As long as DJI keeps my drone locked out when I have FAA clearance to fly, I'll never consider another DJI product. Let me be responsible for my own actions.
I am of the opinion that, being able to fly the drone continuosly until it drops out of the sky, is a plus. Let's say your DJI drone, choose to land in the water because it is short on battery power. In the same scenario with the Autel, you can use every last bit of energy left and maybe have enough power to make it to shore or a suitable landing spot. I just wouldn't like DJI short changing me, when I still have some gas left in the battery, that would bring the drone, closer to me. All this aside, I would take care and never put myself in this spot, by proper planning and paying attention to the conditions, which could affect flying time.
One key feature of the Autel drones that beats DJI is in the fact that Autel doesn’t have the annoying NFZ restrictions that DJI does. DJI drones are a royal pain in the ass when it comes to flying in an authorization zone. Not only do you have to get authorization from the FAA but you have to jump through some very extremely annoying hoops in the DJI system to get your drone to even takeoff! It’s like being double regulated and there really is no reason for it, especially for part 107 licensed pilots. DJI should unlock that feature for licensed pilots by simply allowing you to submit a copy of your FAA drone pilots license, and they should take the restrictions off because you have demonstrated that you know how to legally fly in controlled airspace and you will only do so when you are granted permission. I don’t have a problem with non-licensed pilots being restricted by DJI because often times they will not go through the proper authorization steps in most cases.
Nice honest comparison. Have both. Love the way the Evo Lite Plus can handle the wind. Unfortunately, it is still a work in progress. Autel made a mistake in releasing 4 new drones at once.
To me they are very similar platforms. Aside from battery life and weight/size, the 2 big differences for me are price and geofencing. The A2s wins for price performance, but the geofencing can be a nuisance.
Nice video. I own both drones. I love the build quality of the Evo lite plus. I believe the Evo lite plus can handle the wind better and I also give it a very slight edge in video quality. The obstacle avoidance feature is very annoying in the lite plus. I give the edge to the air 2s when it comes to flight control and picture quality.
Nice, clear comparisons. No clear cut winner but that's to be expected when there are so many different aspects concerning user requirements (price? aperture? battery life?). Nicely done, thanks
This was a really great comparison video. I would have appreciated it being a little longer and maybe more explanations about your observations when you had the split screens on. Having said that, this was still one of the best comparison videos I have yet seen. I am an Air 2S guy and not looking for the newest and greatest because that is a game that never ends. For what I do with my drone, the Air 2S is probably too much but man I love to him! Thank you!
First drone was an Autel X-star premium my pumpkin I called it and I have owned a Mavic pro and then the Autel evo then a mavic mini and then a Air 2, I am back in the market for a new drone and pulled the trigger on the Autel lite + and cancelled the order due to Autels lack of support and keep hearing they are dropping the consumer line up so I got me a Air 2s and feel I ma=de the better choice. Thanks for the video
Just finished setting up the company's new Air 2S. I recommended it simply for DJI's polished software maneuvers. After having to deal with geozone unlocking, I can tell you I will personally buy an Autel drone to avoid that headache. Jeezis
The Autel uav lets the pilot control the aircraft. Warns you not to fly in restricted areas but allows you to decide. Same with the battery lets you know hey there is a problem but allows you to make the decision. Where the DJI does not give you a choice. Also do your UAV a favor get a rigid foldable landing pad the gimbal will thank you with a longer usable life.
I have (had) both drones. The unpredictable and very short battery time is a deal-breaker for the Air 2s. She never made it home on a fully charged battery after about 17 minutes of flight and was lost. Went out and bought the Lite Plus and have nearly twice the battery time
Bob, thanks for taking the time to comment. I wouldn't say the Air 2s battery is unpredictable/short...that hasn't been my experience, anyway. Sorry to hear about your experience! You're right that the Lite Plus has slightly higher battery life...not 2x, but something like 25-30% more depending on atmospheric conditions, how you're flying, etc. That, and a number of other differentiators addressed in this video. Glad you're enjoying the Lite Plus! I love flying mine :)
They both are 5.4k. The camera resolution is exactly the same for both. Autel just markets theirs as "6k". I watched another review of a DJI drone (don't remember the model) but the pilot was able to override the auto RTH and keep the drone aloft until the battery ran down to 1% then he landed it.
