ok so ive been going back and forth on this for like three weeks and i need someone to just talk me off the ledge or push me one direction

its basically coming down to the Autel Evo Lite+ vs the DJI Mini 3 Pro, i know theyre not exactly the same class of drone but theyre in a similar price range used and thats kind of where my budget is sitting. im mostly going to be doing landscape stuff, hiking trips, that kind of thing. not doing any professional work, this is totally just for fun and maybe some personal projects

everything i read about Autel is like, people either really love it or they kind of trail off when talking about the software and app situation. and with DJI i feel like theres more support and community but also more restrictions with the geofencing and stuff. i dont have a part 107 or anything so im not trying to fly anywhere crazy, just open areas mostly

i guess my question is does anyone actually have experience with both or switched from one to the other and can tell me if the Autel is worth considering or if im just falling for the underdog appeal

had an Evo Lite+ for about four months before I went back to DJI and honestly the image quality on the Autel was genuinely impressive, the variable aperture is nice and low light performance was better than I expected. but the app kept doing weird stuff, had a couple disconnects mid flight that were nerve wracking even if it just came home on its own. the community for troubleshooting is just so much smaller so when something weird happens youre kind of on your own

for hiking and landscapes the Mini 3 Pro is honestly hard to beat just because its so light and packable. thats probably the more practical choice for what you're describing but the Autel isnt a bad drone, it just requires a bit more patience

im kind of in the same boat so following this thread. one thing i keep coming back to is that DJI just has way more tutorial videos and forum posts for when things go wrong which feels important when youre still learning. the Autel stuff is harder to find answers for. probably not the technical comparison you wanted but it matters when youre standing in a field confused lol