- DJI Neo 2 shoots 4K aerial selfies up to 100fps and weighs just 151g
- It upgrades the original with omnidirectional object sensing
- Prices start at £209 / $409, but it’s not available in the US at launch
DJI just took selfie drones to new heights with the Neo 2, which is the lightest and most affordable drone with omnidirectional object sensing (with front-facing LiDAR thrown in for good measure), and a solid upgrade of the original Neo.
I never thought that such an advanced safety feature could make its way into such a low-cost drone – trust me, it’s a brilliant feature for beginners – with prices starting at £209 / AU$409. There’s bad news if you’re in the US, however – the Neo 2 is another DJI product unavailable at launch.
We’ve already published an in-depth Neo 2 review, and it’s clearly a much-improved model even if it’s slightly heavier and pricier than the Neo. However, there’s no question in my mind which is the more compelling of the two – the Neo 2’s upgrades are worth the negligible extra cost and weight.
If you’re unfamiliar with selfie drones, the idea is that anyone can get airborne in seconds, with the drone taking off from the palm of their hand, in this case complete with gesture and voice control, and DJI’s improved smart ActiveTrack skills.
Like the HoverAir X1, the OG selfie drone, the Neo 2 can take flight with no controller – you just point it at yourself so it can lock on for subject tracking, and initiate flight by pressing the takeoff button on the drone, and it’ll return to your palm once recording is finished. Honestly, it’s that simple.
The controller-free experience is made even easier now that there’s a screen next to the camera, which displays the shooting mode you’ve selected.
The Neo 2 also works with a DJI remote controller such as the NC-3, which delivers extended flight range (up to 10km), or even goggles for immersive FPV flight, though the cost shoots up when you factor in those accessories. I’ve included the prices of the various Neo 2 bundles below.
Once more, users can shoot 4K video up to 100fps, 2.7K vertical video, and 12MP stills, via a relatively small 1/2-inch sensor. However, it’s undoubtedly the introduction of object sensing that elevates the latest model.
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The new selfie drone to get?
For me, the addition of object sensing is enough reason to upgrade, while for complete newbies the Neo 2 is now one of the best beginner drones.
Its built-in propellor guards, lightweight 151g body, and now object sensing make safe flight at close proximity an easy possibility, with those tracking skills optimized for the likes of running and cycling. There’s a further compliment of automated flight moves common in most DJI drones, too, for dynamic video sequences.
Flight times are bumped up to 19 minutes – though expect less in real use – as is wind resistance which is now rated up to level 5, making the Neo 2 fractionally more stable in flight than the Neo.
There’s now up to 49GB of internal storage, which is enough to hold 105 minute of 4K 60fps video or 175 minutes if you drop frame rates to 30fps.
With such an impressive feature set and low cost, DJI might have just priced out its rival HoverAir, unless of course you’re in the US where the Neo 2 is not available yet.
The DJI Neo 2 comes in one of the following bundles; drone only for £209 / AU$409, Fly More Combo (drone only) for £289 / AU$549, Fly More Combo (with NC-3 controller) for £349 / AU$709, or the Motion Fly Combo (with goggles) for £509.
We’ve previously billed the DJI Mini 4K as a better drone for beginners than the Neo, but the Neo 2 with its upgraded two-axis camera and object sensing is seriously tempting.
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