Could Skydio Finally Take Down DJI?
Let’s face it – when it comes to high-end drones, DJI is the only name that matters. Sure, we at Dronethusiast are big fans of the Yuneec Typhoon, and 3DR and Parrot are still kicking around, but most of these companies are barely hanging on. In the last year, Yuneec lost 50 million dollars, 3DR downsized and stopped manufacturing drones, Parrot lost 35 percent of its workforce, and companies like 3D Robotics and Lily – both of which promised they were going to take DJI down – closed shop before they could even make an impression on the market. Meanwhile, DJI is on track to make $11 billion USD by 2020. DJI makes huge strides in innovation with each new product, practically making the rest of the industry obsolete every time they release a new product – and they compound that success with global branding efforts (rare for a Chinese company) and fairly reasonable prices for the high-end market.
But there’s a new challenger to DJI’s drone throne: Skydio, a California-based company that’s the pet project of MIT graduate Adam Bry. What do they have that DJI doesn’t? Well, to hear Bry tell it, their main focus is making a product that anyone can use. No more fiddling with mobile apps. No more complicated remotes with a billion buttons. In fact, no method of direct input at all – the Skydio R1 takes the Phantom 4’s obstacle avoidance technology a step further and can fly entirely on its own. It takes off on its own, finds you, tracks you, and dodges obstacles – it even handles tree branches pretty well, which is something most obstacle avoidance drones still struggle with.
The R1 was built entirely from American labor and American parts and has a durable carbon fiber and aluminum body. It has about a 16-inch diagonal, a 4K camera, a 16-minute battery life and a top speed of 25 mph (full stats here.) That means that the DJI drones can do almost everything it can do – even the $400 Spark. But there’s a bigger problem: the R1 costs $2,499. From where we’re sitting, it seems unlikely that there exists a large customer base that A) doesn’t understand drones to the point that they want something that has no manual inputs and B) is willing to drop two and a half thousand dollars on an untested quadcopter.
But who knows? The Skydio has attracted a pretty impressive crop of investors, including NVIDIA (whose technology powers the R1’s autonomous systems), the creator of Android, and – if you can believe it – Super Bowl halftime star Justin Timberlake. And there’s no denying the Autonomy Engine is something special – watching the R1 fly on its own feels like something out of a far-future sci-fi movie, and yet in 2018 it’s already a reality. Only time will tell whether or not Skydio becomes the legendary “DJI killer”, but one thing’s for sure: this is a company to watch.
Further Reading
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Kennedy Martinez
kennedy@dronethusiast.comKennedy Martinez is a resident writer who joined Dronethusiast at the beginning of 2019. She has years of experience reviewing drones and other tech products. When it comes to flying drones, Kennedy loves the ability to create artistic videos from a unique point of view. Kennedy enjoys researching new drones and other exciting products that are available to consumers which is why she is committed to creating the best buyer's guides for our readers.
I think that their concept and idea is very cool and futuristic, but DJI is also seemingly going down this path. They are world renowned, influential, wealthy, and smart. I do not believe that they will be overtaken by a company such as Skydio, at least very quickly.
Honestly, I don’t understand how the Skydio people think they can compete with DJI at this – way too – high price point. That’s not how the consumer market works. Unfortunately for them.
Outta touch morons make a 2500 dollar drone, and actually expect it to sell. I can’t stand trust fund babies
I find the “autonomy” as much a negative, as a positive? Perhaps I’m in the minority, but if I’m shelling-out $1k plus for a drone, I want “control” for a variety of photography and VR tasks, not full autonomy, other than as a single available operating mode. Good on Skydio for helping the USA compete, however!!!
Just an expensive selfie camera. Great for children with deep pockets. If it can’t be used commercially, it’s a waste of time….IMHO
I’ll buy the Skydio for one main reason…it’s made in America by a company that’s not sending our GPS data to Chinese Intelligence operatives for military purposes.
Every drone is tracked with GPS when battery attached. Chips made in China. Assembled USA.
Why does it have to kill DJI? Why not complement the market in areas where DJI is not? The problem is the law around the world that is ever tightening and requiring a pilot to be in control at all times. This drone will be illegal in most places.
🔎👓 🛩🔥Scratches and blemishes. Definitely will be illegal.