Comparison: DJI Flip versus Neo and Mini 4 Pro drones

DJI recently released the Flip, which looks like a pretty accomplished drone for an affordable price. But, given that they have the smaller Neo that starts at less than half the price, why would you consider it versus the newer model? Or, should you spend the extra money on a more feature-rich drone, like the Mini 4 Pro? Here, we're taking a deep dive into DJI's newest offering.

DJI Flip: The Content Creator's Dream

If you're a vlogger or content creator looking for the perfect aerial companion, the DJI Flip is an extremely attractive offering. This all-in-one drone brings some impressive innovations to the table, including DJI's first-ever foldable full-coverage propeller guards with a carbon fiber structure. Weighing in at under 249g (which is importantly under the threshold of certain legislation, giving you more flexibility where you can use it), it's both portable and powerful.

What really makes the DJI Flip shine is its focus on content creation. With 48MP photos and 4K/60fps HDR video capabilities, similar to that of the Mini 4 Pro, your content will look stunning. The drone acts like your personal director thanks to its AI subject tracking, and with six intelligent shooting modes (Dronie, Circle, Rocket, Helix, Boomerang, and Spotlight), you'll never run out of creative options.

The 31-minute flight time is pretty respectable, just shy of the Mini 4 Pro's 34 minutes, but way better than the 18 minutes of the Neo. Remember though, that these are the official times - you can easily slice 15-20% off, and more if it's windy. While on that subject, the DJI Flip quotes wind resistance to be the same as the Mini 4 Pro, at 10.7m/s, although according to several reviews the Mini 4 Pro tends to be more stable in higher wind speeds. The Neo fares less well in winds, with an 8m/s wind resistance.

In terms of convenience, all three drones are small, and under the 249g weight, but the Neo is almost half of this, at 135g. However, with that size comes some compromises. While the camera still films at 4K, it's a smaller sensor. The drone itself is not designed to be flown in dark conditions, as its tracking technologies will not work. The DJI Flip has forward-facing object detection (plus those all-important prop guards), so will be more adept at safely tracking people, although it cannot track vehicles, like the Mini 4 Pro can.

Both the DJI Neo and DJI Flip offer multiple control options, including palm control, app control, RC control, and even voice. The Mini 4 Pro lacks the palm and app control, but then again it's a higher end drone that isn't aimed at users looking for the quickest way to fly and film.

One feature supported by both the Neo and Flip, but not (yet) the Mini 4 Pro is the ability to record sound through your phone's microphone or via the DJI Mic 2, making it perfect for social media content creation. They even filter out the propeller noise from the audio, and merge it with the drone's recorded video. As an example, if you set the drone to be in front of you and track you, you can walk towards it and talk to the drone as if it were a cameraman. However, with neither the Neo or Flip having rear obstacle avoidance this could prove problematic, depending on your location.

In terms of ultimate camera quality, the Mini 4 Pro stands as DJI's crown jewel. This drone offers 4K/60fps HDR and even 4K/100fps video capabilities, along with 10-bit D-Log M and HLG for serious color grading potential. The Flip has the same size sensor and gimbal setup as the Mini 4 Pro, but stops short in a couple of areas. It does not support the HLG colour profile, nor does it have the Mini 4 Pro's night mode. The Neo, while still supporting 4K video, the frame rate drops to a maximum of 30fps and 12 Megapixel images, due to the smaller 1/2" sensor.

Given a product name like Flip, you might think that the new drone will support the type of tricks associated with FPV flight. Both the Neo and Mini 4 Pro have the option of goggles and one of two FPV controllers, however the Flip currently does not. So, if you were considering the cheaper Neo, wanted to use it for FPV but thought that the more capable Flip might be an option, think again - you'll have to make the jump to the Mini 4 Pro.

While all three drones share many of the quickshot modes (covering follow, dronie, circle, helix, etc.), DJI has kept some features exclusively to the Mini 4 Pro. One of the key features missing on the Flip (and Neo) is waypoints - the ability to pre-define a route, setting waypoints for the drone's position and camera settings, and then press Go and let the drone do its thing. This is an extremely powerful feature for creating buttery-smooth footage, rather than having to manually control the drone. Other features have been watered down slightly, such as hyperlapses only recording at 1080p on the Flip, versus 4K on the Mini 4 Pro.

Price-wise, there's a significant difference between the three:

• The DJI Neo starts at £169, with a 'Fly More Combo' kit available for £299. The Neo also supports FPV flight, with a Fly More kit with the goggles and controller available for £449
• The DJI Flip starts at £369, but includes the RC-N3 controller (which uses your phone as a screen). You can purchase it with the better RC2 controller (with built in screen) for £549, or the Fly More Combo with the RC2 at £659
• The Mini 4 Pro starts at £689 with the RC-N2 controller, and a Fly More Combo at £869 with the RC2 controller. DJI doesn't currently offer any FPV bundles, but you can buy the goggles and controllers separately.