AT&T's '5G Evolution' network isn't a brand (new) problem

AT&T told us it would be rolling out its 5G lie back in February. At the time, no one cared. Here's why we still shouldn't care.

In February, AT&T announced that it would launch something called a 5G Evolution network in Austin later in the year. At the time, no one paid the announcement much attention because it was filtered in with a larger, seemingly more-important pronouncement: that AT&T was moving towards real 5G trials, also in Austin where it has extensive research facilities. With the impending hardening of the official 5G standard, America's second-biggest wireless carrier was on its way towards an honest-to-goodness leg up in the next generation of wireless.

Moving from LTE to 5G is like going from 1080p to 4K — it's a big difference, but you need the right equipment to see it.

Last week, AT&T launched said 5G Evolution network in Austin, and the world, including us, took umbrage at the naming convention. But we should have seen this coming — AT&T made it plain three months ago that it would be adulterating the idea of 5G for its own branding advantages. At the core of the disdain towards AT&T was the apparent flagrancy of its convention-breaking, the idea that what the industry, or a standards body, decides is 3G or 4G or 5G must be followed to the letter by the companies that famously make billions of dollars each year distorting or exaggerating the truth. (AT&T has defended its use of the 5G Evolution name, telling FierceWireless that "AT&T's 5G Evolution lays the foundation for 5G while the standards are being finalized.")

.@ATT @TMobile So I’m very, very proud to announce @TMobile "7G Eventual" – very exciting, already existing technology.

— Neville (@NevilleRay) April 26, 2017

When I first read that AT&T was launching a 5G Evolution network, I got just as worked up as everyone else (though I didn't swear in my title). I said the company was ruining 5G for the rest of the industry, an admittedly hyperbolic refrain that now, days later, I regret. AT&T hasn't ruined 5G because 5G isn't ruinable. It's not a thing yet. 5G is a mishmash of ideas and best practices and existing technologies, buoyed by dozens — likely hundreds — of organizations each with a vested interest of advancing their minor constituent towards the center of the enormous game board. To further the board game analogy, the main problem with the ruthless advancement of 5G is that no one is waiting their turn to play; everyone is merely using the resources at hand to advance their pieces as quickly as possible.

It's within this climate that AT&T decided to make the first public move, and stood to face the most ire as a result. But here's the thing to note about this unilateral move: it's really not a big deal. And even though, in principle, AT&T probably shouldn't mislead customers by calling what is clearly still a 4G LTE-based network '5G Evolution', it's not nearly as objectionable as when, back in 2011, AT&T balked at Verizon's early launch of true 4G LTE and renamed its decidedly third-generation network '4G'.

5G promises to be a big upgrade over 4G LTE, but it's also a much more complex beast to tackle.

But as the difference between 720p and 1080p was enormous, and the advantages obvious to the naked eye, so too was the variation in speed between "faux-G" and real 4G, which was, as it is today, based on the LTE standard. AT&T and T-Mobile, doubling down on HSPA+ and DC-HSPA, which were certainly improvements over existing 3G speeds, especially for downloads, began referring to their networks as 4G-capable so it didn't fall behind what was a yawning technological divide between Verizon at the time. Sprint, with its doomed WiMAX standard, did the same, much to its detriment.

But 4G LTE isn't just faster than 3G in terms of speed; it's more efficient, with the ability to push more megabits over much narrower airwaves; and it offers considerably lower latency, which is becoming increasingly important as the mobile web transitions to consuming more video than anything else.

5G promises to be a big upgrade over 4G LTE, but it's also a much more complex beast to tackle. It's more like moving from 1080p to 4K — better, but you need a much bigger TV to see the difference.

Part of the 5G standard uses very high-frequency airwaves that approach the same signals used by microwaves, which hold enormous capacity for throughput but due to physics can't travel long distances. On the other side of the spectrum (literally), 5G plans to achieve sub-one millisecond response times for mission-critical services, and be the vehicle for the Internet of Things products to send billions of tiny packets to one another so that everything, not just phones and lightbulbs, are somehow connected to the Internet. It's a huge, daunting and potentially society-changing project, but even when the first stages of the new standard begin to show up in consumer products in the last year of this decade, it will still be many years until 5G takes on its final form, just as LTE has taken the better part of this decade to reach maturity.

At the same time, though, the average smartphone user isn't going to see massive advantages in terms of wireless speed, latency and coverage when those first 5G-compatible phones roll off the line sometime in 2019 or 2020. Part of Qualcomm's recent marketing push is to explain that gigabit LTE, which can be achieved using its X16 solution found inside the Snapdragon 835 (which is only in the Galaxy S8 right now), lays the foundations for 5G because it incorporates the same fundamental OFDM-based technologies that will eventually migrate to the next generation: MIMO, carrier aggregation, 256QAM (and higher) and the use of unlicensed spectrum. AT&T tells us that its 5G Evolution network uses all of these things; T-Mobile has been using them since September of 2016.

But regardless of what you call these achievements — LTE Advanced Pro, 5G Evolution, 7G Eventual — it's unlikely to completely change your life and blow your mind the way that moving from "faux G" to real 4G did a few years ago.

In the meantime, you can make fun of AT&T for jumping the gun, but really — and unfortunately — if it didn't do it, another company was going to.

A few more notes from this week:

• The more time I spend with the Samsung Galaxy S8, the more its flaws are revealed to me, and the less I care. This is one solid phone, quirks and all.
• Good to see Samsung not waiting for the carriers to roll out emergency fixes for its latest phone. More of this, please.
• It was interesting watching and reading Phil's take on the S8, since he's no longer inundated with new phone releases like he used to be. I agree with some of his points, but I do think the S8 stands on its own, and would have made just as much of an impact had the Note 7 stayed on store shelves.
• Our most popular post last week was, unsurprisingly, Andrew's essay on how it's still stupidly difficult to buy a Google Pixel. It's a vivid retelling of a very poorly-planned product launch. Not only does the Pixel XL now feel comically oversized next to the Galaxy S8 and LG G6, but I know more than a few people who forwent buying one after waiting for stock replenish, finally giving up and buying an S8.
• You'll be seeing more about the BlackBerry KEYone this week, and I'm excited to say that, even though a hardware keyboard isn't really for me — at least not as my main device — the phone is solid, well-designed, and pretty damn fun to use.

That's it for now! See y'all on the flippity-flip.

-Daniel

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Every Daydream app you can install right now, and a look at what comes next

Just go ahead and install all of them. You know, for fun.

Google's first Daydream headset is finally shipping to people who purchased the first Daydream phone, and are quickly finding it's not easy to locate the whole list of Daydream apps from the Play Store. While we've been having a lot of fun showing you the best free Daydream apps and the Daydream games everyone should have installed, the act of browsing for apps and then waiting for them to install while in VR isn't a good time.

To make it a little easier, we've tracked down the first wave of Google Daydream apps that are available to install now, so you can load up your Pixel with VR goodness and see what this new experience is all about.

Read more at VR Heads!

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Clash Royale: 8 tips, tricks, and cheats!

Build your deck, battle challengers around the world, and become a Legend in Clash Royale!

Update April 2017: These are still solid tips for improving your chances in Clash Royale!

Clash Royale is a real-time multiplayer game featuring all your favorite characters from Clash of Clans. Jump into intense three-minute battles against human opponents, where the goal is to destroy your opponent's three Crown Towers.

Lead your troops to victory and win trophies, war chests, and the fallen crowns of your opponents — all of which helps you to upgrade your cards and progress up the global standings ladder. Success requires way more skill than you might expect from a free-to-play Supercell game. Sure, you're still left waiting for chests to open, but the core gameplay will test your card knowledge and strategic timing.

Collect and level up your cards, build your battle decks, and devise strategies to take on the world one opponent at a time.

• Free + IAP - Download now

1. The importance of joining a Clan

Once you reach King Level 3, you unlock the ability to join a clan. Joining a clan is a good idea for a multitude of reasons. For starters, you're able to request cards from your fellow clan members which helps you to level up your favourite cards a bit quicker than randomly waiting for them to appear in your Victory Chests. You're also able to gain gold and King level points faster by donating extra cards to your other clan mates. Leveling up your King Level increases your tower's HP, and you need gold to upgrade your cards (which also helps increase your King level), so it's quite advantageous to join up early and be an active member in your clan.

Then there's the social aspect of joining a clan. You can chat and trade strategies with your clanmates, and play friendly matches for free which can again help you better strategize your attacks and become a smarter player. Whether you're starting your own clan with some friends, or simply joining a random clan, the benefits you get from joining a clan are totally worth it. Just keep in mind that Clan leaders are looking for active members who donate cards as often as they request them. Don't be a selfish jerk and get yourself kicked out of a clan, as that's no fun for anyone.

2. Attacking in pairs

As you continue to play through Clash Royale, you'll quickly learn that it's a poor strategy to send one troop type in all alone on a rush. Your best bet is to wait for your elixir to charge up so that you're able to drop at least two troops at one time to maximize your effectiveness. For example, say you want to send in a Giant. If you pair him with a flying troop (Minions or a Baby Dragon), your opponent's troops will lock on and attack the Giant, allowing your air troops to offer support and pick off the ground troops.

Another great strategy for playing cards is to drop your troop at the back of the arena, and wait for them to work their way through your half of the arena. This is effective for a couple of reasons: firstly, it allows you to recharge your Elixir while your troop remains (mostly) safe from your opponent's attacks, it'll let you see how they react to the troop you drop, and as your first troop begins to cross the bridge, you'll want to drop your second troop (or more) to to join them on the rush.

3. Figure out your opponent's battle deck

This one is kind of a no-brainer, but in the opening minute of the battle, try to make a note of the cards in your opponent's battle deck, and especially make note if any patterns emerge.

For example, if you see them use a Fireball and arrow attack early on, you should note the risk to amass a large group of ground melee troops (Skeleton Army, Goblins etc.), and especially if you haven't seen one of those cards played in a while. Sound strategy would be to sit on those swarm cards until your opponent plays that long-ranged card with the massive area damage. Time it right, and you'll drop your troops at the perfect moment when your opponent is least-prepared to defend against them.

Same goes for defending. If you've got the perfect card to counter a Giant, Prince or other major damaging troop, you'll want hold off on using them until the timing is right.

Knowing this, it's important to really use those valuable counter cards at the right time. There's no worse feeling than dropping a Skeleton Army to rush on the right lane and then have your opponent drop a Giant on the left. Or to mistime an Arrows attack and then be unable to defend a low hitpoint surge from your opponent.

4. Learn from the best… and from your previous matches.

A cool but probably overlooked feature built into Clash Royale is TV Royale. You can watch replays of matches between the best players in the world. What makes this really valuable is that you get to see how to use and counter cards you may not encountered yet, and card combinations that you may have never considered.

There's also a number of prominent YouTubers creating some fantastic content around Clash Royale. This includes gluttonous videos of them unlocking thousands of dollars worth of Chests, as well as strategy videos that includes valuable gameplay footage and commentary. Here are three of the best YouTube channels to check out

Chief Pat

Long-time YouTuber who used to focus almost exclusively on Clash of Clans, but has now expanded to cover Clash Royale as well.

Nickatnyt

Great channel for Clash Royale strategies and learning how to build — and defend against — specialized decks.

Gaming with Molt

One of the best players on the Global Ladder. An absolute must-watch if you're pretty serious about Clash Royale.

5. Building your decks

Once you've played through the game for a while, unlocking and levelling up cards as you go, you'll likely start finding your own strategies and card combinations you prefer to work with. As a general rule, you'll want every deck to include:

One low Elixir cost ground troops

(Skeletons, Knight, Goblins, Spear Goblins)

These can be used to throw down quick support for other troops, or used defensively to draw high-damaging troops (Mini P.E.K.K.A, Prince, Baby Dragon) off their lane. Given their low Elixir cost, they're also helpful for quickly cycling through your deck,

One ranged troop

(Archers, Spear Goblins, Musketeer, Princess)

Beyond giving you the ability to inflict damage from a distance, ranged troops are able to target air troops, so they can be an important troop for defending against Minions, Baby Dragons, and Balloons. If your opponent clues into the fact that you lack proper defenses through the air, they'll certainly capitalize on that.

One high-hitpoint troop

(Giant, Giant Skeleton, Golem, Royal Giant)

Sometimes you'll use them as a meat shield for your other troops during a rush, or defensively to draw troops away from attacking your Crown Tower. Either way you use them, they're great for absorbing attacks and if you're able to escort them to your opponents Crown Tower, they will deal major damage. Whereas the Giant only attacks buildings, troops like the Giant Skeleton and

One flying troop

(Baby Dragon, Minions, Minion Horde, Balloons)

You'll quickly find how important it is to use flying troops, if only to draw out and counter your opponent's flying troops. Early on, you'll probably want to roll with both the Baby Dragon and Minions given how effective they are against all types of ground troops, as well as buildings. Once you unlock Minion Horde and Balloon, that'll be another effective pairing, with the Minions able to swarm against ground and air troops, and the Balloon dealing massive damage to buildings. You don't necessarily need two, but it's typically good strategy to have air support for rushes/defense, and especially when you start using the Balloon.

One damage-causing Spell

(Fireball, Arrows, Rocket, Zap, Poison, Lightning, Goblin Barrel)

It's a big risk battling without a damage-causing spell. It leaves you wide-open to an opponent that likes to rush with low-hitpoint troops. Early on, you'll definitely want to roll with Arrows or Fireball, but as your card collection grows, you might be more inclined to use Zap, Goblin Barrel or Rocket instead. Either way, you'll want to be prepared in case your opponent tries to overrun you with hordes, or to slow a counter-attack. It's also important to have a way to consistently deal damage to the opponent's Crown Tower. If you've rushes have weakened their Crown Tower, and you just need to get in one more blow, you're able to cycle through your cards, get that spell and, potentially, clinch the match.

One troop for countering

(Valkyrie, Bomber, Wizard, Skeleton Army)

Depending on what cards you got, it's important to have a troop that's good at clearing out multiple troops, fast. Perhaps the best card for this is Valkyrie, which is the perfect troop for countering against the Skeleton Army or other low-hitpoint troops. Simply drop her right in the middle of the action and she'll clear things out quick. Bomber can also be used as an effective counter, but you'll want to spawn him a bit away from the action due to his low-hitpoint. The Wizard can also be a useful counter troop, as his splash damage is effective against multiple troops. Skeleton Army can also be a good card to have for countering against Giants and the like, but keep in mind that Arrows, Fireball or a Valkyrie could easily clear them out.

This strategy gives you two extra card slots for cards of your choice, which could be a faster or hard-hitting troop, such as a Prince, Mini P.E.K.K.A, Dark Prince or Hog Rider, or another card that falls under the categories above. It's entirely dependant on whatever strategy you want to try out, or which cards you prefer to play with.

6. Play it slow, or go for broke from the start.

When the battle first starts, and you're dealt your first four cards, you're immediately need to decide whether to go on the offensive right away, or wait for your opponent to make their first move.

Generally speaking, it's a good strategy to wait for full Elixir before making that first move. Then it all depends on which cards you have in your deck, and whether you're in a position to attack or if you're better off defending.

One basic deck that I've been using to great effect is: Minions, Spear Goblins, Goblins, Arrows, Valkyrie, Giant, Musketeer, and Skeleton Army. When the match starts, if I have a Giant, Goblins and either my Spear Goblins or Musketeer in my starting deal, I'm fairly confident in attacking early, and can usually take down a crown tower in the opening minute. The strategy I've found is to play your Giant, let him walk across the bridge (taking the focus of the Arena Tower and any troops my opponent drops to defend) then immediately dropping my Goblins behind him. They'll stay behind the Giant, protected, until the Giant stops at a building, and then sprint around him to jump in on the attack. Right after dropping the Goblins, I'll throw in my ranged troop, which will remain far back enough to clear out any defending troops, and then push forward to attack the Tower, which should be greatly weakened by the Giant/Goblins combo.

The benefit of this deck and strategy is that while you're playing your Giant, Goblins and ranged troop cards, you'll be rotating through the second half of your deck, which includes your defensive/counter cards (Arrows, Valkyrie, Skeleton Army). So not only have you brought the pain to your opponent right off the top and have them scrambling, you're also in a position to counter if they try to go after your crown tower on the other side.

7. Using Chest Tracker apps

If you want to play through the game without spending a dime but also want to plan out when you're going to receive Gold, Giant, Magical and Super Magical Chests — there's an app for that!

While it might seem random, there's actually an algorithm which determines the order of the chests you receive. Every 240 Chests, you get three Giant Chests, three Magical Chests, 54 Gold Chests and the remaining 190 in Silver Chests.

The Chest Tracker app helps you determine which Chests are coming up next. All you have to do is download the app and then sync up your chests with the chest tracker. This is best done by waiting until you receive a Giant or Magical Chest and then syncing the count to that chest. Depending on how long you've been playing the game, it might be difficult to find out EXACTLY where you are in the cycle, so your tracking of gold chests might be a bit off — but those aren't especially rare, and we're more interested in tracking those Giant and Magical Chests!

You can find Chest Tracker apps for both iOS and Android.

8. The best card in the game is Mastercard

The ability to pay your way to victory is just the sad reality about any of these freemium games. You can totally hold your own as you work your way through the early arenas, but if you want to be one of the very best in the world and battle in the Legendary arena, odds are you're going to need to drop some MAJOR cash to do so. We're talking thousands of dollars in the shop spent on gems to buy Super Magical Chests. Because believe it or not, there are people who have legitimately spent tens of thousands of dollars on this game to pay their way to the top. To even come close to their level playing for free would take months — if not years — of focused gameplay to even stand a snowflake's chance in hell against a wallet warrior.

Don't have thousands of dollars to drop on a mobile game? Few do. Fortunately, you can still get some enjoyment out of those who do by checking out the TV Royale tab and watching some matches from the very elite Clash Royale players. Watching these matches can provide you some insight into new strategies, and help you to better understand how to effectively use and defend against Epic and Legendary cards.

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Best Accessories for HP Spectre x360 13t

What are the best accessories for my HP Spectre x360?

Updated April 27, 2017: We've refreshed this list with some new items, including a monitor, a USB 3.0 hub, and a sleeve, to ensure you're still getting the absolute best accessories for your HP Spectre x360 13t.

You just picked up a brand new HP Spectre x360 13t and want to grab a few items to complement it. No matter what you're looking for — protection, docks, or peripherals — here are the best accessories you can get for your convertible laptop.

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Apple Watch NikeLab in pictures

How does Apple Watch NikeLab compare to the standard Apple Watch Nike+? Take a look!

Apple Watch NikeLab is a special edition variant of the regular Apple Watch Nike+, itself a variant of the aluminum Apple Watch Series 2. What makes it distinct, beyond the Nike+ integrations and watch faces, is the currently-exclusive band — in bone and black.

Yes, Apple Watch NikeLab is "just" an Apple Watch Nike+ in space gray with a so-far uniquely band color

It's a great looking band color, though. "Bone" is a morbid name but accurately describes the way it looks, and the black accents really set it off.

The black accents are much more visible on the back than on the front, though it doesn't really matter when you're wearing it.

Otherwise it's just like the regular Apple Watch Nike+ that's been available since September

The case is exactly the same space gray aluminum with ion-x (ion exchange) glass over the display. It's the bone and black band that's distinct from the black and volt (or anthracite and black) bands available on the standard models.

I don't have the silver aluminum Apple Watch Nike+, but I do have the platinum and white band and, while the difference in shades is subtle, you can easily see it when side-by-side. (Especially around the holes.)

Perplexingly, the pin isn't matched to the casing, like other Apple Watch combos.

The regular space gray Apple Watch Nike+ has a space gray pin. Similarly, the rose gold and gold Apple Watches have matching rose gold and gold pins. Apple Watch NikeLab, though, doesn't. Instead, it has a stainless steel pin like the Nike sport bands sold separately. I wonder if this color was originally supposed to be sold separately as well?

And yes, it looks awesome paired with the Apple Watch Edition

While it doesn't match as exactly as the platinum and white Nike sport band, the bone and black NikeLab band still looks terrific when paired with the ceramic white Apple Watch Edition. Of course, you currently have to buy both the Edition and the NikeLab to get the set. Fingers crossed bone and black gets sold separately eventually.

Any questions on Apple Watch NikeLab?

Let me know what you think of the space black and bone and black combo! And, if you have any questions about Apple Watch NikeLab, Apple Watch Nike+, or Apple Watch in general, drop them in the comments below.

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How to increase your Wi-Fi coverage with an extra AirPort Base Station!

Do you have spotty Wi-Fi coverage in some parts of your home or office? You can do something about it by extending your current Wi-Fi network with an extra AirPort Base Station!

Wi-Fi has made connecting multiple devices to the internet much easier than in the internet dark ages of wired connected access. Now that we rely on our various devices to be always connected, having poor Wi-Fi coverage in your home or office is a frustrating problem. Luckily, there are technologies that can extend your Wi-Fi coverage using your same Network Name and Password. Although you'd have more than one hardware Access Point, your devices will only "see" one physical network. Apple's AirPort Base Station makes extending your network coverage a breeze when using two or more Base Stations.

Make certain you've properly set up your primary network

If you haven't done so already, you can follow our how-to guide to setup your main AirPort Base Station and Wi-Fi network. Additionally, if you're more concerned with protecting your children from too much access to the internet, you can follow our guide to set timed limits on internet access with your AirPort Base Station. Finally, you can ensure you're getting the best possible Wi-Fi connectivity by following our Wi-Fi diagnostics guide to find out which Wi-Fi Channel you should be using for your area.

Where do I place my AirPort Base Stations?

You'll want to get the best coverage of your home or office while avoiding anything that will cause interference to your Wi-Fi radio signals. In a perfect world, you'll have line of sight access between Base Stations and between your devices that will connect to Wi-Fi and the Base Stations. That is rarely the case, of course, but here are some tips on where to place your AirPort Base Stations.

1. If you have CAT 5 cabling installed throughout your home or office, you'll want to connect Base Stations to each other via an ethernet cable. This will help you isolate your Wi-Fi issues to being between your devices and you Base Stations and not between the Base Stations themselves.
2. You'll want the least amount of walls and floors between your devices and your Base Stations as possible. Therefore, if you have a three-storey home, you'll not want to have both Base Stations in the basement but perhaps one in the Basement and one on the top floor to spread out coverage.
3. If you are dealing with many walls or doors, you'll get better connectivity by using the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio in your AirPort Base Station. 5GHz radios are more easily blocked by those obstructions but are less prone to interference from other Wi-Fi routers.
4. Get as many AirPort Base Stations as needed for proper coverage of your home.

Extending the Wi-Fi network!

Once your primary AirPort Base Station is setup with a Wi-Fi network, you can now extend your network with a second AirPort Base Station. Here's how to do it from Mac OS.

1. Plug in your new Airport Base Station.
2. On your Mac, start the AirPort Utility.

3. Click Other Wi-Fi Devices.

   

4. Click Other Options once the AirPort Utility has finished gathering information about your network.

5. Select Add to an existing network.

   

6. Connect to your Wi-Fi network name by selecting from the drop-down list.
7. Type in your preferred Base Station Name and click Next.

8. Click Done when setup is complete.

   

How do you ensure your Wi-Fi coverage?

I personally have 3 AirPort Base Stations to have good coverage of my home. In order to make certain I get the best speeds from my ISP, I have optionally installed a CAT 5 ethernet cable interconnected between my Base Stations so that I only need to worry about interference of my Wi-Fi connection to any one of my Access Points and not have to worry about the interference between Base Stations.

You can optionally choose another Wi-Fi extender/booster:

Best Wi-Fi extenders to improve Wi-Fi coverage in your home

Do you have Wi-Fi extenders in your home?

What have you done to extend the coverage of your Wi-Fi network? Tell us below!

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Best Drones for iPhone

What are the best drones I can control with my iPhone?

Update April 2017: Updated to add the new DJI Mavic and to reflect new drone laws in Canada. All the budget options listed here are light enough not to require FAA registration and also aren't covered by the new restrictions on drone flying in Canadian urban areas.

If you're interested in buying your first drone or are curious but afraid of adopting an expensive new hobby, you'll be happy to know you're probably holding your first drone controller in your hands: your iPhone or iPad.

While professional drone pilots rely on sophisticated transmitters, which can end up costing hundreds of dollars, an amateur hobbyist just starting out can definitely get away with using their iPhone or iPad to control their drones, thanks to apps created by Parrot and DJI — arguably the biggest names in drones. We've broken down the best options for drones that are compatible with your iOS devices and divided them up into three categories depending on your budget and skill level.

Note: Before you head out flying with your new drone, you should make sure you're in compliance with all FAA regulations or Canada's new laws regarding drones

• Budget
• Mid-range
• High-end

Budget

All the drones in this section are under $300 and your best options for novice or younger folks interested in drones. The Parrot Hydrofoil and Swing are not your typical quadcopter, either, and are better options for those looking for fun rather than seriously considering getting into drone racing or first-person-view (FPV) flying. These options are also small enough not to require registration with the FAA.

Parrot Mini Drone Hydrofoil

The Parrot Mini Drone Hydrofoil is essentially a hybrid drone which can be flown as a standard quadcopter or attached to a hydrofoil base to turn it into an aquatic vehicle. Whether it's in the air or skimming along the surface, you can easily control the Mini Drone Hydrofoil with Parrot's FreeFlight app for iOS.

At under $100, this is a great option for those curious not only about drones but RC in general. The mini drone included here is very basic, though it does include a basic onboard camera that works in both aquatic and aerial mode. You'll get about nine minutes of flight time or seven minutes on the water on a fully-charged battery, which is pretty standard for drones of this size.

See at Amazon

Parrot Mini Drone Airborne Cargo

The Mini Drone Airborne Cargo is a durable little quadcopter that's perfect for beginners. It, too, includes a basic camera, which won't afford you the epic footage you'd get from options farther down this list, but enough to start understanding and practising recording video while in flight.

This drone features a base for attaching figurines and building blocks to customize the look of it a bit, making this one a great option for kids. The battery also lasts for an average of nine minutes per battery charge. Its durable design means it will survive the shock of a crash when you're still learning how to keep the thing in the air, making it a great entry point for someone just starting out with drones.

See at Amazon

Parrot Swing and Flypad Minidrone

Part drone, part RC plane, the Parrot Swing is another hybrid. It can take off vertically like a drone but then switch over to plane mode and zip around at up to 19 mph. It ships with a Flypad controller in the box, which includes a holder for your smartphone to monitor battery life and flight time, but can also be controlled by your iPhone or iPad via the FreeFlight app.

As with the Mini Drone Hydrofoil, this won't be the ideal option for those looking to get into proper quadcopter drone racing, but it sure does stand out amongst the crowd with its futuristic design and unique control options, including an autopilot feature. This one's for those just interested in the joys of flying.

See at Amazon

Extreme Fliers Microdrone 3.0

Extreme Fliers Microdrone 3.0 was originally a crowdfunded project, but is now available via Amazon. This quadcopter ships with a capable controller, but can also be controlled via your iPhone or iPad with the Micro Drone 3.0 app for iOS. It's a great option for someone pursuing FPV drone flying but looking for an entry-level drone that won't break the bank.

The Microdrone includes a modular HD camera that connects to your phone via Wi-Fi and allows you to fly along with your drone while wearing a Google Cardboard-esque headset, which is included. You can also use the app to control the drone if you'd prefer. The camera attaches directly to the battery via magnets and is part of the modular design of the drone. Extreme Fliers is preparing to release a 3-axis gimbal to steady your drone footage and has also mentioned other potential mods that might come down the line.

See at Amazon

Mid-range

So you know the basics of how to keep a drone in the air and are ready to move onto something a bit more substantial. These are your best options for mid-range drones that will offer a bit more speed, style, and more features, while still remaining fairly affordable.

Parrot Bebop 2 Drone

The Parrot Bebop 2 is a great entry-level drone for those looking for a bit more power and a quality camera. It includes a 14 megapixel wide-angle lens camera that can shoot video in 1080p — either live streaming to your iPhone or recording to the 8GB of onboard storage.

Fly at speeds of up to 36 mph with a signal range of up to 300 meters. It's a great option for someone who is already a competent drone pilot, as no blade guards and much more power is a recipe for disaster for novice pilots. Also, unlike the smaller drones in the budget category, the Bebop 2 is big enough to fall under FAA guidelines and must be registered.

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Parrot Bebop 2 FPV Drone

The Bebop 2 FPV Drone is nearly identical to the Bebop 2 featured above, except this kit also includes a quality headset to use for FPV racing.

If you're serious about FPV racing, but not quite yet ready to invest in a custom-built racing drone, this option from Parrot will absolutely do the trick for getting used to controlling your drone in first-person. You'll use the Parrot Freeflight app to stream live video to your iPhone and use the included headset for FPV piloting. Like the non-FPV Bebop 2, you will need to follow FAA guidelines and register this drone. Also outlined in FAA regulations, make sure you only ever fly your drone in FPV when supervised by a friend.

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DJI Phantom 3

DJI is one of the best-known names in drones. With top-notch build quality and premium features such as auto takeoff and the GPS-enabled auto return home option, there's a reason why it's all DJI from here on out — they make really good drones.

The Phantom 3 has seen its price drop significantly with the release of newer DJI drones (which we'll be getting to in the next section), but it's still a great option for those looking for a professional-style drone capable of shooting smooth, HD video. You'll see and record that video using your iPhone and the DJI GO app. The Phantom 3 controller features a smartphone holder that lets you see what the drone sees while also giving you controls over the camera, which is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal. In terms of battery life, expect to get 23 minutes of flight time on a single battery charge, meaning you might want to invest in a couple extra batteries if you want to head out on some marathon sessions. Given its size, you will need to follow FAA guidelines and register your DJI Phantom 3.

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High-end

The best of the best drones that work with your iPhone, these are professional-grade options that should only be considered by those who are confident in their drone piloting skills.

DJI Phantom 4 Camera Drone

For those serious about recording epic drone footage, you simply can't beat the DJI Phantom 4. It includes a camera mounted on a 3-axis gimbal, capable of shooting 4K video at 30FPS, as well as 12-megapixel photos. The included controller has smart features such as one-touch take off and an auto return home powered by the on-board GPS.

There are also more advanced professional options such as setting GPS waypoints, so you can focus on the camera while the on-board computers handle all the flying. You can also use Activetrack to automatically follow a moving subject and keep it in frame, while using its Obstacle Sensing Systems to avoid crashes. It's just a really smart, top-of-the-line drone (reflected in its price) that's great for professional videographers looking to add aerial footage to their arsenal, or hobbyists looking for one of the best pre-built drones on the market.

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DJI Mavic Pro Camera Drone

The DJI Mavic Pro Camera Drone is the latest from DJI and is currently available for pre-order (expected to start shipping in late December).

It takes all the professional features found in the DJI Phantom 4 and repackages them all into a much more sleek and portable package. The Mavic can be folded down to about the size of a water bottle, making it way easier to bring your drone along with you everywhere. DJI's new OcuSync transmission system offers an insane amount of transmission range — up to 4.3 miles — which is great news for professional videographers and probably overkill for hobbyists.

If you've got a need for speed, the Mavic can reach speeds of up to 40mph. You'll be able to your iPhone to see what the Mavic's camera sees, as well as track battery life, where your Mavic is, and where it's going. This is another one of those drones that you will for sure need to register with the FAA, and, despite all its enhanced stability and safety features, you'll also want to be confident in your drone piloting abilities.

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What do you fly?

Are you a drone pilot? What are you flying right now? Let us know in the comments below!

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