Here is my take on the EVo after having owned both the X Star Premium and DJI Mavic:
"Autel Robotics EVO A Real DJI Mavic Competitor"
"Autel Robotics EVO A Real DJI Mavic Competitor"
EVO From A X Star Premium / DJI Mavic Owners Perspective
- Thread starter Bill The Drone Reviewer
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kroorda
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LuvMyTJ
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I still can't find any info on the "rear sensor". It shows the front and underside, but no rear sensor. Watch the section of their promo video where they show the sensors. A rear sensor is a must if they are to compete.
After watching your video I wanted to share this story with you... DJI has made great strides in CS. Last week I received a bad battery shipped to me with a new kit I bought. Took me 7 minutes to complete a chat session with them and within an hour I had a prepaid shipping label (I would rather let them dispose of it as I do not have a convenient way to do so). The day they received it they dropped one in the mail to me. Very happy with CS over at DJI these days.
After watching your video I wanted to share this story with you... DJI has made great strides in CS. Last week I received a bad battery shipped to me with a new kit I bought. Took me 7 minutes to complete a chat session with them and within an hour I had a prepaid shipping label (I would rather let them dispose of it as I do not have a convenient way to do so). The day they received it they dropped one in the mail to me. Very happy with CS over at DJI these days.
Bill, as an XSP owner, how does it make you feel with autels ces2017 promises of an xsp SDK for 3rd party suuport and the usefulness of the XSP removal gimbal a year later? To some of us, the evo is another ces promise riding on the wind...
Hi Bill. I'm somewhat new to drones, but have flown 2, and returned both, as charge time was too long on one (300+ minutes) and flight times are too short (<10 minutes - on the ones I had, flying at altitude in Colorado). I'm a bit surprised you 'recommend' the EVO without having even flown it, or looked at the software, or had one in your possession for more than an hour. Look, I'm not putting you down, but recommending something without really knowing what it's capable of is a 'guess' on your part at best. I've had conversations with others here and this is the overview:
Others wrote, "I saw a future for Autel... it is very unfortunate that it didn't materialize - Autel had lots of promise, and in some ways they still do. When they first burst into the drone market they had everything going for them. Their slow response to the market was part of their downfall. In 2016 the presented the Venture quad, the Kestrel fixed-wing aircraft, and a handheld gimbal camera, none have been made available. In 2017 Autel offered the Kestrel again, a new version of the X-Star with retractable landing gear and a camera that rotated 360º, the modular 1" sensor camera for the X-Star, the modular thermal imaging camera for the X-Star, and the Software Developers Kit... none of them made it to market. Now here we are post-CES and they have said all the other stuff is dead (except for Kestrel, I think), and they showed us the EVO. It looks like a great quad, I truly hope they bring it to market. DJI needs a competitor. We all know lack of competition is not good for the market.
You may not want to face it, but the X-Star is at its end of life. It has survived just over two years now. That's the way it works with all manufacturers. Sooner or later a product will end and at some point after that support will be discontinued.
Sooner or later the devices will not run the Starlink app (unless Autel keeps updating it - If Autel fails to keep updating the Starlink app sooner or later it will not be supported. It happens. I still have a few apps on my iPad that won't update until the developer does something about it so they just don't work at all on iOS 11. Now I assume that Autel will continue to use the Starlink app for the future drones like the EVO and they will keep it current. Although that doesn't promise that they will support the X-Star in 2 or 3 years... who knows. I have some older drones that have no manufacturer support, that is just the way it is.
DJI is currently the largest drone manufacturer in the world and they didn't get there by not bringing products to market - As far as I am aware, everything they show at CES, they sell immediately or very soon after. They tend to offer several drones and several accessories every year and sell them. They grew because they provided a product and followed through with it. DJI’s dominance of the consumer drone market has a lot to do with the rate at which it has been able to bring new, advanced products to market. In 2017 DJI had 1,500 people working on research and development, nobody else has that. DJI’s partnerships, such as one with Sony for camera components, have also helped. I refer to them often as they are a success story in the drone world.
When they crash it and have no way to repair it - If you look in the Autel store right now they offer 25 items, 12 of those are sold out. Here are a few important ones, especially the camera as a crash will almost certainly damage it. Finding parts, like the camera is tough and will only get tougher as parts become even more scarce."
These are scary words. We can all "hope" for the best, but until Autel can prove they are here to support the market, it may be a difficult sell. Sure, some will get the EVO to write reviews - and I assume you are hoping you are one of the lucky ones, as $1000 to spend is a lot of money.
What market / demographic do you see this drone in? Clearly not a "hobby" drone, more a professional model? If on the professional side, how many will be sold vs the $500 drone which is much more affordable for so many - and even the $300 drones, which will do what 90% of the flyers want. If the $1000 drone market is split between Mavic and EVO (a generous assumption based on the above words), even at that, do they sell 1000 per year? I have no idea, but as airspace is becoming more and more limited, a 7km range (what, 4+ miles) is not realistic for many - only a VERY FEW. A few more drone crashes coming back RTH, hitting something, and that's all she wrote.
This said, I am considering an EVO - let's face it, it's cool, but the software and the 'package' will need to be supported for years - which seems unlikely based on the above.
Thanks for the review. Hope you get one to give us all an unbiased view based on real life experiences with the EVO.
Scott
Others wrote, "I saw a future for Autel... it is very unfortunate that it didn't materialize - Autel had lots of promise, and in some ways they still do. When they first burst into the drone market they had everything going for them. Their slow response to the market was part of their downfall. In 2016 the presented the Venture quad, the Kestrel fixed-wing aircraft, and a handheld gimbal camera, none have been made available. In 2017 Autel offered the Kestrel again, a new version of the X-Star with retractable landing gear and a camera that rotated 360º, the modular 1" sensor camera for the X-Star, the modular thermal imaging camera for the X-Star, and the Software Developers Kit... none of them made it to market. Now here we are post-CES and they have said all the other stuff is dead (except for Kestrel, I think), and they showed us the EVO. It looks like a great quad, I truly hope they bring it to market. DJI needs a competitor. We all know lack of competition is not good for the market.
You may not want to face it, but the X-Star is at its end of life. It has survived just over two years now. That's the way it works with all manufacturers. Sooner or later a product will end and at some point after that support will be discontinued.
Sooner or later the devices will not run the Starlink app (unless Autel keeps updating it - If Autel fails to keep updating the Starlink app sooner or later it will not be supported. It happens. I still have a few apps on my iPad that won't update until the developer does something about it so they just don't work at all on iOS 11. Now I assume that Autel will continue to use the Starlink app for the future drones like the EVO and they will keep it current. Although that doesn't promise that they will support the X-Star in 2 or 3 years... who knows. I have some older drones that have no manufacturer support, that is just the way it is.
DJI is currently the largest drone manufacturer in the world and they didn't get there by not bringing products to market - As far as I am aware, everything they show at CES, they sell immediately or very soon after. They tend to offer several drones and several accessories every year and sell them. They grew because they provided a product and followed through with it. DJI’s dominance of the consumer drone market has a lot to do with the rate at which it has been able to bring new, advanced products to market. In 2017 DJI had 1,500 people working on research and development, nobody else has that. DJI’s partnerships, such as one with Sony for camera components, have also helped. I refer to them often as they are a success story in the drone world.
When they crash it and have no way to repair it - If you look in the Autel store right now they offer 25 items, 12 of those are sold out. Here are a few important ones, especially the camera as a crash will almost certainly damage it. Finding parts, like the camera is tough and will only get tougher as parts become even more scarce."
These are scary words. We can all "hope" for the best, but until Autel can prove they are here to support the market, it may be a difficult sell. Sure, some will get the EVO to write reviews - and I assume you are hoping you are one of the lucky ones, as $1000 to spend is a lot of money.
What market / demographic do you see this drone in? Clearly not a "hobby" drone, more a professional model? If on the professional side, how many will be sold vs the $500 drone which is much more affordable for so many - and even the $300 drones, which will do what 90% of the flyers want. If the $1000 drone market is split between Mavic and EVO (a generous assumption based on the above words), even at that, do they sell 1000 per year? I have no idea, but as airspace is becoming more and more limited, a 7km range (what, 4+ miles) is not realistic for many - only a VERY FEW. A few more drone crashes coming back RTH, hitting something, and that's all she wrote.
This said, I am considering an EVO - let's face it, it's cool, but the software and the 'package' will need to be supported for years - which seems unlikely based on the above.
Thanks for the review. Hope you get one to give us all an unbiased view based on real life experiences with the EVO.
Scott
I do have a general question. In the CES video I saw it showed a glass flying area, and the EVO tracked the person walking around the glass case area. It seemed to work well BUT the person (walking slowly) was so close to the actual EVO that this optical vision sensor (whatever you call it) had him so large in the field of view, it couldn't help but work well. What if the subject is 30 yards away (just as an example), now the subject it tiny in the FOV and I can't help but wonder if the EVO gets lost (as other things might now be in the FOV) - stops tracking the subject the farther away the subject gets? We won't know this until someone actually does some testing. Perhaps it starts tracking a GPS signal from the phone, if it looses the optical view, or similar.
One other question / idea. My real goal is to take a drone kayaking with my wife and I - one reason I want 20+ minutes of REAL flight time. It's not white-water kayaking, it's calm water on a lake, and I can fly a drone at this lake - already checked - and it's a wonderful Colorado lake; only open to kayaks and canoes, not power boats, so it's tranquil. Anyway, I foresee launching from the kayak, either by hand or from the bow of the kayak - fairly large area. As I can't use RTH as the location will of changed, I'd like an optical marker I could put on the bow of my kayak and when the drone 'saw' the optical marker, it would land on it. Is something like this available? I envision some 3" diameter (or so) holographic marker I could stick on the bow, and when I get the drone close it 'sees' the marker and I initiate the landing sequence, it knows to land on the marker. This would be cool for any application where the RTH changes. Yes, I have seen 'resetting the RTH' location, but it want more accuracy not within 3', but 'on the spot' type of landing using optical sensors on the bottom of the drone. Perhaps someone knows if feature exists now? I have no idea.
One other question / idea. My real goal is to take a drone kayaking with my wife and I - one reason I want 20+ minutes of REAL flight time. It's not white-water kayaking, it's calm water on a lake, and I can fly a drone at this lake - already checked - and it's a wonderful Colorado lake; only open to kayaks and canoes, not power boats, so it's tranquil. Anyway, I foresee launching from the kayak, either by hand or from the bow of the kayak - fairly large area. As I can't use RTH as the location will of changed, I'd like an optical marker I could put on the bow of my kayak and when the drone 'saw' the optical marker, it would land on it. Is something like this available? I envision some 3" diameter (or so) holographic marker I could stick on the bow, and when I get the drone close it 'sees' the marker and I initiate the landing sequence, it knows to land on the marker. This would be cool for any application where the RTH changes. Yes, I have seen 'resetting the RTH' location, but it want more accuracy not within 3', but 'on the spot' type of landing using optical sensors on the bottom of the drone. Perhaps someone knows if feature exists now? I have no idea.
LuvMyTJ
Admin
The EVO will be a hobby drone, pro-sumer drone, or whatever you would like to call that segment. As far as using it for work, that will all depend on if they release an SDK that developers want to develop for. I predict it will be at least $1000+. I have noticed a lot of people commenting on how they didn't need a 4 mile range. While this is in most cases true, it is the strong connection with a rock solid image on your device is what you want. If you fly a Mavic and live in a rural area with minor wifi noise, you can easily get the advertised 4 miles with no loss of image and a strong signal. The reason you turn around at 4 miles is the battery won't make it back if you go further. If you fly an X-Star you undoubtedly have had the device image pixel up and/or lose the image when you are well within LOS. A stronger signal eliminates that. I can sit in my truck with the doors closed (hey, it's cold up here!) and fly the Mavic with no issues. These days I use a DBS Itelite panel antenna on my Autel to make up for the weak signal. It improved my video connection and that was my goal. I have no interest in distance flights.
Tufargon
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At 4 miles I hit the RTH because at that point I have no idea where my drone is anymore. lol
No kidding.....part 107 and common sense requires maintaining visual contact with your drone at all times (unaided eye). I begin to lose sight of the X-Star at 800 feet. FPV is not a substitute for the rule. I suppose you could find and train a couple dozen VO's to guide you (probably not).....I always get a chuckle about distances quoted. But I suppose someday the FAA may allow FPV flight out of visual range.
Delta Blue
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Yuneec. Even though it's more expensive, the H520 is the professional version of what the X-Star should have evolved into.
Delta Blue
Well-Known Member
My X-Star is professional enough. I do not want to spend more money, a lot of which would be necessary for the 520. The Evo looks fun but if I can keep doing what I do with my X-Star I am happy.
Everyone has their preference. Besides the one off camera, the biggest X-Star limitation is programed flight. Besides waypoints there's no way to program the drone to do complex flight paths with evenly spaced camera shots. Yes the H520 is a more expensive drone, but it is also the complete package, that the X-Star was supposed to be. I liked flying the X-Star and was sold on the future upgrades as a way to expand on the capabilities of the drone, it is what it is.
Delta Blue
Well-Known Member
I am glad you are satisfied with your complete package. Everyone has one's preference. Spending a couple thousand bucks or more for a bit more potential at this point makes no sense in my life and my services. The drone world is in its infancy stage changing every day. The H520 too will be made outdated by better and newer drones at less cost. There is no hurry for me. I am happy.
Jagerbomb52
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The 520 is already suffering. Lots of people jumped on board and bought one thinking it will have all the upcoming camera options only to find out the new upgraded Typhoon H Plus would have been the better choice.
Jagerbomb52
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I was just watching the press release of this on Youtube live streaming. Pretty impressive little bird for sure. Love the controller
Jagerbomb52
Well-Known Member
They also have the Fly More package with two batteries, extra props and a charger to charge 4 batteries at the same time.
for 999.99
for 999.99
Stay tuned. I'm looking into it. The X-Star uses the same underlying technology as Pixhawk for waypoint navigation. It is only a matter of identifying the modifications Autel Robotics made to MAVLINK waypoints, and figuring out the injection path.
