Don’t miss this guest post by Douglas Spotted Eagle on what 8k means for the drone industry.  

It’s hard to keep secrets in the age of the Internet.  An FCC grant of equipment certificate indicates that Autel plans to release a drone equipped with an 8k camera – a big deal for the drone industry.  Autel may be planning on taking advantage of holiday sales – and the Autel 2 could be a very compelling offering.

Autel’s Evo (referred to in this review as “the Mavic Killer”) is already a tool of choice for many applications, including first response and other commercial missions.  Obstacle avoidance, a flight endurance of about 30 minutes, and a great price point combine with excellent image capabilities.  “Equipped on the front EVO offers a powerful camera on a 3-axis stabilize gimbal that records video at 4k resolution up to 60 frames per second and a recording speed up to 100mbps in an H.264 or H.265 codec,” says the company description.

In their next release, Autel has even bigger things planned.   With sensors on all sides its sense and avoid capabilities should be impressive.  An if Autel is able to introduce the first drone to market with 8k, it will represent a technology step for the industry – and while it may take a little while for industry verticals to get a handle on how they might take best advantage of 8k, it could soon become a major market advantage.

The company’s engineering experience – they were founded in 2014, as a subsidiary of Autel Intelligent – and the Evo’s very solid reception in the market could make Autel 2 a major contender in the enterprise market for small drones.