The HoverAir X1 could have popularized straightforward to make use of selfie-drones, however it’s DJI’s new $199 Neo we’ve been testing that appears set to dominate gross sales. It’s launching globally right now and does virtually all the things the $350 X1 can do and a lot extra.
Just like the X1, DJI’s new Neo is a drone you primarily purchase to report your self doing issues for social media. It flies itself, no controller vital — you merely push a button on the drone to cycle by a listing of predefined flights like comply with, hover in place, orbit overhead, and zoom out and in. It launches in seconds, begins recording, then returns to land within the palm of your hand with out requiring earlier flying expertise.
The Neo can and can crash when you fly it close to obstacles, however just like the X1, its versatile body can survive a beating.
Not like the X1, the Neo has return to house (RTH) capabilities, and when you add a controller it might fly a lot farther away given its twin antennas (one transmitter, two receivers) which provide a most video transmission distance of 10km (6 miles). It may be paired with DJI’s $129 RC-N3 Distant Controller to seize sweeping panorama pictures with confidence that it’ll return when the battery is low. It may additionally pair with DJI’s $499 Goggles 3 and the corporate’s newest movement controller or FPV controller to carry out acrobatic stunts in an immersive first-person view. Simply don’t count on the Neo to compete with DJI’s extra highly effective and succesful drones that function impediment avoidance, higher stabilization, and improved optics.
My colleague Sean Hollister and I’ve been testing the Neo in a wide range of situations over the previous couple of weeks. Whereas the folding X1 stays extra pocketable, appears to maintain a lock on its topic higher, and is mostly much less buggy and simpler to make use of, the Neo has confirmed to be a really succesful challenger as you’d count on from the world’s main maker of drones. It’s additionally straightforward to forgive Neo’s faults given its worth, however we’ll concern a last verdict after we publish a evaluation within the coming weeks.
One main shortcoming of the Neo to be used as a selfie-drone is its lack of a portrait video mode. When requested why the function was omitted, DJI’s European spokesperson Matt Bailey mentioned that the corporate “will take into account person suggestions on this.” Bizarre.
DJI’s Neo does, nevertheless, shoot in 4K @ 30fps which is one thing the X1 can’t do (however newer, much more costly HoverAir drones can). Its half-inch sensor shoots video in a 16:9 facet ratio with the choice to report at 60fps in 1080p mode. It may additionally seize 12-megapixel stills in 4:3 or 16:9 facet ratios, and options the naked minimal of single-axis mechanical gimbal stabilization alongside some software program stabilization tips. DJI says it’ll additionally shoot video in 4:3 however that possibility wasn’t obtainable within the firmware we examined.
Neo has 20GB of onboard storage and — just like the X1 — lacks any growth possibility, however that doesn’t appear to current any points because the 4K movies often solely final between 10 and 30 seconds. DJI’s battery lasts longer at as much as 18 minutes, however that additionally helps to make it barely heavier than the X1. Nonetheless, at 135g it’s effectively under the all essential 250g threshold making it exempt from probably the most onerous of drone licensing necessities.
1/13
The Neo can also be bought in a really engaging $289 Combo bundle that features three batteries and a USB-C charging hub. The 2-way charging hub will cost all three batteries concurrently in about an hour when used with a 45W charger. Neo has a built-in USB-C port that additionally permits you to cost its detachable battery in about 50 minutes from a 15W charger, although we’ve seen this cease working just a few instances in our pre-release firmware.
Neo doesn’t supply any gesture controls, however it may be managed with voice instructions after saying “Hey! Fly!” It may also be managed from the DJI Fly app on a cellphone over a direct Wi-Fi connection. And just like the HoverAir X1, Neo can report audio out of your cellphone’s built-in mic which DJI will robotically overlay onto your recorded video with none swarming-bee propeller sounds. Neo can even report audio by DJI’s Mic 2 when paired over Bluetooth. 4K video information, starting from 80MB to 200MB, switch shortly to telephones over direct Wi-Fi connection or to laptops over USB-C cable.
DJI’s Neo seems to be like a direct response to the HoverAir X1 that’s overtaken social media over the past 12 months — at the very least in line with my very own advice algorithms. Let’s see if Zero Zero Robotics lowers its HoverAir costs in response. Regardless, at $199 within the US, the Neo stands an excellent likelihood at turning selfie-drones right into a mainstream gadget — for higher or worse.
In Europe, DJI’s Neo is priced at a tax-inclusive £169 / €199. There’s additionally a £299 / €349 Neo Fly Extra Combo that bundles the Neo drone along with DJI’s RC-N3 Distant Controller, three batteries and charging hub, and spare elements.
DJI just isn’t bundling any controllers within the US, and the Neo is sadly not suitable with DJI’s older units of goggles or movement controllers for FPV flight, solely the newest ones. For FPV flight, which means DJI’s Avata Explorer Combo is presently a greater deal; in Sean’s early assessments, it additionally gives a extra steady first-person flying expertise than the Neo.