Meet the EVO!!! Autel's new bird!!

Jagerbomb52 · Jan 11, 2018

And you guys figure Autel is the only one pissing off customers??? LOL you should check out the Yuneecpilots forum

"I'm in the same damned boat my friend! I bought the H520 with all 3 camera platforms because I was assured that it would be a much better, well thought-out product than the DJI M200...for a fraction of the price. ...well, here I am with a $6600.00 paperweight that I could have used to buy a $10,000.00 platform that would be outside flying in the snow and rain...I cannot describe how pissed off I am..."

Same crap different pile

Jagerbomb52 · Jan 11, 2018

Press release from them today (Jan. 11th)

Autel Robotics Announces New Aircraft EVO at CES 2018
by Will Stagno

JANUARY 11, 2018

At CES 2018, Autel Robotics USA announced its new flagship aircraft line, the EVO.

EVO is a portable camera drone with foldable arms and a sleek, compact form factor. We’re incredibly excited about this product, and after showing it off at CES, are eager to get it out into the wild for our customers to enjoy.

EVO:

4K UHD 60FPS camera equipped on a 3-axis gimbal
Front & Downward (Computer Vision) and Rear (IR Sensor) Obstacle Avoidance Systems
3.3 Inch built-in OLED screen remote controller with 720p live video
30-minute flight time
Speeds up to 20 meters per second
4300 mAh Li-Po Battery, 1.3 hour recharge time
7km (4.2 mi) Range
Autel Explorer app allowing for intelligent flight features & more

We’ve been both humbled and honored by the overwhelmingly positive response to our announcement of the EVO. The EVO’s expected price point at launch is $999.00 USD. The launch date for the EVO will be announced as we close in further on our release timeline.

While we are close to launching, we want to ensure that we deliver products that provide the utmost quality and reliability for our customers.

Last year at CES we set some expectations that we did not achieve. We were not able to deliver a high quality, reliable offering with the Thermal and 1” Sensor for our X‑Star series. There are many reasons that these units did not come to fruition.

We realize that a big part of meeting our delivery goals for our customers is refining our messaging to ensure that we can always do what we say we will do.

Moving forward with EVO we will focus on that goal of communicating clearly and never overpromising. As such, all we can say for now as to EVO’s release date is “very soon”. We’ll publish details on our website and social media as soon as they are available.

Thank you for all of your support and feedback!

The Autel Robotics Team

Wayne Maine · Jan 11, 2018

More PR BS

Jagerbomb52 · Jan 11, 2018

Well I think they are trying to calm the waters.If you travel to the other forums they have sparked the interest of many. So for everyone of us they might lose they gained others looking for something different. It's a merry go round. I came from Yuneec to Autel. Where will I go from here? Might just get back into building my own.

Jagerbomb52 · Jan 11, 2018

Well now look who just got into DJI's face, looks like everyone wants in the game.
Frank from CarolinaDronz with the Walkera Peri

Jagerbomb52 · Jan 11, 2018

DroneyDrone · Jan 11, 2018

Agustine said:
Well now look who just got into DJI's face, looks like everyone wants in the game.
Frank from CarolinaDronz with the Walkera Peri
View attachment 1799

Very interesting. Looks like a Spark clone with the Mavic Pro Platinum quiet prop design.

Jagerbomb52 · Jan 11, 2018

Jagerbomb52 · Jan 11, 2018

DroneyDrone said:
Very interesting. Looks like a Spark clone with the Mavic Pro Platinum quiet prop design.

Walkera has been around for ever. They had some very bad customer support and no help on firmware but their design was always a competitor. Seems they have finally got there act together. Some very nice cameras from them also.

Jagerbomb52 · Jan 11, 2018

joshmentele · Jan 11, 2018

Agustine said:
Walkera has been around for ever... Some very nice cameras from them also.

Walkera's Vitus camera is total junk. Not even worth having. With optimal conditions, it is fine. However, when wind starts to pick up, jello creeps into the video and the camera begins to shake.

OldBlueHeron · Jan 11, 2018

There will always be room on the dark side...

OldBlueHeron · Jan 11, 2018

All jokes aside, I'm on board for the evo.

Jagerbomb52 · Jan 11, 2018

joshmentele said:
Walkera's Vitus camera is total junk. Not even worth having. With optimal conditions, it is fine. However, when wind starts to pick up, jello creeps into the video and the camera begins to shake.

What ever. they all have problems to over come.

Sundog775 · Jan 11, 2018

ATVIS said:
This video was shot on location in a single take. He was making a judgement based on what he saw from two tiny phone screens in sunglasses while on a windy mountain and flying two drones at the same time. Anyone viewing the video after the fact can clearly see that the Mavic is less stable in high winds.

So let me see if I have this right, because clearly I must be completely missing something here. You link to a video in which the reviewer's sole purpose was to compare the Mavic to the P4 in high wind conditions. At the conclusion of his test, he states that he really sees no difference between the two. Somehow, you are able to determine that you know more than the guy standing on the side of the mountain actually flying the birds, and he obviously meant to say something else, but since he shot it in a single take he didn't really know what he was saying and had no opportunity to correct himself before posting the video... Sorry, there's no way I'm even going to try to argue with that logic. I believe (just one person's opinion) that if you were to do a blind test of the two videos shot FROM the birds (not the video OF the birds), viewers would be very hard pressed to say which drone shot which video - other than the quality difference between the two cameras, there's really no visual difference until you get to the end, where the guy is actually able to land the Mavic on the ground but hand-catches the P4, which probably would have otherwise tipped over in the wind.

All of this is irrelevant anyway, since this thread is not about comparing a Mavic to a P4 and I, along with many others here, have absolutely zero interest in either one of those drones. All I was doing was offering a suggestion to a fellow pilot whose opinion I actually do respect that it might be worth waiting to see how the EVO actually performs before writing it off as a "toy".

WingBot · Jan 11, 2018

Treat

DroneyDrone said:
Your viewpoint is valid and you have a right to feel the way you do. I don't really share the same view, however. I bewlieve Autel had every intention of delivering those cameras to market and continuing full speed ahead with the XSP. But no company can stay afloat when their one and only product is held up in a long drawn out court battle. They had to move on or stay and sink. We don't know at what point the realization came to them that the cameras would not happen. With their great customer service record, it's hard to believe they would purposely deceive any customers.

But they did...period! Many on this blog inquired many times about their XS & P status and plans including me. They made no effort to let anyone know about their position and or plans for well over 6 months. Not intentional? Bull Hockey! The worst part is that they were not legally bound to silence over their intentions whether there were lawsuits or not. They witheld their intentions for many months as to maintain sells for the XS throughout the mentioned timeframe. By doing so, it was deceptive to new and potential XS owners that would greatly effect their decision to buy and maintain. This is beyond pale and no way to treat future and current customers. Buyer beware when a company goes silent with their business plans and direction. Their decisions left new and current owners without proper customer support and or ability to obtain much needed parts and accessories. Many bought accessories that otherwise would not have if they had been up front with their change in plans. Now you mentioned their lawsuit, well their misguided decisions have opened up the barn door for law suits with their new release EVO being very similar to some DJI products. DJI will drill them asap when the EVO hits the market or a least try to. So if their decisions to drop the XP production was based on a law suit then I don't see how the silent release of the EVO would help their situation. Don't get me wrong, I love what they are bringing to the table with their product line and costs. But they must continue support and engineering for their first line product while they introduce new products and workout their lawsuit issues. Not doing so, they will slowly die on the vine in the business world. If it were me I would fire whoever has advised them on how to handle their current business decisions. Law suits or not their is no logical reason to have done what they've done to their customers of the XS&P. They are a young enterprise and will have to learn from their mistakes. The most important thing they will learn will be how they should treat their customers otherwise nothing else will matter. I wish Autel Robotics luck going forward because they are on top of the drone world in my opinion with awesome products and competitive costs where I believe they have an edge. Lesson learned... don't mistreat future and loyal customers.

arto.inetco · Jan 11, 2018

Agustine said:
Some had other reasons for buying into Autel. I just got tired of the flying my Yuneec products that never got updated simple because it went as far as it could with updates. Autel had some light at the end of the tunnel for me with the promise of the SDK and 3rd party Apps. My main reason for flying UAV's is for video and photos and I was very happy with the XSP's camera. Knowing I could be doing a lot more with 3rd party Apps was my biggest disappointment with this announcement that the APK will not be released. I know a developer who was very interested in exploring mapping and other options. He applied when Autel first launched it on their website only to have no emails back from Autel so he said I am not wasting my time and moved on. To bad he did wonders for Yuneec's Typhoon H when it first came out and could have brought Autel to the forefront as a leader for commercial users.
I really don't care Autel went this route with a new product but they need to save some grace and get that APK out to the developers so the XSP can live on like the 3DR solo is.

The EVO here in Canada will cost me around 1300 bucks. I have spent more on a Nikon camera and lenses that sits in the camera bag for months on end so spending 1300 on a flying camera I would use every 2nd or 3rd day should not bother me but I can wait and see just how this EVO plays out. When they have a release date will it be on time. How many updates will it need to correct problems and how fast these updates come out will all make my final decision on buying one.
Until then I am just as happy flying the X-Star

We are going to need extra batteries, and a legitimate hardshell case, maybe a backpack, multi charger, 3.5" sunhood, etc...the extra "bundle" will likely add $250 to the $999 price USD...they can call it the "evolve more combo"...

WingBot · Jan 11, 2018

Agustine said:
And you guys figure Autel is the only one pissing off customers??? LOL you should check out the Yuneecpilots forum

"I'm in the same damned boat my friend! I bought the H520 with all 3 camera platforms because I was assured that it would be a much better, well thought-out product than the DJI M200...for a fraction of the price. ...well, here I am with a $6600.00 paperweight that I could have used to buy a $10,000.00 platform that would be outside flying in the snow and rain...I cannot describe how pissed off I am..."

Same crap different pile

So we just eat their crap or die? Well, I for one will not. I would hate to give up my newly found hobby but I will move on if the industry fails to listen to what their clientele are saying. I appreciate your input and can surely see your frustration with very good reason. Apparently, we are the reason why they choose to market their products but we are seeing some less than acceptable marketing practices. Just how does the voice of the consumer/clientele work to convince these companies to do right by them? The only way I know how is keep my money in my pocket until I find one who will focus on putting their clientele first. Work with their clientele to provide products that best suits their wants and needs with products that produce long and rewarding experiences. Nuff said, I thought Autel Robotics would be just that... I now believe I was wrong so in any account I hope they are listening before it's too late. Example: How likely are you to return to Yuneec? It's a new industry so many people will get burned before the industry corrects their short comings on best business practices to maximize profits. We do have a say it's a matter of how far all of us collectively will go to say it!

DroneyDrone · Jan 11, 2018

If you think you've been so wronged by Autel, try dealing with DJI. You'll quickly see what it's like to deal with a company that doesn't give two bits about it's customers...

Jagerbomb52 · Jan 12, 2018

So if you watch the video the Autel people gave Frank the cost on the 1" sensor EVO but if you follow Autels facebook page Kenneth AR still says there is no 1" sensor and there is only one committed EVO??? which is it LOL

"Kenneth ARGroup Moderator 1" is prototype only, no price, no date. There is only 1 model, the one with 1/2.3 that is committed."

Seems someone never got the memo