DJI NEO Review

The DJI Neo is one of the smallest fully featured camera drones on the market at 135g, this weighs in at far less than the 250g weight limit required for a license to fly in the UK and many other countries. What’s more, DJI has gone to great lengths to make this one of the safest drones ever produced. Firstly, it’s small and lightweight, and with that all of the blades fully encased in a protective cage they’re difficult to get at, even if you try to push your fingers through the gaps, so there’s little to no chance of causing harm if you do fly it into someone.

However, if you do, there are sensors in the drone that will automatically shut-off the motors meaning the drone will simply fall directly to the ground. Thankfully because it’s so lightweight, it’s very unlikely that damage will occur, at least through the countless drops to the floor through the test no damage was sustained by the Neo.

As I see it there are two main features of this drone. The first is the compact and lightweight design with built-in aerobatic features, which can be activated through the mode button on top of the drone. This enables you to effectively fly the drone without the need for a controller or even the app. Simply push the button, and it’ll launch from your hand, giving you a series of options such as Circle, Rocket, Spotlight, Helix, Follow, and Dronie. A touch of the button activates the mode, and another launches the craft into action.

Alongside this easy-to-use approach are the camera features, which are excellent in terms of stabilisation and also have the ability to tilt up and down. Unlike the larger drones that have multi-axis gimbals, this has a single-axis gimbal, so you can tilt it up and down, but there is very little other adjustment. However, for a drone of this size, that’s not really needed, and as you fly the drone around and then review the footage you’ll see it should suffice, especially for capturing selfies.

However, this drone is designed not just for fun; the quality of the footage, combined with its small size and acrobatic nature, means that professionals could make use of it for certain sequences, enabling it to be flown in locations where it would be difficult or dangerous to fly larger drones and then there’s the audio connection options which enable you to record voice overs to your phone or through connected DJI Mic 2 units.

So, the DJI Neo is an interesting compact drone with the flight characteristics of its larger siblings and also packed with a great deal of fun and out-of-the-box usability that will appeal to all levels of drone pilot.

The thing about the DJI Neo is that the build quality is typical of DJI, it’s finished in a nice matte gray plastic, which is incredibly tough and resilient, as proven over the course of the test. The main body is no larger than the DJI Osmo, with a small camera at the end that enables you to capture impressive 4K footage. This camera is built onto a single-axis gimbal, allowing you to adjust the tilt if you have the controller or you can adjust it through the Fly App. The main blades are all encased in protective barriers that cover not only the sides but also the top and bottom. The top guards are removable and can be replaced if needed, but it makes no difference to the flight characteristic of the drone with those in place, so they might as well be left there.

When it comes to power, the battery fits into the base and provides a good 15 minutes of flight time. On top is a small button that uses the usual quick press and hold to switch on the drone. At the front, just behind the camera position, is the mode button. This enables you to quickly flick through the six preset modes for the drone. At the rear of the drone is a single USB Type-C port, which is used for charging and for any firmware updates and downloading footage – again all this can be done through the App and in typical DJI fashion there were several updates through the review that boosted features with everyflight.

Taking a look at the underside of the drone, and there are two small positioning sensors that enable you to launch and land the drone from your hand. While there aren’t object avoidance sensors around the drone, if you do bash into anything, the guards around the blades not only protect the blades from breaking or causing injury but will also automatically cut the motors so the drone will fall to the ground.

When it comes to flying the drone, as with other DJI drones, you have several options. This is one of the first drones that can actually fly without a controller at all and can be flown directly from your hand by using the mode options to enable you to capture different shots, including Circle and the highly impressive Follow Me mode. Otherwise, if you want something more traditional, you can use the normal controller or the motion controller, depending on your preference.

But then it takes a funny turn. While this compact drone looks like a product designed for fun, it also has plenty of features that make it extremely interesting to professionals. As previously mentioned, the small size, acrobatic nature, and controllability of the drone, along with those blade protectors, enable you to fly in places that other drones just won’t go. But then it takes things a step further: through the DJI app, you can connect with your mobile phone’s microphone, so if you’re doing a piece to camera, the app will utilise your phone’s audio abilities to capture your voice. It the goes even further on the audio recording quality, so if you have the DJI Mic 2, you can connect that to your mobile phone through Bluetooth, and the app will combine the footage you capture with audio from the mic, enabling you to produce some really professional results. For a drone that costs a little less than £170, this is extremely impressive and opens up the market.

So, while this small drone might look like a toy, it actually has some pretty serious professional potential. When you consider the price, this drone suddenly becomes an extremely interesting product.

To really highlight the potential of this drone, we have to delve into its features, and as we go through what it has to offer, it should become more apparent to you that this palm-sized drone is more than just a toy; it’s, in fact, a powerful tool for professionals and hobbyists alike.

At the base level, with the drone itself it’s just great fun, you can quickly select a mode, then following the quick launch proceedure, of facing the drone towards you, holding down the button and then waiting for the countdown, the drone will take off from the palm of your hand. The DJI NEO will then automatically capture both 12-megapixel stills using its 1/2-inch image sensor and 4K UHD stabilized footage at 30fps. Once it’s done, it will return back and land on the palm of your hand.

One of the big features is the AI integration within the drone. It has AI subject tracking, so whether you’re cycling, skateboarding, or hiking, the drone can recognise you and follow the action. You can set it in Dronie, Circle, Rocket, Spotlight, Helix, Boomerang, or Follow mode, and using the AI subject tracking of the small camera, the drone will keep up with the action and keep you in frame.

The DJI Neo has been designed to be operated without an additional remote control, but if you want to, you can use the DJI Fly app, a traditional remote controller, DJI Goggles, or even voice commands. It also features Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing control from a smartphone up to a distance of 50 meters. If you need more control, you can pair it with the DJI RC-N3, which provides a transmission distance of up to 10 km. However, in the UK, with flight restrictions, you must always keep this drone within line of sight.

Another great feature for a drone of this size is its compatibility with the DJI Goggles 3, RC Motion 3, and the FPV Remote Controller 3. When used with the RC Motion 3, you can unlock the full potential of the one-press aerobatics, which is ideal for use indoors as well as out, enabling you to fly around buildings with relative ease.

When it comes to the image and video capture there’s the small camera mounted on a single-axis mechanical gimbal at the front and this is capable of capturing shots during high-speed maneuvers as long as you have the skill to control the drone. What makes this small camera so effective when it comes to that video capture is the RockSteady or HorizonBalancing stabilisation, the same as seen in DJI Action cameras, which have been highly impressive. This stabilization reduces camera shake and helps keep the horizon steady up to an angle of 45°.

Further aiding the stability of the Neo is an infrared and monocular vision positioning system, which allows it to hover steadily in the air to capture impressive images and video.

On the body of the small drone, you’ll notice there is no SD card slot. Instead, the drone has 22 GB of internal storage, which enables it to save up to 40 minutes of 4K 30fps video or 55 minutes of 1080p 60fps video. Adjustments to this video can be made through the DJI Fly app.

Another impressive feature of the drone is its compatibility with other devices. If you want to connect a microphone for selfie shots, you can do so through your smartphone using the DJI Fly app. If you have the DJI Mic 2, it can be connected via Bluetooth to the DJI app to achieve professional-level audio. DJI has further improved audio quality by ensuring noise-canceling technology filters out the noise of the propellers, providing clear and professional audio for your drone shots.

When it comes to downloading all that footage, a single USB Type-C data connection on the back of the drone can be used to quickly download footage, ready for editing and uploading to your favorite social networks.

Instantly out of the box, the DJI Neo is impressive. The instructions guide you to place the aircraft in your palm with the camera facing you, press and hold the mode button for two seconds, and then you’ll hear a voice prompt alerting you that Follow mode is activated. You simply keep your palm steady with an extended arm, allowing the camera to see your face. After it recognises your face, a countdown starts, and the small drone lifts off.

After takeoff, you can start moving around, and the drone will follow you. If you’re going for a walk in the woods, you basically have a small companion to follow you for a good 15 minutes before it alerts you that it’s getting low on battery and wants to land. In the air, the Neo stays about 3 meters behind you, but it’s worth noting that there is no forward object detection – also that the distance can be adjusted once you connect to the DJI Fly App. If you’re walking through woodlands and there happen to be a few branches in the way or you take a sharp turn around a corner, the drone might get tangled in the trees for example. However, as soon as it bumps into anything, the blades instantly stop, and the small drone falls to the ground. Due to its small size and weight, throughout testing, despite several drops, it remained in one piece and in perfect working order. One point here is that if it had an option for an audio beep so you could easily find it in the grass for instance, that would be a great addition to the features.

To land the drone, simply face it again, place your palm flat and extended, and the drone will fly to your palm and land. This is extremely impressive and makes it very easy to use. If you want to use any of the other modes, simply push the button on top of the drone and follow the same procedure, and the drone will automatically capture the images and videos for you. It really couldn’t be simpler.

For more advanced features and adjusting settings a connection to the mobile app is required. This is once again the standard DJI Fly app, although once you select the NEO the interface withing the Fly App is slightly different to what you see with the Mavic line of drones. However, the fact that it is the same app as that used with all other DJI drones of recent years is handy. Connecting to the drone is very easy, and once you have, the standard smart shot list enables you to activate Spotlight, Follow, Dronie, Circle, Rocket, as well as camera settings and viewing the album that you’ve shot. It’s all very clear and straightforward. While there are six built-in flight modes on the drone itself, you get the impression that DJI has left plenty of scope for more flight modes to be added via the app, and a simple touch will activate them into action.

For control, you can use the DJI Fly app to take off, land, and control the drone with virtual joysticks. In our review sample, we had the full-blown remote control, which gave us a far more intuitive flight experience, and we were able to connect this in the usual way to our smartphone to get the live feed as well as adjust all the settings as we would with a larger drone.

One of the more quirky features of the small drone is the voice control, which is used through the Fly app. It essentially enables you to say “Hey Fly,” which wakes up the drone as long as it is switched on, and then allows you to control it with standard voice commands. For example, saying “Fly” will get the drone to take off, and you can use commands like Follow, Dronie, Circle, Rocket, Spotlight, Follow Me, and others. The drone will respond, though you do need to speak a bit louder for it to hear you, but it’s a fun option.

More interesting is the ability to record audio using either your smartphone or through the DJI Mic 2. This allows you to set up Follow Me, Selfie mode, or Circle, and actually present to the camera on the drone. While you might think the small propellers would interfere with audio quality, DJI has done a great job optimizing noise cancellation to ensure the noise of the propellers is not an issue. This enables you to create great shots that make excellent openers for vlogs, presentations, and productions. Of all the features available for this small drone this ability to record audio is by far the most impressive and opens up the potential of this drone well beyond just being used for entertainment or training.

Overall, the performance of the DJI Neo is impressive for such a small device. Not only is it great fun to fly and enables you to practice your own flying techniques, but it is a small drone that you can fly pretty much anywhere. Because of its small size, you can fly it in places where other drones would be impossible to control. Additionally, there are extra options like the ability to connect to DJI microphones, allowing you to do short pieces to camera that would otherwise be difficult to do on your own. Setting up the mics with the DJI Fly app and the drone is relatively easy and straightforward. So if you are vlogging on your own, are a travel vlogger, or are doing small productions for companies, then considering the price of this drone makes it a really worthwhile addition.

While you could mistake it for a simple toy, it is, in fact, a very useful photography and video accessory that appeals to every level of photographer and videographer.

When you first see the DJI Neo, you can’t help but think it’s just a toy. It’s small, and it looks like other compact drones that fly from the palm of your hand, but actually, it’s something a whole lot more. At the base level, it is a great training aid, much like the Tello was, enabling you to get to grips with your larger DJI drones. It essentially reflects the same characteristics and controls, so whether you’re just flying around the house or practicing your technique in the garden the flight and control of the NEO is the same as the larger DJI Mavic drones.

But then there are all those other features, such as all the aerobatics and the AI tracking, that all do an incredible job of keeping up with you as the subject. If you want the drone to track you, follow you, or circle around you while taking photos and videos, you can do this with absolute ease. The fact that you don’t have to do anything, as it does it all automatically, makes it even better.

What really stands out is the ability to expand on the functionality. It’s not just a drone for fun or to take selfies. When you connect the DJI Mic 2, you can suddenly record professional-level audio for more serious productions. The fact that the drone is so small and can fit into a pocket or backpack means that its lightweight nature makes it an accessory you can take almost anywhere. And because it’s under 250g, it’s not restricted by many of the flight regulations that affect larger drones. So, while it might be small, it has many professional applications that will appeal to videographers and photographers.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for something to add more interest to your productions or you want to capture aerial shots while taking photos, the Neo is an absolutely superb accessory—not just for fun, but also for professional applications.