Mavic 2 or Skydio 2, that is the question.

[Skyflyer129]

Hello folks,
I’m super interested in this topic and thread. I’ve been taking classes for my part 107 and I am purchasing a M2P later this month. I’ve watched every video I could find comparing M2P vs Skydio 2. Once there are some legit drone in hand customers with favorable reviews I’ll most likely buy the Skydio 2 also next year. But I have to agree with the assessment above, these two different drones designed for different mission parameters. Blue skies.

 

[Blannon2004]

After watching those two videos, it looks like the M2P has a much better camera than the S2. But the OA on the S2 is amazing!!

 

[jumblemon]

After watching those two videos, it looks like the M2P has a much better camera than the S2. But the OA on the S2 is amazing!!

I like the look of the S2, but won’t buy one until it has shipped and had at least 6 months of sales to prove its reliability.
Complex new products like this always have bugs and flaws at the beginning. I’d also like to see how Skydio respond to service and warranty requests once they are scaled up to meet demand.

 

[MGVision]

You dont feel like this skydio 2 hype is oversaturated? Think about it. Youtubers are doing everything to praise new product so they can grow. Keep calm wait for true reviews.

 

[MGVision]

New video about skydio 2

Well it is something what mavic 2 cant do and it look really nice but lets face the truth most of drone pilots wont need this function.
Those props in shoots though...

 

[jwt873]

The Skydio uses the Sony IMX5771/2.3 sensor.. (Same sensor size as the Mavic Zoom). With all the beating the Zoom camera gets, I can't see why someone would trade an M2 Pro for a Skydo.

 

[Skyflyer129]

The Skydio uses the Sony IMX5771/2.3 sensor.. (Same sensor size as the Mavic Zoom). With all the beating the Zoom camera gets, I can't see why someone would trade an M2 Pro for a Skydo.

Or the Skydio 2 either. ?

 

[Johnmcl7]

For my use I've no interest in the Skydio2 as I rarely use automated flight and my main use of the M2P is taking stills which I find a big improvement on the M1P thanks to the much larger dynamic range of the 1in sensor.

That said I hope the Skydio2 is a great drone and can deliver as promised, it's generally never good for consumers when one brand dominates the market with little competition and with many failed rivals to DJI products it's about time there was some proper competition.

 

[MGVision]

For my use I've no interest in the Skydio2 as I rarely use automated flight and my main use of the M2P is taking stills which I find a big improvement on the M1P thanks to the much larger dynamic range of the 1in sensor.

That said I hope the Skydio2 is a great drone and can deliver as promised, it's generally never good for consumers when one brand dominates the market with little competition and with many failed rivals to DJI products it's about time there was some proper competition.

You are right bro. This skydio 2 hype might not be so bad if we will take it soberly. Maybe dji will be force to cut down their prizes or flex their muscles to show that they are still the number one on the market. Hope so.

Well, impressive to say the least.

 

[Scouts]

You are right bro. This skydio 2 hype might not be so bad if we will take it soberly. Maybe dji will be force to cut down their prizes or flex their muscles to show that they are still the number one on the market. Hope so.

Well, impressive to say the least.

The devil is in the details.

Skydio warranty is void if you fly around small branches.

Which means it has big trouble with small branches after all.

From the comment section of that video:


Skydio - would guys repair/replace the drone if it hit a small branch while flying like this?






It would depend on each case. Flying in thin branches can void your warranty, but none of these branches were thin enough to be considered thin to the Skydio 2. Skydio can look at the flight logs when you file a claim and can see if the vehicle was being used appropriately.

 

[Scouts]

I too am debating buying Mavic 2 or Skydio 2. I'm also looking at a Skydio R1 on ebay.

Then I noticed there is zero support for the Skydio R1. No page to buy an extra battery, for example. They just completely abandoned that product.

And if flying around small branches voids your Skydio 2 warranty, then that's basically every person who buys one.

Skydio was smart to get people emotionally attached to Skydio 2 by pretending like they will just replace their drone willy nilly. Many people will still be attached to the product when the actual details are officially released. That's good marketing.

But Skydio would also be suicidal to actually live up to their early promises of a ridiculously generous warranty. Their profit margins are already going to be low or nil, so in retrospect of course they're not going to actually dare you to crash your drone.

The Skydio 2 also has a 1 meter buffer on all sides, so it stops moving very easily through tight spaces. Notice that a lot of the promotional videos just-so-happen to cut to another shot every time a sub-6 foot space approaches.

Skydio removed the prop protection on the Skydio 2, probably for looks. Then because of that design decision, they probably enlarged the buffer space on all sides to 1 meter.

The Skydio 1 had some real benefits. With the 360 degree prop guards that thing looks like a tank, and its inability to see small branches combined with a very small buffer zone meant that you could get some really interesting, rough-and-tumble shots.

The Skydio 2 still can't see small branches, but it has zero protection from those branches, and the Skydio 2 is designed to stay far away from everything.

So despite the R1 being physically bigger, it actually seems to fit through tighter spaces.

And the security and piece of mind that people thought they were getting with the Skydio 2, well you won't get that. But you can actually get that from the Skydio 1 with its bullet proof design.

You just can't get any support for that product, not even a battery.

I think I am going to end up buying a Mavic 2 and an Anafi, and I'll buy prop guards for both for when I'm doing tracking shots.

We'll probably end up seeing prop guards come back in style, long before we see a truly safe obstacle avoidance system that can pick up any and all small branches.

I no longer see what is so cool about unguarded props anyway, and now I see a full cage guard as very cool.

 

[Brian_MavicPro]

So, just finished a fruitless conversation with Skydio's chat room Willie. I asked if they were attempting to shorten the estimated 8-months wait time by ramping up production. I got the usual referral to public comments already made and nothing more to be said. Additionally, I mentioned that potential and current customers would like to be informed and they are fast approaching a key milestone "batch 1 shipping".

I got nothing useful to build excitement. Hurry up and wait is the game. I remain optimistic for those that ordered but I see no need to jump in the 8-month "reservation" line. Way too much can happen between now and then (i.e. FAA drone rule updates, new and improved product releases, consumers fully vetting the Skydio 2, unfavorable reviews and incidents, etc.). In other words, this forced consumer time out is akin to something I am not so good at....Patience resulting in a well informed consumer and time to save up $$ and pay cash. No impulse buying. What was this manufacturer thinking, lol.

 

[Scouts]

So, just finished a fruitless conversation with Skydio's chat room Willie. I asked if they were attempting to shorten the estimated 8-months wait time by ramping up production. I got the usual referral to public comments already made and nothing more to be said. Additionally, I mentioned that potential and current customers would like to be informed and they are fast approaching a key milestone "batch 1 shipping".

I got nothing useful to build excitement. Hurry up and wait is the game. I remain optimistic for those that ordered but I see no need to jump in the 8-month "reservation" line. Way too much can happen between now and then (i.e. FAA drone rule updates, new and improved product releases, consumers fully vetting the Skydio 2, unfavorable reviews and incidents, etc.). In other words, this forced consumer time out is akin to something I am not so good at....Patience resulting in a well informed consumer and time to save up $$ and pay cash. No impulse buying. What was this manufacturer thinking, lol.

I feel the same way. I almost clicked the "buy now" button on a like new Skydio R1 for $1250. I have the same struggle with patience and impulse purchasing. Plus I've never owned a drone yet and I'm champing at the bit.

But this "forced time out" is probably giving us a more clear-headed perspective from which to learn about the Skydio 2. If they were in stock with no wait time, I'd be blindly thrilled about my new miracle machine in the mail, that can identify 12 types of ants and avoid termite infested trees.

I think I'm going to make my first drone youtube video now, about this very subject. I won't be able to link to it though.

I'm starting to realize there's a similarity between what Skydio is promising, and what Theranos/Elizabeth Holmes promised. Just stick your finger in the magic box and instantly get tested for 1,000 different things.

 

[Scouts]

Here's a brand new video from Skydio's youtube channel.

As you can see, the 3d imaging is pretty low resolution. Objects appear blobby, and computer cords and wires are invisible to the Skydio system. This is why the warranty will be voided if you fly around small branches. And as we can see, "small" means anything thinner than about 1 inch.

The Mavic 2 seems to have about the same clarity of vision, struggling only with sub-1 inch branches. The Skydio's advantage is in processing speed, allowing for higher speed tracking and quicker reflexes:

 

[paulatkin73]

Here's a brand new video from Skydio's youtube channel.

As you can see, the 3d imaging is pretty low resolution. Objects appear blobby, and computer cords and wires are invisible to the Skydio system. This is why the warranty will be voided if you fly around small branches. And as we can see, "small" means anything thinner than about 1 inch.

The Mavic 2 seems to have about the same clarity of vision, struggling only with sub-1 inch branches. The Skydio's advantage is in processing speed, allowing for higher speed tracking and quicker reflexes:

all that reminds me very much how 3DR Solo was marketed prior to its launch... a ton of media, a lot of anticipations... etc.

 

[Scouts]

I ended up not getting the Mavic 2 Pro. I got an Evo with 3 batteries and an Anafi with 3 batteries for about the same price, and I made a deposit on the Skydio 2.

For all the crap I talked about the Skydio yesterday, I ended up going with it over the Mavic 2, because the Evo should cover most of what I could get out of the Mavic 2 Pro. And it's always good to have back up drones, rather than putting everything into one fragile bird.

I can always back out of the Skydio 2 and get my 100 bucks back. The Anafi has ridiculously good Follow Me, better than the M2P in most regards, and if I just check my environment first, I'll get by without that obstacle avoidance. Only issue with Anafi is reliability.

Here's some samples of the Anafi Follow Me/Active Track in action:

In the second half of this video, notice how the Anafi keeps tracking even when behind a wall of trees, and then behind a hill for a few seconds. That's exactly what a Skydio 2 would do.

So if you're content with moving the Anafi higher in the air in trouble zones, the Anafi can do what the Skydio can do, plus longer battery and zoom and probably better camera. But if my Anafi breaks, I'll just get the Skydio 2.

 

[MarcoPolo]

A big difference that seems to get overlooked is that the SKydio is a wifi drone. Mavic's Ocusync is far superior. I think if someone wants a drone to follow them a lot and do action shots, etc, the Skydio will be great, but just general-purpose flying a drone around to get some cool shots? Mavic. Skydio has less range, less flight time, less portability, than a Mavic for those purposes.

 

[parkgt]

The answer to the question is a M2P AND a S2!

 

[Endeavor]

No worries about No Fly Zones or where your data is being sent or someone tracking your drone
No worries about tariffs or Chinese product being banned
Made in the USA
Overall cost is less than M2P

I like all this but to be real it's more than likely assembled in the US but parts made in China or other foreign country.
I am intrigued.

 

[ReadyKilowatt]

all that reminds me very much how 3DR Solo was marketed prior to its launch... a ton of media, a lot of anticipations... etc.

And the inevitable letdown when the product started to be used. I have a Solo I've been using for under-the-hood training, and with the Open Solo project it has become a pretty nice platform. But the stock firmware and some hardware (GPS, WiFi radios) were pretty bad and it took a lot of effort just to get a stable hover.