DJI Neo – review. The best drone to start with

Compact dimensions, many video recording modes and surprising durability – it’s hard to believe that we get it for less than PLN 900.

If you are planning to buy your first drone and have already done some preliminary research, you probably know that the beginning of the adventure with these devices is not the easiest. There are quite a lot of drones – despite the clear marketing advantage of one manufacturer – and as if that were not enough, they differ in terms of specifications and prices, which can reach up to several dozen thousand zlotys for professional models. However, DJI Neo was created with beginners in mind – an ultra-light drone with good performance, simple operation and a fantastic price.

Construction and quality of workmanship

DJI Neo is the lightest drone offered by the Chinese manufacturer. It weighs only 135 g and its dimensions are 130 × 157 × 48.5 mm, which means that it can easily fit into a deeper jacket pocket, not to mention a waist bag or backpack. When you take it in your hand, it almost feels like a child’s toy, but despite being made of relatively thin plastic, it is a relatively durable machine (we will come back to this later).

The drone is characterized by a quite classic design, reminiscent of the Avata model – with the difference that the propellers are built-in, because the Neo does not support the obstacle avoidance system. There are only two buttons on the front and back of the device – the first one to control the modes and the second one to turn on the drone. At the bottom there is a slot for the battery, which can be replaced by moving a small slider. The whole thing – despite the toy format – looks very good and, to be honest, it appeals to me much better than previous budget models from DJI, such as the Mini model.

Video quality and recording modes

DJI Neo offers 4K/30FPS video recording with HorizonBalancing stabilization and RockSteady technology. You might complain that it’s only 30 frames (60 FPS is achieved when switching to 1080p), but this quality is enough to record holiday memories or even support the initial creator of online content.

When it comes to photos, DJI Neo takes photos in 12 MP quality. Unfortunately, their quality in poorer lighting conditions is not that great. You can still read online that DJI Neo is a selfie drone – why?

Well, mainly thanks to QuickShots, i.e. several interesting recording modes:

• Boomerang – Fly around an object in an oval path, rising as it flies away from the starting point and falling as it flies back
• Circle – circling around the object
• Dronie – flying backwards and ascending with the camera locked on the object
• Follow – automatic following of an object
• Helix – spiraling around an object
• Rocket – soaring with the camera pointed at the object
• Spotlight – hovering after take-off with the camera pointed at the object

The best thing, however, is that we can control the modes from the simple Smart Snaps interface, available in the DJI Fly application. We select modes from a pull-down menu, and in the application itself we can also control the position of the drone and camera settings. Modes can also be changed using a dedicated button on the drone – just press once to switch the mode and then hold the drone took off directly from the palm of your hand (in this case you don’t even need a smartphone). This makes DJI Neo perfect for fast action, making it perfect in the hands of a TikToker or YouTuber.

However, if you prefer to have more control over the drone, you can always consider the Fly More Combo set, which features not only additional batteries, but above all the RC-N3 controller. This increases the drone’s range from 50 m to as much as 6 kmand significantly improves the ability to control the drone. Using it, we can also change modes, wake up photo/video recording or pause the flight and start the landing procedure.

Usage experience and flight time

Recording is not everything – flying the drone itself is also an important part of the fun, and in this case the DJI Neo is fun, but… not in all conditions. I tested the drone at the end of December, and as luck would have it, the weather in my area was windy and rainy. Such conditions basically exclude DJI Neo from use, because the wind blows the device around like a dry leaf. Let me remind you that DJI Neo does not support the anti-collision systemwhich makes it quite easy to get the image you can see below.

During the tests, I ended up flying in a tree or bushes many times, and it was not my fault, but due to unfavorable conditions that may make you simply lose control of the drone. It is worth emphasizing, however, that DJI Neo is aware of its powerlessness – if the drone senses a strong wind at altitude, it will automatically start returning to the starting point.

However, even despite several very unpleasant encounters with a tree or pavement, which looked like impacts after which the drone would no longer get up, DJI Neo returned to action. This seemingly delicate structure can withstand much more than you think.

It is completely different when the weather conditions are more favorable. Then controlling DJI Neo is a real pleasure, because the device is not only light, but also manoeuvrable. As for the maximum horizontal speed, it is 6 m/s (Normal mode) 8 m/s (Sport mode) 16 m/s (Manual mode) and the climb speed is 0.5 m/s (Cine mode) 2 m/s (Normal mode) 3 m/s (Sport mode), thanks to which the drone behaves dynamically in the air.

The manufacturer states that DJI Neo should have the following features: maximum flight time of 18 minutesbut in practice this value is slightly lower – about 15 minutes. It’s not much, but you shouldn’t expect brilliant results batteries 1435 mAh.

Price and summary

DJI Neo surprised me very positively. It’s an absurdly simple drone, but it offers quite a lot of options for playing with recording modes. Its advantage is its versatility – a casual user can use it without having to have a smartphone in their pocket, recording interesting shots thanks to QuickShots, and a more advanced user will get much more out of it by using a controller.

Sure, I could complain about its susceptibility to wind and short flight time, but all objections are overcome by the price. DJI Neo in the basic set is priced at PLN 899. To the cheapest drone in the DJI offer and it must be admitted that this is a very fair price considering what the drone offers. We will have to pay for the Fly More Combo set, which includes, among others, the RC-N3 controller, a two-way charging hub, three batteries and spare propellers. PLN 1,649. So if you are looking for the first device to start your adventure with drones, DJI Neo will be a very good choice.