DJI’s latest drone is one that literally flips and that’s why they called it the DJI Flip. It looks like the big brother of the recently launched DJI Neo, with all that propeller guard, in a slightly larger body but with the propellers being able to flip down with one on top of the other.
It’s a pretty clever design approach actually and one that still allows for a smaller footprint yet you get the benefits of a larger drone with bigger propellers.
This means the drone can carry a bigger battery, remain stable despite gusts of winds (up to 38kmph) and remain in the air for much longer (31 minutes).
The beauty of the Flip is that each propeller flips into the body, pointing downwards, starting with the rear and they stack on top of one another. Once folded, you reduce the dimensions to just 5.4 × 2.4 × 6.5 inches. This makes it easier for the drone to be stowed away and carry around with you wherever you go on trips.
Size comparison: DJI Flip, unfolded vs. the DJI Neo
Size comparison: DJI Flip, folded vs. the DJI Neo
In a way, the DJI Flip has some semblance with the smaller DJI Neo released a few months back, only this time it is more powerful and capable yet in a compact form factor.
You will also notice the legs are incorporated into the propeller guards on the front to give it some elevation and clearance from the ground. The drone also weighs just 249 grams, just a hair below the 250g registration requirements (see CAAP).
The review unit we have is the Fly More combo with comes with an RC2, two extra batteries and a charging cradle. The entire set, including the drone itself, fits into a nice carrying bag that weights under a kilo with everything tucked in it.
Let’s start by familiarizing ourselves with the drone itself. Out of the box, the device is folded with all the propellers sandwiched together. You unfold each one of the propellers with the built-in guards before setting up the drone. The battery is tucked into the upper part of the body around the rear end. It locks neatly along the sides so you can easily replace the battery any time.
The power button sits on one side while the USB Type-C port is tucked on the other side along with the microSD expansion slot. While the drone comes with an internal storage (2GB), it will easily fill it up when you are recording 4k @ 60fps videos.
And speaking of the camera, the DJI Flip comes with a single 48MP camera using a 1/1.3-inch sensor, 24mm equivalent lens and f/1.7 aperture. The camera is held by a 3-axis mechanical gimbal so you get the most stable shots even when the drone is flying at fast speeds or against strong winds in high altitudes.
Here are some sample photos we took using the camera. Take note that it will shoot at a native 12MP but you can set it to take 48MP images for better clarity, especially if you are taking wide landscape shots from above.
As mentioned earlier, the camera can also record videos with up to 4K resolution and 60fps.
Here are some sample clips we took from Boracay Island in Caticlan and in Natago Beach across Alubihod, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras.
Aerial shots have the same quality as the DJI Mini 4 Pro while close-up shots are comparable to the DJI Pocket 3. If you are looking to shoot clips for reels or Tiktok, the camera can be set to record cropped videos or vertical shots.
Aside from the main camera, it also has a front 3D Time of Flight (ToF) sensor which measures the distance between the sensor and an object by measuring how long it takes for light to reflect off the object and return to the sensor. This is used for navigation and obstacle avoidance of the drone.
On top of that, the drone also comes with visual and infrared sensors that adds to the navigation and help it avoid obstacles. In this case, obstacle avoidance is present in the forward and downward direction but none in the sideward direction.
The propeller guards also means you can operate the drone near crowds without the fear of harm or also use it indoors to protect the device even if it crashes.
Photos and video are stored in the 1.9GB internal storage but you can extend this via a microSD card (sold separately). The internal storage seems paltry compared to the 22GB of the DJI Neo but if you consider the fact that we added a 512GB Lexar microSD card in here, it will certainly last a lot longer until the storage is completely full.
A great companion of the DJI Flip is the RC2 (Remote Controller 2) which comes when you get the Fly More Combo.
While you can operate the drone using a smartphone with the DJI Fly app installed, it’s also great to the the RC2 because of its large screen and detachable joy sticks and exclusive connectivity with the drone.
Setting the drone up was a breeze. Simply install the DJI Fly app in your phone, pair the DJI Flip to activate the drone and then pair it with the RC2 instantly. Just like the DJI Neo, it can also perform palm launch. The DJI Flip automatically turns ON when you unfold the propellers.
In the past 3 weeks that we’ve been using the DJI Flip and taking it to several out-of-town trips (Boracay, Iloilo, Guimaras, Tarlac), we found it to be the best travel companion drone due to several factors:
- It’s lightweight and easy to carry around. With the carrying bag, we were able to easily bring it as an extra hand-carry on plane flights without any problem. That, plus the 2 extra batteries that should not be in the checked in bags anyway.
- Great camera quality that takes really good videos. This will add to your arsenal of video recording devices, especially if you are a travel junkie or a vlogger.
- Good range and stability. It survived the strong breeze of Boracay and Guimaras island, took stable shots at heights of around 200 meters high in the hills of Tarlac and the farthest we were able to get it to was around 250 meters. DJI claims a range of up to 14 kilometers but we don’t want to risk sending it too far that we could not recover it. Maybe next time, if the location allows for a hassle-free and safe retrieval.
- Great battery life. While DJI promises up to 31 minutes of flight on a single full charge, in our experience it is more like around 20 to 25 minutes due to other factors such as speed of the breeze and the recording time done with the drone itself. Nevertheless, the Fly More combo gives you 2 more batteries for an extended operation time. The Li-Ion battery is rated at 3,110mAh.
All-in-all, the DJI Flip is a fun and easy drone to use wherever we go on trips, especially if you get the Fly More combo. It combines its lightweight and compact size with a complete set of features you’d find from its bigger siblings in the DJI line-up.
We’ve had the DJI Neo and the Mavic 2 Pro (that we bought back in 2019) with us for some time but we find the DJI Flip to be the more compelling drone to frequently use among the three if you are after the balance of capabilities and features, plus the portability.
The DJI Flip is now available in DJI stores nationwide with a starting price of Php22,890 for the basic drone, Php32,890 for the RC3 combo and Php40,890 for the Fly More combo with RC2.
