DJI Flip, Drone With 4K UHD Camera for Adults, Under 249 g, 3-Axis Gimbal Stabilization, 13km Video Transmission, Palm Takeoff, Auto Return, 1 Battery for 31-Min Flight Time, Intelligent Flight

This is the first new drone I've purchased in a while. I've been using my Phantom 3 and Phantom 4 for many years, and I've had so many great times filming with them, but there's always been a few things that bugged me, barriers to flying I guess you could say.The Flip has solved some of those issues for me.Starting with it's size, the Flip can fit in the front pocket of my jumper, or easily into a backpack. It makes getting it around so much easier. No more having to take the big case in the car.Setting up is super easy too. Just flip it open and it's automatically on. I can take off without a remote if I want, and it'll just follow me around. Quite different from the phantoms, adding props, finding a flat take off and landing space, setting up the remote, setting up the phone to connect to the remote...Weight class - With the flip only being 249 grams, it relaxes some of the rules around where I can and can't fly. With the Phantom, if I track my self on the bike, and cross paths with someone, I'm supposed to bring the drone down, or keep it 50m away from them. With the flip, I can just leave it doing it's thing. It comes under the same weight category as a toy, but isn't technically classed as a toy because of it's camera.Speaking of camera, this thing really puts out some amazing video for its size. One of the fall backs of the DJI Neo, and ultimately the reason I didn't get one of those was because the video is quite a step back. The Phantom 3 is over 10 years old at this point, but even it makes the Neo footage look rough. That wasn't going to work for me, I needed something on par, and the Flip does that. There are ND filters and other kinds of attachable lenses for the Flip, and these can help take the footage up a notch.Flight time is superb as well. I usually stop my flights at around 25 - 30% battery, and that means I get about 20 minutes per charge, give or take. Of course, you'll get more if you want to use that last bit of the battery. I'd recommend getting extra batteries and stopping sooner, your batteries will thank you for it and they will live longer.Stability in the wind is good here, but it's not invincible. I had it out in some 19mph winds, with gusts being a little higher, and it handled itself. The body was sitting at a near 45 degree angle fighting the wind, but it was doing it, and the footage still looked stable. I don't normally fly in windy conditions, but I did test my drones when I first got them, and did the same here because I wanted to get a physical feel for what it can and can't manage.The range is just what I need. I don't push the limits of what is advertised on this, but I do take note of the signal strength and video feed stability when I'm sending it far out. I've gone to 1.5 miles in line of sight and had no issues with the connection. I think that's about as far as I'd brave it, but I think it could do a good bit more. One thing worth noting is that when connecting using only a phone, the range is fairly limited. This is due to it being powered by Wifi.The Automated flight modes are great. I enjoy the follow me mode. It's reliable, and also safest due to the drone being able to stop when there's an obstacle. It'll follow your path and keep you in view. There's other modes light dronie, spotlight, and more. There's a custom mode that can be changed in the app, and this is where direction track is found. Direction track is the coolest mode I think. It works in the same way as the follow mode, but instead of being behind the user, it stays in the direction it started in. If it starts in front of you, it tries to stay there, if it starts beside you, it'll try and stay there. It can be a little unpredictable sometimes though, so I'd recommend this one be used in an open space.I think the DJI Flip offers the best balance of features of all the DJI drones. It has the simplicity of the Neo, fast and fun, the autonomy of a blogging drone, a great camera, and a long range remote control. If you're looking to step into the world of drones for the first time, I think this is the drone you should go for.

If, like me, you were thinking about buying your first drone, and were torn about which one to buy, let me assure you. Just get this one. The camera is the same as the one inside the DJI Mini 4 Pro, but costs about half of that drone. It's about the same price as the DJI Mini 3, but is newer, with a better camera. And yes, it's more expensive than the DJI Neo, but this has a significantly better camera, with 4k footage and a 3 axis gimble.It has prop guards to keep things a bit safer and to protect from damage. Yes, this means it's not quite so capable in the wind, but as a first drone, would you really want to use it very strong winds? And yes, it's a bit noiser than others, but not a deal breaker.Great, built in quick shots, mean you can quickly (about 20 seconds) get this thing in the air to capture some footage of you or your family, without the need for a controller. It's so easy to use.Good flight time, again, plenty for your first drone, but extra batteries are available.Honestly, if you are after your first drone, that can actually record cinematic footage, and capture RAW photographs, don't overthink it, and get this. You won't be disappointed.

Not going to bore anyone with a long review - look online for youtube reviews - there are tonnes.In short, I'm very impressed with this drone - it is lightweight sub 250 g (249g) so it makes it less restrictive to fly than heavier drones, but you'll still need to register it to fly in the UK and use an independent app to check for areas that are closed to drone flying.Fly More Pack was definitely worth it - so too is the DJI insurance for losing or damaging the drone, which no one seems to mention, especially if you're new to DJI drones. So factor a little more cash into the registration and insurance.Drone is not as loud as I was worried it would be - casued mainly because the rotor blades are encased by a cover which generates more buzz - it's technically louder than the Neo but the Flip sounds quieter - doesn't make the same irritating sound - but it's not as a quiet as an open propeller drone - so if that's important to you, bear that in mind.Battery flight time is decent - fluctuates depending on wind, but I was getting close to 30 minutes operating time when it was calmer and was doing a lot of hover shots - less if I'm zipping the drone around a lot to cover a ton of distance.The RC2 controller which is optional is excellent and boosts the range of the drone significantly - it's not cheap but can be used with other DJI drones if you decide to upgrade the flip later and not having to use your phone means you can make sure the RC2 is juiced up withot having to worry you'll be disturbed mid flight by calls or having to sacrifice taking calls while flying if necessary.Anyways, really happy with the FLIP, so if you're on the fence and not aesthetically shallow as it looks quite different and less streamline compared to say the Mini 4 Pro - despite having the same camera processor ability - images and video are excellent and the self filming modes are more than sufficient for vlogger requirements.

Good control paried with the RC 2 controller and battery life is decent. It is noisy and the IR collision sensor on the front is not very accurate. Seems to take better pictures / video than my Mini 3 but it does wobble a bit more in the wind. I wish DJI offered a drone only version as every drone comes with yet another basic RC controller for your phone that you dont need! Hope for an upgrade firmware to make it comptible with the FPV googles I have for the Neo. If you can run to the considerable extra cost buy the Mini 4 pro.