Dobby and Elfie: A Pair of Selfie Drones

Elfie, the inexpensive selfie drone

JJRC has produced a very portable drone for taking selfies. Dubbed the JJRC H37 Elfie it was designed to be an ultra portable drone to use with your smartphone. The purpose of it is to capture the perfect selfie. The arms of the Elfie fold in for easy transport. When folded up it is roughly the size of a large smartphone. The Elfie should fit into your back pocket (unless you are into really tight jeans). Clearly, taking selfies with your smartphone on a stick is so “last year”. If you want to up your selfie game you need a drone.

We’ve done an in-depth analysis of the JJRC Elfie. To learn more about it click here.

The arms of the Elfie fold in for easy transport. When folded up it is roughly the size of a large smartphone. The Elfie should fit into your back pocket (unless you are into really tight jeans). Clearly, taking selfies with your smartphone on a stick is so “last year”. If you want to up your selfie game you need a drone.

The Elfie is the low-cost alternative to the Dobby. The ZEROTECH Dobby is a full featured selfie drone that has a better camera and GPS, but that comes with a cost. It is definitely more expensive.

We are also excited about the upcoming XCraft PhoneDrone Ethos. It is also a small and portable drone. With the PhoneDrone, you are guaranteed cell-phone-quality images because it is your cell phone camera that is actually flying with your drone! The PhoneDrone has some awesome unique features, but won’t be released until January. If you want to impress your friends today then snap your next selfie with one of these drones.

The Elfie is a small drone, roughly 6” x 5” x 1” (15.5 x 13.5 x 2.5 cm .) When folded up it shrinks to  2.5” x 5” x 1”(6.50 x 13.50 x 2.50 cm). The Elfie is controlled by your smartphone. You can use either the gyro sensors and have the drone fly by tilting your phone, or you can use the on-screen joysticks.

Elfie will record video directly to your phone. The Elfie connects to your phone via a WiFi signal and will stream a live view from the onboard camera. This drone does have a headless mode which is definitely recommended if you are going to use this drone for taking selfies. The Elfie may claim to be HD, but the camera is 0.4 MP and the video is 480p. You can tilt the camera to help get the best shot.

It looks good on a bright sunny day, but the quality will fall short of even the lowest performing smartphone camera. You can get a first person view from the Elfie on your phone while you are flying. The pictures are stored directly on your smartphone. The Elfie can also do flips with the push of a button. You can expect a range of 50 feet or so and a flight time of about 8 minutes. The JJRC Elfie typically runs around $50 on 

The Elfie can also do flips with the push of a button. You can expect a range of 50 feet or so and a flight time of about 8 minutes. The JJRC Elfie typically runs around $50 on Amazon, but can be found for less than $40 on GearBest.  Also, know that sometimes the Elfie is also sold as the Eachine E50. It is the same drone as the JJRC H37, and comes in a few different colors.

The Dobby Selfie Drone

The ZEROTECH Dobby is the original portable selfie drone. The Dobby is a much better machine than the Elfie.

It is more advanced and has a pair of sensors in addition to GPS and GLONASS to help position the drone and keep it stable. One of the neat tricks it can do is that Dobby will take off and land from your hand. It even has an acoustic sensor to help land the drone on the palm of your hand. You can even command the Dobby to take off with the sound of your voice.

Taking high-quality pictures and video is easier on the Dobby. The camera swivels 90 degrees and is capable of 1080p full HD resolution. You can take 13 MP still photos with the camera. The Dobby uses 3 axis image stabilization software to help stabilize your videos.

It also has target tracking and facial recognition software that will help the drone follow you. Dobby may be small, but it packs a powerful processor inside. There are a few different flight modes for capturing the perfect selfie to using Dobby. In selfie mode it will travel upwards at a preset angle then return home to you while recording a unique selfie video. It has some nice camera features like burst mode and time delay mode.

Dobby is a fun smartphone-controlled drone. It connects to your phone via WiFi and is controlled using the free app. While using the app you will get a first person view from the Dobby’s camera. You can also use the app to post your drone selfies to Facebook or other social media quickly and easily. You can even do acrobatic flips with the Dobby drone. The Dobby will give you maximum range of about 100 meters and a flight time of around 9 minutes. The Dobby can be found on Amazon for around $399.

Which is the Selfie Drone for you?

If you are looking for an inexpensive drone to take novelty selfies then the Elfie may be for you. Just be aware that the camera will not match what you can do with a smartphone camera. It is a fun drone and you can be the friend with the selfie drone. If you want a unique drone that takes high-quality selfies then the Dobby is the drone for you. If you happen to have a friend with an Elfie then you should one up them with the Dobby. Either way, you won’t go back to the lame selfie stick. Or even worse yet…using your extended arm.

Click HERE to see the newest Selfie Drones on Amazon

Not sure what is the best drone for you???

No worries, Half Chrome Drones has you covered. Maybe you want an aerial photography drone, or maybe you want a fun toy. Want FPV? We’ve developed an advanced system to match you to the right drone. We call it our Half Chrome Drone Cipher™, go check it out. We also are constantly updating our Best Drones Now page to help you stay current.

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