- DJI Neo 2 takes 4K aerial selfies at up to 100fps and weighs just 151g
- It improves on the original with omnidirectional object detection
- 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, most affordable drone with omnidirectional object detection (with front-facing LiDAR for good measure) and a solid upgrade from the original Neo.
I never thought such an advanced safety feature could be built into such an inexpensive drone – trust me, it’s a brilliant feature for beginners – with prices starting at £209 / AU$409. There’s some 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 review of the Neo 2, and it’s clearly a much-improved model even if it’s slightly heavier and more expensive than the Neo. However, there is no doubt in my mind which is the more compelling of the two – the Neo 2’s improvements are worth the negligible additional cost and weight.
If you’re not familiar with selfie drones, the idea is that anyone can take off in seconds, with the drone taking off from the palm of their hand, in this case with gesture and voice control, and DJI’s enhanced ActiveTrack smart skills.
Like the OG selfie drone HoverAir Honestly, it’s that simple.
The controller-free experience is 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 control such as the NC-3, which offers an extended flight range (up to 10 km), or even goggles for immersive FPV flight, although the cost increases when you factor in these accessories. I have included the prices of the different Neo 2 packs below.
Once again, users can shoot 4K video at up to 100fps, 2.7K vertical video, and 12MP stills, via a relatively small 1/2-inch sensor. However, it is undoubtedly the introduction of object detection that elevates the latest model.
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The new selfie drone to get?
For me, the addition of object detection is reason enough to upgrade, while for complete beginners, the Neo 2 is now one of the best beginner drones.
Its built-in propeller guards, lightweight 151g body and now object detection make it easy to fly safely in close proximity, with tracking skills optimized for running and cycling. There’s also another complement of automated flight movements common in most DJI drones, for dynamic video footage.
Flight times are increased to 19 minutes – but expect less in real-world use – as is wind resistance which is now rated up to level 5, making the Neo 2 slightly more stable in flight than the Neo.
There’s now up to 49GB of internal storage, which is enough to hold 105 minutes of 4K video at 60fps, or 175 minutes if you lower the frame rate to 30fps.
With such an impressive feature set and low cost, DJI may have just overpriced its HoverAir rival, unless of course you’re in the US where the Neo 2 isn’t yet available.
The DJI Neo 2 is available 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 glasses) for £509.
We’ve already touted the DJI Mini 4K as a better drone for beginners than the Neo, but the Neo 2, with its improved dual-axis camera and object detection, is definitely tempting.
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