DJI Neo leak gives us a taste of the drone’s 4K video quality – and how noisy it can be
The DJI Neo drone is all but official thanks to a series of leaks over the past few weeks, but the reveals keep coming – and a new one gives us an idea of the video quality we can expect, plus a taste of what it’ll sound like in flight.
The Reliable DJI Leaker @JasperEllens shared the DJI Neo-shot video in an X (formerly Twitter) post, which you can also watch on YouTube below. It was apparently shot at 4K resolution in raw form with no color correction, giving us an idea of the quality out of camera.
While it’s still too early to draw any firm conclusions due to YouTube compression and the fact that this is a leak, the quality looks good, especially considering this is expected to be a small 135g drone that will cost €199 (converted around $220 / £167 / AU$325).
The footage is quite crunchy and over-sharpened, but hopefully that’s something that can be adjusted in both the settings and editing. Realistically, it’s a drone you’d only want to fly in decent light (both indoors and out), but it looks fine for social media or travel clips.
What we’d like to test is how loud the drone is in real life, as there is a separate leak YouTube short suggests it won’t be subtle. That clip shows it letting out a high-pitched, slightly ear-piercing scream, though that could be partly due to the fact that the footage was shot on a smartphone.
If you have any questions about the DJI Neo, the full user manual has apparently also been leaked in a Reddit post. This means you can get a glimpse of the app experience (below), as well as see the handy intelligent flight modes it’s likely to have, including FocusTrack and QuickShots like Dronie, Rocket and Boomerang.
Neo or Air?
The DJI Neo is shaping up to be a rival to what are commonly referred to as ‘hover drones’ or ‘selfie drones’, like the HoverAir X1. That means it won’t offer the image quality we’ve seen on the best drones, but it will be a relatively affordable and compact option for those looking to experiment with aerial videography.
DJI typically has an edge over competing drones in software, both in terms of object tracking and obstacle avoidance. The Neo doesn’t have obstacle detection, according to the leaked manual, but we’re looking forward to testing the companion app and automated features to see if it delivers the smooth experience we’ve come to expect from DJI drones.
If you’re looking for a drone that can do a little more, it looks like DJI has something else planned to tempt you – a separate leak from @JasperEllens recently revealed what appears to be the retail box for the DJI Air 3S, which is expected to be its new mid-range model.
While it may only be a minor upgrade over the Air 3, previous Air 3S leaks have suggested it will pair a 1-inch sensor with a 1/1.3-inch one for its medium telephoto. Both sensors are much larger than the 1/2-inch on the DJI Neo, but that’s to be expected – the Neo is likely to contend for a spot in our best beginner drones guide, while the Air 3S could be one of the best DJI drones overall.
