Review on Autel Robotics Camera Rugged Bundle by David Dober

Just after Christmas I ordered the Autel Robotics EVO 2 8K Camera Drone Rugged Kit. Waited with great anticipation, it was delivered in a week and I was like a kid in a candy store! Upon opening the box I was immediately impressed with the quality of the hard case and even more impressed when the case was opened. Everything was neatly organized in different foam cutouts. The black color of the foam really brought out the "orange" color of the drone! Of course I'm grinning like a stuck pig! It came with three batteries and extra props which is also a big plus! I carefully inspected each piece for damage as I removed them from their case. Everything was perfect! The drone and charger come with extra protective strips and a case for extra protection! Replacement screws were either in a box or in protective sleeves. It's clear Autel wants to make sure nothing gets damaged! The last thing I opened was the instruction pack and parts list. The font is small and was difficult for me to read, so I downloaded the manual, printed it out and started preparing for the flight. I recommend reading all the instructions first. Each of the batteries will show a charge level of 25 to 50 percent, so they must be fully charged before use. With a charger, it took almost 20 minutes to charge one battery. The charger has a USB port that allows you to charge the controller at the same time as the batteries. It took about 15 minutes to fully charge the controller, so charging the battery and the controller at the same time shortens the total charging time and allows you to get airborne faster. Although you can fly without connecting your smartphone to the controller, you will need to download the AutelExplorer app onto your smartphone and connect it to the controller to ensure you are using the latest firmware updates. These firmware updates are required to maintain the warranty! The firmware will be downloaded automatically after pairing the aircraft and controller. My only issue with this is that I'm using an iPhone with a Lightning connector and no Lightning to Micro USB interface cable is included. You can use the iPhone charging cable, but be careful to secure the excess length. Luckily I had an old Samsung phone that worked great with the interface cable that came with it. After connecting to the controller, new firmware updates had to be installed on each of the batteries, which took about 10 minutes per battery. These firmware updates are required to maintain your warranty! After all the preparations were done, I was ready to do my very first "dry run" with this beautiful looking electronic airplane! below the minimum recommended flight for my EVO II! Patience is virtue! Although it took me two days to hit the start button, I used that time to study the manual and learn more about the EVO II's features. Two days later, conditions were good enough to hit the START button. "! All I can say is WOW! The fun is just beginning! Final Notes: (1) Register your device with Autel! This will activate your warranty! (2) Download the following manuals from Autel: (a) App Manual_EN_EVO II_0105 .pdf (b) EVO-II-Quick-Guide.pdf (c) EVO-II-User-Manual.pdf Reading these manuals will help you to understand all the functions and possibilities that the EVO II is equipped with , to master and greatly improve your flying experience!