Remember Duracell’s PowerCheck? The idea was that a strip built into the battery would show if the battery was good or not. Sure, you could always get a meter or a dedicated battery tester — but PowerCheck put the tester right in the battery. [Technology Connections] has an interesting video on how these worked and why you don’t see them today. You can see it below.

Duracell didn’t invent the technology. The patent belonged to Kodak, and there were some patent issues, too, but the ones on the Duracell batteries used the Kodak system. In practice, you pushed two dots on the battery, and you could see a color strip that showed how much capacity the battery had left. It did this by measuring the voltage and assuming that the cell’s voltage would track its health. It also assumed — as is clearly printed on the battery — that you were testing at 70 degrees F.

The temperature was important because the secret to the PowerCheck is a liquid crystal that turns color as it gets hot. When you press the dots, the label connects a little resistor, causing the crystals to get warm. The video shows the label taken apart so you can see what’s inside of it. The resistor isn’t linear so that’s how it changes only part of the bar to change color when the battery is weak but not dead.

It is a genius design that is simple enough to print on a label for an extremely low cost and has virtually no components. PowerCheck vanished from batteries almost as suddenly as it appeared. Some of it was due to patent disputes. But the video purports that normal people don’t really test batteries.

Watch out for old batteries in gear. Of course, if you want to really test batteries, you are going to need more equipment.

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Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners

The Natural History Museum has announced the winners of its prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. This year, the museum received a record-breaking 59,228 entries from 117 countries and territories and granted awards to 100 photos. The two Grand Title winners were selected from 18 category winners.

Celebrating its 60th year, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. You can visit the exhibition in person at the museum beginning Friday, October 11, and on tour around the UK and in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, with more locations to be announced. The exhibition features all 100 winning images, videos showing the impact wildlife photography can have globally, and past Grand Title winners.

Here, we present some of our favorites, including the Grand Title and winners of many award categories.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Grand Title

The Swarm of Life by Shane Gross, Canada
Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Grand Title
Winner, Wetlands: The Bigger Picture

Shane Gross looks under the surface layer of lily pads as a mass of western toad tadpoles swim past. Shane snorkeled in the lake for several hours through carpets of lily pads. This prevented any disturbance of the fine layers of silt and algae covering the lake bottom, which would have reduced visibility. Western toad tadpoles swim up from the safer depths of the lake, dodging predators and trying to reach the shallows, where they can feed. The tadpoles start becoming toads between four and 12 weeks after hatching. An estimated 99% will not survive to adulthood.

Location: Cedar Lake, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

Technical details: Nikon D500 + Tokina fisheye 10–17mm F3.5–4.5 lens at 11mm; 1/200 at F13; ISO 640; 2x Sea & Sea strobes; Aquatica housing

Copyright Shane Gross / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Grand Title

Life Under Dead Wood by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas, Germany
Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Grand Title
Winner, 15-17 Years

Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas rolls a log over to see the fruiting bodies of slime mold and a tiny springtail. Alexis worked fast to take this photograph, as springtails can jump many times their body length in a split second. He used a technique called focus stacking, where 36 images, each with a different area in focus, are combined. Springtails are barely two millimeters long (less than a tenth of an inch). They are found alongside slime molds and leaf litter all over the world. They feed on microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, improving soil by helping organic matter to decompose.

Location: Berlin, Germany

Technical details: Panasonic Lumix G91 + Laowa 25mm F2.8; 2.5–5x ultra macro lens; 1/200 at F4; ISO 200; Nikon SB-900 Speedlight flash; Cygnustech macro diffuser; focus stack of 36 images

Copyright Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner: Urban Wildlife

Tiger in Town by Robin Darius Conz, Germany
Winner, Urban Wildlife

Robin Darius Conz watches a tiger on a hillside against the backdrop of a town where forests once grew. Robin was following this tiger as part of a documentary team filming the wildlife of the Western Ghats. On this day, he used a drone to watch the tiger explore its territory before it settled in this spot. The protected areas in the Western Ghats, where tigers are carefully monitored, are some of the most biodiverse landscapes in India and have a stable population of tigers. Outside these areas, where development has created conflict between humans and wildlife, tiger occupancy has declined.

Location: Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India

Technical details: DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine + 70mm F2.8 lens; 1/15 at F2.8; ISO 400

Copyright Robin Darius Conz / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, Behavior: Birds

Practice Makes Perfect by Jack Zhi, USA
Winner, Behavior: Birds

Jack Zhi enjoys watching a young falcon practicing its hunting skills on a butterfly above its sea-cliff nest. Jack has been visiting this area for the past eight years, observing the constant presence of one of the birds and photographing the chicks. On this day, it was a challenge to track the action because the birds were so fast. Should this young peregrine falcon make it to adulthood, tests have shown it will be capable of stooping or dropping down on its prey from above at speeds of more than 300 kilometers per hour (186 miles per hour).

Location: Los Angeles, California, USA

Technical details: Sony α9 II + 600mm F4 lens; 1/4000 at F5.6; ISO 640

Copyright Jack Zhi / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, Oceans: The Bigger Picture

A Diet of Deadly Plastic by Justin Gilligan, Australia
Winner, Oceans: The Bigger Picture

Justin Gilligan (Australia) creates a mosaic from the 403 pieces of plastic found inside the digestive tract of a dead flesh-footed shearwater. Justin has been documenting Adrift Lab’s work for several years, often joining them on beach walks at dawn to collect dead chicks. The team brings together biologists from around the world to study the impact of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems. Studies found that three-quarters of adult flesh-footed shearwaters breeding on Lord Howe Island – and 100% of fledglings – contained plastic. The team, including a Natural History Museum scientist, discovered it causes scarring to the lining of the digestive tract, a condition called plasticosis.

Location: Lord Howe Island, New South Wales, Australia

Technical details: Nikon D850 + 24–70mm F2.8 lens; 1/125 at F11; ISO 400; Profoto B10 + A1 flash

Copyright Justin Gilligan / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, Behavior: Invertebrates

The Demolition Squad by Ingo Arndt, Germany
Winner, Behavior: Invertebrates

Ingo Arndt documents the efficient dismemberment of a blue ground beetle by red wood ants. ‘Full of ant’ is how Ingo described himself after lying next to the ants’ nest for just a few minutes. Ingo watched as the red wood ants carved an already dead beetle into pieces small enough to fit through the entrance to their nest. Much of the red wood ants’ nourishment comes from honeydew secreted by aphids, but they also need protein. They are capable of killing insects and other invertebrates much larger than themselves through sheer strength in numbers.

Location: Hessen, Germany

Technical details: Canon EOS 5DS R + 100mm F2.8 lens; 1/200 at F8; ISO 400; Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX flash; softboxes

Copyright Ingo Arndt / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, Photojournalism

Dusting for New Evidence by Britta Jaschinski, Germany/UK
Winner, Photojournalism

Britta Jaschinski looks on as a crime scene investigator from London’s Metropolitan Police dusts for prints on a confiscated tusk. Britta spent time at the CITES Border Force department, where confiscated animal products are tested. Newly developed magnetic powder allows experts to obtain fingerprints from ivory up to 28 days after it was touched, increasing the chances of identifying those involved in its illegal trade. The International Fund for Animal Welfare has distributed more than 200 specially created kits to border forces from 40 countries. They have been instrumental in four cases that resulted in 15 arrests.

Location: Heathrow Airport, London, England, UK

Technical details: Leica SL2 + 24–90mm F2.8–4 lens at 62mm; 1/80 at F3.8; ISO 200

Copyright Britta Jaschinski / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, 11-14 Years

An Evening Meal by Parham Pourahmad, USA
Winner, 11-14 Years

Parham Pourahmad watches as the last rays of the setting sun illuminate a young Cooper’s hawk eating a squirrel. Over a single summer, Parham visited Ed R Levin County Park most weekends to take photographs. He wanted to showcase the variety of wildlife living within a busy metropolitan city and to illustrate that ‘nature will always be wild and unpredictable’. The Cooper’s hawk is a common species across southern Canada, the USA, and central Mexico, where it inhabits mature and open woodlands. These adaptable birds also live in urban spaces, where there are tall trees to nest in and bird feeders that attract smaller birds, which they can prey on.

Location: Ed R Levin County Park, California, USA

Technical details: Nikon D3500 + Sigma 150–600mm F5-6.3 lens at 210mm; 1/400 at F6.3; ISO 800

Copyright Parham Pourahmad / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, Animals in their Environment

Frontier of the Lynx by Igor Metelskiy, Russia
Winner, Animals in their Environment

Igor Metelskiy shows a lynx stretching in the early evening sunshine, its body mirroring the undulating wilderness. The remote location and changing weather conditions made access to this spot – and transporting equipment there – a challenge. Igor positioned his camera trap near the footprints of potential prey. It took more than six months of waiting to achieve this relaxed image of the elusive lynx. A survey carried out in 2013 estimated the entire Russian lynx population was around 22,500 individuals, with numbers for the Russian Far East, including those in Primorsky Krai, at 5,890.

Location: Lazovsky District, Primorsky Krai, Russia

Technical details: Sony α7 IV + 24–70mm F2.8 lens; 1/500 at F5.6; ISO 100; Scout camera controller + PIR motion sensor

Copyright Igor Metelskiy / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, Impact Award

Recording by Hand by Liwia Pawłowska, Poland
Winner, Impact Award

Liwia Pawłowska watches as a relaxed common whitethroat is gently held by a bird ringer. Liwia is fascinated by bird ringing and has been photographing ringing sessions since she was nine. She says that she hopes her photograph ‘helps others to get to know this topic better.’ Volunteers can assist trained staff at bird-ringing sessions, where a bird’s length, sex, condition and age are recorded. Data collected helps scientists to monitor populations and track migratory patterns, aiding conservation efforts.

Location: Rgielsko, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland

Technical details: Nikon Coolpix P900; 1/400 at F5; ISO 100

Copyright Liwia Pawlowska / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, Impact Award

Hope for the Ninu by Jannico Kelk, Australia
Winner, Impact Award

Jannico Kelk illuminates a ninu, with the wire grass and shrubs behind it providing a frame against the darkness. Jannico spent each morning walking the sand dunes of a conservation reserve, searching for footprints that this rabbit-sized marsupial may have left the night before. Finding tracks near a burrow, he set up his camera trap. The greater bilby has many Aboriginal names, including ninu. It was brought to near extinction through predation by introduced foxes and cats. Within fenced reserves where many predators have been eradicated, the bilby is thriving.

Location: Arid Recovery, Roxby Downs, South Australia, Australia

Technical details: Canon EOS 60D + 24mm F2.8 lens; 1/80 at F9; ISO 320; 3x Nikon SB-28 Speedlight flashes; Camtraptions PIR motion sensor

Copyright Jannico Kelk / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, Behavior: Amphibians and Reptiles

Wetland Wrestle by Karine Aigner, USA
Winner, Behavior: Amphibians and Reptiles

Karine Aigner recognizes the skin of a yellow anaconda as it coils itself around the snout of a yacaré caiman. The tour group Karine was leading had stopped to photograph some marsh deer when she noticed an odd shape floating in the water. Through binoculars, Karine quickly recognized the reptiles and watched as they struggled with each other. Caimans are generalist feeders and will eat snakes. As anacondas get larger, they will include reptiles in their diet. It’s hard to determine who is the aggressor here. On the snake’s back are two tabanids, blood-sucking horseflies that are known to target reptiles.

Location: Transpantaneira Highway, Mato Grosso, Brazil

Technical details: Sony α1 + 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 lens; 1/400 at F16; ISO 800

Copyright Karine Aigner / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, Animal Portraits

On Watch by John E Marriott, Canada
Winner, Animal Portraits

John E Marriott frames a lynx resting, with its fully grown young sheltering from the cold wind behind it. John had been tracking this family group for almost a week, wearing snowshoes and carrying light camera gear to make his way through snowy forests. When fresh tracks led him to the group, he kept his distance to make sure he didn’t disturb them. Lynx numbers usually reflect the natural population fluctuations of their main prey species, the snowshoe hare. With climate change reducing snow coverage, giving other predators more opportunities to hunt the hares, hare populations may decline, in turn affecting the lynx population.

Location: Yukon, Canada

Technical details: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV + 100–400mm fF.5–5.6 lens at 400mm; 1/800 at F9; ISO 1250

Copyright John E Marriott / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, Photojournalist Story Award

Dolphins of the Forest by Thomas Peschak, Germany/South Africa
Winner, Photojournalist Story Award

‘Among the Trees’: The Amazon river dolphin is one of two freshwater dolphin species living in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Only this species has evolved to explore the seasonally flooded forest habitat.

Portfolio Story: Thomas Peschak documents the relationship between endangered Amazon river dolphins, also known as botos or pink river dolphins, and the people with whom they share their watery home. The Amazon river dolphin’s relationship with humans is complex. Traditional Amazonian beliefs hold that the dolphins can take on human form, and they are both revered and feared. Others see them as thieves who steal fish from nets and should be killed. Thomas took these images in areas where local communities are creating opportunities for tourists to encounter the dolphins. This brings another set of problems: when they’re fed by humans, the dolphins become unhealthy, and younger individuals don’t learn to hunt for themselves.

Technical details: Nikon Z9 + 14–30mm F4 lens at 16mm; 1/320 at F6.3; ISO 1250

Location: Brazil and Colombia

Copyright Thomas Peschak/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner, Rising Star Portfolio Award

The Serengeti of the Sea by Sage Ono, USA
Winner, Rising Star Portfolio Award

‘Rubies and Gold’: These tube-snout fish eggs will fade in color as the embryos develop. But for now, they sparkle like gems next to the kelp’s gold, glowing, gas-filled buoyancy aids. The green serrated edges of the kelp fronds complete the simple composition.

Portfolio Story: Sage Ono explores the abundant life around the giant kelp forests in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Inspired by the stories told by his grandfather, a retired marine biologist, and by a photograph of a larval cusk eel, Sage acquired a compact underwater camera and decided to take up underwater photography. After university, he moved to the coast near the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to pursue his interest. Here, it’s the submerged world of the bay’s forests of giant kelp – the biggest of all seaweeds – and the diversity of life they contain that have captured his imagination.

Technical details: Nikon D850 + 60mm F2.8 lens; 1/160 at F14; ISO 250; Nauticam NA-D850 housing; 2x Sea & Sea YS-D2J strobes

Location: California, USA

Copyright Sage Ono / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

When DJI revealed its tiny $200 Neo drone, I immediately saw how it could fit into my vlogger’s toolkit to supplement my Mini 4 Pro and Mavic 3 Pro. Flying those sophisticated drones is a whole thing that requires planning. But the Neo can be launched spontaneously to grab quick and fun shots, thanks to features like palm takeoff and voice control. That ease of use also makes it ideal for the social media influencers.

Though beginner-friendly, it’s quite powerful. You get features from DJI’s bigger drones like ActiveTrack, FPV capabilities and even support for DJI’s Mic 2. And forget about the fuzzy video you may have seen on other cheap drones. The Neo can record in sharp 4K, making it suitable for content creators who need affordable aerial video.

It’s not perfect though, as the Neo is noisy and lacks vertical video, something influencers will likely want. Still, it looked like the kind of product that could appeal to all types of people, even creators like myself who already have multiple drones. To see how it performed, we put it through a variety of scenarios from events to weddings — and even flying just for fun.

Design and features

With a softly sculpted design and protective propeller guards, the Neo gives off safe, friendly vibes. It’s DJI’s lightest drone by far at 135 grams, less than half the Mini 4’s heft, and is small enough to fit into a large jacket pocket. The device’s diminutive size also means it’s exempt from any drone license requirements.

The Neo has a rich feature set, but all you need to start flying is your hand. Simply place the Neo in your palm, press the new mode button at front and it’ll take off and perform one of six preprogrammed “smart shots.” Those are Follow (the drone tracks and follows you around), Dronie (it starts tight on your face then flies up and away from you), Circle (flies around you), Rocket (starts at face level and flies straight up), Spotlight (keeps you centered in the frame but doesn’t move) and Direction Track (for vlogging). After you complete the shot, stick out your hand under the Neo to land it.

Another great option for newbies is voice control, which lets you fly and record video by speaking into the Fly More app. I wasn’t able to try this feature in my initial hands-on tests, but it has now been enabled via a firmware update. You can either tap on the voice button to say a command or enable the wake word settings. Then, you can just say, “Hey Fly” to activate it.

Steve Dent for Engadget

For instance, saying the word “dronie” will activate the dronie flight pattern and start recording. You can then change parameters using commands like “closer,” “farther” and “higher.” It also includes the safety commands “land,” “stop” and “brake.”

The setting is a great way to give users some control over the social media-oriented quick shots without the need to touch a controller. It was straightforward to set up, and I found that it responded quickly and reliably to my commands. However, you’ll need to keep the phone’s mic close to your mouth when the Neo is nearby, or the propeller wailing will drown out your voice.

Steve Dent for Engadget

The Neo is also DJI’s first drone that can be piloted using a smartphone alone. Switching the app into manual mode brings up a touch screen with full maneuvering controls. It also offers a camera/video mode and return-to-home toggle. There’s a serious caveat to using it, though, as I’ll detail shortly. For more serious piloting, the Neo supports multiple DJI controllers (sold separately), including the RC N3 model that requires a smartphone. You can even use it as an FPV drone with DJI’s RC Motion 3 and DJI Goggles 3. Those controllers offer most of the features available on other DJI camera drones, like cinema, normal and sport modes, along with auto and manual video settings.

What you won’t see are any obstacle detection sensors, which is one reason the Neo is so cheap. The only crash protection measures are the camera’s subject detection AI, a downward facing IR landing sensor and a rugged design that resists minor accidents.

As for storage, there’s no microSD card slot, so the Neo relies on the 22GB of internal memory that holds 40 minutes of 4K footage or 55 minutes of 1080p video. You can transfer the files to a PC or other device via the rear USB-C charging port. Again, this is less than ideal, but it keeps the price down.

Performance

Steve Dent for Engadget

If you have low performance expectations for a 5-ounce, $200 drone, get ready to be pleasantly surprised — the Neo is maneuverable, fast and fun. It can hit speeds up to 18 mph in sport mode, which is half that of the Mini 4 Pro, but still at the upper end of this category. You can even fly it in fairly blustery winds up to 18 mph, though it could get blown into another county if you let it get too far away.

The Neo can also fly twice that speed in manual mode, another feature that arrived in a post-launch firmware update, but requires DJI’s FPV Controller 3. With that controller and the firmware update, I pushed it to its top speed. 36 mph is faster than any drone this size by far, but it never felt out of control. However, at that speed the noise level resembles a swarm of particularly irate hornets.

The FPV Controller 3 also opens up the possibility of acrobatic (acro) flying, letting you perform flips, spins and other maneuvers. That’s a lot of fun, especially knowing that the drone is not only crash resistant but costs just $200 — a pittance by drone standards. I'm not an acro pilot, but in the hands of an expert like quadmovr, the Neo can rip through some unbelievable moves.

Steve Dent for Engadget

For novices who want to try first-person video flying (FPV) but aren’t ready for the tricky-to-use Controller 3, DJI’s Goggles 3 and RC Motion 3 are better for FPV newbs. It’s certainly not as nimble and quick as the Avata 2, but it’s still a lot of fun. In fact, it’s a great learning tool for wannabe FPV pilots with either of those controllers, thanks to the durability and low price.

The Neo is ideal for event videography too, as you can maneuver it almost anywhere to get some cool or dramatic shots. At the same time, the propeller guards make it safe to use around people. Again, it’s very noisy, so it’s obviously not suitable to fly through something like a wedding or a best man’s speech.

The modes ActiveTrack, Spotlight and Point of Interest (POI) work just as they do on other DJI drones to track or follow you. A key mode for content creators is Direction Track, which lets you do walk-and-talk vlogging while keeping your face in view. With that setting, the Neo is usually flying backwards with no rear obstacle sensor, so you’ll need a clear path. When I tested this, the drone veered into some tree branches and was thrown off course, but it kept on flying.

I never try to crash drones on purpose, but did have a few mishaps. The Neo hit some trees before falling to the ground a couple of times, and bonked a hard interior floor on one occasion. It not only continued to function perfectly, but had nary a visible scratch, so DJI has done a good job with durability. That said, you can purchase a one-year insurance plan for the Neo at just $22, which covers accidents and loss of the drone.

Steve Dent for Engadget

With a controller and DJI’s O4 transmission, the Neo has a 6.2 mile line-of-sight range in the US, or 3.7 miles in Europe where transmission power is limited. That’s exactly half that of the Mini Pro 4, but pretty extraordinary given the size — though I’m not sure who’d ever want to fly such a lightweight drone that far away. I flew it about half a mile away with no loss of signal, and that was plenty far for my comfort level. Maximum altitude, meanwhile, is unlimited and set by the user.

When using smartphone Wi-Fi control, maximum range is just 165 feet, so it’s really just for indoor or nearby outdoor use. This is based on Wi-Fi limits, but it also effectively serves as a geofence for novices (the drone just stops and hovers if it gets out of Wi-Fi range). In addition, if you’re using the palm or voice control, altitude is limited to around 100 feet.

While small and light, the Neo’s 1,435mAh lithium-ion Intelligent Flight Batteries support up to 17 minutes of flying time, or around 13 to 14 minutes in the real world — not bad in this category. With the Neo alone, it takes an hour to charge a single battery directly within the drone. However, if you spring for the $289 combo kit (including the drone, two extra batteries and a three-battery charger), you can juice three batteries in that same 60 minutes.

Camera

Steve Dent for Engadget

The gimbal is tucked into a protective housing and can tilt up 60 degrees and down 90. The camera has a 1/2-inch 12-megapixel sensor with an ultra-wide 13mm equivalent focal length and f/2.8 aperture — about what you’d expect on a decent smartphone.

The Neo’s video specs are weaker than other DJI drones, but I was pretty happy with my footage considering the price of the Neo. It can shoot 4K 30p video and 1080p at up to 60fps, certainly good enough for most social media users. It also supports 4K in a 4:3 aspect ratio at 30fps, or 1080p in the same aspect ratio but up to 60fps.

The camera doesn’t tilt sideways like it does on the Mini 4 Pro, which means it can’t do vertical video. That’s unfortunate considering the target market, but adding that capability would also increase complexity and, no doubt, the price. The best bet for social media users is to shoot in 4K and then crop to a 1080x1920 9:16 resolution.

There’s also no D-LogM capability to boost dynamic range as seen on most other DJI drones, and with such a small sensor, low-light capability is poor. However, video is sharp and color accurate, which is well above what you’d expect in this price range. The 12-megapixel photos are also good enough for hobbyists and social media users. I expect the average buyer taking aerial shots of their home, family and vacations will be more than pleased.

Steve Dent for Engadget

The Neo also incorporates DJI’s software-based RockSteady stabilization along with gimbal tilt stabilization. That should provide smooth enough video for most users, or you can disable the stabilization altogether and use DJI’s GyroFlow app in post for better results. The Neo also supports HorizonBalancing, providing level video even if the drone banks up to 45 degrees. Note that for the 4:3 video modes, there’s no electronic image stabilization, so you need to stabilize the footage later using GyroFlow or another app.

The Neo can even capture audio with your phone just by tapping the Fly More app’s audio record button. You’ll get better quality by connecting an external microphone or using DJI’s Mic 2. Since the Neo is extremely noisy, the Mic 2 will cancel out much of that prop screeching, leaving your voice clear and legible, albeit with some distortion.

Wrap-up

Steve Dent for Engadget

DJI’s Neo might be small in stature, but it can shoot good quality video and photos safely around people, and does so at a very reasonable price. It has clearly captured the public’s imagination, as it’s already been sold out on DJI’s site despite only being on sale for a couple of weeks.

Potential buyers range from novices up to experienced hands who want a small, people-friendly drone for Instagram stories and more. It’s ideal for TikTok and other creators because it can act as a robot videographer, helping you record content by yourself. The main issues you’ll have to live with are the noise, lack of vertical video and limited battery life.

For $200, or $289 if you opt for the combo kit with three batteries and a charger, the Neo is a no-brainer for many creators. The only real competition is the $350 HoverAir X1, which costs more and offers lower-resolution video. But by providing higher quality video for less money, the Neo is a better value.