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In this comparison guide, we will talk about Skydio 2 vs Evo 2 – which one do you buy?
The day of reckoning for DJI is upon us as we have two new brands that are looking to enter the mid-price, premium segment of the drone industry.
With Skydio 2 do and Autel Evo 2 we have two amazing drones coming on the horizon.
2020 is going to be an amazing year for the drone industry as we will see more competition for the absolute market leader DJI.
There’s a new guy in town, actually there’s a couple of them. We have the recent announcement with the Evo 2 that features an 8k video camera that’ll take stills up to 45 megapixels, something that any DJI product could only dream about.
The second camera provided is a 1 inch 6k recording with stills up to 20MP. All threecameras of the Evo 2 are gonna feature night mode, something that’s going to optimize all the stills.
Then you have the Skydio 2 – the most exciting drone of 2020 thanks to it’s revolutionary obstacle avoidance.
These drones are aiming to fulfill different needs – Evo 2 obviously has a goal to be THE drone for camera and video guys while Skydio 2 makes splashes thanks to the groundbreaking obstacle avoidance system. Depending on your needs and wishes, either of these drones is a great choice.
Skydio 2 can get you that incredible shot that not gonna get with any other drone thanks to the revolutionary obstacle avoidance. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been limited by a shot in fear for crashing my drone. These are thousand dollar machines and you don’t necessarily want to crash them.
You obviously are gonna be careful with the Skydio 2 – they’re claiming it’s virtually crash proof as long as you fly that drone in the day – it’s like having a one meter bubble, a three-foot bubble all the way around the drone. Anywhere you can fit a 3-foot bubble, you can fit this drone too.
It is groundbreaking to be able to shoot and fly sideways without visual spotters and without fear of parking a new tree. Skydio 2 is gonna be able to produce some incredible shots and I think as this drone gets released and more people start operating this drone, we’re gonna see shots that we’ve never seen with any DJI product or any other products for that matter.
According to some sources, Autel Evo 2 will have three super-changeable gimbal modules that offer you 6K video from a 1-inch sensor, or 8K video or 8K video in combination with a thermal camera. Only this segment is mind boggling and there is no consumer drone that can even come close to these capabilities.
To keep up with the competition, the Skydio 2 has a sensor that records in 4K with up to 60 frames per second and also records the videos with HDR. The bit rate is 100 Mb/s – the same as DJI’s Mavic Air, Mavic 2 or even a GoPro Hero 8. Of course, the Skydio 2 also takes photos. These have a resolution of 12 megapixels and can be shot in both Jpeg and Raw format, giving you plenty of post-processing options.
With a top speed of around 58 kilometers per hour, the Skydio 2 doesn’t quite reach the top mark of some DJI drones and also the stated battery life of 23 minutes is relatively short.
However, one has to keep in mind that the focus is clearly on the autonomous flight modes of the drone and bear in mind that the 360° obstacle detection naturally also results in increased power consumption. As usual, the camera is stabilized by a 3-axis gimbal, which should prevent any kind of camera shake.
So which one is worth the money – Skydio 2 or Autel Evo 2?
The Skydio 2 is more suited for sports where you require fast shooting. It is more or less a pure tracking drone. Due to its very high computing power, it can track you extraordinarily during fast flight maneuvers. It also uses a different tracking technique. It does lack in camera segment and Autel is clearly better there.
Evo 2 is great! But take in account most computers can’t process the 8k videos in post or yet read them without lag. However, it is a much more powerful and complete machine and definitely a winner in this battle (if you are looking for the best allrounder drone). It is also a bit heavier, slower and more sluggish than what you get from Skydio 2 or even any of the Mavics – 2 Pro or Air 2. But it makes up for all of that with its brilliant camera performance and ultra high quality videos and photos.
