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Drones are massive right now and you can buy them in all sizes covering many price points and offering varying functions.
The Parrot Mambo is one of the smaller and cheaper drones on the market, and this is aimed purely at the fun side of things. It is controlled via your smartphone and has a basic camera. It comes equipped with two new accessories that help turn the sky into a playground! Fire miniature balls at moving objects with the Cannon, or move objects through the air using the Grabber claw. You can also enjoy acrobatic tricks and flips in flight. This super-robust and easy to handle Minidrone will measure up to all your challenges.
Set up is extremely straightforward, you just slot the battery into the body of the drone, download the app, search and connect. It can be a bit slow connecting, taking around 15-20 seconds.
I have never really flown a drone before so the experience was new to me, and it was far easier than I expected. Once connected you just need to slide up on the take-off option and the drone will automatically take off, hovering around a meter about the ground.
You have 2 main controls. One to move in each direction, the second to increase or decrease height and also rotate the drone 90 degrees. There are also buttons to perform tricks and take pictures. In general, it is extremely easy to fly and requires no skill other than knowing which button does what.
I did have a couple of small crashes while using it in my office, I kept using pressing the buttons as if it was a d-pad, not an analogue stick. Neither of these crashes caused any damage to my office or the drone and it recovered well.
There are a couple of fun attachments, the BB gun and a grabber. The BB gun is pretty low powered, which is to be expected, but it is fun to mess about with. Due to the lightweight nature of the drone, the grabber can’t carry much but I still managed to send a small pen over to a colleague.
The camera is quite basic with a 480 x 640 resolution, you can take a picture while in mid-air with the drone taking a photo of what is under it. You then have to transfer the files from your drone to your phone via the app. The quality of the picture isn’t amazing, but this is also to be expected due to the price and weight.
The main downside to the drone is the battery, it is quite poor only lasting maybe 7-8 minutes on a full charge. Unfortunately, due to the price, size and weight of this drone, it is to be expected. If you plan on playing with it a lot you can pick up spare batteries for £13.99 from the Parrot website and there is also a battery plus charger options for £22.99.
Overall this is quite a fun drone to use and I am sure it would entertain kids of all ages for many hours. It is easy to fly so a good introduction to the world of drones. It is quite durable too, so hopefully, you will get plenty of use out of it. Priced at £79.99 on the Parrot website it is not the cheapest drone out there but it one of the better options out there in terms of cost vs experience.
You can buy the Parrot Mambo for £79.99 here.
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
