I recently spent some time with the DJI Flip, an all-in-one vlog camera drone for those in search of an affordable, yet high-quality drone option. Weighing in at less than 249g, the DJI Flip features foldable full-coverage propeller guards, giving you ultimate flight safety. This is obviously in line with DJI’s reputation for combining simplicity with high photo capabilities, the DJI Flip makes both aerial photography and close-up shots accessible for everyone and sits in the range sort of between the DJI NEO and the MINI, but more adjacent as its a far better “all in one” option than both.
As you can see here, the design is slightly bigger than the NEO but folded down, it is more compact.
Look & Feel
Unfolding the DJI Flip is an experience in itself. The full-coverage guard protects the propellers from potential damage, something a more amature pilot like myself was in desperate need of.
I have yet to meet a drone I haven’t managed to crash within the first minute, but that is a me problem, not a product issue. The Flip was the first, it took me at least two minutes but due to its safe design, we both came out unscathed!
The blade guard is manufactured from lightweight yet strong carbon fibre string, maintaining sturdiness while keeping the weight down, contributing to secure and worry-free flights. Looking at it, it gives off the impression of an “old-timey bicycle spoke”, but you can almost play it like a guitar string.
The design makes it an unusual feel for “palm take-off” but the manual example shows more of a pinch hold different to the Neo. Landing on the palm is less of an issue and naturally for me living in Queensland “Crashing in Palms” is always an option to ending the day’s flight.
In fact, if anything my kids said it looks like something that “Ghosty” (Ghost Spider / Gwen) would fly in “Spidey & His Amazing Friends”, so much so, I took this photo.
Seamless Aerial Photography
This sits in the range just above the recent DJI NEO release and so there are lots of feaures that give the DJI Flip an advantage over that device but also make it a far easier first-time user flying experience than some of the larger models.
One advantage is the storage capacity, with an option to add an SD card but also a 2 GB of inbuilt storage it has the best of both worlds, while not the 22 GB that the NEO has it is still 2GB better than the mini, but that’s just a good backup in case you leave your SD cards at home.
With its compact form, it requires no special training, making it the perfect travel companion on any adventure, it’s essentially a VLogging drone, so in its most basic form, you can just tap the mode button to select from six intelligent shooting modes, capture stunning footage, and keep your subject in frame with AI Subject Tracking. It’s my favourite thing to demo and it feels like it’s a page straight out of the future.
High-Quality Imaging
The DJI Flip boasts a high-dynamic 48MP camera, capturing finer details in highlights and shadows. It also features a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, f/1.7 aperture, 2.4μm 4-in-1 pixels, and Dual Native ISO Fusion. Its next-gen SmartPhoto combines HDR imaging, scene recognition, and more to produce striking images.
The DJI Flip also records HDR video at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, offering true-to-life quality footage. Slow-motion recording at 4K/100fps, 10-bit D-Log M colour mode, and 4:3-aspect-ratio CMOS sensor are additional features aimed at creating professional-grade content optimized for smartphone viewing and social media platforms.
Not that I need it but there’s an impressive auto-beautification through the DJI app on your export, like I said.. for you, not me, I’m fine.
Advanced Shooting Features
The DJI Flip’s intelligent shooting features include MasterShots, Hyperlapse, FocusTrack, and Panorama modes. These advanced tools allow users to capture cinematic footage, timelapse videos, panoramic photos, and creative subject tracking pretty effortlessly.
Due to its power I never felt worried about the device in more challenging conditions as I did with the DJI Neo, the design feels more ready for what nature with through at it (without being ridiculous) in a way that the Neo (as good as that drone is) felt a bit more like a “hope for a nice clear day” or “hover close and film me” drone.
Added Highlights
With DJI Flip, fly up to an impressive 31 minutes uninterrupted, thanks to the Intelligent Flight Battery. The drone also includes an automatic braking feature for enhanced safety, as well as fast charging and data transfers with the DJI Flip Parallel Charging Hub and DJI Fly app. This all goes towards making the overall experience of getting and sharing your footage a really seamless operation. The model I tested was the Fly More pack that included the extra batteries and RC-2 remote with screen, it all packs away neatly into a bag and is surprisingly quick to get out and operate compared to the device’s larger siblings.
Special mention also has to go out to the extra accessories available like the DJI Flip ND Filter Set which you can pick up for $79 and is worth every penny as it allows you to capture the best images in brighter environments while maintaining better shutter speeds, giving you gorgeous clear images all of the time. Plus they are just fun to swap in and out and see what they do.
Choose Your Own Adventure
The choice of how far you want to nerd-out with operations is up to you with a device like the DJI Flip. You can use the drone with or without the remote controller. Connect it to your phone and use Voice Control for hands-free flying. Its intelligent noise reduction feature ensures the audio captured is clear of propeller noise and when paired with a DJI Mic 2 it’s like having a personal camera person.
The DJI Flip is the most recommendable drone available now for first time users and experts alike, with prices starting at $699 AUD and goes up to $1159 for the Fly More Combo (which is the best option in my opinion).
DJI continues to lead the drone industry by offering affordable, high-quality drones with impressive features, while at the same time driving innovation through the ceiling with amazing AI technology.
I loved the experience of the compact simplicity and performance of the DJI Flip with it’s ability to create stunning aerial shots and still being in a price range that is acceptable for this level of technology. It feels like they have made a list of everything a normal modern consumer is afraid of when dipping thier toe into the world of drones and devised a solution and that’s a good thing, because the more people around the world capturing gorgeous landscapes the better my personal social feed looks when I’m scrolling at night.
Doccy Darko
