Autel Evo Lite Plus Drone

Description

The Autel Evo Lite Plus drone folding drone has strong battery life, obstacle detection, and support for 6K recording, though some rivals offer a more polished experience for less money.

PROS

• Stabilized 6K30 and 4K60 video
• 20MP stills in Raw DNG or JPG
• 1-inch camera with variable aperture
• Beefy battery for up to 40 minutes of flight
• Three-way obstacle sensors
• Automated camera moves and Hyperlapse
• GPS and automated return-to-home

CONS

• Color video profile isn’t configurable
• 8-bit flat video profile
• Screenless remote is a step backward from previous generation
• Doesn’t support autonomous navigation around obstructions

Why We Picked It

The Autel Evo Lite Plus Drone uses a Type 1 sensor camera for picture quality that’s competitive with the DJI Air 2S, with the additional benefit of a variable aperture to cut incoming light without the need for ND filters. The folding drone can fly for around 40 minutes on a full battery and supports three-way obstacle sensors to prevent midair accidents.

Features

• Autel Robotics Authorized Model – Includes FULL USA Warranty – EVO Lite Plus | Cut Through The Darkness. Take Back The Night. Equipped with a 1-inch CMOS image sensor, 20MP and Autel’s intelligent moonlight algorithm, the EVO Lite Plus can capture crisp, vibrant details at night with low noise – even when the ISO is cranked up high | Take Control With An Adjustable Aperture from f/2.8-f/11, giving you the ability to alter exposure and depth of field in imaginative ways that show off your unique vision.
• Record Up to 6K/30FPS Ultra HD Video Resolution | Cinematic Shots Proficiency With A Single Click – Create dramatic, professional-level shots at the touch of a button with four automatic shooting modes and add soundtrack and filters in the Autel Sky app | Sky Portrait – With the touch of a button, the Lite Plus will rise into the air and snap a photo of you and your friends, automatically adjusting the lens so no one gets left out. Blur the background automatically for additional cinematic effect
• Ultra Wide Angle Obstacle Avoidance – Fly faster, safer, and more confidently than ever before with Autel’s new ultra wide angle obstacle avoidance cameras. The sensors give the EVO Lite Plus a front field of view of 150 degrees, eliminating more blind spots than traditional systems | Dynamic Track 2.1: Master Subject Tracking – Recruit your Lite Plus to automatically follow any person, animal, or vehicle so you can focus on your activities while your Lite Plus handles the cinematic side.
• BUNDLE INCLUDES: Autel Robotics EVO Lite Plus Drone (Orange) | Battery | Gimbal Cover | Propellers | Remote Controller | Pair of Extra Propellers | USB Type-C Charging Cable | Lightning Connector | Micro-USB Connector | USB Type-C Connector | Deco Gear Drone Photography Backpack | Deco Gear Landing Pad 29.5″ | Deco Essentials VR Headset Goggles for 3.5″-6″ Smartphones | Lexar 633x micro SDXC 64GB Memory Card | Software: Air Magic, GRFX Studio, piZap, Mighty Skins, Replay Capture

Evo Lite Plus Remote and App

Autel swapped to a new remote for this generation of drones, one without a built-in display. That’s disappointing for pilots who looked to the Evo II for phone-free flights, Autel’s older drone bundled a controller with an integrated touch screen.

The controller has a clip to hold your phone—it works with big handsets like the old iPhone 8 Plus I used at the beginning of my test period and holds the smaller iPhone 13 without a problem. The phone clips in the top and Autel includes a trio of short USB-C cables so you can connect to a phone with a Lightning, micro USB, or USB-C connector. A second USB-C charging port sits on the bottom.

The Sky app displays all the information you might want to see during a flight—you can view the drone’s position on a map in the bottom left corner and you always see a compass that shows the drone and its nose position in relation to the home point. Battery life and estimated flight time remaining are at the top right, along with a gauge that serves as a visual warning if you fly too far away from home

A Proven 6K Camera

The camera is what differentiates the Lite Plus from the Lite models. Two video profiles are available—the default color look and a flat Log profile suitable for color correction. The standard profile isn’t my cup of tea, Autel has gone for a colorful, saturated look that many cameras would classify as a vivd setting. The video also shows signs of aggressive sharpening You can save photos in either a JPG or Raw DNG format at 20MP resolution. The JPG engine captures saturated colors, just like the video profile, but a 10-bit Raw format is available for photographers who want to take creative control.

Two levels of digital zoom are available: 2x and 4x. I found the 2x setting quite useful it swaps to a tighter 58mm angle so you can bring distant subjects into clearer view, without any noticeable drop in quality. At 4x, we see a drop-off in resolution; details generally look soft, especially when you view recordings on a large display.