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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
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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
Autel Evo Lite+ Specs
Dimensions | 4.8 by 3.7 by 8.8 inches |
Integrated Camera | Integrated with Gimbal |
Live Video Feed | 1520p |
Media Format | Internal |
Media Format | microSDXC |
Megapixels | 20 |
Obstacle Detection | |
Remote | Dedicated with App |
Rotors | 4 |
Video Resolution | 6K |
Weight | 1.8 |
Photographers and video specialists who want a quality camera drone don't have too many brand options. Autel Robotics, one of those manufacturers, is notable because it doesn't preload its drones with geographic-based takeoff restrictions, unlike the market leader, DJI. Autel's premium midrange entry, the Evo Lite+ ($1,549), sports a 6K video camera with a 1-inch sensor that's a bit more capable than the one on the DJI Air 2S ($999.99) because of its variable aperture. It's worth checking out, particularly if you battery life is important to you, even though the Air 2S is more affordable and slightly smoother in operation.
A Midsize Folding Drone
The Autel Evo Lite+ falls into the midsize category for folding drones. It's bigger than tiny starters like the DJI Mini 2 and Autel Nano series, but lighter than the discontinued Evo II Pro and the DJI Mavic 3. At about 4.8 by 3.7 by 8.3 inches (HWD) folded, you should use a bag or backpack to carry it. You also need to take the Trust test and pay a $5 FAA registration fee before flying it in the US because it weighs 1.8 pounds. You can buy the drone in your choice of three colors: Arctic White, Autel Orange, or Deep Space Gray.
![Autel Evo Lite+, folded](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-2.jpg)
In addition to the Lite+ model, Autel sells an Evo Lite ($1,499) drone with the same airframe that uses a 4K HDR camera with a smaller image sensor and vertical video support. The Lite+ uses a 6K camera with a large, 1-inch sensor camera with a variable aperture. It's a similar camera to the one DJI uses in its Air 2S, though Autel has the advantage of a variable aperture; you can set your f-stop to cut down on the amount of light that hits the sensor instead of relying entirely on neutral density (ND) filters.
You can buy the Lite+ in a basic kit with a single battery and remote control. But you need to use your Android or iOS smartphone to run the Autel Sky app and see through the camera.
![Autel Evo Lite+, top view](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-12.jpg)
The company sent me the Premium bundle for review. It costs $1,849 but includes three batteries instead of one, along with a triple charger, a set of neutral density filters, and a carrying case. The bag is an attractive ash gray shoulder satchel, but is just a little bit too small to hold the drone, batteries, and remote comfortably.
The drone features 6GB of internal storage, an ample amount for photography, but 6K video can fill up the space quickly. I recommend you get at least a 64GB microSD card for this drone. A SanDisk Extreme Plus or any other one with a V30 video speed rating is sufficient for handling 6K recording—expect to pay around $25 for one at press time.
![Autel Evo Lite+, rear view](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-9.jpg)
Autel says the flight battery should last up to 40 minutes of use between charges, though you get a bit less in practice. In our test flights, the drone averaged about 35 minutes of airtime, an excellent real-world result, and longer than the 31 minutes the DJI Air 2S managed in testing.
Evo Lite+ 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 Lite+ isn't compatible with the older transmitter with the built-in display, nor does it work with the Evo II Pro controller, both of which rely on different transmission protocols.
![Autel Evo Lite+ remote control](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-13.jpg)
While there's no display, the updated remote offers a stronger connection to the aircraft—I didn't have any issues with lost connections during test flights, along with a 2.7K feed from the camera. You need to attach an Android handset or an iPhone to see the camera view; the Autel Sky companion app is a free download for either platform.
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.
![Autel Evo Lite+ remote control with iPhone](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-14.jpg)
One aspect of the remote isn't quite as polished as what you get from rival DJI. Its control sticks are removable, but there's no place in the remote to stow them. Aside from that, though, the controller feels solid and includes buttons that call the drone back home and pause it mid-flight, a control wheel for camera tilt at the left shoulder, and a shutter release on the right.
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—if it goes from green to yellow, bring the drone back closer to home to ensure a safe landing.
![Autel Sky app, screen shot](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-15.jpg)
An integrated GPS tells the drone where it is in the world and works alongside downward-facing visual sensors so the drone hovers in place when your hands are off the controls. A return-to-home option is also available, a basic safety feature that brings the Evo Lite+ back to its takeoff location if it loses communication with the remote.
The Evo Lite+ doesn't include the geofencing that limits where DJI drones can fly. It's up to you to check and make sure you're authorized to use a drone in an area. If you're not sure, the FAA B4UFLY site is a good reference, at least if you're in the US. You need to brush up on local regulations when flying abroad. The Lite+ doesn't have any sort of ADS-B receiver to warn you of nearby aircraft, either. If you live in an area where small planes frequently fly at lower altitudes, the DJI Air 2S is likely a safer option—its AirSense system warns you if there are manned aircraft flying near your drone.
![Autel Evo Lite+, rear view](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-4.jpg)
Forward-, rear-, and downward-facing sensors detect obstacles and stop the Lite+ in place if they see an obstruction. The drone doesn't automatically navigate around obstacles though, a feature you get with models from DJI as well as the Skydio 2+. The Autel Lite+ doesn't include upward- or side-facing sensors. Subject tracking is supported when you record at 4K or lower resolutions, but because obstacle sensors don't cover every direction, you should take care to use it in areas free of obstructions.
A Proven 6K Camera
The camera is what differentiates the Lite+ from the Lite models. The Lite+ uses a 1-inch sensor, the same type as in premium compact cameras and drones like the DJI Air 2S and the Autel Evo II Pro. The Lite+ camera shares much in common with the Evo II Pro—both are backed with the same 20MP sensor and capture a 29mm angle with an adjustable f/2.8-11 aperture. The Lite+ focuses a little bit closer, something not usually critical for drones, but I'm hard-pressed to note any real difference in picture quality between the two cameras.
![Autel Evo Lite+, camera](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-11.jpg)
With the Lite+, you can record at 6K at 24, 25, or 30fps, or at 4K or 2.7K at up to 60fps. There's also a 120fps option if you set the video resolution down to 1080p. The drone saves video in 8-bit quality and at a 120Mbps bitrate, in your choice of H.264 or H.265/HEVC. A 3-axis gimbal handles stabilization; it has a pan range that starts looking straight ahead and tilts downward a full 90 degrees for overhead shots.
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 see a shimmering effect when you fly over grassy fields that gives footage a slightly noisy look even on clear, bright days.
The flat profile is there if you want to take more control over your video. It captures footage with much less saturation and contrast, but also suffers from sharpening artifacts, though to a less severe extent than with the standard color profile.
I levied similar critiques against the Evo II Pro, but its companion app offered more control over the look of the video, including the ability to dial back sharpening and saturation. Those options are missing here—you can't fine-tune either the Standard or Log profile to taste. We'd really like Autel to add video settings back into the app and expand the profiles to add a more natural color look. A black-and-white mode for pilots who don't want to learn how to use color correction tools is another thing the company should add, too.
![Autel Evo Lite+ sample image, farm from above](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-18.jpg)
We've touched on the adjustable aperture; you can set the lens from f/2.8 through f/11, good for videographers who want to maintain a proper 1/60-second shutter speed for 30fps footage or 1/48-second for 24fps. The lens delivers its best resolution around f/5.6, so you might still want to add an ND filter to cut incoming light on bright days, especially if you prefer the look of 24fps footage.
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.
![Autel Evo Lite+ sample image, creek](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-17.jpg)
In addition to standard video, the app has a few automated Quick Shots—Fade Away, Flick, Orbit, and Rocket—as well Hyperlapse, panoramic imaging, a shallow-depth-of-field portrait mode, and a night shot option for low-light flights. The 1-inch chip is a plus for dim conditions—it supports an ISO 100-6400 range and relies on those higher settings in low-light environments.
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. I edited several images from the drone in Adobe Lightroom Classic, tuning color and exposure to taste, and was quite happy with the results. The 10-bit format isn't quite as malleable as the 12-bit and 14-bit Raw formats on full-frame mirrorless cameras, but still offers plenty of latitude to tune color and exposure.
![Autel Evo Lite+ sample image, suburban neighborhood](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-16.jpg)
Overall, I'm happier with the still quality here simply because creators have more control with the Raw DNG format. If you don't mind a saturated look, however, the video profiles won't bother you as much. Again, Autel really should add contrast, saturation, and sharpening options in the app. And even though the Log profile allows for more editing flexibility, it still suffers from aggressive sharpening.
A Competitor to the Air 2S
Content creators shopping for a drone with a high-quality camera don't have many brands to choose between. Autel Robotics lags behind industry-leader DJI in terms of recognition, but its drones are generally competitive. The Evo Lite+ follows suit; its 1-inch sensor camera delivers crisp photos and stable 6K video. There's some room for improvement—we want to see the company add some configuration options for its video profile or dial back the sharpening for the default look, but Raw imaging and Log video are there for anyone who wants more creative control.
![Autel Evo Lite+, folded](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-3.jpg)
The swap to the screenless remote control is disappointing. The Evo II Pro was a solid option for pilots without smartphones or with very basic Android handsets. We appreciate the better transmission range, but wish Autel offered a transmitter with a built-in app for this model.
Safety features are good, but not quite as refined as what you get with a DJI drone. The obstacle sensors stop the drone in its place, but Evo isn't smart enough to navigate around obstacles like the Air 2S or Mini 3 Pro. Battery life is exceptional (though flight times fall short of the official 40-minute rating), the connection between the drone and remote was rock solid in testing, and you don't have to contend with any geofencing restrictions. On that last point, just make sure you're allowed to fly from your takeoff spot.
Your ethics may also play a role in what drone brand you buy. DJI has been flagged by the US Treasury as a bad actor; in short, our government says DJI's drone tech is used to surveil the Uyghur minority in China, part of continuing persecution that's been classified as genocide. Autel is also a Chinese firm, but hasn't been singled out in the same manner. You won't find other drone brands with 1-inch-sensor cameras, so Autel is your only option if you've decided to boycott DJI.
![Autel Evo Lite+ in flight](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03nrGfZvGAwAsQL1DsNUnTC-1.jpg)
Even so, based on product performance and value, we continue to recommend the DJI Air 2S more highly to creators shopping for a drone with a 1-inch camera. Its lens doesn't have a variable aperture, so you need to rely more on ND filters, but we find DJI's default color more pleasing and can't discount its much lower $999 price. If you can live without a big sensor, the Parrot Anafi is still around as a more affordable DJI alternative, though it's not nearly as capable as either the Air 2S or the Evo Lite+.