DJI Mavic Air 2 vs Autel Evo Camera Drone Comparison

Specs of the DJI Mavic Air 2 and the Autel Evo

Lets see how close the comparison is of these two camera drones in features.

They both retail for around $999 with the Autel Evo having been released 2 years ago and the DJI Mavic Air 2 released recently within 2020 in the last few months.

There are two years apart between these drones in terms of release dates, will they be much different in their spec comparison.

Physical Comparison

They are both folding arm drones, with the Autel Evo being slightly larger in it's dimensions.

When comparing their volumes, the DJI Mavic Air 2 is slightly larger than the Autel Evo with a volume of 1466cm cubed.

The volume of the Autel Evo is 1305cm cubed, making it 150ml smaller in total volume, not that much difference.

The weight of the two drones goes the other way, with the Mavic Air 2 weighing much less than the Autel Evo.

The Mavic Air 2 weighs 583grams and the Autel Evo weighs 863 grams, which is nearly 300 grams heavier than the MA2.

The Mavic Air 2 has a larger controller than the Autel Evo which means when you add the two together to get their volume of both drone and controller, you get a 2.2L volume for the Autel Evo and 2L for the Mavic Air 2.

This is an important feature to look at because you are always travelling and moving your drone with your remote controller, you can't have one without the other.

Performance Comparison

These are two of the fastest camera drones on the market for aerial photography and drone film making.

The Autel Evo is capable of speeds of up to 72kmh and the DJI Mavic Air 2 can do 68kmh. Not much in it and both very capable following drones for action shots following cars, vehicles, motorcycles and mountain bikers, amongst other moving objects.

The ascent speed of the Autel Evo is slightly faster than that of the Mavic Air 2, whilst the descent speed is slower.

Autel Evo's ascent speed is 5m/s and the MA2 ascent speed is 4m/s.

The Autel Evo descent speed is 3m/s and the MA2 descent speed is the same as it's ascent speed, at 4m/s.

They both perform similarly in high winds at a tolerance of 35kmh for the Autel Evo and a max high wind speed of 38kmh for the DJI Mavic Air 2.

The transmission distance is very good for both camera drones, with the Autel having the smaller of the two with a 7km transmission distance and the DJI Mavic Air 2 has a transmission distance of 10km.

The flight time is superb on both camera drones, with the Autel Evo achieving 30 minutes flight time, which is great for a 2+ year old camera drone and the MA2 is capable of up to 34 minutes.

Neither of these drones are quiet, at take-off they are 83 decibels for the Autel Evo and 74 decibels for the Mavic Air 2.

Photo and Video Comparison

There is a huge difference in their field of view on the two cameras, the Autel Evo has a larger 94 degrees FOV, compared to that of 84 degrees for the Mavic Air 2.

This means at the same height the Autel Evo should see more ground covered.

The Mavic Air 2 has a larger bitrate than the Autel, at 120 mbps, one of the highest of any camera drone on the market. This means larger file sizes but not entirely better quality.

We are unaware of the image sensor size of the Autel Evo, but you do get an 1/2" image sensor on the Mavic Air 2, in the form of the Sony IMX 586.

You get normal 12MP photos with the Autel Evo and 48MP photos which are stitched together from the Mavic Air 2. This is an important feature for those wishing to do large prints to sell.

You also get better slow motion speeds with the Mavic Air 2, at 240fps in 1080p, compared to the 120fps in the Autel Evo.

Both are 4k camera drones and both can record at 4k at 60fps.

Both have a number of automatic video and photography shooting modes, from cinematic to sport mode which should help with the type of photo and film making drone shots you want to get.

Both also take JPEG and RAW photos which will help with colour grading in post.

As well as H.264 and H.265 video formats.

Although the Mavic Air 2 also can record in D-Cinelike file format for a flat profile which will help with video editing and colour grading in post if you want to use that instead of relying on the colour and video quality of the original video capture.

You also get HDR video in the Mavic Air 2 which is great if you don't want to colour grade yourself.

Both cameras are supported on a 3-axis gimbal to smooth out any footage and video work you do in the sky.

Summary

The Autel still holds it's own today, 2 years after release.

Whilst the Mavic Air 2 is feature rich and can be bought cheaper than the Autel, just make sure you have a compatible phone to fly with it.