First-person view (FPV) quadcopter drones have advanced rapidly, becoming smaller, more stable, and increasingly responsive.But few builds embody true miniaturization quite like YouTuber Hoarder Sam’s latest creation — a project he claims to be the world’s smallest FPV drone.

This tiny marvel is so compact it can fit inside a Pringles can, yet it flies with the agility of a standard 65 mm model. In the FPV world, 65 mm is often considered the lower limit for stable flight; anything smaller usually sacrifices efficiency, power, and control. For Sam, however, those limitations were exactly the challenge he wanted to overcome.

Figure 1. World’s Smallest 25g Camera Drone.

Starting with the internal components of the BetaFPV Air65 — a well-known micro-quad celebrated for its light weight and balanced handling — he reengineered every element to shrink the design even further. The goal wasn’t to reinvent FPV technology, but to compress it into the smallest possible frame without compromising performance.

Every motor, wire, and circuit was meticulously optimized for minimal size while maintaining full flight capability. The mission was clear: create a fully functional FPV aircraft that fits in the palm of your hand. Figure 1 shows World’s Smallest 25g Camera Drone.

To break the 65 mm barrier, Sam drew inspiration from an older, unconventional design known as the bone drone — using its minimalist frame as the foundation for this record-breaking micro flyer.By using an overlapping component layout, Sam was able to shrink the frame dramatically without compromising stability.

After days of painstaking assembly and testing, the revamped Air65 took shape with an astonishing 22 mm hub-to-hub span [1]. Every part was soldered under a magnifying lens, wiring was cut to millimeter precision, and any unnecessary material was stripped away. The completed drone, including its camera and battery, weighed just 25 grams.

Because the new design differed so much from the original Air65, its standard firmware couldn’t handle the setup. Sam turned to Betaflight Configurator software to rewrite control settings and fine-tune flight stability. Each tweak impacted balance and responsiveness, demanding repeated rounds of testing and careful calibration before the drone was finally ready to take to the skies.

Reference:

1. https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/smallest-fpv-drone-built-by-youtuber

Cite this article:

Keerthana S (2025), World’s Smallest 25g Camera Drone Fits in a Pringles Can and Still Flies, AnaTechMaz, pp.391