BREAKING: AUTEL EVO 2 is coming; FCC Application today!

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The latest drone rumor is out, and it might surprise you to know that it’s not a DJI product.

DJI drones may dominate 70% of the global drone market, but other players like Parrott, Autel and others continue to make strides and offer valuable competition.

Today our FCC sniffer picked up news that AUTEL will very shortly be releasing an EVO2 drone.

When the original AUTEL EVO was released in 2018, it caught attention because it could film 4K at 60fps at a bitrate up to 100Mbs. This was (and still is) a huge difference over competitors like the Mavic Air and Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom drone that can only film 4K up to 30fps.

With 30 minutes of flight time, the AUTEL EVO is also one of the only true competitors to DJI’s drone dominance.

So what are the specs of the new AUTEL EVO 2?

First off, lots of sensors:

2 forward sensors
2 rear sensors
2 top sensors
2 left side sensors
2 right side sensors
4 bottom sensors
bottom LED light

AUTEL has gone full speed to make sure the EVO2 ranks among the best obstacle avoiding drones available. With this many sensors, you know that they’ve also put a computer brain inside to take advantage of them.

Autel EVO 2 right side – note 2 sensors hiding behind lower left prop

Bright Orange

The test photos show the Autel EVO 2 sporting a high visibility orange shell. While this could be a prototype shell, we think Autel is moving forward with this color. Not only does it differentiate the drone from all others, but the hi-viz color should make it easier to keep track of in the sky.

Rear view of Autel EVO 2 – not 2 rear sensors, 2 top sensors, rear power button

Smaller than Mavic 2, Bigger than Mavic Air

Autel EVO 2 has a body approximately 18cm long, putting it slightly larger than the Mavic Air and smaller than Mavic 2 Pro. With arms fully extended it is about 28cm long….slightly less than a foot.

Autel has given the EVO 2 a thick body that resembles the Mavic 2 airframe. We think the re-engineered EVO2 could boast a 33 minute battery life, putting it ahead of the entire Mavic 2 Series of drones.

Remote Control

The original EVO shipped with a remote controller that included a 3.3″ OLED screen. We think the new EVO 2 will sport the same setup, but perhaps with a larger screen to better compete with the Mavic 2 Smart Controller bundle.

Ideal Timing

The timing of the release for Autel couldn’t be better. Trumps tariffs on Chinese made drones like DJI has pushed prices up as much as $500 on a Mavic 2 Pro.

Consumers have been waiting for Black Friday drone sales, but so far they’re not buying new drones in masses.

And if you didn’t know already, AUTEL is an American company based in Bothwell, Washington. So that means no tariffs and maybe even a pricing advantage in the new economic reality we find ourselves in.

Knowing consumers have concerns about lending their data to Chinese companies as well as general security concerns, this should be a perfect storm for AUTEL’s marketing department to bring a Mavic killer to market.

Price

The original EVO retails for $1049, and a price drop will be our next clue that EVO 2 is imminent.

We expect EVO 2 to be cost slightly more than EVO, so we’ll set the basic bundle at $1499.

If it boasts other features that also ‘trump’ the Mavic Series from DJI you can bet that patriotic US buyers will be lining up to try it out.

FCC applications usually appear within weeks or days of a product release, so we’ll be watching for when AUTEL actually releases this beauty. We look forward to getting our hands on one and giving you the full rundown of how it compares to our fleet of Mavics.

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