okay so this has been bugging me for a while. i see the autel evo lite+ come up whenever people talk about alternatives to dji and it gets pretty decent reviews but every time i dig deeper i start finding weird things like the app being kind of rough or firmware updates breaking stuff. im coming from a phantom 4 pro which i know is old but it just worked so well that im nervous about switching ecosystems.

the variable aperture on the evo lite+ is the main thing pulling me toward it, that and the fact that dji has had some weird stuff going on with data and government regulations depending on where you work. i do some contract work for a small engineering firm so that side of things actually matters to me a bit. but i also dont want to spend $1000+ on something and then find out the flight controller is janky or the gimbal has issues.

anyone running the evo lite+ for actual paid work or is it still kind of a prosumer experiment at this point

the app situation has improved but i wont pretend its as polished as dji go or the dji fly app. theres still moments where you're like ok why is this buried in three menus. that said the actual flight performance is solid in my experience, the gimbal on mine has been rock solid after about 40 hours of flight time. variable aperture is genuinely useful and not just a spec sheet thing, being able to dial in exposure without only relying on ND filters is nice especially when conditions change fast.

for contract work though i'd think carefully about what deliverables you're expected to hit and whether your clients care about the data security angle or if thats more of an internal concern for you. the autel argument on that front is real but also somewhat overstated depending on who you ask.

tbh i looked at this one too and almost pulled the trigger but the resale value scared me off a little. dji stuff holds value way better if you ever want to upgrade in a year or two. not saying autel is bad just something to think about if you're on the fence about the investment