Are DJI Drones Still Banned? Can you still buy a DJI drone in the US? (Yes.) Will you be able to buy future drones? Here are the current drone dos and don'ts. As of December 23, 2025, the US Federal Communications Commission barred Chinese-based drone maker DJI from importing any new drones into the United State.

The companies, products and trends that had an absolutely awful year. It's the end of another year, so it's time for the Engadget staff to compile a list of the year's biggest losers . We scour over articles from the previous 12 months to determine the people, companies, products and trends that made our lives worse over the course of the year. Some selections may be so pervasive they actually make our list of biggest winners. In 2025, OpenAI shed any pretense it was committed to anything more than making money. There are a few different things you could point to, including the company's successful reorganization into a more traditional profit-seeking business, but I think the most damning sign was OpenAI's response to the tragic death of Adam Raine . In August, Raine's parents sued OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT was aware of four suicide attempts by their son before it helped him successfully plan his death.

Last Prime Day, the DJI Osmo action camera was one of the most popular deals with PopSci readers. This year, the updated version is even cheaper at just 199 for the Essentials bundle. That's a full 50 cheaper than I have seen it all year. Several other DJI products for creatives are also on sale during Prime Day, including a gimbal stabilizer for smartphones and a fancy drone that you can use to shoot aerial videos or freak out your dog. Remember, if you don't have an active Amazon Prime subscription, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial here.

Drones have become an important tool in a creator's bag of tricks, allowing them to capture aerial footage that elevates their videos. And nowadays, they've become more accessible as video quality and features have dramatically improved while prices have dropped. Recent budget-friendly models include DJI's Neo and Flip drones, along with the HoverAir X1 Pro lineup, all under 500. If you've got more to spend, the options are similarly plentiful with drones like the DJI Mini 4 Pro and HoverAir X1 Pro Max. And for the price of a good mirrorless camera, you can get DJI's Mavic 3 Pro that offers awesome image quality, range and other features.

After creating a stir with the 200 Neo, DJI is back at it with another innovative drone, the Flip. It has a first-of-a-kind folding design and shrouded propellers to keep people safe. It also integrates 3D infrared obstacle detection to track subjects and has a long list of impressive features. With a camera borrowed from the Mini 4 Pro, the Flip can take high-quality 4K 60p video indoors or out with little risk. It comes with vlogger-friendly features like Direction Track and Quickshots for social media.

This week DJI, the world's leading drone manufacturer, announced a new policy removing enforcement of its "No Fly Zone" geofences in restricted areas. The sudden shift may lead to more drones hovering where they shouldn't, which could worsen a lingering national panic over flying objects in the sky. DJI, the China-based drone giant, says it will no longer enforce geofence barriers that prevent its products from flying over restricted areas like airports, wildfires, and government buildings. Though the company says these changes are intended to empower its users, they come amid a surge in drone sightings, some around critical infrastructure, that have stoked fears and fueled a growing tide of conspiracy theories. DJI's changes mean operators will have one less guardrail preventing them from flying into risky areas.

DJI has lifted its geofence that prevents users in the US from flying over restricted areas like nuclear power plants, airports and wildfires, the company wrote in a blog post on Monday. As of January 13th, areas previously called "restricted zones" or no-fly zones will be shown as "enhanced warning zones" that correspond to designated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) areas. DJI's Fly app will display a warning about those areas but will no longer stop users from flying inside them, the company said. In the article, DJI wrote that the "in-app alerts will notify operators flying near FAA designated controlled airspace, placing control back in the hands of the drone operators, in line with regulatory principles of the operator bearing final responsibility." It added that technologies like Remote ID [introduced after DJI implemented geofencing] gives authorities "the tools needed to enforce existing rules," DJI's global policy chief Adam Welsh told The Verge.

DJI continues its streak of innovative (and highly leaked) drones with the launch of the Flip, a lightweight and people-safe model that folds in a new direction -- downward -- to accommodate the large, shrouded propellers. The new model should appeal to beginners and experienced users alike with features like a large sensor, 4K 100p video, safety features, a three-axis gimbal and an affordable price. The company says the Flip "combine[s] the simplicity of the DJI Neo with the stunning photo capabilities of the DJI Mini," but in many ways, it's better than both. It borrows a LiDAR system from the Air 3S for obstacle detection and the Flip's propellers are protected on all sides, making it all but impossible to hurt someone with them. DJI says the support structure for the guards is made of carbon fiber string that's 1/60th the weight of polycarbonate material and just as strong.

Aside from the global shutter on Sony's A9 III and some cool mirrorless options -- the Fujifilm X100 VI, Panasonic S9 and Canon EOS R5 II come to mind -- 2024 was a dull year for cameras full of small tweaks and minor improvements. For 200, aerial photography is now finally in reach for just about anyone. DJI released its product lineup this year with a sword of Damocles hanging over its head: the US government was planning to ban sales of the company's products by the end of 2024 over potential fears of spying. It was only at the last minute that DJI gained a reprieve, thanks in large part to lobbying by public safety groups that heavily rely on its drones. It now has until the end of 2025 to prove that its products don't pose a risk.

DJI just announced the dual-camera Air 3S drone and there's some all-new cutting-edge tech hiding in the nose. A LiDAR sensor is there to provide extra crash protection at night, a time that's often dangerous for drones. The Air 3S also has a new main camera with a larger sensor better suited for capturing video in low-light. And it now comes with the company's ActiveTrack 360, which it first introduced in the Mini 4 Pro, allowing the device to zoom all around your subject while tracking and filming them. There are a bunch of other little improvements, from storage to the new panoramic photo mode, all at the same 1,099 price as the Air 3 was at launch.