At CES 2017, a 2-year-old UAV company called Xdynamics showcased a drone with a carbon fiber monocoque body. Xdynamics had a relatively small booth compared to the likes of the bigger drone companies such as DJI or Power Vision, but their new Evolve drone,which is scheduled to be released this October, is a real drone contender to some extent. Besides its heavy duty body, the Evolve drone comes with the world’s first dual screen drone controller.
Xdynamics Evolve Drone Specs
The Evolve drone is built with durability and innovation in mind. Its carbon fiber frame integrates the body and chassis into one solid unit. Compared to the plastic used on drones like the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, the Evolve drone’s carbon fiber shell is 50 times stronger! Its removable gimbal holds a 4K 12.4 MP camera with a Sony 1 /2.3” CMOS sensor. The 21mm f/2.8 lens has a FOV of 94 degrees. The removable propellers are intentionally placed a little high to remove any possible propeller interference in the drone’s shots. The Evolve drone can shoot a 60 Mbit/s 4K video at a resolution of 3840×2160 at 30 fps. The LiDar and optical flow sensors works together to provide a precise flight. This drone can also go fast with a maximum flight speed of 40 mph.
Ground Station Controller
The controller has a 64-bit quad-core CPU and a dedicated GPU to power the dual screen display. It also has a micro HDMI output, and the controller supports FPV and VR headsets. The controller’s design is similar to the GoPro Karma’s clamshell controller. Two screens can help pilots navigate their drones with ease .The top zero latency display has a 7 inch 720p screen with a 1000 nit brightness rating, while the bottom display has a 5 inch 1080p screen with a 600 nit brightness rating.
“…To Some Extent”
The Evolve drone has potential to be a game changer, but it does have some drawbacks. It may have a durable carbon fiber frame, but it weighs 5 pounds! The weight is seen as a drawback because the drone’s flight time is only rated at 20 minutes, which is the same flight time as GDU’s new DJI Mavic contending drone. The controller features the world’s first dual screen system for drones, but its distance is capped at 0.6 miles. If improvements can be made before it gets released, then Xdynamics may even have the potential to be a leader in the consumer drone industry with their unique designs.
Xdynamics is a promising, young drone company that is aiming to release their innovative product in a competitive market. Their new Evolve drone will be available to purchase for $2499 on their official website and with select retailers. This drone may have some easy to use features and a nearly unbreakable frame, but there is a significant price difference compared to other consumer drones with similar or better performance ratings. The Evolve drone’s carbon fiber monocoque body makes it the first consumer quadcopter of its kind, but it’ll take some real testing to determine if this drone is worthy to be in We Talk UAV’s best drones list.
