I love a good drone, and as a reviews writer at Tom's Guide, I get to test the latest creations from the likes of DJI, Potensic and others. With the launch of the DJI Neo and the DJI Air 3S, the tech giant had a busy 2024, and it shows no signs of slowing down. On January 14, the DJI Flip was unveiled, but I got to fly it for a full month before the official announcement. If you've been holding back on buying a drone, the time has come — trust me, you'll regret not getting this flippin' fantastic drone.
The pro-level Air 3S ($1,099) remains my favorite drone and it brings me unbridled joy, but the Flip comes in close in second place. For beginners or novice pilots, it's a great investment thanks to its safety-first, sub-250g design. There's much to like about this drone: from its shooting specs to how easy it is to fly, even without a controller.
Flying the Flip has been a lot of fun and it has made me a better drone pilot too. If you're umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether you should get the Flip, I'm here to help make that decision easier for you: yes, you should. If you need more convincing, let me take you through the reasons why the Flip is the ultimate drone for beginners.
Safety first!
The DJI Flip has borrowed styling cues from its smaller sibling, the DJI Neo ($199). Just like the Neo, it's fitted with propeller guards which protect the drone from any damage (if you crash sideways into a tree, for example) but they protect humans too. The blades used by these drones may seem blunt when they're stationery but when they're spinning, it can be very dangerous to try and touch them. Having propeller guards means you can safely land the drone next to you in a tight space, or even land it on your palm.
DJI Flip: Palm landing - YouTube
That's right, the Flip features palm takeoff and landing which is a very nifty feature — and looks quite cool, almost like your pet bird coming back to you. This isn't me humanizing tech... or maybe it is. I did it with the Neo too, and noted that I'd grown quite attached to it!
Like I said: flippin' fantastic
DJI Flip: Sample footage 2 - YouTube
Pardon the pun. The DJI Flip is a sweet, sweet drone boasting fantastic shooting specs. A 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor shoots detailed 48MP stills while the three-axis mechanical gimbal keeps footage stable. Speaking of, you can shoot either 4K/60fps or Full HD/100fps video — and you can see how the former looks above. The video is stable even though it was windy (the Flip is resistant to winds up to 10.7 m/s), colors have been reproduced faithfully, and everything looks sharp.
DJI Flip: FPV sample footage - YouTube
Now, if you want to have more fun with your Flip and actually feel like you're in the cockpit, why not toggle FPV Mode? By default, DJI drones are set to Follow Mode which keeps the video steady and the horizon horizontal as the gimbal compensates for aircraft tilt and pitch. But you can change this to FPV Mode, where the gimbal will move freely with the drone's movements — the image will tilt when the drone rolls. This mode is perfect for those who want to do some aerial tricks and skills, and — dare I say — do some flips. You can see a taster above.
This would be far more fun with an FPV headset but at the time of writing, the Flip isn't compatible with any existing DJI Goggles — I really hope this changes in the future. I'm currently testing the DJI Goggles N3 for the Neo and I have to say, it's ridiculously fun. Keep your eyes peeled for my review but in the meantime, check out my colleague Paul Antill flying the DJI Avata 2 here.
Best of both worlds
DJI Flip: Sample footage 4 - YouTube
The DJI Flip is the drone you should have waited for. If you bought the DJI Neo when it came out in September 2024, good for you: that's a good drone. But if you're still on the hunt for one, get the Flip. It combines the safety features of the Neo and some of the DJI Mini 4 Pro's pro-level specs. Just remember that the Flip is much cheaper than the Mini 4 Pro ($759) so while you lose out on some advanced tracking features, you gain the ability to fly it without a controller (just use the DJI Fly app on your smartphone or toggle a QuickShot mode via the drone itself) and propeller guards.
The Flip starts at $439 at DJI U.S. / £369 at Amazon U.K. and goes up to $779 / £659 depending on the Fly More combo you choose.
I could keep on about why the Flip is a great place to start but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so how about five pictures instead? The gallery above includes a few sample shots I've taken on my Flip, and I love them all. I've found the drone very easy to fly, and landing in tight spaces hasn't been an issue as I don't have to worry about the propellers accidentally nicking me.
Given its mid-range price, the Flip is perfect for beginners and even those looking to step up from older drones or the Neo. But regardless of the propeller guards, be careful as the Flip features only forward-facing obstacle avoidance. And remember, the propeller guards will mean nothing if you drop your own guard.
More from Tom's Guide
- DJI Flip review: This IS the drone you’re looking for
- The DJI Air 3S is the one drone I’d buy with my own money — here’s why it brings me unbridled joy
- Just got a drone? 9 aerial photography tips from a licensed drone pilot
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