DJI vs. Autel vs. Skydio vs. Holy Stone: Which One Makes the NO.1 Drone Brand in the World?

• DJI

DJI Brand History and Origin

Da-Jiang Innovations, better known as DJI, is the world leader in drone technology.  Their headquarters can be found in Shenzhen, China and began selling drones and controllers in 2006 and entered the consumer drone market in 2013. The company is best known for its Mavic and Phantom drones, which brought consumer drones into the mainstream. Now DJI has established offices in the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

DJI has been consistently launching new products ever since it came into existence. The company's drones are renowned for their innovative features and easy-to-use designs. Their drones and camera stabilization systems are at the forefront of professional imaging solutions, combining cutting-edge technology and versatile designs. DJI currently manufactures drones that are best suited for aerial photography, industrial applications, recreational purposes, and even racing.

The Prices of DJI Drones: $299-$999

DJI Drone Series Review

DJI is known for their Mavic series. The Mavi series has become the quintessential drone for new to intermediate pilots and videographers and the simultaneous launch in late 2018 of the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom was huge news in the industry. In 2020, they launched the revolutionary Mavic Mini, packing high quality drone features into a tiny drone that weighs only a half pound. Starting with the Mini 2, the Mavic name was dropped from most of the new models such as the Air 2S and the Mini SE.DJI released the Air 2S on April 15, 2021.The DJI Mavic 3 and the Mavic 3 Cine was released on November 4, 2021, at 10PM EDT. The Mavic 3 superseded the Mavic 2 Pro and the Mavic 2 Zoom and was priced for prosumers and professionals more than hobbyists. The Mavic 3 Enterprise and Mavic 3 Thermal were released on September 27, 2022, and superseded Phantom 4 RTK and Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced drones in surveying, inspection, safety, and rescue tasks.

The Phantom series has evolved to integrated flight programming with a camera, Wi-Fi or Lightbridge connectivity, and the pilot's mobile device.Phantoms are made for aerial cinematography and photography applications,but are also used in recreational use.There have now been four generations of the product line, the most recent one is the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0.

The Inspire series is a professional series of camera quadcopters similar to the Phantom line, but with an aluminum-magnesium body with carbon fibre arms, as well as detachable props on the Inspire 2. It was presented in 2017.

On March 2, 2021, DJI announced the launch of the DJI FPV, an entirely new type of hybrid drone combining the first-person view (FPV) and high-speed performance of racing drones, the cinematic camera and reliability of traditional consumer drones, and an optional innovative motion controller that allows pilots to control the drone with just single-handed movements.

Where to Buy DJI Drone?

DJI Store (Cashback temporarily unavailable)

B & H Photo (1%-1.5% cashback)

Walmart (2.5%-3% cashback)

Abt Electronics (3%-4% cashback)

Bestbuy (0.4%-0.5% cashback)

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• Autel Robotics

Autel Robotics Brand History and Origin

Autel Robotics was founded in 2004 and based in Bothell, WA. They are a subsidiary of Autel Intelligent Technology Company Ltd. This company is mostly known for their ability to produce award winning automotive diagnostic tools and equipment. Now, Autel Robotics has as its priority researching and developing easy-to-use aerial drones for aerial photography and other industries. It provides high-quality industrial drones for cinematography, monitoring construction, and search and rescue missions.

Autel Robotics started with the X-Star in 2015 and firmly established their role as an industry-leader with the EVO series. The development of the EVO II platform in 2020 marks a new era for Autel Robotics as they adapted, refashioned, and accelerated technologies to meet the intended applications of these dynamic aircraft and payloads for their purpose-driven users.Autel Robotics is a direct competitor to DJI. Autel Robotics and DJI drones are often pitted against each other due to their similarities in technology.

The Prices of Autel Robotics Drones: $549-$1599

Autel Robotics Drone Series Review

The EVO Nano Series is Autel's smallest drone to date, and it packs a lot into a tiny frame. At barely half a pound, the EVO Nano weighs about as much as an orange and fits almost anywhere — from the side pocket of your hiking pack to the palm of your hand. And with a 30 minute flight time and intelligent obstacle avoidance system you can stay in the air longer and avoid crashes. The EVO Nano series are all set with three flying gears: smooth gear, normal gear, and sports gear. The Nano sports a 1/2" CMOS sensor capable of 48MP camera that can record ultra sharp 4K/30fps video. The Nano+ is packed with a 1/1.28-inch CMOS sensor for 50MP photos. The Nano+ offers superior noise reduction capabilities and the power to effortlessly produce quality images in low-light conditions thanks to its RYYB color filter array design with a large fixed aperture of f/1.9.

The EVO Lite series is the first drone in the world to introduce a four-axis gimbal design, enabling you to shoot vertical videos for easy editing and sharing on mobile devices. The 4th "axis" happens within the gimbal, where the widescreen imaging frame can be remotely rotated into a vertical position. With a vertical mode of shooting, you can capture images and videos that are mobile-ready for social media platforms where videos and images are displayed in the ratio 16:10 like Titok, with no need for additional edits to make them vertical manually. The EVO Lite series also adopts Autel's new-generation Autel SkyLink high-definition image transmission technology, with more stable signal transmission and smoother picture quality, 2.7K image transmission resolution, 12 kilometers of image transmission distance, and you can capture the distance without moving your body.

The Autel EVO II series is Autel's latest drone platform which is the only 8K folding drone on the planet. Featuring a whopping 40 minutes of maximum flight time, the EVO II comes in three different models. The EVO II model carries an 8K standard imaging camera with a 4x optical zoom, built for professionals, the EVO II Pro carries a 1-inch sensor with 6K resolution, and the EVO II Dual boasts a 640x512 thermal sensor and an 8K standard imaging sensor.

Where to Buy Autel Robotics Drone?

Adorama (4%-5% cashback)

Walmart (2.5%-3% cashback)

B & H Photo (1%-1.5% cashback)

• Skydio

Skydio Brand History and Origin

Skydio was founded in 2014 by Adam Bry, Abe Bachrach and Matt Donahoe, all of whom had studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It  is currently the first US-based drone company to be valued at $1 Billion. Skydio’s goal was to build autonomous drones, which is evident in their drone models and other projects in which Abe and Bry participated. Their first drone was the Model R1 which was regarded a breakthrough in autonomous drones for consumers and a platform for commercial development.

But the drone that propelled them to stardom was the Skydio 2. In 2019, the company launched Skydio 2, which sold out in a single day. Skydio 2 is built around the Skydio Autonomy Engine – the most advanced flying artificial intelligence system in the world.The Skydio 2 drone is lighter, smarter, more compact, more versatile, cheaper, and creates better imagery than the original R1 drone.

The Prices of Skydio Drones: $1,099-$2,169

The Skydio R1 is a 4K autonomous drone made by Skydio.This advanced self-flying camera drone is designed to be fully autonomous and can also capture high-quality 4K video clips. The R1 makes use of a powerful AI processor, making it a true smart drone. The Skydio Autonomy Engine allows the drone to navigate by itself to avoid collisions through its 12 navigation cameras. In addition, with its Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) system, the R1 can easily map its environment.

The Skydio 2 series is the most advanced auto-follow drone on the face of the planet. Instead of looking for objects to avoid, the Skydio 2 series uses six onboard navigation cameras to build a real-time 3D map of its surroundings.Thanks to an array of six 4K cameras and some proprietary software developed by a group of MIT grads, this drone is capable of flying, filming, dodging obstacles, and planning out cinematic flight paths, all without any input from the user.The Skydio 2+ is an update arriving three years after its predecessor, the Skydio 2, was introduced in late 2019. The manufacturer focused on improving the battery life and increasing range, and has also released a new handheld tracking Beacon.

Skydio Drone Series Review

Where to Buy Skydio Drone?

Skydio ($2-$2.5 cashback)

Amazon (Cashback temporarily unavailable)

• Holy Stone

Holy Stone Brand History and Origin

HolyStone Enterprise Company Limited is based in Taipei, Taiwan, with factories in Lungtan, Taiwan, and Guangdon, China. This drone brand began its operations in the year 2014, but in such a short span of time it has established itself as a leading brand. Holy Stone’s success mantra is to provide unique and high-quality toys and products for people of all ages. Since beginning, they ensure that they offer best-in-class features for competitive prices.

Holy Stone manufactures a wide range of drones, from toy drones perfect for outdoor use to low-budget professional drones with decent cameras. Their drones are perfect for beginners who’ve never used a drone before. But it offers drones at substantially lower price points than DJI.

The Prices of Holy Stone Drones: $26.95-$508

Holy Stone Drone Series Review

Indoor Mini Drone is a miniature, tech-laden device that you can fly indoors. Most feature propeller guards, so accidental crash landings into your sofa won’t leave bits flying off. It also features 3-speed modes from low to high, making it suitable for both beginners and experts.

FPV Camera Drone is a small and swift machines that flies with the assistance of VR drone accessories offering you a real-time cockpit view while flying around obstacles at high speeds. Most come with a GPS positioning feature that helps it return when it’s losing control or running low on power. Some feature a durable brushless motor to support higher-speed rotations with minimal noise. Most Holy Stone FPV drones come with an adjustable wide-angle camera to help you capture real-time images and video from multiple angles. They also feature a takeoff and landing button that automatically hovers at a set altitude after take-off and before landing, making it easy for beginners to control and maneuver.

Where to Buy Holy Stone Drone?

Walmart (2.5%-3% cashback)

Newegg (0.8%-1% cashback)

Amazon (Cashback temporarily unavailable)

Bottom Line

DJI vs. Autel vs. Skydio vs. Holy Stone: Which One Makes the NO.1 Drone Brand in the World?

With no doubt that DJI  is still the NO.1 drone brand in the world. It lead the pack in camera quality, battery life, flying range, and stability – among other specifications. DJI always has a gadget on top, regardless of the feature you pick. It is worthing mentioned that their cameras and gimbals are the best there are.

Plus, DJI has something more than 80% of the market for camera drones because they’ve got the best drone at every pricing point, from the Tello through the Minis, Mavic Airs, Platinums, Mavic 2, and Inspires. They’ve also got a huge share of the market for the big drones like the Matrice and Agra.

But if you're in the market for good quality, under $100 drones, chances are you won't get a better mix of quality and features than that offered by a good number of Holy Stone models.

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