Where most camera drones require a pilot to take control of flight sticks to navigate through space, Skydio copters are all about fully autonomous operation. The company is back with a modest, but welcome, update to the Skydio 2, replacing the old drone with the Skydio 2+.
The 2+ retains all the basic features of its predecessor. It has the same all-around obstacle avoidance system, one that makes it practically crash-proof, and is more about following you on its own than manual flight controls. The basic version doesn’t even come with a remote—you’ll need to buy the drone with an accessory bundle if you want one.
The Skydio 2+ makes a couple of small changes to the flight hardware for better connectivity, which is welcome if you’re using it in areas where communication between you and the drone is spotty. Antennas are located on the front rotor arms and fold down into the drone for storage.
The flight battery is also updated. The original Skydio 2 promised 23 minutes of flight time under ideal conditions, but our field testing showed it to be closer to 18 minutes in reality. The new 2+ battery extends flight times to up to 27 minutes on paper, so we’d expect this one to break the 20-minute mark in real-world flights.
The new hardware comes with a software update—it’s available for the first version of the Skydio 2 as well. It adds another control mode to the app, one that lets you fly the drone to multiple positions in space and save a repeatable flight path. Skydio is calling this KeyFrames, a term familiar to video editors and computer animators. The drone can fly along this path, hitting the camera angles you want, all on its own, all while avoiding obstacles.
Unfortunately the camera is one of the Skydio 2’s weaker points, and the 2+ does nothing to improve it. It gets the basics down for casual videographers—the three-axis gimbal keeps footage Steadicam smooth, and video is saved at 4K quality. But we found white balance to be inconsistent, and the camera doesn’t include flat color profiles, a must for editors who want to color correct their footage.
On the plus side, Skydio has cut the cost of entry for the 2+. The Skydio 2 went on pre-sale for $999, but a price increase made it a $1,349 drone after it entered the market. The 2+ drops the cost of entry down to $1,099 for a Starter Kit, much closer to the drone’s original asking price. The Starter kit is pretty basic—you get the drone, one battery, charging cables, and a slim zippered case.
There’s a steep increase to get an accessory kit, though. The Sports Kit is next in line, for $1,549, and is geared at pilots in want of a follow-me drone experience. It includes three batteries, so you can get more footage without having to run home to recharge, as well as the Beacon accessory, a pocketable GPS for more reliable following. The Beacon also doubles as a very basic flight remote.
Video pros looking to use the 2+ for projects will want the Cinema Kit for $1,949. It includes everything from the Sports bundle, but adds a standard drone remote control for manual flight, as well as a hardshell Pelican case, and a set of neutral density filters.
And you can go whole hog and get the $2,169 Pro Kit. It adds a tablet adapter for the remote control, a relatively low-cost accessory, along with two years of the Skydio Care extended warranty coverage.
The Skydio 2+ is on sale now exclusively through the company’s online store. We hope to follow with a hands-on review in short order.
