DJI Goggles Review [2023]

If you want an exciting and new way to experience and fly your drone, you need to get your hands on the DJI Goggles.

This is one of the best drone accessories around and is a total gamechanger.

The Goggles work together with your controller so you can fly your drone in a First Person View(FPV).

This means you get a unique view from the drone’s camera and see what the drone sees.

This experience fully immerses you in flight and you can fly as if you’re actually inside of the drone.

In this article, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the DJI headset to give you a better idea of how it works and all it offers.

DJI goggles Overview

DJI Goggles In-depth

Hardware

The DJI VR headset is a plastic case with all the tech tidbits on the inside. 

The headband has a metal strapping that works as the tensioner while pliable memory-type foam surrounds the band including the forehead tab. 

This means that when wearing the DJI goggles the band is strong, supportive and quite comfortable. 

The vision unit is removable and is connected to the headband on a hinge. 

You can either tilt up the goggles to see the real world or tilt down to enjoy the viewing experience. 

You’ll also find a soft rubber lining surrounding the inner faceplate. 

This lining makes contact with your face to enclose the unit and eliminates any light from seeping in. 

These drone VR goggles are one-size-fits-all and the adjustable headband should ensure that it fits comfortably. 

However, if you have a narrow face, the goggles may not fit flush to your face on the sides and eliminate all light. 

Along with the adjustable headbands DJI has also included an interpupillary distance dial.  

You simply turn the wheel to bring the focal point narrower or wider, depending on your vision. 

On each side of the goggles, you’ll find a small speaker and 5 little holes that hide the power of those speakers. 

While they may not fill a room with sounds, they are pointed at your ears so they are loud enough for most needs. 

Lastly, the user interface is made up of two buttons; the Function button and the Back button. 

These can be found at the bottom of the unit. 

The Power button is on the side of the unit and just above it is a multi-touch trackpad. 

You can use the trackpad with different swipe functions for shortcuts to common menus or use a combination of the trackpad and bottom buttons to manage settings. 

Fit and Comfort

The actual fit of the DJI goggles is very nice. 

These Goggles are heavy but the foam on the headband supports them very well.  

The battery at the back of the unit is large and heavy and since the googles part of the headset is also quite heavy, the battery counter-balances the weight. 

This makes sure the google feels balanced and does not wobble when you move your head.

The goggles can also accommodate those who wear glasses. 

There are some slots on the side that allow for glasses wearers and you can even fit up to larger size glasses easily. 

The only issue you may have is a little bit of light coming in from the sides. 

However, this is not an issue once the goggles are powered up and the screens are on. 

Display

You’ll see almost everything you see on your controller screen inside the Goggles. 

This includes the battery status, camera settings, flight data, flight mode and GPS connection.

The trackpad or the trackpad and a few buttons are used to manipulate these settings.

Video

You get a full HD view of 1920×1080.

This is combined to give you a full 85-degree field of view to provide a really immersive experience. 

This is equivalent to seeing a 216-inch screen from around 9 to 10 feet away. 

However, depending on how far away you are from the drone the goggles will display the image in full HD or less which usually is around 720p. 

Of course, this will depend on the signal it is getting and the amount of data it can realistically display. 

This means that the further you are away from the drone, the goggles will reduce or increase the resolution automatically. 

The video stream offers low latency so there’s very little delay between what the camera sees and what you see.

Audio

These Goggles come with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack on the side.

You can fit any headphones with a standard plug and listen to any audio coming through the HDMI cable.

If you’re not a headphones kind of person, then powerful built-in speakers will meet all your needs.

Connectivity

The DJI Goggles was designed to work extremely well with the Mavic Pro. 

You can connect the goggles to your drone using DJI’s proprietary system called OcuSync. 

OcuSync gives you a better wireless video signal with a longer range and a lower chance of interference. 

The challenge here is that the earlier models of DJI drones do not have this technology. 

If you need to use this headset with those units, you’ll need to figure out a way to connect with the headset. 

Thankfully, these DJI Goggle includes a microSD port and a small HDMI Type D port which can help to solve this issue.

The initial connection is simple with the basic setup of one drone to one set of goggles. 

Set up to fly like normal, connect your drone to the remote and turn on the DJI GO application.

Once connected, you’ll be instantly greeted with a full-screen stream from your drone’s camera

If you’re thinking of connecting more than 1 pair of goggles to your drone, you’ll need to add to these processes and press a couple of extra buttons.

Battery

DJI states that these goggles will last for up to six hours. 

However, many people are saying that it is more like 5 hours. 

Whichever it is, it doesn’t matter since it is so much longer than the actual battery life of a drone. 

It’s about five times the life of a battery drone.

This means you will be able to use it a couple of times on a single charge. 

The charging time of the Goggles varies and depends on how low the battery percentage is. 

In most cases, it takes a little over 4 hours to charge fully. 

Charging is done via a micro USB similar to the Mavic controller. 

Head Tracking

To make these goggles create a more immersive experience, DJI has added a really cool feature. 

You can control the drone by simply moving your head.

Head tracking allows you to control the camera or the direction of the drone with the simple movement of your head. 

Turn your head left or right up or down and the drone or camera will follow  

There are two ways that you can do this. 

You can use the Head Tracking Flight Mode that allows you to control the drone. 

On the other hand, the Head Tracking Gimbal Mode only moves the camera. 

Of course, the Gimbal Mode is going to be far easier to get a hang of. 

It may be hard to pin down the perfect movements right off the bat to control the drone using head movement. 

In this case, you are better off using your controller to fly the drone.

Other features and specs

Here are a few more points of the DJI Goggles that are worth going over.

• Video Resolution- 1080p at 30fps or 720p at 60fps
• Latency- highly responsive at 110ms if you’re using the Mavic Pro with a 720p video. The latency rate may be higher at other resolutions and with other drones.
• Headset Antenna – you get 360 degrees coverage which is crucial since you may use the Goggles to control part of the drone’s function.

Reasons to choose DJI drone goggles

Here are a few reasons why you should get the DJI drone goggles.

Fly the Mavic Pro

The DJI goggles were designed to work with the Mavic pro. 

it adds an entirely new experience to flying your drone. 

It even allows you to control the flight modes and, in some ways, fly the drone. 

However, the Goggles does not have full flight control. 

Instead, it allows you to take off, activate one of the handy semi-autonomous flying modes and land. 

Fly other drones

While it was primarily designed to be used with the Mavic Pro, the DJI Goggles can also be used with the Phantom 4 line, the Inspire 2, The Spark and the Mavic Air.

These DJI drones can be connected to the Goggles via a USB cable.

However, you get a lower number of flight controls but this does not take away from the immersive flight experience in any way.

Use it with a racing drone

Experience the exciting world of drone racing with these goggles from DJI. 

These goggles put you in the pilot’s seat as you race at top speeds so you can see what your drone sees. 

This is perfect for obstacle courses where you need to dodge objects ever so often. 

The OcuSync technology and low latency rates are awesome to get you around the track or obstacle course safely. 

Connect to a PC

Think the DJI Goggles are just for your drone?

Think again!

These Goggles have an HDMI port so you connect to your computer using the cable that comes with the purchase.

This means you can use the goggles to watch movies or play video games.

How awesome is that?

Connect to a gaming console

Want a more immersive experience when gaming?

The DJI goggles as we mentioned above can do this.

Just like how it can be connected to a PC, this pair of Goggles can be connected directly to a gaming console.

Once connected, you get to experience the gaming world in a whole different way.

Watch Movies

You can watch movies from your connected PC or any other multi-media player with an HDMI port.

As we said before, you get around 5 hours of use.

This means that the goggles will last longer than what’s considered to be a relatively long movie.

Share your drone flying experience with friends

One of the best things about these goggles is that your friends can experience your drone flying experience as well.

You can head out and fly your drone while family and friends sit back and enjoy the view from the drone’s camera.

They don’t even have to be beside you.

However, they need to at least be within a mile or so.

The FPV is one thing but how about allowing the wearer to control the camera or the drone.

You can either have them make use of the  Head Tracking Gimbal Mode which moves the camera based on the wearer’s head movement.

If you want to give them a bit more power, you can activate the  Head Tracking Flight Mode that allows them to fly the drone.

Don’t worry as you still retain control of the craft even though they have some power.

Connect to your Android device

If your Android phone has a video output option, you can put the HDMI port of the Goggles to use once again.

Mirroring your phone or tablet display on the Goggle’s is a great way to experience content whether it’s videos, movies or games.

Watch flight footage from the Mavic Pro

The Mavic Pro allows you to download and review flight footage.

This is because the Mavic Pro has a microSD slot. 

The DJI Goggles also have a MicroSD slot and a few quick taps on the trackpad allow you to wirelessly download flight footage from the drone to the headset.

This means that you don’t need to use a PC to transfer the files over to enjoy the flight footage.

Safety & Legal Note

Keep in mind that while the DJI Goggles is a great option to experience drone flight differently, it is still unlawful in the US.

The FAA states that you must always have your drone in your line of sight.

That means that you must always have your eye on the drone during flight.

When you have the Goggles on, you are simply seeing the drone’s view and not the drone.

To make sure you are flying legally when using these Goggles, you’ll need to fly with a spotter.

A spotter is someone who keeps their eyes on the drone at all times and lets you know if something is wrong.

However, if you’re in a car or building or something that could obstruct your ability to directly see the drone, even if you have a spotter, you may be in violation of the rule.

Conclusion

In this DJI goggles review, we found the DJI Goggles to be a versatile gadget that can serve you in many ways.

Use it as an FPV screen for your drone or use it as a personal monitor with your PC or other multimedia devices.

Regardless of how you use it, the DJI Goggles will serve you well with high-tech features and state-of-the-art technology.

Check out our fpv goggles and drone vr goggles for alternatives to the DJI Goggles.