Autel Robotics releases Smart Controller for EVO II

Dronemaker Autel Robotics recently announced a Smart Controller for the EVO II series of drones (AMZN). It is a controller with a large built-in 7.9 ”Retina display. The high light output is striking: no less than 4 times as bright as the screen of a regular smartphone. This makes the screen easy to read, even in daylight.

Autel Robotics releases Smart Controller for EVO II

Last year Autel presented the EVO II series of drones, as an alternative to DJI's Mavic 2 series. The EVO II comes standard with a controller to which the user must attach a smartphone or tablet. Following on from DJI, Autel now also comes with a Smart Controller with a built-in display.

The Autel Robotics Smart Controller is able to display the live camera image from the drone in 1080p HD resolution. The range of the controller is approx. 8 miles. Thanks to dual-band support and automatic frequency selection, the Smart Controller can also be used in an environment with a lot of interference.

Smart Controller with 7.9 ”display

The Smart Controller features a large 7.9 ”Retina display, with a resolution of 2,048 × 1,536 pixels. The screen has a brightness of no less than 2,000 nits: 2x as bright as DJI's Smart Controller, and 4x as bright as a regular smartphone screen. This means that the screen is also easy to read in daylight.

Despite the great brightness, the Smart Controller lasts about 4.5 hours on a full battery charge. The battery has a capacity of 5,800 mAh. Charging takes approximately two hours. The wide temperature range of the battery is remarkable: the Smart Controller can be used from -4 to 104 ºF (-20 to +40 ºC).

CPU, storage and connections

The Autel Robotics Smart Controller is powered by a Samsung Exynos 8895 8-core processor. This has enough speed to display 4K at 60 fps video. Autel chose Android as the operating system for the Smart Controller and overlaid it with its own interface. Users can also run apps from third-party developers on the Smart Controller.

The Smart Controller has no shortage of memory: 128 GB of internal memory is provided, and 1 TB of memory can be added via an SD card. Users can store flight logs as well as media (photos, video) in the memory.

The antennas are easily detachable. Thanks to HDMI, USB-A, and USB-C ports, it is possible to connect an external screen to the Smart Controller. It is also possible to provide live streams by connecting the Smart Controller to a 4G / 5G module.

Price and availability

The Autel Robotics Smart Controller offers impressive features, but it does come with a hefty price tag: the device costs $1,199. The Smart Controller can currently be reserved via the Autel Robotics webshop, a delivery date is not yet known.

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This article first appeared on dronewatch.nul and is written by Wiebe de Jager who is also a DroneXL contributor.