1d controller (today's price $28 usd) works flawlessly with current iOS devices but again not all Android devices so check into it before you purchase.

All this to say, buy a Tello. And by the my wife and I are in our 60s.

FULL DISCLOSURE: UNFORTUNATELY, NOBODY GAVE ME ANYTHING IN EXCHANGE FOR THIS UNBIASED REVIEW. (I just love the Tello).
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Class-leading flight performance for a $100 "toy" drone, but note that it may work better with Apple
by Phoenix (4 out of 5 stars)
March 28, 2018

Summary: The Tello is probably the best performing drone around $100 that you can currently get; flight time and stability in particular are both class-leading. The Tello's controller app now works on all the Apple and Android devices I've tested it on, but I still recommend using an Apple device as you're still less likely to run into issues and may get better performance/range too.

I'll start by saying I'm not a drone expert; I've been interested in them for awhile but haven't actually owned any until just recently. I have, however, been doing a lot of research in hopes of making well-informed purchasing decisions. Other reviews have praised the Tello's great performance, and my own experience with it has found this to be true. As far as actual flight performance (stability, maneuverability, flight time, etc), I'm pretty confident that this drone is the best in its class, and probably by a fairly wide margin too. Friends of mine that own other similarly-priced toy-class drones have commented on how much more stable the Tello was in flight than their drone, and so on. If I had to guess, DJI's hand in engineering the Tello is probably the main reason that the flight performance is class-leading. I will note that, although it is plenty capable for indoor flying, it isn't meant for anything more than light outdoor flying; it has distance/altitude limits well below that of a "real" drone (max of 100m distance and 10m altitude), and is not recommended to be used in any wind (in my experience it can handle a light breeze at most). However, this is to be expected considering it's a lightweight "toy" drone.

Now, the video/picture quality is better than most all other "toy" drones in this price range, but keep in mind this drone is only $100 to begin with (and already excels in flight performance too), so it's unrealistic to expect it to have video/photo quality good enough for serious use. The video is streaming-quality 720p with EIS; it lacks an SD card slot to save directly from the camera, so what you see in the controller app's live feed is what you get in your video recordings. Pictures are better quality than the video (5MP), but good lighting is necessary if you want them to look decent. Again, this is just a lightweight "toy" drone that costs only $100, so don't have unrealistic expectations and think it can replace a "real" (and much more expensive) drone for cinematography/photography.

As far as the Tello's app/controlls go, I never had any issues when running the Tello's app on a 2017 iPad, and I'd imagine that any comparable Apple device would run it just as well. I had zero real issues controlling my Tello from the app on my iPad, even with multiple other wi-fi routers/APs in the area, and the lag, although present, was reasonably low. Again, as a "toy" drone in this price range, it's unreasonable to expect it to come with high-end radio signaling and/or a hardware controller with a dedicated link that would allow for super low latency control, but I never felt like the app controls had enough lag to really inhibit my control of the drone. However, I must say that, when I first tried it on two of my Android devices (Nexus 9 & Nexus 7), I wasn't even able to get the app to start without crashing. Now with a updated version they have since released, it currently works fine on my Nexus 6, although the video quality and range is a bit less than it is with my iPad. Your experience may vary depending on which Android device you have, and it's possible you could get performance comparable to what I got out of my iPad with another Android device, so I'm not going to say that Android device owners shouldn't try it. However, Apple devices tend to have more consistent hardware and software, and it's also likely that Ryze put more effort in to the iOS version of the app than the Android one, so overall I still recommend using an Apple device if you can... there's a good chance it will work better with one.

Also, there is something else to note about the Android version of the Tello app; namely, I'm concerned by the amount and kinds of permissions that it has... many seem unnecessary and even suspicious for an app that (should) just have the job of being a remote control for a wi-fi drone. (Below the body of my review I have a list of the (IMO) most concerning permissions.) It's unfortunate that it has (or at least tries to get, depending on the version of Android your device has) all these permissions which could allow for collecting metadata, even in the background (when you aren't running the app). And Ryze being a relatively unknown Chinese company makes it all the more concerning. Now, I'm not saying they are definitely collecting metadata (I haven't done any technical analysis of network traffic/data or such to prove/disprove it), and some of these permissions it requests could be used for compatibility with older versions of Android, but it is still rather suspect IMO, and because of it I have refused to install the app on my main smartphone (or any Android device which may contain personal data/accounts). On the flip side, I don't have to worry about this with Apple devices, since iOS doesn't allow apps nearly as many permissions in the first place, and even the ones it does have the app must always ask for permission first. FYI, the only permission it asked for on my iPad was location, and I denied that and the app still worked fine anyway (Tello is not a GPS-capable drone, so other than maybe for geotagging your photos/videos, there isn't any reason it needs to know your location).

All-in-all, if you're looking for a fun but surprisingly capable little "toy" drone to fly indoors (or outside only with little to no wind) and don't want to spend much, I recommend the Ryze Tello. I recommend it even more-so if you have an Apple device to use with it; in fact, the reason I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 was because of my privacy concerns and some issues I had with the Android app (if they remove those permissions and continue to improve the app, I will consider updating my review to 5 stars). On a side-note, if you are looking at getting in to drone piloting on a more serious level, I would not recommend this in place of a "real" drone... it may set new standards for the capabilities of "toy" class drones, but even a very good "toy" class is not enough learn real drone piloting. (For a beginner drone for serious drone piloting, I would highly recommend the DJI Spark instead, as it's (IMO) currently the cheapest drone with serious flight capabilities). In my case, I bought this in addition to the "real" drone I already had, so I could use it for indoor and casual flying (rather than risk my main drone).
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List of potentially concerning Android app permissions:
- access precise GPS location - the Tello does not use GPS so no reason knowing my precise location should be needed for flying-purposes... perhaps for geotagging photos/videos maybe, but once the app has this permission there's nothing preventing them from collecting my position data either
- read phone device ID - with this it could read your phone number or IMEI/MEID; older Android apps used to use this to get a unique device ID or check your mobile connection, but newer versions of Android have better/safer ways of doing these, so there's little legitimate reason for them to need this permission now-a-days
- see all running apps - uh, no good reason it needs to know what other apps you are running
- run at startup - why does it need to automatically run in the background when it's just a drone controller app... unless it actually does this so it can gather information constantly in conjunction with the other permissions it has... definitely suspicious.
- modify system settings - it's possible they use this to try to help automatically configure wi-fi/bluetooth/controllers for you but it's still concerning
- android.permission.MANAGE_ACCOUNTS - this is a permission that was used more on older Android versions; it's unclear what exactly this allows the app to do on newer Android versions (it may be harmless), but since this is a newer Android app they shouldn't need this permission anyway...
- read Home settings and shortcuts - why? ...this is random and without a doubt entirely unnecessary
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10 stars please!
by 246100590 (5 out of 5 stars)
April 24, 2018

I bought 4 other brands of drones, $35-$158, all have poor control with phone app alone. And the apps are all poorly made( I'm a software engineer ). The picture quality is so bad with the drone trembleing all the time.

Please just buy this DJI Tello! Now I feel sorry for the other brands in the market: they truly have no chance to win... the DJI is overwhelming.
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Fun little drone
by Michael Caldwell (3 out of 5 stars)
May 23, 2018

Fun drone for the price.

The camera is great, easy to fly and can take a beating.

I crashed this about ten times already and only damage was a propeller flew off, just stick it back on and ready to fly again:)

They show it racing around the house, nope!

On phone or with the added controller there is a big lag in the video so trying to fly off of video is impossible around things:(

In my back yard it is fun to fly it around and it moves pretty good but it does have a big lag in the video & is slow to respond so do not think you are going to be drone racing with this guy!
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If you're looking for a starter drone from a known brand, you can't find anything better for under $
by James R. (4 out of 5 stars)
March 28, 2018

Really fun drone, great for indoors and I've flown a few flights outside under calm conditions and it can handle it. It's not as feature packed as the DJI Spark, so you get what you pay for - but remember, the Spark is 4x more. Flying with the app works fine, sometimes it takes a minute or two for the drone to connect to the app. Picture and video quality is decent, about what you can expect for a $99 drone. I wish it had GPS hold and follow me modes, but those features are too much to expect from a drone at this price point. However, build quality is excellent and the one-button flips are pretty impressive. If you're looking for a starter drone from a known brand, you can't find anything better for under $100.
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Five Stars
by Bob P (3 out of 5 stars)
April 23, 2018

I purchased Tello as an inexpensive trainer, I'm new to the drone world. I purchased a DJI Spark first, to take aerial photo's of our driving trip to Alaska this Summer. I broke the Spark on the first flight (not happy about that or the cost to repair). Then I found out about all the Draconian Rules the FAA has for drone fling(worse than gun laws). I wanted something less than 0.55lbs that I could fly in my yard instead of driving hundreds of miles to a clear fly area to learn to fly it. And it's cell phone controls are very similar to the DJI Spark.

Back to the Tello. Nice and light, comes with prop guards- GOOD. It can take a crash without BREAKING (hearing this DJI??). Photos are very good, video within a short distance, 50ft is good. Would be nice with an on board micro memory card. Works well with my Samsung Galaxy Note 5. I bought the Game Sir controller then found out it didn't work with the Tello as someone advertised!!

The 3 Stars are for limited flight range, NO hand controller and Poor video quality over 50 feet.

I would say it's a good trainer, but I've only flown it and crashed my Spark so good luck.

UPDATE: Went to Alaska, DJI Spark worked well (no crashes). Didn't fly my Tello. Did try it a week ago and having the funny problem with it flashing different color lights when I try to fly it #$@÷!

Not happy!
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Good choice for beginners
by team W,Top Contributor: Camping (4 out of 5 stars)
April 29, 2019

I wanted a drone, but I didn't want to spend $500 on something I was highly likely to drive into a tree while I was learning how to fly one for the first time in my life.

This is the perfect "starter" drone for somebody wanting to dip a toe into this hobby. The drone itself has quality sensors/software that keep it remarkably stable in flight, both inside your house and outdoors. The app is also very nicely put together. Of course, you can still crash it into a tree, but that is likely going to be your fault rather than the drone's. The video quality is passable. It is a low bit-rate, 720p stream that is not going to win any awards, but it is at least electronically stabilized, meaning it sits just barely on the good side of the watchable line. You actually can watch the footage from this without getting wildly annoyed or sick to your stomach from the motion. The still pictures are a solid notch better than the video quality. Most of them come out crisp and nice looking, although you may get a blurred one in there now and again if the drone gets hit with a wind gust as you fire off the shutter.

There is no "headless" mode which is basically a trick some companies use to help people who are bad at flying drones to look better at it than they really are. This drone forces you to actually learn how to think about the orientation of the aircraft in flight, which is a critical skill to master if you want to get any good at this.

Although a lot of stuff is automated and so the mental load on the pilot is limited, there is still a definite learning curve to piloting one of these things well, particularly if you are not in a big field with no obstacles around. But the Tello has a key training advantage over other drones - you can safely fly it around your house, because it is so small and so stable. Now flying laps around the couch is not the most exciting thing you will ever do in your life, but if you can get to the point where you can fly smoothly and confidently inside, in close quarters. those skills will translate to the outside.

Buy more batteries and a case for it. The batteries run the drone for about 10 minutes or so, and they need to cool after a flight before they can be recharged. So I have three batteries giving me a total of roughly 30 minutes flight time. You will need a decent case for it because the thing is tiny and doesn't fold up, so it would be utterly destroyed by tossing it in your backpack unprotected.

The only downsides to this product are that:
(1) It is controlled using wi-fi only, so the flight range is modest;
(2) the video quality is not quite at the level of even a 5 year old phone, even if it is electronically stabilized; and
(3) it is so tiny and light that you really should not fly it in windy conditions outside.

None of those things matter much if you are just learning how to fly a drone. This is one of those rare products where you feel like you are getting a noticeably better product than you expected for your money. This is a big step up from a toy drone, without the big step up in price from one.

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