The DJI Neo 2 looks like the best beginner drone for everywhere but the United States
Only one problem; it could be illegal to fly in the US after December
🚀 DJI launches the DJI Neo 2 globally everywhere but the US
📡 Best beginner drone ever with omnidirectional obstacle avoidance and gesture controls
🪁 Two more Dolly Zoom and MasterShots one-button QuickShot modes
✈️ Flies faster at up to 27mph and more stably in winds up to 24mph
🔋 Larger battery for 19-minute flights
🧠 More than doubled the 49GB of onboard storage
📦 Available for purchase at third-party stores like Amazon and Best Buy
⚠️ Buy warning: The DJI Neo 2 could be banned from flying if the US government doesn’t audit DJI by December 23, 2025
The DJI Neo 2 was announced in China last month, and it has now been confirmed for a global release everywhere but the US.
The DJI Neo 2 is a massive upgrade to the already impressive DJI Neo, a rugged and easy-to-use beginner drone for $199. The new drone features both forward-looking LIDAR and downward-looking infrared sensors to avoid obstacles. That’s much better than the original Neo’s total lack of obstacle detection. DJI claims that this new system equips the Neo 2 with omnidirectional sensing for both forward and sideways flight modes.
The DJI Neo 2 also reintroduces gesture controls, which were last seen on the DJI Mavic Air and DJI Spark. With just a wave of your hand, you can direct the drone to move left or right or descend/ascend.
The previous DJI Neo featured a set of automatic flight paths that made flying the drone for quick videos dead simple. The Neo 2 builds on this by adding two new Dolly Zoom and MasterShots to its repertoire of QuickShot modes.
DJI has also transformed the Neo 2 into a significantly faster and more stable drone. According to the company, the Neo 2 can fly up to 27mph and hover stably even in gusts of 24mph. The drone also features a larger 1,606mAh battery, allowing for flights of up to 19 minutes. Lastly, the onboard storage has ballooned from 22GB to 49GB.
The only issue is a looming December 23 National Defense Authorization Act assessment that will decide whether DJI drones will be added to the FCC’s covered list and effectively banned. If added, DJI drones would no longer be authorized by the FCC and eventually grounded. Worse yet, the FCC could also retroactively ban previous drones, making some of our favorite drones, like the original DJI Neo, illegal to fly within the US.
Despite that big if, DJI is still introducing the Neo 2 globally, allowing everyone outside of the US to buy it. Interestingly while you won’t be able to buy the DJI Neo 2 from DJI’s US webstore, DJI is leaving it up to third-party retailers and e-tailers, such as Best Buy and Amazon, whether they want to sell it in the US.
Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.