It wasn’t until the Mavic Air was officially released that I first heard about the Autel Evo being one of the new drones being released in 2018 and based on rumors and naturally speculation, it was assumed that the Evo may very well put a dent in the sales of the Mavic series, because of it’s amazing specs.
But being that DJI has been king for quite awhile in the drone realm, I highly doubt that this new model will do anything else but make them up their game and that is a win for the consumer. I personally cannot wait to see how DJI’s Mavic drones stack up against this new Autel drone and what the future will bring in terms of drone technology and improvements in quality!
But let’s unpack this whole thing into sub topics:
-First, I want to talk about the specs behind the Autel Evo.
-Next I want to discuss how it will likely stack up against DJI’s newest portable drone: The Mavic Air (which I own by the way).
-After that, I want to tackle if it’ll beat the Mavic Pro (another model I own which I’ll refer to as the MP).
-And finally, the topic which interests me most out of all these is how it will stack up against the upcoming Mavic Pro 2!
Let’s focus briefly on the Autel Evo (AE), it’s specs in particular:
Being that it’s not out yet, we only have previews of it from other sources, but so far, the previews hint at this being a top competitor in the drone market, particularly the portable drone market:
12 MP camera, 4k @ up to 60 fps, 7-8 km in distance, 3 sensors, a 30 minute flight time, portability and intelligent flight modes and a starting price of $999.
Based on these specs alone, this drone is sure to quickly outmatch the existing models in the DJI arsenal, particularly the Mavic Air and Pro, but not by a lot…
Does the Mavic Air (MA) have a chance against the AE?
As someone who has flown it and owns it, I will say yes and I say this because I also own a Phantom 4 Pro, whose specs in certain areas mimic the AE, so I have a basic preview of what we will be able to see in terms flight time and camera quality, although the Phantom is still a superior drone to all the ones we’re talking about here today…
But anyway, back to the topic, let’s quickly analyze the stats of the Air:
12 MP camera, 4k @ up to 30 fps, 4 km range, also 3 sensors, a 20 minute flight time (more like 15+), it’s extremely portable as well and also has intelligent flight modes.
Here’s where I can safely say the MA will win:
- Portability.
- Price ($799).
In the following departments, the AE will win:
- Camera quality.
- Flight time.
- Distance.
But even in the areas where it will win, it won’t do so by a long shot. You’ll still be able to capture incredible footage on both models and if you’re tighter on money, want a great flying/filming experience, you’ll still get it from the Air, that I can absolutely promise you as it shoots incredibly well, and that’s coming from a guy who values HIGH quality stuff in the drones he buys.
I’ll say this too: DJI made a smart move releasing this baby before the AE as I believe they know it won’t be as good as it, but releasing it now guarantees them a lot of sales beforehand. Plus when it comes out, they’ll be able to analyze it’s specs/technology and abilities and be able to make their own, superior drones.
Ok, now let’s find out how the Autel Evo will compare to the Mavic Pro (MP):
I love my MP and it was my first official drone. Yet I have no problem saving up some money on the AE if it indeed is going to be another great one in the portable drone list…
Let’s look at the specs:
12 MP camera, also a 4k camera that shoots at up to 30 fps, 7-8 KM range, a 25 minute flight time, many intelligent flight modes (13 I believe), portability, sturdiness and the price is currently the same as the Autel Evo ($999).
Given what we know so far, I think it’s safe to say the AE will in most cases slightly beat the MP on just about every single front. I also believe DJI, upon the release of the Mavic 2 will drop the price of both the MA and MP down $100 each, it’ll make sense to keep the sales coming.
I will say this: If you intend on buying a MP or Air today, even with the release of the Autel Evo and Mavic 2, I wouldn’t stop you. Both these existing models are crazy good at just about everything: Flying, filming, safety and more and I will absolutely keep recommending them because they are amazing models.
But I will also suggest that you wait until the AE comes out because if you were going to be a MP, it’ll cost you the same price to buy the Autel Evo, but you’ll get a better model overall.
So either way you go, you won’t be wrong, because all these drones rock.
And finally the Mavic 2 (M2)!
So at this point, there are rumors that it will be released in March 2018, but I highly doubt that, more likely they’ll announce it and start offering pre-orders. From a marketing standpoint it makes more sense to let Autel release their drone first and then release a better alternative.
But…
What if DJI is worried that the Autel Evo will be better than the M2? Then it would make sense for them to release it earlier to let the sales pour in. It certainly seems to look that way with the MA.
What’s your opinion on this matter guys? I’m honestly ecstatic to see what happens this year in the drone world! If I can afford it, I’ll get myself both these models.
There are no specs released for the M2 yet, but it absolutely HAS to have at least all the same specs as the Autel Evo, if not more if it is going to stand a chance against it. At the very least:
- A 12 MP or HIGHER camera.
- At least 3 sensors.
- At least a 30 minute flight time.
- At least a 7-8 KM range.
- At least a 4k camera that shoots 60 fps.
- It has to be as portable if not more.
If it doesn’t have this, I’m afraid it’s going to lose out…
Of course though, no matter what, DJI fans, including myself will still buy their drones no matter what, but it would obviously benefit DJI to have the M2 beat out all the other existing models and the Autel Evo to maintain it’s superiority in the drone world.
Update: Mavic Pro 2 is out!
How does it fare against the Evo? Find out there.
What about the Phantom series? How will it play into all of this?
As an owner of the Phantom 4 Pro (P4P). I will say that aside from portability, it will win out against the Autel Evo in just about every single regard. That drone is currently the prince of all existing models, with the Inspire being the king, but honestly, you’ll get that professional level filming from the Phantom 4 advanced and pro anyway…
What’s the future look like for Autel?
It has already been announced that the Evo model will not be the last one they release and this first model that’s coming out will test the drone waters so to say and future drones will only improve upon the previous one/s, so it’s going to be pretty bright for them and consumers moving forward.
Update: Autel Evo came out (my review), and while it started off with a bunch of bugs and so on, it turned out to be quite an awesome model and highly recommended, even against the MP2 and P4P.