By Cody Toombs

When DJI launched the Neo a few months ago, it was clear that the company had some new tricks up its sleeve. The tiny toy-like drone brought much of the clever automation of Snap’s Pixy for quick social media clips, but with DJI’s more robust and flexible technology, plus better build quality. There was one problem: the camera was so-so.

Cut to the DJI Flip, which merges the new features of the Neo with a drone body and camera mostly made to the spec of a DJI Mini 4. It shoots video good enough to show off while being capable of quick autonomous flights without a controller. DJI is also taking this opportunity to introduce a new physical design.

Staff pick

DJI Flip

8.5 / 10

The DJI Flip merges the familiar capabilities of the Mavic line of drones with new features that were only recently added with the launch of the DJI Neo. These include autonomous flight modes that can be activated with just the press of a button on the drone, no controller required. It has a 1/1.3-inch camera sensor with 24mm equivalent lens, and can shoot up to 100fps at 4K. The wings are now protected by a propellor guard and wire cage, and the wing assembly has been redesigned to fold down into a stacked arrangement for easier travel.

Pros & Cons

• Built-in propeller guards, finally
• Autonomous flight modes
• Really good camera
• Sub-250g weight class (C0 compliant)
• Prop guards do make flight times shorter

$440 at Amazon$440 at DJI

Price and availability

The DJI Flip starts at $439, which includes the drone, one battery, the RC-N3 controller, which requires a smartphone to act as a screen, and a few standard accessories. For an additional $200 (total of $639), the controller can be upgraded to the RC 2, which has a built-in touchscreen.

There’s also a Fly More Combo priced at $779. This adds two batteries, a charging hub, the RC2 controller (with a touchscreen), and a zippered carrying case that fits everything well. While many of DJI’s recent drones have incredible flight time, and some people would be fine with a single battery, most should get the Fly More Combo for the Flip. The flight time isn’t bad, especially if you only use it for quick autonomous flights, but it's a bit lean for longer flights that use a controller.

There are a few optional accessories to consider, but the two standouts are power adapters and ND filters, as neither are included in any kits. DJI sells 65W AC chargers and 65W DC car chargers, which provide fast charging on the batteries and work well for other devices. I am disappointed DJI never includes ND filters with the Fly More Combo, but this pack is sold separately for $55. They’re not necessary, but they help lengthen shutter speeds on bright days for smoother video.

Specifications

Brand

DJI

Camera

1/1.3-inch sensor, f/1.7, 24 mm equivalent

App

DJI Fly

Speed

Up to 12 m/s

Weight

?< 249g

Range

14 km

Connectivity

DJI O4, Wi-Fi, USB-C

Battery

3110 mAh

Dimensions

136×62×165 mm (folded), 233×280×79 mm (unfolded)

Video Resolution

Up to 4K (3840×2160) @ 100fps

Video Formats

MP4

Color Profiles

Normal, D-Log M

Bitrate

150Mbps

Live View

Up to 1080p@60fps

Max Wind Speed Resistance

10.7 m/s (level 5)

Battery Life

Up to 31 minutes flight time

Expand

What’s good about the DJI Flip?

DJI’s best starter drone ever

The Flip is built to match the specs of the Mini 4 Pro. It weighs 249g or less, meaning it doesn’t require registration in the US and sidesteps most limits and regulations elsewhere. Still, commercial use in the US requires a Part 107, and other drone laws may apply. This weight target also translates to a fairly small and compact design that closely matches the Mini 4’s footprint when both have their wings expanded out.

Read our review

DJI Mini 4 Pro: The best tiny drone gets even better

DJI continues pushing closer to perfection

However, the Flip adopts a new wing design with built-in propeller guards and spokes surrounding the propellers to prevent most objects from entering that space. This alone is a great feature as it makes the Flip safer and easier to fly near walls, fences, and other obstacles that used to result in instant crashes when bumping into something. It’s also less likely to damage other things, including you and other people.

Instead of folding the wings to be parallel with the body like the previous Mavic models, the Flip’s wings fold underneath the body to form a stack. While it’s not very pocketable, it’s compact and travels well enough in a bag, assuming it’s not squished tightly from the sides. At first, I assumed this design would be more fragile than the arms on the Mavic line, but these feel sufficiently sturdy for the weight class, so I’m not worried about the wings breaking during a crash.

It also borrows the new key feature of the DJI Neo: autonomous flight modes. This works the same way. You press a button to cycle through modes, which are shown by small LED icons on the front, and hold down the button to launch the drone from your hand.

Read our review

The DJI Neo is a neat little flying camera designed to grab quick video clips with the press of a button

If only other drones could be so effortless

5

There are three short modes, including Dronie, Rocket, and Circle. A tripod mode called Spotlight stays stationary while it spins to keep you in view until you collect the drone. Finally, two modes follow your movement, aptly called Follow and Direction Track.

The Flip also offers manual flight, like the Neo and any member of the Mavic line. However, unlike the Neo, the Flip has a good camera, and it’s on a proper gimbal to maintain a steady horizon and less shake. DJI doesn’t specify which camera sensor was used, but it may be the same 1/1.3-inch sensor used in the Mini 4 Pro. It’s still capable of up to 150Mbps bitrate, which supports up to 4K at 100fps.

Image quality looks to be about the same. It’s sharp with good color clarity and good low-light performance for the sensor size. It still falls short of the cameras in larger models like the Air 3S and Mavic 3, but it’s almost too good for the price.

While the average user may not notice or care, I’m happy to see that the video recorded by the Flip is in 10-bit color, and the color profile can be set to either Normal or D-Log M. This was a weak point in the Neo, which only shot in 8-bit color with the Normal profile. Still, models as recent as the Mini 4 Pro split recording between 8-bit and 10-bit, depending on the color profile.

Most people will be happy with the Normal color profile, which produces fairly true-to-life results, so you can use the footage straight out of the camera without messing around with colors. However, enthusiasts and pros who don’t mind doing extra color grading may want to use D-Log M to squeeze out additional dynamic range in mixed lighting.

What’s bad about the DJI Flip?

It’s louder, but at least it doesn’t fly as long

While the prop guards on the Flip make for a safer and less stressful flying experience, the design change comes with a few drawbacks. First, battery life has taken a hit. DJI lists 31 minutes as the max flight time, and that needs to include time for takeoff, return travel, landing, and some buffer room. Still, even then, my experience suggests 31 minutes is too optimistic. I consistently got about 18 minutes of flight while using roughly 75% of the battery, which suggests the real flight time tops out at about 24 minutes.

That’s not bad flight time, and if you mostly use the autonomous flight modes, it’s plenty. However, if you’re going to use it for manual flights with a controller, especially for exploration or timelapses, you’ll want more batteries.

The redesign seems to have cost the Flip in wind resistance. Despite being rated the same as the Mini 4 Pro, which wasn’t super stable in moderate winds, the Flip is more vulnerable to wind. I assume the decreased propeller size and additional surface area from the prop guards and forehead interface are responsible. That’s not to say it gets blown around like the Neo, but anything over a mild breeze can cause shakes in your video footage, and moderate gusts could make flying difficult.

I don’t want to blame everything on the prop guards, but I’m pretty sure the shorter propellers require a higher RPM, which equates to more noise than other modern DJI models. It’s not aggressively loud like the very early DJI drones, but in a side-by-side comparison with the larger and heavier Air 3S, it’s easy to notice the difference.

The new wing design with the spokes forming a cage above and below the propellers is nice, but there’s room for improvement. First, the whole assembly is tightly integrated, so most parts can only be replaced with a new wing, and only DJI can do that. The propellers are replaceable and held on by screws, but the spokes make them hard to remove or reattach, which makes the process of replacing or cleaning fiddly.

The spokes leave wider gaps at the outer edges, and there’s enough room that a finger could slip between them during a takeoff or landing on your palm. If you’re careful about keeping your hand very flat, there’s little risk of chopping into your digits, but be cautious. If it’s windy, go for a ground landing.

Before wrapping up, I want to address a couple of oddities about the control methods. First, despite its similarities to the Neo, the Flip doesn’t work with the DJI Goggles, Motion Controller, or FPV Controller. I never understood why these were supported on the Neo, but it’s worth noting if anybody expected them here.

Second, like the Neo, you can connect to the Flip with a phone via Wi-Fi using the DJI Fly app or using a physical controller (RC-N3 or RC 2). While using a controller, you get the classic manual flight interface, even if you use the RC-N3 with a smartphone. The catch is that the DJI Fly smartphone interface offers fewer camera settings, and in turn, the autonomous flight modes are a bit more limited.

The Flip gets most of its key options, which are better than those offered to the Neo, so it can use the supported resolutions, color profiles, and encodings. However, framerates are limited to 30fps and 60fps (only in 1080p), and there are no other camera options or exposure settings. Considering how most people will use these flight modes, these limits might be a good thing, but I feel some people could get creative with 100fps.

Should you buy it?

The features of the Flip tell a story about who it’s intended for. The autonomous flight modes are designed for social media influencers who want quick and engaging clips to post online. Thanks to the prop guards, there’s less chance of causing damage or crashing. The increased safety also makes this a good starter drone for inexperienced pilots because it allows for making some mistakes without every obstacle becoming a potential crash site. Just stay vigilant around tree branches.

The so-so wind resistance and relatively short battery life are compromises that will likely turn away enthusiasts and pros. However, the Flip fills an important and exciting role. Thanks to a camera that’s on par with the Mini 4 Pro, capable of shooting in 4K at 100fps, in 10-bit with support for D-Log M, the Flip has everything necessary for first-timers and social media influencers to grow into enthusiasts and pros.

Staff pick

DJI Flip

8.5 / 10

The DJI Flip merges the familiar capabilities of the Mavic line of drones with new features that were only recently added with the launch of the DJI Neo. These include autonomous flight modes that can be activated with just the press of a button on the drone, no controller required. It has a 1/1.3-inch camera sensor with 24mm equivalent lens, and can shoot up to 100fps at 4K. The wings are now protected by a propellor guard and wire cage, and the wing assembly has been redesigned to fold down into a stacked arrangement for easier travel.