Packed with a 4K camera, a 30-minute flight time, and a lightweight and foldable design, the Autel Robotics EVO drone is considered by many to be one of the newest drone models to legitimately challenge DJI’s market dominance… and in particular, DJI’s flagship product, the Mavic Pro.
Now, on paper, the Autel EVO certainly has the hardware to complete with many of the top performing consumer drones on the market.
- Weight: 1.9lbs/863g
- Camera: 4K 60FPS/12MP
- Distance: 7km
- Top speed 45 miles per hour
- 3-axis gimbal
But does the EVO live up to huge expectation, and will it become a serious long-term challenger to DJI… or is it just a pretender in the fast-paced world of consumer unmanned aerial vehicles?
Ok before we get into it, lets be clear, this isn’t a comparison review… we’re not putting the Autel EVO against the DJI Mavic range… not today anyway.
Instead, we’re simply discussing what you can expect from your new EVO, should you decide to invest in one.
Overview
The Autel EVO is a compact foldable drone weighing just 863g (1.9lbs). It’s equipped with a 4K camera capable of recording video at 60FPS that is mounted using a 3-axis gimbal. For still images, the camera captures at 12MP, with single and burst photo options available.
In optimal conditions it provides up to 30-minutes of flight time, with top speeds of 45mph and a 4.2-mile range that means you can fly the EVO at some impressive speeds and distances. A host of flight modes and other useful features round out a drone with some of the best specs on the market.
Build
The Autel EVO sports a very sleek design, being completely foldable for easy storage and transportation. When folded it measures around 15-inches so should fit nicely into any backpack or carry case.
While it’s a little heavier than DJI models like the Mavic Air, it does have a similar weight to the Mavic Pro. It also comes with a nice carry case to keep your drone safe and secure, which is also compact enough to fit into larger backpacks.
It’s a very sturdy build too, with the extra weight helping to make it feel more robust than some models in the same price range. Expect it to handle the rough and tumble of outdoor drone flying, even being capable of handling collisions without sustaining serious damage.
Crashing shouldn’t be much of an issue thanks to the obstacle avoidance sensors, although it’s good to know that the EVO can withstand impacts and collisions if necessary. The only thing likely to break is the propellers, which are sturdy enough in their own right and very cheap to replace.
Controller
A controller with a screen is included with Autel EVO, meaning you don’t need to attach a smartphone to the controller for FPV when operating the drone. The display is a good size (3.3”) and great quality thanks to the OLED screen, while you have the option to attach your smartphone as a secondary screen.
For the OLED screen, you get a real time FPV displayed in sharp 720p HD. It offers great image quality and saves the hassle of needing to attach a phone.
When using a smartphone, the phone turns into the primary display and the controller screen converts into a secondary display that provides additional status information, so it’s certainly handy to have the option of both.
Having a dedicated screen is a nice addition, as sometimes the smartphone applications used to operate drones are unreliable, especially when flying out in more remote locations. Things like lag and disconnections can occur, so the EVO’s controller is a nice addition with the drone.
The controller will need to be charged but can be done at the same time as the batteries – make sure you don’t forget to charge it before taking the drone out!
Camera Quality
The EVO’s camera is up there with leading camera drones such as the Mavic Pro, offering video recording up to 60fps in 4K resolution. You also have other resolution and frame rate options, including 1080p HD at 120fps, while the 12MP sensor captures still images of incredible quality.
Bitrates vary depending on the resolution and frame rate you choose. For instance, using the camera in 4K at 30fps, the EVO produces an impressive bitrate of 100Mbps. This lowers slightly in different modes, dropping to 80Mbps when filming at 2.7K at 60fps and 6Mbps when recording at 1080p at 60fps.
This means the camera quality remains steady when flying at various speeds and using all the different recording options. It’s a versatile camera that doesn’t lack for quality and retains a high performance when flying in various conditions.
There are also advanced options for experienced users that want more contorl over their image quality.
For instance, there is manual exposure settings you can adjust to get the ideal setting for your shots, while the option to shoot in log allows for more control over colour grading while offering additional dynamic range.
More experienced camera operates will likely prefer to shoot in these modes instead of auto. That said, auto settings are great for newer users that aren’t familiar with advanced camera settings, so have the option to switch between each is a nice feature.
Battery and Charging
Equipped with a 4300mAh lithium-ion battery, the Autel EVO comes with a great battery life that tops out at 30-minutes. Of course, as any drone user knows, you take these maximum battery specs with a pinch of salt, as the flying conditions will impact how long the charge lasts.
However, the 30-minute flight time isn’t too much of an exaggeration, as you can certainly enjoy this battery length when flying in the best conditions, namely in low winds. When the weather is less than perfect you can still expect decent runtimes, with around 24-26 minutes in high winds and up to 27-mminutes in milder conditions.
As with any drone, it’s a good idea to invest in a couple of extra batteries to increase your runtime, with EVO batteries costing around the same price as batteries for the Mavic Pro. A single battery takes around 60-80 minutes to recharge and the LED indicators let you now how much charge is left in the battery.
Flight Performance
With a top speed of 45mph the most notable aspect of the Autel EVO’s flight performance is the insane speeds you can reach.
Of course, most drone pilots won’t have much use for such high speeds when using a drone that is mainly designed for video and image recording, although it’s hard to deny the fun of reaching top speeds.
Even without the top speed selected (you can easily adjust speeds from the controller) the EVO is a very nimble drone, zipping through the air with great speed and precision. Its speed is comparable to the Mavic Air, one of DJI’s fastest models, while you can expect it to operate for longer than this model thanks to the better battery.
Slower speeds are recommended for capturing the best footage, although the bitrates and gimbal ensure images and videos remain stable even at the higher speed settings. While the ascent may feel slow to, it climbs at a stable speed that will be especially beneficial for newer pilots.
Flying in higher winds is often a struggle for certain drones but the EVO has no handling issues in these conditions. Beyond the most extreme winds, the EVO handles smoothly in virtually all types of weather conditions and you can cover long distances even in a single battery charge.
For example, the maximum range is a whopping 4.2 miles (7km) which is quite a ridiculous amount of range for a drone. In truth, most pilots won’t want to test out this top range unless they are in a wide-open space, otherwise you’ll lose sight of the drone quite quickly.
FPV may make this less of an issue for experienced pilots but it is safe to say that the top range may be too much for most, although having the option to go such long distances is never a bad thing!
All in all, the Autel EVO has some of the best flight performance on the market. The higher speed settings are a bit unnecessary but a welcome addition non the less, while the fine balance and stability ensures that handling the drone remains fun without being too challenging.
When combined with the camera functions, flight performance remains high, with stable images at even the highest speeds. You do need a lot of experience flying at higher speeds to take advantage of the EVO’s top speeds and these won’t produce the best video or photographs yet offer lots of fun for pilots.
Obstacle Avoidance System
As you would hope to see, the EVO includes both are front and rear obstacle avoidance sensors that help to improve the flying experience by reducing the risk of colliding with an object.
These sensors offer invaluable protection against accidental collisions with trees, bushes, lampposts, buildings and any other object the drone might unintentionally collide with.
While it’s never a good idea to push the obstacle avoidance function to the extreme (i.e. flying in crowded areas at high speeds) it’s certainly a welcome feature that provides a good peace of mind you’ll be safe flying the drone.
The avoidance system works very well on the EVO, tracking both small and larger objects, from entire trees to small bits of foliage. You’ll receive a warning any time the avoidance sensors detect and oncoming collision with all the necessary info displayed on the controller screen.
This includes the distance from the object to let you know how much time you have to adjust the flight path. Should you miss these warnings or not have time to adjust accordingly, the EVO will take over and avoid pushing forward once it reaches a certain distance of the object.
When this occurs, the drone pushes back and doesn’t go any further forward until you adjust the flight path to avoid a collision. When combined with the real time FPV, these sensors give the drone pilot all the help they need to avoid accidently colliding with something – a great way to ensure the EVO doesn’t get damaged!
Flight Modes
As you would expect from a leading consumer drone product, the Autel EVO has several flight modes and functions that further enhance its performance. Most of these flight modes are ideal for people that are less experienced piloting drones, offering a simple yet effective method of flying without the risk of collisions.
Dynamic track is a cool mode that lets the drone automatically track you or any other object, offering a nice level of automation for capturing all kinds of unique images and videos.
Simply select the mode from the app or controller and watch as the EVO follows you and other objects with the upmost precision and efficiency. This offers a simpler handling of the drone as it will continue to follow you even if you’ve lost sight of the drone.
Another great flight mode available with the EVO is viewpoint. Here, you select an area of interest as the main viewpoint for the drone, which continues to focus on the viewpoint as you take it to various heights and speeds. You’ll get all kinds of cool shots in this mode!
Waypoints is a standard flight mode found in most other drones, letting you set specific waypoints for the EVO to follow. This means you can effectively create autonomous routes to follow, which is another great function for capturing different points of interest as you record.
Usability
It’s important to consider the usability of drones such as the Autel EVO. Many products in this price range are consumer-friendly while others require more expertise to properly handle. Spending so much on a drone only for it to be impossible to fly is never a good investment!
Thankfully, the EVO is about as user-friendly as it gets. Despite being a higher-end drone, it’s one of the easiest to operate, whether flying the drone manually, using flight modes, or capturing different types of video and photographs.
The flight modes unquestionably make the EVO more user-friendly. These one touch settings let you have fun flying the drone and taking cool photos and videos without needing extensive experience flying drones.
Even when flying manually the EVO is relatively simple to operate. The controller clearly displays all the important information and the drone has exceptional handling that make it much easier to contorl than certain other drones.
There are certain modes and functions that will make it more difficult to operate, although these are never essential features so you won’t need to rely on them if you’re newer to drone flying.
For instance, the Ludicrous Mode lets you take advantage of the EVO’s top speeds, although handling becomes much more difficult when flying so quickly. You don’t need to fly at such high speeds to enjoy the EVO and doing so can reduce usability quite a bit, although less so if you’re more familiar with drone flying.
Getting started with the EVO is also quick and easy. For example, to get started you simply download the smartphone app to your phone, connect it to the controller and allow the system firmware to update itself.
After this you have the latest software installed directly to the controller and the drone and are ready to fly the EVO! You won’t have to connect the drone to a computer and directly install any new software, simply download the app and connect your phone to the controller – it couldn’t be easier!
Price
When you aim to give DJI’s flagship drone products a run for their money, the price of your product needs to match the quality… and at US$1,099, Autel have done just that… by including two spare batteries, six spare props, a landing pad and memory card in their combo bundle.
Final Thoughts
The Autel EVO is without a doubt a premium quality drone that offers fantastic flight performance and one of the best cameras on the market. It’s simple to use and very enjoyable to operate without feeling overly complex.
It’s got an impressive battery that offers a lot of runtime, while its top speed is amongst the best on the market, often exceeding most DJI drones. The fact the controller comes with an OLED screen and the option to double your screens with a smartphone further enhances the user-experience.
Compact and lightweight, the EVO is easy to transport and has a ridiculously long distance – some might find it too far away for their comfort! Yet it’s hard to deny that the high price point holds the Autel EVO from truly being the competitor to DJI is was touted to be.
Even just a slight reduction in the price would elevate the EVO towards market leaders like the Mavic. That said, if you want an alternative to DJI’s products or just a great performing drone, the Autel EVO does deliver.
