This palm-sized, inexpensive, simple, yet remarkably capable drone doesn't even require a controller. Or a license. Or any particular talents.
The Neo is DJI's latest release geared towards the vlogger or anyone who wants a simple-to-use "selfie" drone. With just the push of a button or a yell of "Hey! Fly!", the Neo will lift off from the palm of your hand and fly a multitude of pre-determined flight paths before obediently returning to gently land back in your palm when done.
It weighs in at a mere 135g (3 oz), so no license required. And, should anything go wrong on your commands, the Neo has an automatic return to home (RTH) feature as well and will therefore gracefully flutter back to the palm of your hand.
This clever little device responds to voice commands, or you can connect it to your smartphone. It can take photos or videos and has 22 GB of internal storage (enough for about 40 minutes of video). All of which can be transferred straight to your phone via Wi-Fi without the need for any cables. Or you could use a USB-C cable directly to your computer or phone.
The drone also has object tracking. For example, set it to track your face while you're out for a hike and it will follow your face wherever you go at whatever distance you set. And with the ability to pair audio recording, you've got yourself the perfect camera operator that isn't going to trip over a tree root while you talk about life, the universe, and everything.
Unfortunately, it does not have obstacle avoidance. While roots might not be an issue, branches will. With its reasonably robust guards around its props, though, the little drone will probably survive the odd incident.
The basic drone model has about 18 minutes of flight time. Though this can be boosted to about 50 minutes with an additional battery pack. US$199 (or £169 in the UK) will get you the basic Neo and $289 will get you the Combo version with two extra batteries. DJI Neo
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