Gallery: Gift Guide: 11 Drones for All Types of Pilots
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For Rookies and Kids. Parrot basically has the market cornered on small, indoor friendly, smartphone-controlled drones, and the [Airborne Night MiniDrone](http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/airborne-night-drone/) ($130) is probably the most fun of the pack. It's kid-friendly: Simple, one-touch access to tricks and landings are included in the FreeFlight 3 app for Android and iOS, and there's also a VGA camera on board for those necessary aerial selfies.
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For Backyard Seafarers. Why limit your drone to the skies? The $160 [hydrofoil package](http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/hydrofoil-drone/) for Parrot's MiniDrone pairs a nautical hull with an airborne drone. That way, you can clip the drone onto the hull and zip around the pool at speeds of up to 6mph. Be careful, though: The drone itself isn't waterproof, but you can detach it completely from the sea vessel and fly it around.
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For Owners of Adventurous Pets. This $190 drone, [also from Parrot](http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/jumping-night-drone/), rolls around at 8mph. But it's more than just a newfangled RC car. It also spins around like crazy, streams live video to your phone, lets you stream your voice to it to freak out your cat—and most importantly—jumps more than two feet in the air thanks to a spring-loaded tail. The resulting images of people recoiling in horror as a jumping drone flies at their face are perfect for posting to Facebook.
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For Hackers and Drone Warriors. Not all drones are made for flying indoors in a cushy safe zone. Game of Drones' [Action Sports DIY Kit](http://www.gameofdrones.com/) ($410) contains most of the things you need for [bashing your drone into other drones](https://www.wired.com/2015/10/game-of-drones/) in the middle of a drone battle cage: A very durable polymer frame, four motors and controllers, power and flight boards, and four propellers. Some assembly (and reassembly) is required.
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For Experienced Step-up Pilots. If you like Parrot's indoor-friendly, easy-to-fly MiniDrones but want something with a more-powerful camera and a faster top speed, the $550 [Parrot Bebop 2](http://blog.parrot.com/2015/11/19/introducing-parrot-bebop-2-flying-companion/) should work. It can hit speeds of 37mph, takes ultra-wide-angle 1080p video and 14-megapixel stills with a stabilized built-in camera, and can be controlled with an app or a more-sophisticated controller.
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For Experienced Drone Racers. You can't just race any old drone—or at least, you can't just race any old drone and expect to get a real-time, low-latency video feed from the front of it to your eyeballs. The $600 [TBS Gemini](http://team-blacksheep.com/products/prod:gemini) hexacopter supports FPV (first-person view) feeds to a headset, and it hits speeds of up to 55mph. It's the perfect training tool for anyone interested in joining the [Drone Racing League](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/the-drone-racing-league-is-a-sport-built-for-vr/).
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For Autopilot Aficionados. You don't need to pilot a drone to get awesome airborne footage. Stick a disc-shaped tracker in your pocket, toss the twee (and waterproof) [Lily Camera](https://www.lily.camera/) in the air, and snowboard or parkour away as it auto-records your sick tricks. Unfortunately, Lily Camera won't be shipping in time for the holidays, but you can pre-order it for $820 now and get it in August.
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For Surfers, Wakeboarders, and Lifeguards. The $1,200 [Splash Drone](http://www.fpvfactory.com/drone-packages/splash-drone-packages.html) has a waterproof frame with a handy GoPro dive-case mount on its underside, but this quadcopter isn't just built for sweet surfing and waterskiing videos. It also has a release mechanism that can air-drop two-pound payloads, as well as a flare-holding option that makes it the perfect UAV for emergency situations.
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For Experienced Videographers. Welcome to the real-deal tier when it comes to capturing sharp, smooth sky videos. The [Yuneec Typhoon 4K](http://www.yuneec.com/Typhoon4K) keeps its ultra-sharp camera steady with a three-axis gimbal, and it prevents itself from going into dangerous airspace with GPS-driven no-fly-zone mapping. This high-end drone will cost you: $1,200 for the base model and $1,300 with an extra battery and aluminum case.
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Also For Experienced Videographers. Perhaps the best-known—and best-reviewed—high-end drone, the [DJI Phantom 3 Professional](http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-3-pro) combines relatively easy operation, mesmerizing 4K video, and a live HD feed to aid piloting. This latest model can also live-stream 720p video to YouTube, so you can broadcast the footage from your sorties in real-time. Be prepared to pay for the privilege, as it costs $1,260.
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For Experienced But Indecisive Pilots. Can't decide whether you want a speedy fixed-wing drone or a quadcopter that's easier to take off and land? You don't have to if you opt for the [xCraft XPlusOne](http://xcraft.io/x-plusone-drone/), which has a unique hybrid design. It takes off, lands, and hovers with its nose pointed up, just as a normal quadcopter does. But with its nose pointed horizontally, it hits speeds beyond 60mph. ($1,550 to $2,200)
