AUTEL EVO Nano: Best Drone Under 250 grams

It’s official: the Autel EVO Nano and Nano+ have taken the crown from DJI in the sub-250 gram drone category.

Released in 2019 the Mavic Mini was a game-changer as the first ‘serious’ drone under 250 grams. And with quality specs it was an immediate favorite with drone enthusiasts.

Related: Autel EVO Nano added to 2022 Drone Buyers Guide with BUY NOW recommendation

Mini 2 is the second generation of sub 250 gram drones released by DJI. Popular with recreational flyers because the low weight means fewer restrictions on flight in many countries, the Mini 2 is also popular as a side-kick drone that many professional aerial photographers use alongside bigger, more sophisticated drones.

But the Mini 2 has a few limitations, most of which were expected and accepted, because of it’s weight limitations. Lacking vision sensors means Mini 2 does not have obstacle avoidance and is unable to actively track subjects.

3-Way Obstacle Avoidance & Active Tracking

Autel Nano and Nano+ both feature 3-direction obstacle avoidance using forward, rear and downward sensors providing drone pilots with more confidence in tight situations. EVO Nano series is the irst and only sub 250gram drone to offer advanced obstacle avoidance.

Autel Nano also has Dynamic Track 2.1 (which will be released in a future firmware update) giving you fully automatic subject tracking.

Autel Nano Has Bigger, Better Cameras

New features like obstacle sensors and subject tracking are great, but the bottom line for most drone pilots is the quality of the optics. EVO Nano and Nano+ both out-class the DJI Mini 2 when it comes to camera specs.

Nano+ sports a 1/1.28″ sensor behind a big f/1.9 aperture. EVO Nano uses a 1/2″ sensor behind an f/2.8 aperture, and both are larger than the Mini 2’s 1/2.3″ sensor.

Nano and Nano+ also sport 48 and 50 megapixels respectively, significantly more than the 12MP found in the Mini 2.

The bottom line on image capture is that the larger sensors in the Autel Nano and Nano+ are a major improvement over the Mini 2.

2.7K Image Transmission

Capturing those perfect moments from the sky, whether you’re taking a photo or capturing video what you can see on your screen makes a big difference.  Mini 2 image transmission maxes out at 720p 30fps, which is what you would expect from a basic, entry level product.

As with other features in the EVO Nano Series, Autel takes it more than one step better.

Nano and Nano+ drones transmit images at 2.7K 30fps at distances less than 1km, and at 1080p 30fps beyond 1km.

When you’re composing the perfect shot, sometimes you only get one chance.  Autel helps you make the most of it by giving you the best image transmission even up to 10KM away.

16x Zoom

EVO Nano really takes it to the Mini 2 with it’s zoom capability. Mini 2 has 2x zoom in 4K, 3x in 2.7K and 4x zoom at 1080p.  EVO Nano and Nano+ enjoy 16x digital zoom making it a lot easier to get your subject.  Digital zoom isn’t perfect, and optical zoom is superior. But we’ll take all the zoom we can get, given the alternatives.

One Trade-off

EVO Nano really is superior to the Mini 2 in almost every way. Better cameras, better image transmission, 3-way obstacle avoidance and better zoom put the Nano Series far ahead of DJI’s microdrone.

But Autel Nano does rank behind Mini 2 in one feature: battery life. The Mini 2 reports 31 minutes of battery life to Nano’s 28 minutes. Is this a deal breaker? We don’t think so.

3 minutes of battery is a small price to pay to have a sub-250 gram drone with all of these extra features. It’s because of these advanced features that we’re declaring EVO Nano and Nano+ the best drones under 250 grams.

We really like what we’re seeing from Autel. And we like seeing competition for DJI too.

We expect to have the new drones in our hands shortly to do a full review. Stay tuned.

EVO Nano Bundles & Where to Buy

EVO Nano and EVO Nano+ come in Standard and Premium bundles.

EVO Nano Standard: $649
EVO Nano Premium: $799

EVO Nano+ Standard: $799
EVO Nano+ Premium: $949

Standard Bundle includes:

• Aircraft
• Battery
• Props, screws, screwdriver
• Gimbal cover
• Remote control
• Charging cable
• Lightning, USB-C, Micro-USB connectors

Premium Nano Bundle includes:

• all of the above, plus:
• 2 add’l pairs of props
• Shoulder bag
• 2 add’l batteries (total=3)
• Charging hub & Power Adapter

Compared to the Mini 2, the Nano and Nano+ drones are definitely pricier. Mini 2 basic bundle is $419, while the Fly More Combo is $559.

Autel sent us an email to advise shipments are just starting to arrive to warehouses, and you can start pre-ordering now.  Autel Nano and Nano+ are available at Autel Robotics Online Store, B&H Photo, Adorama and BestBuy.

Are you buying the new Autel Nano Series? Are you planning to upgrade from the Mini 2? Let us know in the comments!