Another DJI rival bites the dust Autel quits consumer drones, heres what you need to know
Date:
Thu, 21 Aug 2025 09:34:18 +0000
Description:
With Autel Robotics ending sales and support for two of its most popular
drone ranges, it seems that DJI's market competition is drying up.
FULL STORY ======================================================================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 DJIs 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, theyre 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 The DJI Mini 3 Pro (left) is an obvious alternative to the Autel Evo Nano+ (right) (Image credit: Future)
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.
Im a huge fan of DJIs drones and wouldnt 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 isnt likely to push them into innovating faster or making their products more affordable.
Autels retreat from the market also has interesting implications for
consumers living in the USA. Its 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, its one fewer option on the table. You might
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/cameras/drones/another-dji-rival-bites-the-dust-aute l-quits-consumer-drones-heres-what-you-need-to-know
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