DJI Flip drone review: Awesome design and user-friendly flying for beginners and vloggers
Scott Hocking
STACK Senior Editor
Drone specialists DJI continue to innovate with their latest offering, bringing the simplicity of the DJI Neo and the photographic capabilities of the DJI Mini to the eye-catching, foldable DJI Flip. We took it for a test fly.
At a glance
Unique foldable design
Six intelligent flight modes
AI subject tracking
Multiple control options
Advanced shooting modes
4K 60fps video capture
The DJI Flip shares many of the features of its smaller sibling, the Neo, while adding some premium perks such as advanced shooting modes and 4K 60fps video capture.
Perfect for beginners and frequent flyers alike, the Flip’s six intelligent flight modes enable drone newbies to get the hang of flight navigation, and confidently capture professional looking photos and videos.
Ultra-compact when folded and weighing less than 249g, the Flip is easy to operate and pitched as a selfie and vlogging drone. But once you’ve mastered its controls and capabilities, the sky is indeed the limit for what you can capture and create with this baby.
Out of the box
What’s immediately apparent when unboxing the Flip is its unique and eye-catching design. This is one cool looking drone, resembling a Star Wars droid when folded and an aerial craft from Avatar when the four propellers are unflipped.
The Flip is DJI’s first camera drone to feature foldable propellers complete with built-in guards for greater protection in the event of collisions.
We received the DJI Fly More Combo, which includes the Flip, DJI RC 2 controller, two backup batteries and charging hub, and a carry case with shoulder strap and handy internal pouch for accessories.
Set up involves simply scanning a QR code inside the box, downloading the DJI Fly app to your smartphone, and then following the prompts and video tutorials to activate the Flip and RC 2.
Smart flying
Just like the Neo, the Flip can be easily launched from your palm (or the ground) at the touch of a button on the side, enabling the automatic intelligent flight modes (aka QuickShots) – Dronie, Circle, Spotlight, Rocket, Helix, and Boomerang.
Precise AI tracking keeps the subject as the focal point, which is great for capturing action sports, or just taking a selfie.
But if you prefer manual control for more precision flying, the DJI RC 2 controller is a beauty, with a 5.5-inch HD 1080p display and multiple user-friendly control options.
Alternatively, the DJI Fly app offers easy smartphone control, with the advantage of voice commands, audio capture with noise filtering, and easy saving and sharing of footage.
Along with the aforementioned propeller guards, the Flip’s 3D infrared sensing system enables automatic braking and Return to Home, but obstacle avoidance is limited to whatever is directly in front of the drone.
On a full charge, the Flip can stay airborne for around 30 minutes, and travel a maximum flight distance of 14km.
Shoot like a pro
While the Flip’s automatic flight modes capture professional quality shots, those who want to get more creative and hands-on have a number of more advanced shooting modes to play with.
MasterShots enables more diverse camera movements automatically for shooting multiple clips, and adding music and effects for a more cinematic look.
Hyperlapse captures timelapse video footage up to 4K horizontally and 2.7K vertically, while Focus Track offers more creative ways to follow a subject.
Panorama shoots wide angle, vertical, sphere, and 180-degree photos. This was our favourite, with sphere a standout for its striking 3D landscape compositions.
The Flip’s camera has a three-axis mechanical gimbal to maintain stability and 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor featuring Dual Native ISO Fusion for capturing sharp 48MP photos, and video footage in 4K/60fps with HDR.
There is also the option to shoot slow motion in 1080p/100fps, and content creators can shoot vertical footage in a 4:3 ratio at 2.7K for easy cropping and formatting for smartphone displays and socials.
The overall image quality is good for a drone aimed at beginners, with lifelike depth and detail, and colours that really pop.
The bottom line
Sporting an awesome design and packed with user-friendly features and advanced shooting modes, the DJI Flip is a terrific drone for beginners and experienced flyers alike.
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