New DJI Neo leak suggests it could be the most beginner-friendly drone ever

The Neo is getting closer, but when will it land?

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We thought we’d learned everything about the incomingDJI Neodrone inlast week’s rumor-fest, but the leaks keep coming – and this time some marketing materials have revealed how easy it should be to fly the little selfie camera.

A series of marketing promos just shared by the ever-reliable@Quadro_Newson X (formerly Twitter) show why the Neo could beDJI’s most approachable drone so far, thanks to in-app flight controls that mean you don’t even need a controller. The drone itself is expected to be lighter than an iPhone, at only 135g.

In the promo below, the Neo is depicted as a flying selfie camera for families, with screen-based controls in the companion app. DJI currently offers the Fly app for drones like theDJI Mini 4 Pro, but it doesn’t have on-screen controls for flying the drones.

This means the Neo could be a spiritual successor to theDJI Spark, which also included a direct connection to your phone (albeit with a maximum range of 100m). The app in the promo includes most of the controls you’d need, from direction to ‘return-to-home’, and a shutter button for video or photos. There’s even a voice control function, which would bea first for DJI drones.

👉Family happiness in every frame! Control your DJI Neo with ease#djineo pic.twitter.com/3mPbn9YEFIAugust 17, 2024

The app doesn’t appear to let you control the movement of the drone’s camera, because the Neo likely doesn’t have a gimbal – instead, it’s expected to have a fixed camera. That would make the Neo more like an FPV racing drone, which appears to be another of its skills from adifferent leaked slideshowing compatibility with DJI RC Motion 3 controller.

That controller, which is already compatible with the DJI Goggles 3 andDJI Avata 2, lets you control the drone with the movements of your wrist. While you would need a ‘spotter’ companion with you when using the Goggles 3 with the Neo, it should be capable of some ‘cinewhoop’-style shots – particularly as some leaked specs show it can fly at a nippy 16m/s (or 57.6 km/h) when in sports mode.

When will the Neo fly?

Aside from official pricing, one of the few things we still don’t know about the DJI Neo is when it’ll be launched. Earlier rumors from@Quadro_Newspredicted August 20, but with no sign of an official teaser or event from DJI, that’s looking increasingly unlikely.

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Other DJI commentators onX (formerly Twitter)are now speculating early September for a potential announcement, but there’s no sign of an actual release date leak. Still, considering how much has been revealed so far, the DJI Neo must surely be imminent.

As for camera specs, previous leaks suggest we’ll be looking at a 1/2-inch sensor (the same size as the sensor inside theDJI Mavic Air 2from 2020) that can shoot4K/30p or 1080/60p video.

Sure, the video bitrate will be capped at 75Mbps (compared to 150Mbps on the Mini 4 Pro), but it should be capable of some impressive results for a drone so small, as long as you’re shooting in decent light. We’re looking forward to pitching the Neo against thenew HoverAir X1 Pro and Pro Maxdrones soon.

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Mark is TechRadar’s Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he’s contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph’s Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London’s Square Mile.

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