Another DJI rival bites the dust – Autel quits consumer drones, here’s what you need to know

• Autel Robotics ceasing support for Evo Nano and Evo Lite drones
• No further firmware updates or after-sales support
• Company to focus efforts on enterprise drones instead

Despite DJI’s ongoing difficulties in the US market, it remains by far the biggest consumer drone maker in the world – and this week one of its main rivals has seemingly given up its attempts to compete.

Chinese company Autel Robotics has joined the likes of Skydio, Parrot and GoPro in quitting the consumer drone market, retiring two of its product ranges: the Evo Nano and Evo Lite. Autel stopped marketing the drones (both of which were launched in late 2021) in mid-July; now only a few final Evo Lite+ bundles remain for sale on its website.

In a blog post published on July 18, Autel announced, “we aim to concentrate resources to better serve our users and enhance product stability and competitiveness. As part of our product lifecycle management, we are making arrangements for the discontinuation, sales cessation, and service termination of the [Evo Lite and Evo Nano].”

Beyond July 18, 2030, Autel will no longer provide technical support, after-sales repair or firmware updates and fixes for these drones. To all intents and purposes, they’re dead. Reading between the lines, this seems to be part of a wider pivot away from consumer drones to professional and enterprise models.

Open skies for DJI

So, where does that leave the hobbyist photographers and videographers that would have made up the market for the Evo Lite and Evo Nano? Well, the obvious answer is they turn to DJI, which provides extremely capable, ready-made alternatives in its Mavic, Air and Mini ranges.

I’m a huge fan of DJI’s drones and wouldn’t hesitate to buy one for my own content creation needs, but at the same time I think competition is vital for the market. Giving an already-dominant company a completely free run isn’t likely to push them into innovating faster or making their products more affordable.

Autel’s retreat from the market also has interesting implications for consumers living in the USA. It’s seeming more and more likely that the US federal government will ban DJI drones from sale in the country, leaving would-be buyers forced to opt for alternatives. If Autel is no longer making and selling consumer drones, it’s one fewer option on the table.

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