I Tested a $60 Beginner Drone and Liked It

Drones are a blast. I’ve been flying various models for well over a decade and they still give me a thrill. They also offer amazing screen-free fun for kids. But it’s been awhile since I tried one of the latest crop of beginner models, which look way fancier and more sophisticated than they did just a few years ago but remain very affordable.

That brought me to the Relidol PK01 Drone with Camera, a versatile folding quadcopter with a price tag that usually hovers (ha!) around $60. On paper, it looked impressive, especially with the color video-feed screen built into the remote. But being so cheap, could this thing possibly be any good? I decided to find out.

What’s included with the PK01

This is a surprisingly feature-rich drone, but let’s start with what comes in the box:

The drone itself, which has folding arms for easier storage and transport
Two batteries, each good for about 10-12 minutes of flight time
A large, comfortable remote with a built-in 2.8-inch color screen
A mount for attaching your phone to the remote (optional)
Two USB-C charging cords
A spare set of blades
A zippered clamshell case that holds everything

There’s also a printed instruction guide that’s comprehensive and nicely illustrated, a boon to anyone who might be new to drones.

What you can do with the PK01

This is a fun drone to fly around a backyard, open field, or just about anywhere. There are three available speeds, all accessible by tapping a button on the remote, and you can perform nifty 360-degree aerial flips by pressing another button. The PK01 takes off and lands automatically (again, one button handles both) and hovers in place until you start maneuvering. Try to avoid windy days, however, because there’s no automatic stabilization against gusty air; that’s a feature typically found in more expensive drones.

The built-in 1080p camera can be angled up or down via the remote, a surprising capability for a $60 drone. Just keep your videography expectations in check: While the resolution is decent, colors look pretty washed-out, and the frame rate appears to be pretty low. (Translation: video looks a bit jerky.) Could you use this to, say, inspect a loose shingle on your roof? Yes, but I wouldn’t rely on it for something like vacations or special events, where you want premium image quality.

The PK01’s remote has a screen built in, but it’s dim and hard to see outdoors. A better option would be to use your phone, which you attach via an included mount. (Credit: Rick Broida/DealSeek)

Meanwhile, the remote’s built-in LCD isn’t very bright, and the video feed from the drone’s camera looks pretty choppy. You can get better results by pairing your phone (via Wi-Fi) and viewing the feed in the PK01 Fly app, which also lets you set up things like flight paths for the drone to follow.

That app can fully replace the remote if you prefer to fly using onscreen joysticks, and it also allows you to save photos and videos to your phone. Otherwise, you’ll need to pop a microSD storage card (not included) into the bottom of the remote.

What I didn’t like about the PK01

Much as I’d love to see kids having fun with one of these, parents should take note of the safety concerns: There’s no obstacle-avoidance built in here, nothing to stop the drone from crashing into a window or person. And because it lacks blade-guards, any mid-flight contact with skin could be serious. I’d keep this away from younger children; it’s better suited to kids at least 10 years old.

Speaking of crashes, I suspect that any hard contact with a wall, driveway, etc., would likely be the end of the PK01. As you’d expect from the price, it’s built from cheap plastic. Even after my (mostly) crash-free tests, I could see some scratches in the outer casing.

There are smaller, more indoor-friendly drones that come with substantial propeller guards — but they’re even more likely to struggle outdoors if there’s a bit of wind.

The PK01 folds up when not in use, but the cheap plastic won’t withstand much in the way of wall or ground collisions. (Credit: Rick Broida/DealSeek)

How to get a deal on this (or a similar) drone

The Relidol PK01 typically sells for $60, but here’s the thing: Amazon is home to dozens of virtually identical (and sometimes exactly identical) drones sold under different names, and you can often find coupon codes right here on DealSeek.

Just hit the search bar up top and enter “drone.” Here’s the result I got as of this writing:

See the one in the top-left corner? It’s pretty much the same model, but with a promo code that gets you out the door for $32.99. There’s an even cheaper one alongside it (but without the embedded screen in the remote), and so on. Beginner drones are really commodity items nowadays, with little difference from one to another.

I think that for adults and older kids, something like the Relidol PK01 is a fine starter-drone, something that’s easy to learn and fun to fly — without spending a lot. Just be sure to fly it in an open space on a non-windy day and you’ll be fine.

Relidol PK01 Drone with Camera

PROS:

Very beginner-friendly, with good printed instructions
Comes with two batteries
Includes clamshell carrying case
Often on sale for closer to $30

CONS:

Dim screen in the remote
Captures fairly choppy video
No blade-guards
Cheaply made, not likely to survive major crashes

💡 VERDICT: An affordable and decent starter drone for adults and older kids. Just don’t expect super-smooth video recording or long-term durability.