Head-to-Head Comparison

Camera

Winner: Autel EVO Lite Plus (with a plot twist)

The main reason most drone pilots buy a drone is to film or photograph with it. 

This being the case, we have to compare the 1-inch Sony CMOS from the Autel EVO Lite Plus with the 1/2.3-inch sensor installed in the DJI FPV drone.

The camera sensor found in Autel EVO Lite Plus is more than twice as big as the one found in DJI FPV.

This makes the EVO Lite Plus way better in terms of photography and filming quality, with a great dynamic range for contrasty films, much better low-light and night capabilities, and even higher resolution.

The Autel EVO Lite Plus can film in 6k at 30 frames per second and photograph at 20 MP resolution. Wow. That’s simply outstanding video quality.

On the other side, the DJI FPV can film in 4k at 60 frames per second. And if you’re looking to photograph with this drone, look elsewhere because FPV drones are not meant for photography – in this case, you can just snapshot the filming resolution. 

So, it’s a no-no for DJI FPV photography.

But here’s the twist I already mentioned twice.

Because DJI FPV is, in fact, a fantastic FPV drone with strong motors capable of reaching high speed, it can support a payload.

And in this case, we can look into attaching an action camera, such as GoPro Hero 12 Black or similar, on top of the drone, and this will fly well.

In fact, in FPV, this is the usual approach; you don’t film with the incorporated camera. You attach an action camera if the drone supports the payload.

This actually makes the DJI FPV’s age obsolete – because, overall, we don’t care about how good or bad the camera can film, as we use it simply for live transmission. 

And to have a glance at what GoPro Hero 12 Black can offer, it has a 1/1.9 inch CMOS, can film in 5.3k at 60 frames per second, and has excellent HyperSmooth 6.0 video stabilization for extremely smooth footage.

If we have to compare the GoPro Hero 12 Black with the camera found in the Autel EVO Lite Plus, the Lite Plus still wins, but the Hero 12 is a significant upgrade and addition to DJI FPV to capture the most unique cinematic FPV videos at the highest quality, below cine-lifters.

But, of course, we do have to give this point to the Autel EVO Lite Plus.

» MORE: Camera Technology in Drones (Explained)

Portability

Winner: Autel EVO Lite Plus

If we think of portability, the EVO Lite Plus is at a great advantage over the DJI FPV.

The EVO Lite Plus can fold, and you only have to take the drone with the remote controller with you. 

Conversely, the DJI FPV is bulky and does not fold. You always have to remove the propellers before transportation.

On top of the drone, you also have the remote controller, the FPV goggles, batteries (including for goggles), the goggle antennas (if you have the DJI FPV Goggles V2), and maybe a motion controller.

Everything mentioned here fits well into a photography bag or specific FPV bag. But it will occupy most of the space, leaving little to no room for other stuff.

So, the DJI FPV drone is by far less portable, and many are buying hard-rigid cases to transport this drone in it instead of using up all the space in a backpack.

And to mention, in terms of weight, both drones are very similar (just the drones).

The Autel EVO Lite Plus weighs 835 grams, while the DJI FPV drone weighs 795 grams.

While the DJI FPV is slightly lighter than the EVO Lite Plus, this doesn’t count the extra accessory poundage needed to fly this drone.

As an additional note, both drones must be registered if you plan to fly them in the United States.

» MORE: Drone Laws in the United States

Flight Experience

Winner: DJI FPV

Well, it looks like I keep coming back to how great is the DJI FPV in terms of flying experience. 

And it is. 

I don’t want to be buggy, but the Autel EVO Lite Plus is just a simple drone and will fly the same as any regular drone (with better performance and longer, of course).

But an FPV drone is another story, a totally unique experience, and I can tell you right now if you get into FPV, you risk developing an obsession for FPV drones and such flights. 

That’s from my experience.

So, let me share this video with you instead of words, and you can see for yourself the real FPV experience behind DJI FPV (hmm…it looks like I’m trying to recruit you into the FPV world!)

Now, the image transmission to the Autel RC by the EVO Lite Plus is displayed either at 1080 or 2.7k resolution at 30 frames per second. The transmission latency is under 200ms. 

Compared to DJI drones, we have a sharp image transmission, above average – in fact, above any DJI drones – that will look fantastic on any tablet connected to the EVO Lite Plus remote controller. 

But what you will see via the goggles – picking the original DJI FPV Goggles V2 – is more than you can see with any drones, FPV or non-FPV.

First, the latency is below 28ms or 40ms, depending on the transmission mode we choose with DJI FPV: Low-Latency or High-Quality Mode.

Second, we have an 810p resolution on the goggle’s screens. But the fantastic part is that the transmission comes up to 120 frames per second, whereas the goggles have a 144Hz screen.

To put this into a practical explanation, what you see through the goggles is not only high resolution and low-latency transmission with so many details displayed in a VR way, but extra smooth at 120 frames per second – silky smooth transmission.

Some people have reported motion sickness when using 120 frames per second. 

My brain simply releases a punch of dopamine when I’m observing the live view through the VR goggles. 

It’s like I’m there!

» MORE: FPV Drones vs. Regular Drones (Explained for Beginners)

Compatibility

Winner: DJI FPV 

In terms of EVO Lite Plus compatibility, there’s not much to talk about other than that this drone is compatible with a single remote controller hosting the Autel SkyLink transmission system.

The remote controller will require you to attach a mobile phone compatible with the Autel Sky App in order to fly the drone.

But you won’t need this with the DJI FPV. No app is required to fly. Just to update it.

To make it simple, the DJI FPV drone is compatible with the following:

• Controller: DJI FPV Remote Controller 2
• Motion Controller: DJI Motion Controller & DJI RC Motion 2
• Goggles: DJI FPV Goggles V2, DJI Goggles 2, DJI Integra

So, here we have a good kit of compatible devices with the DJI FPV drone. 

I have the original DJI FPV Goggles V2 and the DJI FPV RC 2 with my DJI FPV. I don’t own the motion controller, but some of us at Droneblog do.

The only sad part is that the drone is compatible only with the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2 – which, indeed, is a fantastic remote controller, but many FPV drone pilots prefer large transmitters instead – so there is no option to swap unless you DIY your drone.

But if you purchased this drone with the remote controller, you can use the same one with DJI Avata, considering that Avata does not come with any remote controllers except for the motion controller.

And here’s the fun part: Avata is also compatible with the DJI FPV Goggles V2 that comes with the DJI FPV drone.

So, if you acquire the DJI FPV drone kit, which can be purchased with DJI FPV Remote Controller 2 and DJI FPV Goggles V2, and you want to try Avata, then you only need the Avata drone and nothing else. 

» MORE: DJI Goggles 2 vs DJI FPV Goggles V2 (Explained)

Flight Time and Range

Winner: Autel EVO Lite Plus

According to DJI, the DJI FPV drone’s maximum transmission distance is 10.4 miles. But this will happen only in a perfect world, without restrictions.

Due to FCC and CE restrictions in the USA and Europe, we’ll be struggling to fly this drone and any other drones past 4-5 miles in a realistic scenario. Consider the battery life to be yet another factor contributing to the max flight distance.

Autel advertises the EVO Lite Plus as having a transmission distance of up to 7.4 miles, which is less than DJI FPV, but in real-world applications, you’ll still be limited and could never fly that far.

I remember the last time I flew a long-range drone was, in fact, my DJI FPV into the mountains, and I managed to fly it to the edge of some clouds (while respecting my local drone laws).

It was a fantastic experience, but I remember not being able to go much farther than 2 miles.

As for battery life, this is where the Autel EVO Lite Plus shines – it can fly for a whopping 40 minutes. 

In reality, like with any drone, we never drain the battery to zero percent – so expect about 32 to 34 minutes of flight time before you need to land the drone.

That’s absolutely fantastic and one of the top drones when it comes to flight time.

In contrast, the DJI FPV is rated to fly for a maximum of 20 minutes. In reality, if you fly in manual mode, don’t fly for more than 12-13 minutes, or you risk damaging the battery or not reaching it back home. 

That’s how long I’ve managed to fly in manual mode, most of the time, while the battery usually falls below 20 percent.

If we have to compare the DJI FPV with any custom FPV drone, the flight time is way more than the average – in fact, custom FPV quads are rated to fly between 3 and 7 minutes, depending on the drone and LiPo battery.

So, take this as a win to fly the DJI FPV for this long – once more, remember – this is not a standard drone, so you will reach speeds up to 87 miles per hour.

Crash Resistance

Winner: None

Well, this isn’t good, is it?

I mean, standard drones like the Autel EVO Lite Plus, DJI Mini 3 Pro, DJI Mavic 3 Pro, and so on are not crash-resistant at all. 

If you crash them, that’s it. You usually cannot repair them yourself and have to send them back to DJI for repairs.

But with FPV drones, that’s another story. 

Generally, FPV drones are very crash-resistant and can withstand many impacts and crashes without breaking into a thousand pieces.

Avata is one of them.

But DJI FPV has a flaw in this case – the arms are made of cheap plastic and can easily break off even on the slightest impact.

So, you are wondering why you would crash the drone in the first place.

FPV drones in acro or manual mode are fast, without safety features, and will easily crash compared to standard drones.

I mean, don’t expect the obstacle avoidance sensors to work on an FPV drone in manual or acro mode. They won’t.

And the great footage resulting from FPV drones always comes with a significant risk of simply crashing the drone.

» MORE: Drone Crash? Do This (Step by Step)

Intelligent Flight Modes & Safety Features

Winner: Autel EVO Lite Plus

The DJI FPV drone has a few smart features that set this drone apart from any other FPV drone; maybe DJI Avata matches these features.

But you will not be able to find in any other FPV drones available today with features such as:

• Return to home – Having a return to home to an FPV drone is a luxury. There are some GPS modules for custom FPV quads, but none will ever match the capabilities of DJI’s return-to-home modules.
• Emergency Brake – As we already mentioned, having the ability to stop the drone instantly in mid-air, even when flying 70+ miles per hour, if we feel we lost control, is unique. There has been a lot of engineering and testing behind this special feature.
• Frontal obstacle avoidance sensors – And here we have the first and only FPV drone in the world with obstacle avoidance sensors. Surely, they will not work when flying in manual mode, only in normal mode, but FPV + Obstacle Avoidance = Failure or Success?
• Switching from normal to sport and manual mode at will with the ability to adjust the camera angle while in mid-air is yet another intelligent, unique feature found only in DJI FPV and Avata drones. With standard drones, it’s standard to adjust the camera tilt like this, but not with FPV while flying.

Now you’re probably wondering, with all these features, why doesn’t DJI FPV stand above Autel EVO Lite Plus in terms of intelligence and safety features?

Well, because the EVO Lite Plus has a lot more than the DJI FPV, such as:

• Dynamic Track 2.1 – A unique, innovative, and complex system that tracks subjects with high accuracy to use with many intelligent flight modes, including follow-me mode.
• Moonlight Algorithm – A unique de-noising software incorporated on professional-level Autel drones that will make the night photographs without image noise, clear and sharp.
• Defog mode – With Autel EVO Lite Plus, if you’re filming in a gloomy environment, there’s a special software filter that will reduce the hazing and make your images look fantastic, with no need for post-processing.
• Rocket, Fadeaway, Orbit, Flick – A few quick shot options are something we proudly use with our Autel EVO Lite Plus drone at times when we need to capture some unique shots where doing it manually may not get us the same results. The DJI FPV has no quick shots modes.
• A 3-way obstacle avoidance system – Frontal, backward, and downwards – would be excellent for any beginner to avoid crashing the EVO Lite Plus in some havoc situations. If flying the DJI FPV in normal mode, this only has frontal anti-collision sensors, so again, we find more in the Lite Plus.

On paper, it doesn’t look much more compared to DJI FPV, but in reality, Autel EVO Lite Plus can be automated to perform various functions unavailable with the DJI FPV drone. 

The only automated function with the DJI FPV is the return-to-home feature.

This makes the EVO Lite Plus stand above DJI FPV in terms of safety and intelligent features.

How hard is it to fly?

Summary: Autel EVO Lite Plus – Easy; DJI FPV in Manual Mode – Difficult

There’s something we need to discuss here.

While the Autel EVO Lite Plus, like any standard GPS drone, is easy to learn and fly, even for a beginner, the DJI FPV is another story.

First, flying the DJI FPV in Normal and Sport mode is easy enough – you will literally fly like a standard GPS drone, but within some limits (e.g., the camera tilt angle is limited, 2-axis gimbal stabilization)

But flying in manual mode is another story.

Manual mode is equivalent to acro mode if we disable the auto-leveling option called “M Mode Attitude Limit” (Attitude, not to be confused with Altitude). 

Flying an FPV drone in acro mode is complex and will require a lot of practice behind FPV simulators. Even with that, flying it smoothly will need additional training.

So, in order to fly the DJI FPV drone in manual mode, you will have to undertake at least several hours of training in FPV simulators for basic flights and, to tell you from experience, at least 50 hours of training for complex and smooth flights.

» MORE: DJI Virtual Flight (DJI Avata Simulator)

Conclusion

There’s not an easy ending here because both drones are excellent for their purposes. But it appeals to different types of drone pilots.

The Autel EVO Lite Plus is fantastic for a lot of things, from hobbyists flying and learning to fly a drone, to professional video production, creating content, and vlogging, even commercial applications.

And the DJI FPV, although it is an older drone, is still a fantastic way to get into FPV and even create unique FPV cinematic content, especially if you attach an action camera to it.

For the general pilots, I will recommend the Autel EVO Lite Plus. Go with DJI FPV only if you’re looking for some challenges and an adrenaline rush to enter the FPV world and capture some unique cinematic shots – but never as a first-time drone pilot.

» MORE: Best ND Filters for DJI FPV