The DJI Neo is the smallest and lightest 4K drone ever from the drone king, with a tempting price tag

DJI has enjoyed near-total dominance of the global consumer drone market for years, but more recently a few challengers have identified a gap in DJI’s lineup – tiny selfie/FPV drones – and exploited that space to offer this new line of drones for beginners.

HoverAir’s X1, whose successors were just announced in the form of the Apple-style X1 Pro and X1 Pro Max, and BetaFPV’s Cetus X were both well-reviewed last year. Now, DJI is looking to take on those rivals with its latest model, the aggressively priced Neo, which is its smallest and lightest 4K drone ever.

Weighing just 135g, Neo can take off from the palm of your hand and capture stabilized 4K video with AI subject tracking and DJI’s Quickshots feature. It can follow you and stay close, keeping you in the center of the frame for different selfies, and it can perform six automated flight movements: Boomerang, Helix, Circle, Rocket, Dronie, and Spotlight, before returning to your palm.

It can be controlled without a remote control, or paired with DJI’s Fly app, remote controllers and FPV goggles, all while being voice-controlled, while its small size and propeller guards allow you to safely maneuver in and around tight spaces.

The DJI Neo also comes with a very attractive price tag: just $199 / £169 / AU$299. In fact, I’d say that’s a pretty aggressive price. The Neo Fly More Combo kit (which includes three batteries and a remote) costs £299 / AU$539 but isn’t available in the US, where there’s a Combo kit (three batteries, no remote) for $289.

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(Image credit: DJI)

Neo knows kung fu

Sitting somewhere between the Ryze Tello beginner drone and DJI’s FPV drone, the DJI Avata 2, the Neo is designed to be as simple a drone as possible, equipped with impressive flight and camera features to quickly improve your flying skills and aerial content.

The easiest option to get airborne is to select the desired shooting mode on the drone’s mode button, after which the Neo takes flight from your palm, capturing 4K 30fps / 1080p 60fps video or 12MP photos, before returning to your hand, all without using a remote control.

Alternatively, you can control Neo using the Fly app on your phone using virtual joysticks, or explore FPV piloting using DJI Goggles (which cost extra).

Whether you want to be intelligently tracked as you move, or after some cool flying moves seen from above, like Boomerang, which sees the Neo fly in an oval pattern around you, the idea is that you won’t need any previous drone experience to get the aerial shots you love.

(Image credit: DJI)

With single-axis stabilization, DJI claims the Neo can hover stably in wind conditions up to Level 4. It packs 22GB of internal storage, which is equivalent to about 40 minutes of 4K video or 55 minutes of 1080p video.

There’s a built-in mic if you want audio too, with the app automatically eliminating propeller noise, while if you’re serious about audio quality you can connect a Bluetooth mic such as the DJI Mic 2.

We’re in the early stages of our full review of the DJI Neo. If it lives up to its promise, it could become the gateway to aerial piloting and photography for a whole new wave of beginners.