First Impressions: DJI Flip – and its all good!

My DJI Flip, the Fly More Combo version, arrived today, and whilst I haven’t flown it yet, I thought I’d give my first impressions.

In The Box

Typically, the packaging is flawless with everything neatly protected in the, what feels slightly rubberised, plastic bags. In the box I received the drone of course and a controller (more on that in a minute) and three batteries plus an external charging unit.

It appears at this stage anyway, the Flip batteries are not interchangeable with any other DJI drones, but they are per usual, of the “smart” type that will discharge if not used.

Also included in the package were a USB-C charging cable, spare rotor blades and DJI has even thoughtfully included a screwdriver, plus a Quick Start guide and the mandatory warning notices.

All of this is contained in a simple but effective carry bag with a shoulder strap.

Once the drone was unpacked, it needed to be activated using the controller. Mine came with the RC-2 controller which has a few party tricks up its sleeve from earlier units (it also works with the standard RC-N3 model).

DJI says it has a new powerful processor for improved CPU and GPU performance on the inbuilt 5.5” FHD colour screen boasting 700 nits. There’s 32GB of onboard memory in the controller too.

Bluetooth is now supported by the way.

The transmission system is upgraded as well, to the new O4 version giving a transmission range of 14Km – a moot point as without licencing you have to keep the craft within line of sight in Australia at least. They boosted the antenna system too, effectively giving 4 antennas inside the twin housings.

DJI claim 31 minutes of flight time.

New Controller

All of this is under the bonnet, but the RC-2 unit has some major cosmetic and operational changes from earlier controllers too.

The row of LEDs along the top of the face of the controller which used to signify battery level now also has warnings built in via a multi colour LED. It’ll turn red on low battery for example, blue when processing and green on connection.

Some controls have changed, with a new return to home and brake button combo and buttons for record, plus zoom and dials for gimbal control and focus.

All in all a much better and easier unit to use in my opinion.

The Drone Proper

The actual drone has a familiar tilt and twist system for the arms, but instead of folding up against the body, on the Flip they remain in the vertical a bit like a Star Wars spaceship – maybe that was the inspiration.

The camera is a dual video / still unit capable of up to 4K / 60p video in HDR, processed by a 1/1.3” sensor, plus 48Mp photos. I mentioned zoom earlier; the lens has a 3x digital zoom at 4K, 4x at FHD and 3x in photo mode at 12Mp.

Colour modes available are Normal and D-Log in MP4.

Stabilisation on the gimbal is via 3-way mechanical for tilt, roll and pan.

For TikTokees, you can swap the orientation to vertical, and this will give you 3x at 2.7K and 4x at FHD.

In the past the camera and gimbal have been protected while in transit or packed away by a Perspex cover. The Flip takes this one step further with an extra rubber cover over the camera that sits under the Perspex one.

Unlike its little brother, the Neo, the Flip has some onboard sensors; there is a downward visual and infrared sensor plus a forward 3D Infrared Sensing System.

The whole drone with battery comes in under the “magic” 2540g at 249g.

Conclusion

On paper, specification wise, the Flip ticks all of the boxes for the new drone user. It feels like a proper drone too. This is not to say the Neo is a toy as it certainly is not and a remarkable little beast in its own right and environment, but if you are starting out and eventually decide to go for something more serious like a Mavic 3 Pro, the Flip is a fabulous starter to learn the ropes.

For many who do photography and video as a part time hobby, it is the perfect accessory, and even those who just want to “go fly” it fits that bill too.

The Flip in base form with the N3 controller is around the $699. The Fly More combo which is what I have is $1159 and these can be purchased straight from the DJI D1 store online at https://d1store.com.au/

Postscript

For those that wondered why I didn’t start flying immediately, this is due to the fact that from experience DJI products out of the box routinely need sizeable firmware updates to bring them up to the very latest spec, and depending on the time of day (it seems), this can take a while.

Today after writing this, I did manage a very quick fly of about 5 minutes and I am mightily impressed. The Flip is MUCH quieter than the Neo and I love the new controller. I have also revised my thoughts a little on who would benefit from a Flip. I’ll add anyone who has a more “serious” drone and just wants something they can play with for fun, but will also shoot some great video and photos if the opportunity arises.