Best drone for battery life 2023

The best drone for battery life is going to fly for longer, helping you film more footage or simply enjoy zooming your drone around the sky.

While many of the best drones and best beginner drones can have good battery lives, you sometimes have to go higher end for something really impressive that can last for ages.

Most drones typically last between 10-30 minutes, but some of the drones we've picked out exceed that and can last you up to 45 minutes or more, allowing for more time for in-air action. It also makes it easier to complete any work you're doing if you're using it as a camera in the sky to film a project.

With all this in mind, we’ve selected these drones based on our research into their specs, features, general reviews, and other general points that we think make them worth considering. Plus, we’ve answered some of your most frequently asked questions so you can pick the best ones for you.

So with that being said, let’s get into it – here are some top picks for the best drones for battery life available today.

Best drones for battery life

1. DJI Mavic 3
2. DJI Air 2S
3. Potensic Dreamer 4K
4. Autel Evo 2 Pro
5. DJI Mini 2

Credit: DJI

1. DJI Mavic 3

Best professional drone for battery life

For those after a marvellous professional drone with some immense battery life, look no further than the DJI Mavic 3.

You'll find it can last for 46 minutes on a charge thanks to its 5000mAh battery that gives you plenty of time to fly before you need to charge things back up again. When you do get short of capacity though, the Mavic 3 can 'return to home' so you can charge it back up again. 

It's also got quite the beefy dual camera setup with a 20MP 4/3 sensor with its 24mm equivalent focal length for some detailed wide-angle stills and a half-inch CMOS sensor for more zoomed-in shots, thanks to its equivalent focal length of 162mm.  

There's also the ability to shoot 4K at 30fps with the Mavic 3, offering you the chance to get some great video for professional usage, and object-detecting sensors ensure that your flight won't go off course and you won't crash your drone into anything you shouldn't. 

Read More: Best drone under 200

Credit: DJI

2. DJI Air 2S

Best drone for battery life for most people

For most people, the DJI Air 2S should be a great choice, for both general use, and for its good battery life.

You'll be getting 31 minutes of flight time, which is great for getting those all-important shots, and allows you to fly for a good period of time before needing to charge the drone up again.

Its small sub-600g frame also means the DJI Air 2S is nice and portable and is easy to pop into a bag on your travels. This is helped by the fact it has the folding design that most modern DJI drones have so it shouldn't take up too much space.

The camera it features looks to be brilliant with a large 1-inch CMOS 20MP sensor allowing for some detailed and sharp stills.

A larger sensor is able to take detailed stills given the fact it lets more light in, which translates to more 'information' for the sensor, as well as offering better low-light performance.

As for video output, you'll be able to shoot 5.4K at 30fps, as well as 4K at 60fps, or FHD at 120fps, giving you a load of choices for when you are using this drone to film.

Read More: How to fix drone drift

Credit: Potensic

3. Potensic Dreamer 4K

Best Potensic drone for battery life

If you're after a drone with good battery life that features some unique looks, then the Potensic Dreamer 4K should be a great choice. 

For flight time, Potensic says this drone will last up to 31 minutes, giving you a good duration before it'll need charging again, and plenty of time to get acquainted with your new quadcopter. 

The Potensic 4K Dreamer carries with it some premium quadcopter looks that make it appear a lot more expensive than its asking price suggests, and it also looks to be comprised of some sturdy plastics which ensures it's a durable choice. 

You'll be able to take 2.7K video here which should look detailed and sharp, and a 13MP Sony sensor should ensure you should get some rather good still images from above, too, which is handy. 

Read More: How to calibrate a drone

Credit: Autel

4. Autel Evo 2 Pro

Best Autel drone for battery life

The Autel Evo 2 Pro looks like an immense choice for a premium drone that also features quite an impressive battery life. 

A total flight time of 40 minutes represents one of the longest durations out there and means you'll be able to take professional-quality shots for a rather long time, be it photos or videos. 

On the point of professional quality photo and video, the Autel Evo 2 Pro allows for 6K video, complete with 10-bit HDR for some incredibly vibrant and sharp output. A 12MP 1-inch sensor should also mean it can take some immensely detailed photos, too. You can read more about 10-bit HDR right here.

You'll also find 360-degree obstacle avoidance to ensure your drone remains in the air and unaffected, and a total 9km transmission range also means you should be able to fly it rather far before you begin to lose signal if you're into any longer-range photography.

Read More: How to reset your drone

Credit: DJI

5. DJI Mini 2

Best mini drone for battery life

The DJI Mini 2 looks like an amazing mini drone that wants some great battery life. 

You'll be getting a flight time of around half an hour thanks to the drone's 5200mAh battery, which gives you quite a large capacity, and means you should be able to fly to your heart's content before needing to give it the big charge back to full.

As for the camera, the Mini 2 utilises a 12MP sensor which should give you some marvellous stills, and the ability to shoot 4K at 30fps on such a small drone is definitely welcome, especially for those budding videographers who happen to be on the go. 

Handily, the DJI Mini 2 also weighs just 242g, making it one of the most portable drones put there, and its propellers can also fold in to give you a complete package that's very easy to carry around.

Read More: How to clean a drone lens

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Don't panic if you've got any questions at this point. We've answered the most commonly asked queries below.

Is getting a drone for battery life worth it?

We'd say getting a drone for the sake of better battery life is definitely worth it, given you'll be maximising your possible flight time with any of the best options.

This is especially important for filming videos that require a continuous flow, which sports media, for example, uses.

In addition, higher battery life figures typically go hand in hand with more premium drones so you'll also be getting the benefit of better quality cameras and higher resolution output.

What is a good battery life for a drone?

As you'll see from our list above, a good battery life for a drone is approximately 30-45 minutes, depending on the ones you buy.

It's worth noting that you can also get extra batteries that can increase capacity and flight time on some drones, so you may get an extra quarter of an hour out of your next flight.

How much should I spend on a drone for battery life?

Getting the best battery life out of a drone usually goes hand in hand with more premium options as they'll be the drones that have the power to last for longer.

In our humble opinion, spending between $500-$1000 for most people will get some great battery life, although if you are a professional, you may have to spend more than $1500 to get the best, at least from our list.

How long does a DJI battery last?

This depends on the drone model itself, but you can see from our picks above that DJI makes some of the drones with the longest flight times.

For some of DJI's more premium consumer drones, like those listed above, the battery in them should last for between 30 and 45 minutes, although for the more pro-grade options for cinematographers and large-scale filming, they can even last an hour or more, although these drones will coat you a four-figure sum.

Why is a drone's battery life so short?

In essence, it's because of the dilemma that faces drone makers to manufacture a drone that is powerful but not too heavy so that it isn't agile or nimble in the air and remains stable.

Having a larger battery will obviously weigh more, and when coming alongside all the clever GPS and flight tech that goes into drones these days, they can weigh a fair amount.

Therefore, whilst a 45-minute battery life at the top end may seem short, in the grand scheme of things, it's quite clever that drone manufacturers have managed to scale down a battery to power such a hungry device for that long in a package that can weigh less than a kilo. These batteries are known as LiPo batteries.

How can I make my drone battery last longer?

There are a couple of useful things you can do to extend the battery life of your drone.

These can include reducing any unnecessary weight which will in turn mean the total mass being carried around is less, meaning the drone's rotors will have to do less work to keep it in the air.

Also, making sure your batteries are fully charged is also key, as simple as it may seem.