Hey there, guys!

I know many people think there's no real comparison between the Spark and Tello, and in some sense they are right.
But considering the price difference, I think there's certain people for whom the Ryze Tello is going to suffice and it's not going to be worth spending $300 more on a Spark.

I have made a video stating my 5 main reasons why the Tello might be a better option for you:


I'm mainly underlying the fact that the tello delivers pretty good quality for a selfie drone, and if that's all that you need, you shouldn't spend money you don't have, lol.

I've also attached a few pics taken with my tello.

Please watch the video and tello me you oppinion on the matter ;)

I think there are only two reasons to choose the Tello over the Spark: You're under 13 years of age and your parents don't spoil you

A CW Posted at 2018-5-9 13:44
I think there are only two reasons to choose the Tello over the Spark: You're under 13 years of age and your parents don't spoil you

Back when I was 13, getting a Tello would mean they spoiled me, totally!

But there's also a thing called "poor af", and kids aren't the only ones that can have fun with this.
I have a Mavic too, but I take the tello with me for quick selfies.

PaulArcher Posted at 2018-5-9 13:59
Back when I was 13, getting a Tello would mean they spoiled me, totally!

But there's also a thing called "poor af", and kids aren't the only ones that can have fun with this.

Not saying it isn't fun but in response to your thread giving multiple reasons to purchase a Tello over the Spark ... it ain't no Spark pal and if you have the budget to consider a Spark in the first place you would have to be crazy to buy the Tello over it. There are different types of fun. No adult looking to seriously get into aerial photography should start with something that basic. It's a toy - for kids!  

In no way you can compare the Tello with the Spark. NO WAY!!!

A CW Posted at 2018-5-9 14:12
Not saying it isn't fun but in response to your thread giving multiple reasons to purchase a Tello over the Spark ... it ain't no Spark pal and if you have the budget to consider a Spark in the first place you would have to be crazy to buy the Tello over it. There are different types of fun. No adult looking to seriously get into aerial photography should start with something that basic. It's a toy - for kids!

With all due respect Andrew, not everyone has the “means” to purchase a Spark... I really think this is what the OP is trying to express.  Hence Poor as F%@#.  So for those folks trying to get into the hobby the Tello is actually a viable entry in my opinion.  But I agree it isn’t a viable alternative if you have the money.

I'm actually really impressed with the quality of those photos

A CW Posted at 2018-5-9 14:12
Not saying it isn't fun but in response to your thread giving multiple reasons to purchase a Tello over the Spark ... it ain't no Spark pal and if you have the budget to consider a Spark in the first place you would have to be crazy to buy the Tello over it. There are different types of fun. No adult looking to seriously get into aerial photography should start with something that basic. It's a toy - for kids!

Always agree with A CW ! 100% !

Aurelian (Spark) Posted at 2018-5-10 04:39
In no way you can compare the Tello with the Spark. NO WAY!!!

Agree with Aurelian !

Tello = Toy Drone

Very Limited Distance, Poor Quality Images, No Tilting Camera, No Gimbal, No GPS, No Home Return and the list goes on.

This is not good for us Photographers nor for Videographers.

The price of Euro 150 is good for Kids to start having Fun and Getting into Drones.

Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-5-10 05:18
With all due respect Andrew, not everyone has the “means” to purchase a Spark... I really think this is what the OP is trying to express.  Hence Poor as F%@#.  So for those folks trying to get into the hobby the Tello is actually a viable entry in my opinion.  But I agree it isn’t a viable alternative if you have the money.

I never said it wasn't worth buying anymore than I said it isn't fun. To clarify, I did say that this is a toy in a totally different league to the Spark and clearly designed for kids - which it is. Hence, 'under 13 year olds who are not spoilt'. This non DJI product should be compared to something like a Propel or Husban and not the Spark. Age &/or limited means are the only reasons why you should get this toy over the Spark - nothing else. And if someone is that poor that £99 is a lot of money to them they should probably consider another hobby as it will only be a matter of time until their £99 investment crashes into a wall. It would have been better to assess the drone in hand on it's own merits to advise those on very limited budgets what they will get for their £99 rather than compare it as a serious alternative to a Spark - which is surely a joke.

I'm kinda impressed by the quality of Tello's pics. Didn't expect that.
IMHO Tello is a drone mostly for kids but adults who want to get into the hobby but are too afraid to buy an expensive drone and risk crashing it on first flight. It's a viable option for those who want to learn the controls before learning to shoot photos and videos.
Like Syma's drones which are toys but they are cheap, stable and almost unbreakable. In my opnion these are great options to learn or just to have fun without any commitment.

There is no comparison between saprk and tello. But I'd buy a Tello in order to have fun wihout commitments.

Here are 2, maybe 3 more reasons:
Droneblocks claims to work with tello. Not with spark.
A USB powerbank lasts much longer with the tello than with the spark (gives more flights).
Tello seems to be more hackable than spark.

BrilhasMuito Posted at 2018-5-10 07:08
I'm kinda impressed by the quality of Tello's pics. Didn't expect that.
IMHO Tello is a drone mostly for kids but adults who want to get into the hobby but are too afraid to buy an expensive drone and risk crashing it on first flight. It's a viable option for those who want to learn the controls before learning to shoot photos and videos.
Like Syma's drones which are toys but they are cheap, stable and almost unbreakable. In my opnion these are great options to learn or just to have fun without any commitment.

I learned with a Syma XC5 it was amazing and the ultimate practice drone for me. For $40 i couldn't recommend it more!!

A CW Posted at 2018-5-10 06:10
I never said it wasn't worth buying anymore than I said it isn't fun. To clarify, I did say that this is a toy in a totally different league to the Spark and clearly designed for kids - which it is. Hence, 'under 13 year olds who are not spoilt'. This non DJI product should be compared to something like a Propel or Husban and not the Spark. Age &/or limited means are the only reasons why you should get this toy over the Spark - nothing else. And if someone is that poor that £99 is a lot of money to them they should probably consider another hobby as it will only be a matter of time until their £99 investment crashes into a wall. It would have been better to assess the drone in hand on it's own merits to advise those on very limited budgets what they will get for their £99 rather than compare it as a serious alternative to a Spark - which is surely a joke.

If you buy 2 extra batteries for the Spark they are Euro59 alone so x2 = Euro 128
The same price of the Tello....

I agree with A CW. If he wants to enjoy himself and play around, he should be free to buy the Tello, but for hobbiest / amateur dronists / semi pros its just a Small Toy Gadget. The results are very low.

Its like a Real Selfie Drone.

BrilhasMuito Posted at 2018-5-10 07:08
I'm kinda impressed by the quality of Tello's pics. Didn't expect that.
IMHO Tello is a drone mostly for kids but adults who want to get into the hobby but are too afraid to buy an expensive drone and risk crashing it on first flight. It's a viable option for those who want to learn the controls before learning to shoot photos and videos.
Like Syma's drones which are toys but they are cheap, stable and almost unbreakable. In my opnion these are great options to learn or just to have fun without any commitment.

I wish when I was Kid I had this Luxury ! Today the Kids are so Spoilt ! They see a Friend or WORST they watch all these Youtube Video, with Sponsored Hidden Adverts or Millionaire Kids and will want to be like them.

Today its all about how much you Shine and the Luxury that Surrounds You.

Although this Tello is low spec, with Spark I saw people doing Extremely Nice Videos, so after all its not how expensive your drone is, but what you can do with it.

WilfredSparkman 0 Posted at 2018-5-10 07:38
I learned with a Syma XC5 it was amazing and the ultimate practice drone for me. For $40 i couldn't recommend it more!!

Exactly the same drone I learned with. Syma XC5-1. I will always recommend this drone for begginers. I mean if you can fly this drone then any dji drone becomes easy.

DMX_MT Posted at 2018-5-10 08:19
If you buy 2 extra batteries for the Spark they are Euro59 alone so x2 = Euro 128
The same price of the Tello....

Tello is a toy to learn and have fun without commitments to videos and photos. I'm a hobbist and I would buy a Tello to fly when weather and light arent good for shooting with bigger and better drones. You can keep flipping it in midair which is fun.  hahahahhahahahhaha

BrilhasMuito Posted at 2018-5-10 08:40
Tello is a toy to learn and have fun without commitments to videos and photos. I'm a hobbist and I would buy a Tello to fly when weather and light arent good for shooting with bigger and better drones. You can keep flipping it in midair which is fun.  hahahahhahahahhaha

Brilhas with Tello ? hahahahhahaha ! No No No !

I imagine you more with Phantom 4 Version 2.0 ! You are One of the Best Pilots Brilhas !

DMX_MT Posted at 2018-5-10 08:45
Brilhas with Tello ? hahahahhahaha ! No No No !

I imagine you more with Phantom 4 Version 2.0 ! You are One of the Best Pilots Brilhas !

The phantom is too large and heavy to my taste.  Does it flip in midair like a tello does? I dont think so. hahahahahahhahahaa.

BrilhasMuito Posted at 2018-5-10 08:48
The phantom is too large and heavy to my taste.  Does it flip in midair like a tello does? I dont think so. hahahahahahhahahaa.

Do you think you won't FIND A WAY ?

I Believe in You Brilhas !

DMX_MT Posted at 2018-5-10 08:49
Do you think you won't FIND A WAY ?

I Believe in You Brilhas !

Just take one prop off. It will flip!

Syma is a great, and a REAL. Quadcopter, no stability, no gps. YOU are master over what happens, and YOU have to fight the wind etc.... All our gps based drones, are great abd easy beginner droner, even kids at 6 years old can fly then with no problem... So many people buy dji parrot bebop and other gps drones, and when the buildt in stability fails, they panic and have no clue on what to to, and what happens when moving the controls....hense..alllllll the headlines in forum of crashes and fly aways, which, in 99% of time is user error related... Just my opi....

AND back to topic... Telo is a great selfie drone, takes desent pictures to show friends etc.. But high spec pics, NO,,, spark...better, and stability. But not just high def enough to be pro..
Here in Denmark tello is priced about 90-100 dollars... 2 weeks ago spark was on supersale for 135 dollars... And i bet it will be again.....
But tello, due to light weigh, migt be more rigid, when crashing...the spark brakes easy, and good help if you crash front left rotorarm, then it smashes the wires to camera..(i fixed mine). But. Just saying...

Joller79 DK Posted at 2018-5-10 08:54
Syma is a great, and a REAL. Quadcopter, no stability, no gps. YOU are master over what happens, and YOU have to fight the wind etc.... All our gps based drones, are great abd easy beginner droner, even kids at 6 years old can fly then with no problem... So many people buy dji parrot bebop and other gps drones, and when the buildt in stability fails, they panic and have no clue on what to to, and what happens when moving the controls....hense..alllllll the headlines in forum of crashes and fly aways, which, in 99% of time is user error related... Just my opi....

AND back to topic... Telo is a great selfie drone, takes desent pictures to show friends etc.. But high spec pics, NO,,, spark...better, and stability. But not just high def enough to be pro..

For such small price difference between them I wouldnt even consider buying a Tello. In Brazil the market scenario is completely different. Even a Tello is hard to afford. We have high taxes which, of course, are translated to the final price. Thats why I will always recommend the SYMA. Which is pretty affordable and easy to fix. AAAAAAND a really good toy to learn with.
Syma taught me a lot!

A CW Posted at 2018-5-10 06:10
I never said it wasn't worth buying anymore than I said it isn't fun. To clarify, I did say that this is a toy in a totally different league to the Spark and clearly designed for kids - which it is. Hence, 'under 13 year olds who are not spoilt'. This non DJI product should be compared to something like a Propel or Husban and not the Spark. Age &/or limited means are the only reasons why you should get this toy over the Spark - nothing else. And if someone is that poor that £99 is a lot of money to them they should probably consider another hobby as it will only be a matter of time until their £99 investment crashes into a wall. It would have been better to assess the drone in hand on it's own merits to advise those on very limited budgets what they will get for their £99 rather than compare it as a serious alternative to a Spark - which is surely a joke.

Look, all I'm saying is some people don't have a lot of money.  If to you that means they cannot enjoy taking a picture with a cheap decent drone... then I suppose that's your opinion.  But you have to start somewhere...

Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-5-10 10:12
Look, all I'm saying is some people don't have a lot of money.  If to you that means they cannot enjoy taking a picture with a cheap decent drone... then I suppose that's your opinion.  But you have to start somewhere...

100% AGREED!

heliman Posted at 2018-5-10 07:28
Here are 2, maybe 3 more reasons:
Droneblocks claims to work with tello. Not with spark.
A USB powerbank lasts much longer with the tello than with the spark (gives more flights).

Droneblocks on Spark:
Powerbanks last longer ofc.. I get further on 1 liter diesel in my Polo than my friend in his truck...
You HAVE to hack the Tello to use it beyond 10m, so yeah it has to be more hackable

Just look at how hackable the Spark is

Maybe because it's light enough that it doesn't require FAA registration. Maybe if you're getting it for a kid as a starter drone. But quality def lacking compared to the Spark.

Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-5-10 10:12
Look, all I'm saying is some people don't have a lot of money.  If to you that means they cannot enjoy taking a picture with a cheap decent drone... then I suppose that's your opinion.  But you have to start somewhere...

A lot of people don't have a lot of money but this thread is not about evaluating a correlation between wealth and which drone fits a budget is it. It's stating a comparison between two drones that should not even be compared as they are totally different for totally different purposes. My point, that I thought was clearly made, is that £99 is a huge amount of money to some people and crashing it into a wall may just not put a smile on their face. This drone is not in the market for those on a bread line to take aerial videography - it's a toy for kids and fun and is nothing like the Spark.

A CW Posted at 2018-5-10 12:58
A lot of people don't have a lot of money but this thread is not about evaluating a correlation between wealth and which drone fits a budget is it. It's stating a comparison between two drones that should not even be compared as they are totally different for totally different purposes. My point, that I thought was clearly made, is that £99 is a huge amount of money to some people and crashing it into a wall may just not put a smile on their face. This drone is not in the market for those on a bread line to take aerial videography - it's a toy for kids and fun and is nothing like the Spark.

And my point is that the two drones can be compared when budget is a factor.  If you can't afford a Spark and still want to take some pictures in the air (aerial photography), then the Tello will do that.  So hopefully I made my opinion clear to you.  

Hold on not so fast here!  I wouldn’t call the Tello a toy, Syma, yeah maybe. I would consider the Tello more of a starter/trainer drone. And to anyone who wanted to learn to fly before dropping a thousand dollars or more for a Mavic or Phantom I’d say this was a great starting point. I talked my buddy into buying 2 for his kids as starters then maybe something bigger for Christmas. Just flying them with phones/tablets was pretty good. However once the controllers came in I was pretty impressed. Yeah the range is limited and the camera isn’t Spark quality but for the price it’s good, really good!  These are really stable quads and have good flight manners. We had a total blast with them zipping around the backyard and doing flips. It got my buddy comfortable enough to actually pull the trigger and buy a Phantom. I’m even gonna buy one just to mess around with.  Don’t get me wrong I love my Spark but I had a great time flying the Tello and for $99 USD it’s more than worth the money at double the price.  Is it gonna give you out of this world cinematic shots?  Well no but it wasn’t made to take on that market either.  I’ve waisted more than $99 on a night out with nothing to show for the next day. So I say why not?  Get one, fly it, if you don’t have fun or like it give it to the neighbor kids, they’ll think you’re a hero!

Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-5-10 14:11
And my point is that the two drones can be compared when budget is a factor.  If you can't afford a Spark and still want to take some pictures in the air (aerial photography), then the Tello will do that.  So hopefully I made my opinion clear to you.

Not really as if you can't afford a Spark in the first place then why compare it?

Been thinking of getting a Tello myself, Knowing that the camera will in no way compare to the P4 or even the Spark.  just seems like sa fun little drone to play with with the grandkids when they come to visit.

A CW Posted at 2018-5-10 14:46
Not really as if you can't afford a Spark in the first place then why compare it?

Spoken very much like someone who has never lived on a budget... I’m done.

Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-5-11 04:51
Spoken very much like someone who has never lived on a budget... I’ m done.

What a personal, rude and uncalled for remark. How dare you make this personal - you know NOTHING about me thanks so keep your insults to yourself and NEVER cross that line with me again. CLEAR ENOUGH!

Credits - To my Dearest Friend Mike, for making this Comparison ! Thanks Mike !

From 6min34 you see Tello Video Quality. Very low resolution, lots of disconnections are most will use with phone, and very bump video too.

For Photos I think it is good especially for the Youth having fun with their Friends, and taking pictures at another perspective from the Air. So this makes it a quite exciting gadget.

Also the Flips and Flight make it a nice hobby for little kids starting to learn and having interest in drone, which is very educating.


Enjoy Guys !

In my opinion I went straight to the DJI Spark as at least I can give this to my wife after I am done and need to step up to a Better Drone. Spark is a very good drone for the price of the technology it has.

Tello is for Kids or a Good Start for a Beginner.

A CW Posted at 2018-5-11 05:16
What a personal, rude and uncalled for remark. How dare you make this personal - you know NOTHING about me thanks so keep your insults to yourself and NEVER cross that line with me again. CLEAR ENOUGH!

Get over yourself.  It wasn’t remotely meant as personal.  Keep your capital letters to yourself...

Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-5-11 08:15
Get over yourself.  It wasn’t remotely meant as personal.  Keep your capital letters to yourself...

Conversation finished. Now I'm done!

I think Tello is actually over priced for what I would like to use it for (s toy to fly around and have fun with)
And under performing for what I would need it for (video / photography tool).
So I will pass it.