We’ve been patiently waiting for the announcement of DJI’s new product line, Neo, and with the rumored date set to be announced tomorrow and Jasper Ellens reporting a game-changing leak, here’s a recap of everything we know so far about the DJI Neo drone.

After the huge popularity of previous “flying cameras”, DJI seems to be challenging the competition with its product version. The product, called DJI Neo, is aimed at novice pilots or anyone looking for a user-friendly and compact system to take a few photos and videos during an excursion.

However, it will not be an exact copy of the failed Snap Pixy or the popular HoverAir X1, because after all, this is DJI, which makes drones, not flying cameras.

The latest leak came today from Jasper Ellens, who shared screenshots from an Australian store showing everything the DJI Neo will be able to do, including:

• 4K video at 30 fps (1/2-inch sensor, single-axis gimbal)
• 22 GB internal memory
• Automatic takeoffs and landings from the palm of your hand
• Quickshot photo and video modes
• Voice control
• Remote controlled flight with nothing but your phone
• Compatibility with the not yet released RC-N3 controller
• Manual FPV flight when using FPV and Motion 3 controllers and goggles
• AI tracking algorithms
• Level 4 wind resistance and stabilized images/videos
• Compatibility with DJI Mic 2 for rotor-free audio
• 18 minutes flight time (supposedly enough for 20 flights)
• $299 (AUD) price tag for possibly standard package

It doesn’t look like DJI held back when given the chance to compete with HoverAir for the title of “flying cameras.” Although HoverAir only recently announced its X1 Pro and Pro Max products, the only area where it can compete is in video resolution, offering 8K 30 fps and 4k 120 fps video.

For me, the two most game-changing features are the 22GB of storage and support for Mic 2 via the Fly app. Unless you’re in an emergency situation and all your SD cards are either full or left at home, it almost never occurs to a pilot to use the drone’s internal storage. The Mavic 3 Pro, Classic and Air 3 have 8GB of internal storage, not to mention the almost useless 2GB of storage on the Mini 4 Pro. Unless you’re flying the Mavic 3 Cine with its 1TB of internal storage, this is rarely a competitive spec that customers are looking for.

However, according to Ellens, there are no plans for DJI Neo to support SD cards of any kind, so the 22 GB storage is a necessity. Perhaps this is the start of 32 GB SSDs being built into all DJI products in the future? (PLEASE!)

A second feature I think is worth mentioning is the Mic 2. According to the listing, you can connect your Mic 2 to the Neo via the Fly app, allowing for synchronized audio for vlogs. It also mentions the ability to have rotor-free audio when filming low-altitude videos with the Neo.

I think this feature highlights the market DJI is trying to target with the Neo. Small developers who haven’t grown big enough to hire editors yet, or those who just want to share an adventure with friends and family, don’t want to have to deal with syncing audio in editing software.

This market used to be focused on purchasing DJI’s mini range of drones, but even these are now much more expensive and overly complicated for those who just need a few short videos to post on Instagram or TikTok.

No event announcement yet…

The original leaked announcement date was set for August 20, which is tomorrow. However, DJI has not yet posted any event announcements on its social platforms.

This likely means that DJI will either not announce any new products tomorrow or the product will only be available in China. This wouldn’t be the first time DJI has left the world on hold while it conducts the launch of a new product overseas.

We saw this with the FlyCart and most of the company’s agricultural drones, but both eventually became available in the rest of the world. Given the increasing popularity of the HoverAir X1 in China compared to outside, it might also make sense to make it available only there first before rolling it out everywhere.

It also doesn’t help that many “Western” countries are currently not particularly open to Chinese drone manufacturers, especially here in the United States.