So now that Autel EVO 2 is announced, how does it compare with the DJI Mavic 2 Pro?
You are going to find out in today’s video, because I’m going to compare the DJI Mavic
2 Pro versus the EVO 2 with its 3 different cameras - all in the video coming up!
Alright, before we get into all the details, I know many of you are probably wondering
about whether DJI is going to come out with the Mavic 3 soon. I would say, yes - I made
a video about it up here, but as of this video right now, we only have the Mavic 2 Pro. And
even if DJI releases a Mavic 3 tomorrow, the EVO 2 is definitely one of the top 2 consumer
foldable drones in market. Just so you know, I will do another comparison of the EVO 2
versus the Mavic 3 when it is released. So if you want to see that video or step up your
drone skills, hit that subscribe button and tap that bell notification so you can get
all my videos when I release them.
So there are 3 different Autel EVO 2 drones, but they all have the same body. The only
thing different are the cameras, and best of all they are interchangeable, so you can
buy each camera by itself and swap it out, which is great for consumers, professionals,
and enterprise solutions, such as inspections and search and rescue.
So when I mention the different EVO 2 drones, I’m essentially just talking about the camera
and not the drone body. The 3 EVO 2 drones are EVO 2, EVO 2 Pro, and EVO 2 Dual. Before
I get into details about all three drones and compare them with the Mavic 2, I’ll
go over the specs that they all share.
So they will all fly for up to 40 minutes, which in reality will be around 35 minutes.
They have the ability to shoot native 10-bit 8K and 6K video with a processor able to handle
those big resolutions. The EVO 2 has 12 obstacle avoidance sensors which make it similar to
the first Skydio drone, the Skydio RD1. They call it omnidirectional, which is basically
true 360 obstacle avoidance, whereas the Mavic 2 has some blind spots that don’t make it
a true 360 degrees. Also, the obstacle avoidance sensors on the left and right side of Mavic
2 only work in Active Track and Quickshot modes. So the EVO 2 will be better at avoiding
obstacles as it always uses all of its sensors, even with its Active Track, which Autel calls
Dynamic Track 2.0.
Out of the box, the EVO 2 has less contrast than the Mavic 2, but in the app you can adjust
that of course or in post production. However, because the EVO 2 shoots 8K and the EVO 2
Pro shoots 6K, you can crop into the shot and it will still have good resolution. This
is perhaps its biggest advantage over the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom.
Now one important thing to be aware of is that there is no geofencing with the EVO 2.
It will warn you of proximity to a flight restricted zone, or other no fly zone, or
limited flight areas, but will not prevent you from flying there. As of this video there
are very few countries, such as China, that require geofencing. Also, some of you might
be worried about using this drone with the new Remote ID rules proposed here in the United
States, but Autel said it would adapt to any new regulations by the United States FAA.
But that’s for another video. Overall, I would give a significant edge to
the EVO 2 over the Mavic 2 because of its longer flight time, better obstacle avoidance,
and better image quality for video and photos. Now let’s get into the side-by-side details…
So let’s start with the EVO 2, which I will compare with the Mavic 2 Zoom because it has
a similar sized sensor. Now the EVO 2 has an impressive 48MP ½-inch camera sensor that
shoots up to 8K video at 24/25 fps. Obviously that’s some amazing resolution, but let’s
take a closer look.
A significant advantage the EVO 2 has over the other drones is that it uses a f/1.8 aperture,
letting in more light for low light situations and allowing the use of a lower ISO than the
Mavic 2 Zoom, which will equate to lower noise. However, it still uses a ½” sensor, and
you are not able to adjust the aperture like the EVO 2 Pro or Mavic 2 Pro. But when comparing
it with the Mavic 2 Zoom, it is better considering the Mavic 2 Zoom starts at f/2.8 at 24mm and
goes up to f/3.8 at 48mm, so the Mavic 2 Zoom won’t be able to let as much light in as
the EVO 2.
So if you’re shooting in low light, the EVO 2 may be better. However, you also have
to consider that the EVO 2 has 48MP and the more MP you have on a camera sensor, the worse
it is in low light. Now just to be clear, I’m talking about video, not photography.
And since the Mavic 2 Zoom only has 12MP it very well could be better than the EVO 2 in
low light. You have to take all that into consideration as the lens and sensor work
together, along with the processor. If that was all too confusing, just leave a question
below and I will do my best to answer it.
One thing I do like about the Mavic 2 Zoom, which isn’t available in the Mavic 2 Pro,
is the ability to shoot in D-Cinelike mode, which looks great on my Zoom and DJI Phantom
4 Pro. So I would give the Mavic 2 Zoom a slightly more cinematic look right out of
the box when using D-Cinelike mode. But the EVO 2 can shoot 10-bit natively and it shoots
8K and 2.7K at 120fps, so overall the image quality goes to the EVO 2.
Now let’s move on to the EVO 2 Pro, which has a 1-inch sensor and adjustable aperture
from f/2.8-f/11. So compared to the EVO 2, the EVO 2 Pro is going to have better image
quality, better color, more dynamic range, better in low light, and you’re going to
be able to control of depth of field.
Let’s take a look at the EVO 2 Pro vs Mavic 2 Pro. They both have the same size camera
sensor, which is 1-inch with 20MP’s, however, the EVO 2 Pro shoots 6K up to 30fps, 4K up
to 60fps, and 2.7K up to 120fps, so for video the edge goes to the EVO 2 Pro.
For photography, they are going to be very similar as they both shoot 20MP with the same
adjustable aperture from f/2.8-f/11. If you prefer more contrast in your photos with darker
shadows, you’re going to prefer the Mavic 2 Pro, whereas the EVO 2 Pro has much less
contrast right out of the box. With that said, you could adjust the contrast in the app,
or in post production. They both have auto exposure bracketing and full manual controls,
so when it comes to photography, it is basically a tie.
Now the EVO 2 Dual is going to use the same 8K camera as the first EVO 2, along with a
Flir Boson thermal camera, which is a 640x512 thermal camera with a refresh rate up to 30Hz.
This means the EVO 2 Dual is going to give you much better image quality than the Mavic
2 Enterprise Dual for photos and video, but especially for thermal imaging.
The Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual does have a great app that gives a lot of features, so we’ll
have to wait and see what Autel does. For now we do know a few things. With the EVO
2 Dual you can record with one or the other or both cameras at the same time. If you use
both simultaneously, you will only be able to shoot 4K. However, the MicroSD card will
have 3 files with one for each camera, and one with both of them together, which is a
great feature for post production! The thermal camera also allows you to use
10 different color profiles for different environments. With the Mavic 2 Enterprise
Dual you only have 5 color profiles. This is great for inspections of telephone wires,
warehouses, and oil pipelines. It will also be good for firefighters, police, first responders,
search and rescue, and surveillance, as well as many other uses.
One thing to note is that this EVO 2 Dual thermal camera is not radiometric, but I reached
out to Autel and they told me that “The EVO II Dual will not be Radiometric at the
time of launch. We are currently evaluating offering a Radiometric option in the future.”
Radiometric thermal cameras give you more options in post production, but they are very,
very expensive, so keep that in mind. In the past, you needed to have permission to bring
a Flir camera greater than 9Hz outside of the USA because they considered it military
grade equipment. However, I am not sure if that is still true. If it is, this may mean
you can only use the EVO 2 Dual in the USA without government permission. Autel could
not give me an answer to this situation. If you do know, leave a comment below.
Now I’m going to give you some of my final thoughts.
One feature I didn’t mention, which a lot of people will like, is the EVO 2 controller.
It is like the original EVO controller with the app and screen built into the controller
so you don’t need to use a separate device like your phone or iPad. However, you could
use a cable and your phone with the built-in holder if that’s what you prefer. There’s
also the possibility of a bigger screen sold by Autel but no info on it as of this video.
Now here are some things I’m a little disappointed about the EVO 2.
- It only has 8GB of internal store, just like the Mavic 2. I would have liked to have
seen 32GB or higher, especially when shooting 6K or 8K; 8GB is going to be used up very
quickly. However, I do like the fact that it allows up to a 256GB MicroSD card, which
is double the size of the Mavic 2 limit since I can only use up to 128GB on my Mavic 2 Pro.
But it’s worth considering that my Mavic 2 Pro only shoots up to 4K so 128GB is still
a lot of space.
- The EVO 2 has 2 LED lights on the bottom of the drone, but I would have liked to see
more and possibly one built in on top that can be used at night.
- Personally, I would have rather seen a bigger sensor that shoots 4K, such as a super 35
sensor, even if that meant it cost much more, as that would make it not only compete with
the Mavic 2 Pro, but also the Inspire 2. I know a lot of people like bigger resolution
and higher MP’s, but I’ve found that a bigger sensor will usually provide better
image quality.
- I wish the EVO 2 was smaller, but it’s understandable considering it needed a bigger,
more powerful battery for longer flight time, along with enough space to process that 6K
and 8K camera without overheating. So it would be nice if it were smaller, but having a foldable
8K and 6K drone is something I’m super pumped about.
The 8K EVO 2 is supposed to be released before the end of January, but Autel would not confirm
that with me. Then we should likely see the EVO 2 Pro with the 1-inch sensor sometime
in March. I have no release date for the EVO 2 Dual drone as I imagine it would take a
little longer as is normal with thermal cameras from Flir, but I imagine it will be significantly
later. As of this video, there is no word on the price of the Dual, but I imagine it
is going to be quite expensive compared to the other EVO 2 drones as good thermal cameras
cost thousands and thousands of dollars.
The amazing thing that Autel has done with the EVO 2, which I’ve been saying for years,
is the fact that you can buy the camera gimbal alone by itself and swap the 8K version for
the 6K camera with the bigger sensor. So being able to buy any of the 3 camera gimbals by
themselves is great because then you can have one drone and multiple cameras, thus saving
you a lot of space in your camera/drone bag. Autel hasn’t released the official prices
for each drone, but the EVO 2 should cost around $1,445-$1,495. And the EVO 2 Pro should
cost around $1,795-1,895.
I know that was a lot of info. Now when I got started learning about drones, it was
a little overwhelming with all the gear and flying them properly. It took me a long time
to hone my skills and have a comprehensive grasp of all the equipment. That is why I
created a Free Drone Gear Guide that organizes everything in a clear, concise manner. You
can get that Free Drone Guide by clicking over there.
I’m Brett Garamella, the Drone Pilot Pro, and remember, “Siempre Pa’lante, Nunca
Pa’tra!”