DJI Neo – $289 / £299 with RC-N3 / RC151 controller

DJI was facing competition best camera drone in us in the cheap drone arena, but it has fired back with the super-affordable Neo, which offers solid image quality and many (not all) of DJI’s intelligent flight features.

Pros
Fantastic value
Effective stabilisation for stills and video
90° downward angle for overhead shots
22GB built-in storage

Cons
Quality suffers in poor light
Short battery life
No card slot to expand storage

At a glance:

Weighs less than 249g
12MP 1/2-inch CMOS sensor
4K video recording at up to 30p
13.9mm equivalent f/2.8 lens
1-axis gimbal

There’s no doubt that drones can be expensive, but there are plenty of cheaper options out there too — even from the major manufacturers. Case in point, the DJI Neo, a miniature drone released to compete with the many aggressively low-priced consumer drones that have flooded the market. At a minimum price of $199 / £169 without a controller, or £289 / £299 with the RC-N3, the Neo is the most wallet-friendly drone the firm has ever produced.

Of course, there is always such thing as too good to be true when it comes to cheap photo or video gear, but in our testing, the DJI Neo impressed, producing decent-quality images from its 12MP sensor, as well as solid 4K 30p video. Sure, the stills don’t hold up to cropping and zooming as well as those from pricier drones, and the video isn’t as buttery smooth as the 100p 4K on other models, but for the price, it’s impressive stuff. Frankly, we’d consider £189 / $199 to be a decent price for a 12MP, 4K-capable camera even if it didn’t fly.

But this one does. And what’s more, you get lots of DJIs intelligent auto-flight features, including Follow (Tracking), Circle, Rocket (flying directly upwards), Spotlight and more. These give you easy, straightforward ways to introduce dynamic movement into your drone shots, which is ideal for anyone who’s just starting out with aerial video.

The inevitable cutbacks and compromises that come with a cheap drone are worth taking into account here. The image quality from the Neo is good in daylight, but is compromised quickly once light levels get low, due to the small sensor. Battery life is quite short — if you’re planning a big day, best pack a couple of spares — and while 22GB internal storage is nice, it’s annoying that there’s no option to expand it by inserting a microSD card.