If you know a bit about the drone “industry” you might’ve heard about Skydio 2 and Autel Evo 2. They both can record in at least 4K, the Autel EVO 2 is even capable of 8K. And besides this, they have a lot of flight features. But it is a hard choice for pilots to pick the best one between the Autel Evo and Skydio 2.
But let’s take a deeper look inside the Skydio 2 vs Autel Evo 2 race and let’s decide which one is the best and which one should you choose.
OK, let's start from look at the 3 most important aspects of a drone, the design, the camera, and it’s performance.
Autel EVO 2 VS Skydio 2 Specs
| Features |
Autel EVO II |
Skydio 2 |
|---|---|---|
| style | Folding drone | Autonomous quadcopter |
| Flight time | 40 min | 23 min |
| Range | 5.5miles | 2.17 miles |
| Speed | No Wind: 45mph Wind: 39mph |
No Wind: 36mph Wind: 25mph |
| Camera | Sony IMX586 1/2” CMOS | Sony IMX577 1/2.3” CMOS |
| Pixels | 48MP | 12MP |
| Resolution | 8000*6000 (4:3) 7680*4320 (16:9) 4000*3000 (4:3) 3840*2160 (16:9) |
4056*3040 3840*2160 1920*1080 |
| Zoom | 1-8x (Max 4x lossless) | N/A |
| Bitrate | 120Mbps | 100 Mbps |
| Format | Video: MP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265) Photo: JPEG, DNG (RAW) |
video: MPEG-4 (AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265) photo: JPEG, DNG (RAW) |
| Obstacle Avoidance | Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance with 12 visual sensors, front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom | Omnidirectional and above/below |
| Object tracking and identification | Six types of subjects. eg: people, car, boat, animal and more up to 64 objects |
People and motor vehicles Up to 10 objects |
| Dynamic Track Skills | Dynamic Track (fixed distance behind the target) Parallel Track (tracks the target from the side at a fixed distance ) Tripod Track |
Motion Track (relative to subject motion) Fixed Track (relative to absolute orientation) |
| Package List | Aircraft 1 Battery 3 Pairs Propellers Remote Control Essential Accessories |
Aircraft 1 Battery 2 Pairs Propellers Remote Control (Extra $179) Essential Accessories |
| Price | $1495 | $999 (Exclude Remote Control) |
1. Design and build | EVO 2 VS Skydio 2
Autel EVO 2
Also, EVO 2 is a 2nd generation model of EVO drone. The foldable design of EVO II makes it easier to carry when travel compared with Skydio 2. When comes to weight, the EVO II has an overall weight of 1.127Kg, it's a little heavier than Skydio 2. Also, the EVO II drone comes in a bold orange color, it’s not the most elegant color but it’s a cool one. Besides, the drone comes with 4 propellers (2 pairs) all are facing upward.
Skydio 2
Skydio 2 is the follow up to the impressive Skydio R1, a powerful drone. Compared with Skydio R1, Skydio 2 is 50% smaller and 50% lighter than its predecessor, also the battery works 50% better too.
The drone is enabled with 223 x 273 x 74 millimeters propellers, two out of which are facing downward and two are facing upward. And the drone has an overall weight of 775 grams without the battery so you will definitely need an FAA registration for this.
Skydio 2 Drone
2. Camera | EVO 2 VS Skydio 2
EVO II
Now, let’s talk about the incredible camera on the Evo 2. As we heard it can capture in 8K, the camera has a 48MP, 1/2″ camera even have digital zoom up to 8x, and 4x lossless. It has a max resolution of 8000×6000 when shooting still photos. As for videos, the resolution is reduced to a maximum of 7680 x 4320.
Autel EVO II Three Camera Interchageable
Also, notably, EVO II drone has 3 interchangeable camera, you can upgrade to an EVO II Pro drone model that has a larger sensor and only a 6K camera, of course, can upgrade to the top model of the new Evo II line comes with a dual-camera configuration, sporting an 8K sensor and a decent IR camera.
The drone has a built-in 8GB storage, but if you want to record in 8K, that 8GB clearly won’t be enough for you. Luckily there is a slot for a microSD card where you can upgrade the storage to 256GB.
Skydio 2
The camera featured on the Skydio 2 is a Sony with 1/2.3” 12.3MP CMOS sensor with an f/2.8 aperture that’s equivalent to a 35-millimeter. Having a high-quality sensor like this on your drone’s camera can be a handful if you want to record at a high speed. With this camera, you’ll be able to record video at 4K resolution and a frame rate ranging from 24 to 60. This will enable you to record realistic footage at a whopping 4K resolution. In 1080p, you have the possibility to record at frames per second from 30 to 120.
3. Performance | EVO 2 VS Skydio 2
Autel EVO 2
This drone can fly up to 40 minutes with his 7100mAh battery. This should amaze you only by itself because this drone weighs more than 1Kg. The drone can fly up to 9km range with a 45mph speed.
EVO II Drone 40 min flight time and 5.5 Miles flight distance
You also have some obstacle avoidance sensors on this drone which works just amazing. You have 2-2 sensors on every side which mean you have a total of 12 obstacle avoidance cameras on the drone (2x on the front, back, left/right side, top and bottom).
What's more, the EVO II's featured Dynamic Track which is able to identify and track them continuously while identifying up to 64 objects six types of subjects at the same time. For example, pedestrian, cyclist, car, truck, boat, or animal.
Skydio 2
The performance of a high-quality drone like this can be a really important factor. Skydio 2 has a 4,280 mAh battery which lets the Skydio reach as much as 23 minutes of flight time on average. This makes it better than the average but, if you still want to have the all-around flying experience, you can always buy some extra batteries. Due to the lightweight and powerful motors, the Skydio can fly at a maximum speed of 36 miles (58km) per hour in the right conditions.
Skydio 2 23 minutes 2.3miles flight distance
Additionally, Combined with the Nvidia Tegra X2 system the Skydio 2 drone can track as much as 10 objects at the same time. All this is possible while avoiding walls, trees, and any other obstacles even at full speed thanks to the AI and machine learning algorithms that power up this gadget.
Conclusion
As we saw in our Autel Evo 2 vs Skydio 2comparison, the Skydio weighs less, but the Evo II has a foldable design, so for the Skydio you will need a case if you want to transport it more easily. As for the camera, the Evo 2 has an incredibly good and unique 8K capable drone. 1-8x digital zoom also is awesome. Come to the flight features, Autel Evo 2 have a longer flight time and farther extend the range also have more flight mode like Dynamic track and Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance.
