The DJI Neo 2 drone is available globally, but due to the imminent imposition of a comprehensive ban in the United States, it will not be officially released in the United States. The ban is expected to take effect in December this year, making DJI’s market prospects in the United States increasingly worrying.
In July this year, DJI accused U.S. Customs of seizing its imported products for violating the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. In this regard, DJI firmly denied the relevant accusations. This situation has resulted in multiple DJI products including the Mavic 4 Pro and 8K Osmo 360 camera being unable to enter the US market, and the new Neo 2 selfie drone will also be unable to reach US consumers.
The situation may get worse. According to the 2025 U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), U.S. national security agencies must complete a comprehensive audit of DJI products by December 23, 2025; if it fails to be completed as scheduled, DJI will automatically be included in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) "Restricted List", which means that almost all DJI products equipped with wireless communication functions will be prohibited from being imported and sold in the United States.
In October this year, the FCC voted to try to plug loopholes in the "restricted list" and prohibit the sale in the United States of all equipment deemed to be a national security risk. Once DJI is classified as a national security risk, not only will future products be banned, the FCC can also ban certified or sold equipment, as well as DJI's subsidiaries, affiliates and shell companies.
At the same time, the U.S. Department of Commerce has also signaled that it will restrict the import of drones and related parts made in China, citing reasons including data security, communications security and supply chain risks.
DJI expressed pessimism about this: it posted on Instagram this week that as the audit deadline approaches, it is expected that the company may be completely banned by the United States in the future. DJI has repeatedly requested to designate an audit agency, but so far no agency has been responsible for performing relevant audits. Even if the audit were started now, it would be nearly impossible to complete in the remaining six weeks.
DJI officially calls on American users to pay attention to this matter and demand a fair audit and extension of the deadline. The Neo 2 drone failed to make it to the U.S. but is available in other countries, with features including a lidar-based obstacle avoidance system, a follow speed of nearly 27 mph, gesture control and greater wind resistance. The machine weighs 151 grams, has a battery life of 19 minutes, and sells for the equivalent of US$209 to US$248.