New DJI Flip ticks all the right lightweight drone boxes

The DJI Flip is yet another entry in the company’s lower cost, lightweight drone portfolio and on paper looks to be the best option yet for vlogging and more.

The lightweight, sub-250 gram drone market has become an increasingly crowded one of late, and is now packed with aerial platforms that contain the features you’d associate with much more expensive, much heavier drones just a few short years ago. They still have their limitations sure, windspeed being one of them, but these are seriously capable craft nowadays and the new DJI Flip on paper looks to be one of the best of the new lightweight breed yet.

At a base $439 (€439/£369) it fits in midway between the avowedly hobbyist $200 DJI Neo and the $760 DJI Mini 4K Pro, and in terms of features it does the same; it has the same Type 1/1.3 sensor and 4K/60p and D-Log capabilities of the more expensive model, with the automated modes you would associate with the Neo that remove so many of the barriers to entry for beginning pilots. And then it has those foldable full-coverage propeller guards.

DJI says these are made of a lightweight and strong carbon fiber string that sees them only come in at 1/60th the weight of guards made with traditional polycarbonate material while maintaining the same stiffness and durability to ensure safe flights.

The camera is powered by a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor featuring Dual Native ISO Fusion, f/1.7 aperture, and 2.4μm 4-in-1 pixels, allowing users to capture 48MP photos with up to 4x zoom. It records HDR video at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, as well as supporting slow-motion recording at 4K/100fps and 10-bit D-Log M color mode. A 4:3-aspect-ratio CMOS sensor provides enough space for vertical crops while maintaining a 2.7k resolution, optimized for smartphone viewing and social media without any cropping needed.

Flight time is 31 minutes in ideal conditions, and it also features some of DJI’s rather nice newer features such as the 3D Infrared Sensing System that supports automatic braking even when flying at night, DJI O4 video transmission (up to 13 km at 1080p/60fps), and more.

As for those automated features, MasterShots allows the DJI Flip to automatically perform diverse camera movements, shoot multiple clips and edit with music, cuts, and effects for what DJI says is fast and simplified cinematic footage; there are four different Hyperlapse modes (4K horizontally or 2.7K vertically); FocusTrack encompasses ActiveTrack 4.0, Spotlight 2.0, and Point of Interest 3.0, three tools that do what they say on the tine; and Panorama supports shooting 180°, Wide Angle, Vertical, and Sphere panoramic photos to capture magnificent landscapes.

All this is designed to make being able to fly the drone and capture decent footage as easy as possible even for inexperienced pilots. And, having messed around with a previous generation drone, if that was the case over two years ago, it’s even more so now.

Pricing and availability

The DJI Flip is, as you would expect, available and shipping as of now.

DJI Flip retails for $439 / €439 / £369 

DJI Flip (DJI RC 2) retails for $639 / €639 / £549

DJI Flip Fly More Combo (DJI RC 2) retails for $779 / €779 / £659

tl;dr

• The DJI Flip weighs under 250 grams, allowing it to be flown without restrictions in most countries and making it ideal for vlogging and casual use.
• Priced at $439, it features a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, 4K/60p video recording, and foldable propeller guards made from carbon fiber for enhanced safety and durability.
• Flight time reaches up to 31 minutes, and it incorporates advanced features like MasterShots, FocusTrack, and automated panoramic modes for easy content creation.
• The drone supports DJI’s O4 video transmission with a range of up to 13 km at 1080p/60fps and includes a 3D Infrared Sensing System for nighttime safety.