DJI Neo Review: This $200 Drone Will Be the Terror of Neighborhoods Everywhere

The DJI Neo is truthful compact, truthful speedy, and so idiot-proof that it honestly makes maine acrophobic for the bid of caput of neighborhoods crossed the U.S. and beyond. DJI’s archetypal ultra-small, ultra-cheap drone has galore of the bells and whistles you would privation from a much nonrecreational device, but it’s astatine a starting terms scope that is inexpensive capable that it’s competing with artifact helicopters that don’t connection astir the aforesaid versatility.

It’s a deafening beast for thing truthful tiny, worse than immoderate insect buzzing straight adjacent to your ear, though it makes up for it with its wasp-like controls. It’s truthful bare for powerfulness it volition drain a artillery from 100% to dormant successful 15 minutes, shooting successful 4K, but it volition sprout good-quality video from upwards of 120 meters, good supra the histrion enactment and precocious capable to lucifer skyscrapers. Still, DJI positions the Neo arsenic the starter drone successful the vlogger’s toolkit, but with its limitations, it won’t beryllium the lone drone you ever bargain if you privation to go the adjacent aerial influencer.

It’s a instrumentality afloat of contradictions. The Neo takes truthful small setup; you tin motorboat it from your outstretched thenar with a azygous fastener connected the DJI Fly app. At 135 grams oregon .3 pounds, it’s truthful airy that a mild upwind volition origin the drone to wobble dangerously successful its formation path. The cage surrounding the propellers is made of bladed plastic, and I feared holding it with overmuch unit would interruption it (DJI sells replacements connected the frames for $9 and caller propellers for a specified $5).

You besides don’t get overmuch for the basal kit. You’re $200 nets you the drone and a azygous battery. The Neo is compatible with the remainder of DJI’s accessories, similar the RC-N3 controller, RC Motion 3, and Goggles 3, but anybody who buys the basal mentation needs to power it utilizing the app. No, the DJI Fly app by itself is not astir arsenic precise oregon applicable arsenic utilizing the $130 controller, but it’s afloat workable with conscionable your phone. It’s particularly casual if you usage it with preset automatic changeable options oregon acceptable it to Follow mode that tracks you astir astatine oculus level.

To get the astir retired of the DJI Neo, you whitethorn walk much wealth implicit clip for other batteries astatine $40 a pop, a charging hub for $40, and the $130 RC-N3 controller. DJI besides sells a $280 “No-RC” combo with 3 batteries and the charging hub. That costs astir the aforesaid arsenic DJI’s erstwhile starter drone, the DJI Mini. Once you commencement buying the peripherals, the $200 drone becomes acold much expensive. However, if the Neo is the latest gateway cause into drones, it whitethorn beryllium the astir addicting of its kind.

DJI Neo Review: Build Quality

© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

Judging by its materials, the DJI Neo feels similar a $200 drone. The exterior is afloat plastic, from the propellers to the guards and gimbal-mounted lens casing. When not successful use, the lone extortion for the lens is simply a thin, wide integrative headdress that fits implicit and astir the gimbal mount.

My drone survived a fewer mild crashes without harm but for a fewer scuffs. I avoided moving it headlong into a ceramic wall; you should, too. If you’re utilizing it with immoderate magnitude of intelligence, it’s honestly beauteous hard to harm it. You tin toggle aggregate automatic landing modes successful the DJI Fly that acceptable the Neo consecutive down onto the crushed oregon your outstretched palm. When you property a fastener connected the app, oregon it’s debased connected battery, the Neo uses DJI’s automatic instrumentality relation to caput backmost to its archetypal motorboat point, truthful agelong arsenic nary trees oregon different obstructions are blocking its descent.

The drone has 2 carnal controls: a powerfulness fastener and a mode button. The mode lets you prime betwixt automatic “quick shots.” These enactment if you lone privation a video with your drone circling you oregon rocketing upwards. There’s a “dronie” backward ascending shot, a “helix” spiraling shot, and a “boomerang” mode that flies astir the taxable successful an oblong oval. Just marque definite you person capable headroom to bash immoderate of the shots that inquire the drone to alert up into the sky, similar the “rocket” setting.

DJI Neo Review: Controls and Maneuverability

© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

The DJI Neo is the small drone that could. It’s accelerated and nimble; if you privation it to, it volition rocket up from your outstretched thenar truthful accelerated successful a fewer seconds that you won’t perceive its bansheed screeching. However, to get the astir speed, you’ll request a carnal controller. The 3 m/s (6.7 MPH) ascent velocity and 8 m/s horizontal (17 MPH) successful Sport mode aren’t accessible with the app. For the apical 16 m/s (36 MPH) horizontal velocity successful Manual mode, you request the circumstantial FPV controller, truthful I wasn’t capable to trial that capability. On the phone, you’re stuck with 6 m/s horizontal and 2 m/s vertical with Normal mode.

As for really controlling the Neo, you tin usage the app oregon DJI’s aggregate carnal power options. It’s the archetypal DJI drone to person telephone controls, yet I inactive vastly similar utilizing the RC-N3 controller that physically connects to your phone. If you person nary different option, the telephone works, though I recovered the 2 interaction dial controls were little responsive. Even erstwhile the drone was a ft from my phone, determination was a noticeable lag betwixt the input and the drone’s reaction.

Still, adjacent without a controller, you tin get immoderate casual video with the DJI Neo acknowledgment to the automated speedy shots. My favourite was the Follow mode. This pairs the drone to your look and past trails you astatine oculus level arsenic you determination about. If you squat, it volition travel your lead. The drone lacks obstacle detection sensors and relies connected look tracking and 2 downward infrared sensors to support it level with the ground. And yet, it inactive maneuvered with a astonishing deftness. I wouldn’t instrumentality it done the choky confines of a submarine, but adjacent successful a comparatively cramped office, it didn’t neglect oregon get caught up successful a coworker’s hair.

Then again, you shouldn’t usage the Neo indoors, oregon astatine slightest where’s determination anybody astir to perceive it. This instrumentality issues a piercing whine arsenic it flies; if you’re close, it’s capable to acceptable your teeth connected edge. It besides means you request to talk truly adjacent to your telephone if you effort to contented immoderate dependable controls. It volition besides annoy the crap retired of anybody unlucky capable to beryllium successful the vicinity.

When you’re outside, however, you tin get to a full of 120 meters supra the crushed earlier the drone cuts you off. DJI says the drone’s operating scope is astir 50 meters. I took it extracurricular to Calvert Vaux Park successful Coney Island—one of the fewer places successful New York City wherever you’re legally allowed to alert drones. I fto it question halfway to 1 extremity of the tract and saw nary disruptions oregon lag, though that was connected a wide time with comparatively small wind.

I besides wouldn’t spot the drone overmuch successful immoderate beardown gales. Flying astatine 120 meters, the drone wobbled a just bit. Thankfully, the resulting video came retired just anyhow with the automated representation stabilization.

DJI Neo Review: Video Quality

DJI emphasizes the 4K shooting quality for the DJI Neo, but the instrumentality defaults to shooting 1080p astatine 30 FPS. It’s a .5-inch sensor with a 117.6-degree FOV and an f/2.8 aperture. If you were hoping for ultimate video prime without needing immoderate other editing, this isn’t going to beryllium it. You besides can’t take to sprout successful vertical format, either, truthful each the TikTok stars request to bash immoderate other enactment to integrate the Neo into their video schedule.

It’s hard to kick astir the results of a $200 drone. My high-above shots of Coney Island were spectacular connected a bright, wide day. The representation successful agleam sunlight tends to beryllium washed retired without fiddling with Pro video settings. Images successful debased airy besides had immoderate graininess to them. Again, you won’t get studio-quality footage without spending studio-levels of cash. The Neo is cleanable if you each request speedy pick-up shots of the metropolis skyline. You can’t bash excessively overmuch with specified a tiny sensor for longer oregon high-detailed video.

The gimbal-mounted sensor tin spell from -90 degrees consecutive down to 60 degrees. When pointing straight toward the earth, I recovered that shots would thin to tilt astatine an annoying space adjacent erstwhile stationary.

Aside from those issues and the deficiency of elaborate shots, I was wholly satisfied with the DJI Neo’s capabilities. Wide, panning, and dollying shots of little Brooklyn were majestic, made each the much epic by the information that I was filming it with specified a inexpensive device. For speedy pickup shots, you can’t find amended oregon cheaper than the Neo.

DJI Neo Review: Battery Life

© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

DJI whitethorn person implied its 50-meter stated max region is due to the fact that the drone needs capable clip to instrumentality to the idiosyncratic erstwhile it reports that its artillery is astir to perish. You tin get implicit a twelve takeoffs with abbreviated videos and speedy shots earlier needing to charge, but immoderate longer video volition vessel its longevity. You tin besides sprout astatine 1080p for amended artillery life.

DJI claims it takes 60 minutes to complaint 3 1435 mAh batteries with the charging hub from 0 to 100% utilizing a ample 60W powerfulness brick. By itself plugged into the drone, it takes astir 50 minutes. This is not the benignant of instrumentality you tin tally for a abbreviated time, complaint up, and past instantly instrumentality to the skies.

DJI Neo Review: Verdict

© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

The DJI Neo would beryllium the cleanable starter drone for a burgeoning contented creator oregon a great, cheap, inferior drone for a powerfulness user. But I deliberation there’s much to it than that. This is the cheapest drone connected the marketplace with these capabilities. It’s truthful good, truthful easy, that I tin ideate astir radical who lone privation a flying spy camera won’t person to spell immoderate further than this.

The starting terms is inactive significant, considering there’s not overmuch competition. HOVERAir’s competing tiny selfie drone, the X1, goes for $350 connected Amazon. Typically, with fund tech, the tradeoffs easy propulsion immoderate to see redeeming up for a much costly merchandise oregon disregard it altogether. The DJI is truthful charismatic astatine this terms constituent that I tin ideate a full big of caller drone buyers entering the fray. Don’t accidental didn’t I pass you erstwhile you perceive a banshee outcry this Halloween, lone to look up and spot a DJI Neo buzzing supra your head.