DJI Neo review – great drone for beginners like me
25.10.2024
Video: Davide Arizzoli
Translation: Eva Francis
Ultra-small, ultra-simple, ultra-good. As a drone newbie, I’m thrilled with the DJI Neo. However, I know that pros aren’t happy with the video quality of this low-cost aerial vehicle. Is it really that bad? I’ve put it to the test.
I’ve tested many gadgets before, but rarely flying ones. This makes me the perfect test person for the DJI Neo, the new camera drone launched by Chinese manufacturer DJI. It’s designed for newbies like me. Want to see my first flying attempts? Check out the header video. For English subtitles, click the gear icon, «Subtitles/CC» and «Auto-translate».
Strengths: speed and ease of use
This is probably the first drone that allows you to film videos within ten minutes of unboxing it – and without any training. The basics, such as getting the drone to take off from and land on your hand are very easy to perform.
Source: Lorenz Keller
In my opinion, the DJI Neo’s greatest strength is how fast you can start using it without needing a smartphone. Push the «on» button, select a recording mode and off you go. Filming a two-minute video will take you no more than two and a half minutes. The drone’s only slightly larger than the palm of your hand and weighs 137 grammes. This makes it easy to take with you wherever you go.
Source: Lorenz Keller
You’ll need a smartphone after all
Take-off and landing don’t require a smartphone, but other functions do. Before your first flight, you need to connect the drone to the app and register it. What’s also important if you’re a newbie is to find out about the laws regarding drones.
It’s a good idea to have your phone ready in case something goes wrong with the fully automatic flight manoeuvres. This only happened to me once – when I was testing a drone on holiday in Italy. It all started off so well that I decided to launch the drone on a jetty by the lake. That’s when something scary happened.
The Neo obviously lost its positioning, rose, flew towards me at an angle and much too far away from me, zoomed back again and then fortunately chose to land on a jetty ten metres to the left instead of in the water.
I was so perplexed that I didn’t manage to take over the manual controls. The problem was probably that I was in a different country. After I paired the drone with the app for the first time in Italy, the automatic mode worked again without any problems.
In this short video, you can see how the drone loses sight of me and looks for me near the wall. The rest of the flight wasn’t recorded.
How bad is the video quality really?
In the video at the very top of this article, you’ll see a lot of footage taken with the DJI Neo, so you can judge the quality for yourself. Many testers aren’t happy with it. Having said that, most of them are used to working with high-quality and significantly more expensive drones.
I see this from two perspectives. On the one hand, I don’t expect top quality for 200 francs or euros. On the other hand, there really is room for improvement. The footage taken by the drone looks as if it’s been through an Instagram filter – contrast is very high and everything’s sharpened, but faces are smoothed out.
Source: Lorenz Keller
It’s a shame the image settings can’t be adjusted in the app. You can only do this if you connect the drone to the remote control. If you do that, you can change the white balance and reduce or switch off the sharpness and noise removal. But as I’m a beginner, I don’t want to use a remote control. I want the drone to fly by itself as much as possible.
Therefore, I hope DJI will deliver an update that makes it possible to adjust image settings without needing a remote control. It wouldn’t surprise me if the basic settings were adjusted in the future, as the manufacturer’s known for improving its drones over time by adapting the software. And there have been several firmware updates since the launch a few weeks ago.
If you’re looking for the ideal settings to get the best possible video quality, you’ll find step-by-step instructions in this video.
Source: Lorenz Keller
Is only the drone enough?
It depends on what you want to use it for. If you’re looking to film short videos for social media or for friends, this basic model for just under 200 francs or euros should be good enough. Having said that, the battery only lasts for about 13 to 15 minutes of flight time – 18 minutes, according to DJI.
An additional battery costs 45 francs or euros. It can’t be charged directly; you can only do it on the drone or with the separately available charger, which charges up to three batteries at the same time and costs 40 francs or euros.
If you’re planning to fly your drone a lot, it might be worth investing in the Fly More Combo that includes a drone, three batteries, a charger and a remote control and costs 349 francs or euros. This will allow you to adjust the video quality settings mentioned earlier and, if you’re brave enough, use more than the preset automatic flight manoeuvres.
In a nutshell
A lot of drone for the money
The DJI Neo is perfect for beginners. It’s affordable, easy to operate and comes with a large range of handy presets. These saved settings for aerial videography work excellently. However, they’re mainly designed to capture yourself and your surroundings in short videos.
In view of the low price, the mediocre video quality is to be expected and justifiable. But it’s a pity you have to be an expert to set the best picture quality. I expect an update from the manufacturer to solve this.
In my opinion, the DJI Neo’s the perfect entry-level drone for aerial photos and videos. Plus, you can control it by smartphone or remote control, allowing yourself to slowly get to grips with the professional devices.
Pro
- Simple operation
- Attractive price
- Compact and lightweight
- Integrated 22 GB memory
- Fast take-off with only the drone
Contra
- Mediocre video quality
- Fewer setting options without remote control
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.