DJI has just introduced the Neo, its very filtered $200 drone aimed at content creators and casual users. It's small and easy to use thanks to beginner-friendly features like propeller guards, palm-sized takeoff, and voice control.
The Neo isn't a toy (or a Snap Pixy), though. It has a powerful feature set like ActiveTrack, Quick Shots, FPV controller support, smartphone control, and the ability to record with the DJI Mic 2.
The video specs also look promising, but not everything is perfect: it lacks obstacle detection and uses small propellers that are likely to be noisy. I wasn't able to take a full look at it because some features were missing, but I was still surprised by what DJI managed to do with a small, budget drone.
The Neo is DJI’s lightest drone by far, weighing 135 grams and almost small enough to fit in a pocket. It also has a feature we haven’t seen before on the company’s drones: a second button near the camera gimbal that lets you choose between different “Smart Shot” modes (Quick Shots on other DJI drones), such as Follow and Dronie.
It comes with removable propeller guards that provide protection for use indoors and around people. Be careful when flying, though, as there's no obstacle avoidance system aside from the main camera's ai and a downward-facing infrared landing sensor.
The camera gimbal can be tilted 60 degrees up and 90 degrees down, though it can't be rotated for vertical video recording. The half-inch 12-megapixel sensor has a 13mm-equivalent focal length with an ultra-wide angle of view and f/2.8 aperture—good specs for a drone in this price range.
The Neo's 1435mAh lithium-ion battery is incredibly light, but allows for up to 17 minutes of flight time, or around 13 to 14 minutes in the real world. Their small size means they charge quickly, but most users will want the two extra cells and a charger included in the Neo Combo kit.
For charging the batteries and transferring footage, there's a USB-C port on the back. You won't find a microSD card slot, though, as the Neo features 22GB of internal storage that holds around 40 minutes of 4K 30p footage.
Although it's small, the Neo offers the features you'd expect from a high-end drone. To make it less intimidating for beginners, the Neo can be launched by simply placing it in your hand and pressing the mode button. It will then automatically record a video while performing one of six pre-programmed smart shots: Follow, Dronie, Circle, Rocket, Spotlight, and Direction Track. To land the drone, simply place your hand underneath it.
Settings can be tweaked using the new DJI Fly app, which now works without a controller and connects to the drone via Wi-Fi. In intelligent modes, you can change things like the following distance and height, the drone's flight radius and path, circle radius, and more. You can also adjust the resolution of videos and photos.
The Neo is the first DJI model to allow you to use voice control to launch the drone and perform smart shots and other actions. That feature wasn't available in the beta software I tested, but DJI said it will be available when the drone goes on sale today.
If you want to fly the drone yourself without purchasing a controller, you can now do that too. Manual mode features touchscreen controls for all drone movements, along with camera/video modes and a return-to-home (RTH) switch.
The touchscreen piloting worked surprisingly well and allowed me to fly the Neo with precision. Outdoors, with a GPS lock, the drone is fairly stable, but it can drift and become a little unwieldy indoors.
For added precision, the Neo is also compatible with several DJI controllers, including the RC N3 model that comes in the combo kit. However, you can also use it as an FPV drone by connecting it to DJI's RC Motion 3 and DJI Goggles 3.
Controller mode offers the same features you’ll find on drones like the Mini 4 Pro, with cinema, normal, and sport modes, manual and auto video, rapid-fire functions, and more. When used with the FPV goggles and controller, you get the same experience as with the Avata 2, including one-tap stunts – albeit with a big drop in performance, of course.
And the Neo performs surprisingly well. The maximum horizontal speed in sport mode is 29 km/h, or 58 km/h in manual mode – pretty fast for such a small drone. However, manual mode is only available if you’re using the FPV Controller 3, and it wasn’t enabled for my testing.
The Neo neo can withstand winds of up to 18 mph, compared to the Mini 4 Pro's 24 mph. Realistically, though, it's only good for light winds of less than 10 mph.
It's maneuverable and precise too, especially with the optional controller. That makes it ideal for events, as it's very safe around people and small enough to fit into tight spaces. very Although it is loud, its sound is not unlike that of an angry hive of bees. “This propeller noise is a crime,” as my colleague Aaron Souppouris put it.
It turns out that the Neo is also an incredible FPV drone, particularly since there's less fear of it crashing, given its $200 price tag. It's not as fast as the Avata 2, of course, but it's a lot of fun when using the RC Motion 3 remote controller.
ActiveTrack, Spotlight, and Point of Interest (POI) work the same as on other DJI drones to tenaciously follow subjects. Another mode, Direction Track, lets you record video blogs as you walk and talk to the drone while keeping your face in view. There's no rear obstacle sensor, though, so you'll need to be careful when using it.
When the Neo is under control via smartphone Wi-Fi, don’t let it stray too far, as the maximum range is only 50 meters. However, with a controller and DJI’s O4 transmission, it has a line-of-sight range of 10km in the US, or about 6km in Europe. That’s impressive considering the size, though you’d be braver than me to let it stray that far.
The Neo supports up to 4K 30p and 1080p video at up to 60fps, without D-LogM like the Mini 4 Pro. You can also take 12-megapixel photos for instagram, facebook, etc. Video isn’t quite on par with the DJI Mini 4 Pro, but it’s well above what you’d expect from a device in this price range in terms of sharpness and color accuracy. With the small sensor, low-light capability isn’t great.
Stabilization is excellent thanks to DJI’s RockSteady and HorizonBalancing systems, which offer action-camera-like stability and correct tilt up to 45 degrees. Once again, I was quite surprised by how fluid the footage was even in a strong breeze.
Lastly, you can record audio through your smartphone’s microphone by simply tapping the audio recording button in the DJI Fly app. And you can greatly improve the quality by using the DJI Mic 2 by connecting it to your phone via Bluetooth. Although the drone is extremely loud, the DJI app manages to eliminate almost all of the noise, leaving your voice surprisingly clear and legible with some distortion.
DJI's Neo is an incredibly capable lightweight drone that will appeal to a wide range of potential users. For example, my Drone pilot and photographer A friend (a potential buyer) thought it would be great as a drone to use behind the scenes, because it can record good quality video around people without risk of injury.
It's also a great drone for vloggers, content creators, and recreational users on a budget. It takes great shots automatically and the image quality is on a smartphone level, which is good enough for social media. The main issue is noise, although all drones have that problem to some extent.
The most interesting part of the Neo is its price. At $200, or $289 for the combo kit with three batteries and a charger, it's an incredible investment considering its capabilities. It also has no serious competition, with the closest being the $350 HoverAir X1, which costs more and shoots lower-resolution video. All in all, the Neo is DJI's most interesting drone in years and is likely to be another hit.
