So I've had my Evo for a little over a month now, and thought I'd share a few thoughts for others who may be considering the purchase and coming from DJI.
I've been flying DJI Mavic Pros and a Spark for about 3 years now and got my Part 107 last year. What initially drew me to the Evo was the camera. I loved the look of videos straight from cam - the dynamic range, the color science, and of course, 4K 60fps. I also loved the idea of the OLED screen and FPV view without the phone. Lastly, DJI's strict geofencing is only now starting to annoy me. That said, owning the Evo has been a mixed bag so far.
The camera. The 4K 60fps is awesome. The color science and dynamic range are awesome. The barrel distortion, not so much. While my Mavics tend to overexpose and blow out whites, the stills look fabulous after a little tweaking. I generally don't like the Evo stills because as the horizon approaches the top, the barrel distortion becomes VERY obvious. I can fix it in post, but I still don't like it. I also don't find the stills as crisp as I can get with my Mavics. On the other hand, the 4K video straight from the cam are much better with the Evo (as long as you keep the horizon away from the top of the frame). They are crisper, and generally have fewer obvious compression artifacts. I attribute this to the Evo's higher bitrate.
The controller. The Evo controller is a far cry from my Mavic controllers physically, and the OLED screen doesn't save it. The buttons on the bottom are WAY too easy to hit - and in most use cases, all they do is beep. My controller doesn't need a horn. The antennas are garbage - as can be seen from all the cracking complaints. They are far too flimsy and prone to handling damage. The port covers are annoyingly difficult to move out of the way. The video range drops off DRAMATICALLY when there are trees in the way. While the FPV view is nice to have, it's next to useless (for me) without some kind of location or directional indicator. The FPV view was a big selling point for me, but I didn't realize that I wouldn't even have some high level map or directional indication on the screen. Without it I can't verify that the drone is pointed in the right direction before takeoff (compass verification) or where it is if I happen to lose sight of it inadvertently. The net is that I'd never use it without a phone anyway, which limits the controller to the same functionality as the Mavic remote.
The app. It's mostly great, but needs work. It's not resource demanding, so it runs on even my weakest Android phone. I LOVE that. It's also intuitive, reliable and works very well. It just lacks a bunch of features that I'd like to see. For example, I'd like to have some kind of compass or sensor status screen to give me some idea of how well they are calibrated like DJI. Autel's approach is equivalent of the car idiot light....which only alerts you when there is a problem. (Incidentally, there is no IMU cal on the Evo. The IMU is recalibrated every time you boot up, so it's important that the drone be motionless unless you are in boat mode.) Autel takes the same approach with recording the home point. I have to assume it's recorded unless the app tells me it's not. I'd rather it announce, flash lights, or SOMETHING to give me positive confirmation. Another huge selling point for me was the fact that the app uses Google maps, and as such, I incorrectly assumed it would use downloaded maps. I use dedicated devices for flying, and I frequently fly in areas with little or no cell coverage, and with all cell and wifi turned off to minimize interference - so I don't like to rely on signal for maps. DJI Go has an offline map feature which allows me to download map sections, but it is infuriating because it rarely works properly. Unfortunately flying in low signal areas with the Evo is just as difficult as it is with DJI. If I don't pre-cache map data from where I plan to fly, I get nothing but a blank screen for map.
The Evo. No complaints here. The Evo is a fantastic piece of kit. It feels more sturdy and well built than my Mavics and is more stable when hovering to line up for a landing. The gimbal is much more solid feeling and I don't worry every time I take the cover off. I also prefer the way the rear legs open over that of the Mavic. The Evo's prop audio pitch is lower and MUCH less annoying to my ears. I really get tired of the Mavic 'swarm of angry bees' sound. The Evo is much more pleasing to the ear, and for that reason, it is perceived as quieter. The Evo is more responsive than the Mavic - but that can be a double-edged sword. The Mavic gives you more control over ALL stick response curves...not just yaw like the Evo. This becomes more of a drawback when you consider that the rear obstacle avoidance sensor doesn't stop the drone. While I don't rely on obstacle avoidance, it has saved me from my own stupidity in a case or two.
3rd Party support. Is non-existent. There are VERY few aftermarket items available for the Evo, and sites like Airdata don't support it. I find Airdata critical to help me track usage, battery health, maintenance, and decoding detailed flight logs when I have an issue. I really feel exposed by not having it for the Evo.
For those of you that LOVE your Evo, please don't take all of that personally. I just wanted to document my thoughts for others that may be considering the Evo but are used to DJI. I believe in making informed purchases, and given the cost of these things, the *opinions* of others can sometimes be helpful.
LP
I've been flying DJI Mavic Pros and a Spark for about 3 years now and got my Part 107 last year. What initially drew me to the Evo was the camera. I loved the look of videos straight from cam - the dynamic range, the color science, and of course, 4K 60fps. I also loved the idea of the OLED screen and FPV view without the phone. Lastly, DJI's strict geofencing is only now starting to annoy me. That said, owning the Evo has been a mixed bag so far.
The camera. The 4K 60fps is awesome. The color science and dynamic range are awesome. The barrel distortion, not so much. While my Mavics tend to overexpose and blow out whites, the stills look fabulous after a little tweaking. I generally don't like the Evo stills because as the horizon approaches the top, the barrel distortion becomes VERY obvious. I can fix it in post, but I still don't like it. I also don't find the stills as crisp as I can get with my Mavics. On the other hand, the 4K video straight from the cam are much better with the Evo (as long as you keep the horizon away from the top of the frame). They are crisper, and generally have fewer obvious compression artifacts. I attribute this to the Evo's higher bitrate.
The controller. The Evo controller is a far cry from my Mavic controllers physically, and the OLED screen doesn't save it. The buttons on the bottom are WAY too easy to hit - and in most use cases, all they do is beep. My controller doesn't need a horn. The antennas are garbage - as can be seen from all the cracking complaints. They are far too flimsy and prone to handling damage. The port covers are annoyingly difficult to move out of the way. The video range drops off DRAMATICALLY when there are trees in the way. While the FPV view is nice to have, it's next to useless (for me) without some kind of location or directional indicator. The FPV view was a big selling point for me, but I didn't realize that I wouldn't even have some high level map or directional indication on the screen. Without it I can't verify that the drone is pointed in the right direction before takeoff (compass verification) or where it is if I happen to lose sight of it inadvertently. The net is that I'd never use it without a phone anyway, which limits the controller to the same functionality as the Mavic remote.
The app. It's mostly great, but needs work. It's not resource demanding, so it runs on even my weakest Android phone. I LOVE that. It's also intuitive, reliable and works very well. It just lacks a bunch of features that I'd like to see. For example, I'd like to have some kind of compass or sensor status screen to give me some idea of how well they are calibrated like DJI. Autel's approach is equivalent of the car idiot light....which only alerts you when there is a problem. (Incidentally, there is no IMU cal on the Evo. The IMU is recalibrated every time you boot up, so it's important that the drone be motionless unless you are in boat mode.) Autel takes the same approach with recording the home point. I have to assume it's recorded unless the app tells me it's not. I'd rather it announce, flash lights, or SOMETHING to give me positive confirmation. Another huge selling point for me was the fact that the app uses Google maps, and as such, I incorrectly assumed it would use downloaded maps. I use dedicated devices for flying, and I frequently fly in areas with little or no cell coverage, and with all cell and wifi turned off to minimize interference - so I don't like to rely on signal for maps. DJI Go has an offline map feature which allows me to download map sections, but it is infuriating because it rarely works properly. Unfortunately flying in low signal areas with the Evo is just as difficult as it is with DJI. If I don't pre-cache map data from where I plan to fly, I get nothing but a blank screen for map.
The Evo. No complaints here. The Evo is a fantastic piece of kit. It feels more sturdy and well built than my Mavics and is more stable when hovering to line up for a landing. The gimbal is much more solid feeling and I don't worry every time I take the cover off. I also prefer the way the rear legs open over that of the Mavic. The Evo's prop audio pitch is lower and MUCH less annoying to my ears. I really get tired of the Mavic 'swarm of angry bees' sound. The Evo is much more pleasing to the ear, and for that reason, it is perceived as quieter. The Evo is more responsive than the Mavic - but that can be a double-edged sword. The Mavic gives you more control over ALL stick response curves...not just yaw like the Evo. This becomes more of a drawback when you consider that the rear obstacle avoidance sensor doesn't stop the drone. While I don't rely on obstacle avoidance, it has saved me from my own stupidity in a case or two.
3rd Party support. Is non-existent. There are VERY few aftermarket items available for the Evo, and sites like Airdata don't support it. I find Airdata critical to help me track usage, battery health, maintenance, and decoding detailed flight logs when I have an issue. I really feel exposed by not having it for the Evo.
For those of you that LOVE your Evo, please don't take all of that personally. I just wanted to document my thoughts for others that may be considering the Evo but are used to DJI. I believe in making informed purchases, and given the cost of these things, the *opinions* of others can sometimes be helpful.
LP
