Skydio 2

Last updated
Skydio 2
Skydio 2 in flight
General information
Type Camera drone
National originUnited States
Manufacturer Skydio
AeroArc
History
Manufactured2019–present
Introduction dateOctober 2019
Developed into Skydio X2

The Skydio 2 is an American teleoperated compact quadcopter drone produced by Skydio. Released in October 2019, the Skydio 2 competed with Chinese drones such as the DJI Mavic until Skydio pulled out of the consumer market in 2023. However, it continues to be produced for enterprise customers.

Contents

Design and development

The Skydio 2 was released in October 2019 with a much lower price than its predecessor, the Skydio R1. [1] [2] Compared to the R1, the Skydio 2 has a smaller form factor, though it does not fold like some competing models, and an improved obstacle avoidance system with six 4K navigation cameras instead of 12. [3] [4] The drone is fully autonomous, though it can be controlled manually with either the Skydio app or an optional beacon or remote controller, respectively having a range of 200 m (660 ft), 1.5 km (0.93 mi), and 3.5 km (2.2 mi). [2] [5] The drone also has a gimbal stabilized main camera capable of 4K video at 60 frames per second and is powered by a 4280 mAh battery, giving it a flight time of 23 minutes. [2] [6] [7] The Skydio 2 is powered by the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 embedded computing board, allowing the drone to track up to 10 objects while flying at 36 mph (58 km/h). [7] [8]

Reviewers in PCMag praised the obstacle avoidance feature, but criticized the camera quality and wireless range. [9] DIYPhotography noted that the Skydio 2's top speed and range fell short of the competing DJI Mavic 2. [10]

In January 2022, Skydio announced an improved version of the drone as the Skydio 2+. [11] The Skydio 2+ addressed the range issues of its predecessor by adding two 5GHz WiFi antennas on top of the front arms, increasing the range to 3 km (1.9 mi) with a beacon or 6 km (3.7 mi) with a controller. [12] [13] Likewise, battery capacity was increased by 20%, resulting in an increased flight time of 27 minutes. [13] [14]

In August 2023, Skydio pulled out of the consumer drone business to focus on providing drones for enterprise customers, including the Skydio 2+ and Skydio X2. [15] [16] Flying called the decision "unexpected", though also noting that the company was reportedly losing money with each consumer sale. [17]

Variants

Skydio 2
Original variant with gimbal stabilized 4K main camera, six 4K navigation cameras, an NVIDIA Jetson TX2 embedded computing board, a maximum wireless range of 3.5 km (2.2 mi), and powered by a 4280 mAh giving it a flight time of 23 minutes. [2] [3] [4] [7] Released in October 2019. [1]
Skydio 2+
Improved Skydio 2 with two 5GHz WiFi antennas and battery capacity increased by 20%, increasing wireless range and flight time to 6 km (3.7 mi) and 27 minutes, respectively. [12] [13] [14] Released in January 2022. [11]
Trinetra S
Variant produced in India by AeroArc. [18]

Operators

Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States

Specifications (Skydio 2+)

Aerial image of the Landing and Impact Research Facility at Langley Research Center, taken with a Skydio 2. NASA Langley Research Center Impact Dynamics Facility (LRC-2021-H1 P Gantry-0001).jpg
Aerial image of the Landing and Impact Research Facility at Langley Research Center, taken with a Skydio 2.

Data from Skydio 2/2+ Operator Manual [20]

General characteristics

Performance

Avionics

  • 12.3MP Sony IMX577 1/2.3" CMOS main camera
  • 6× 4K Sony 1/3" CMOS navigation cameras

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. 1 2 "Announcing the release of the Skydio S2". www.skydio.com. 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  2. 1 2 3 4 French, Sally (2019-10-05). "The Skydio 2 is here - and it costs less than $1,000". The Drone Girl. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  3. 1 2 Hollister, Sean (2019-10-01). "Skydio 2: the self-flying future of drones starts at $999". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  4. 1 2 "Skydio's latest AI powered drone is smarter, faster, and even more affordable". ZDNET. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  5. ↑ "Skydio's New Drone Is Smaller, Even Smarter, and (Almost) Affordable - IEEE Spectrum". spectrum.ieee.org. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  6. ↑ Murison, Malek (2019-10-02). "Watch Out DJI, The Skydio 2 Has Landed". DRONELIFE. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  7. 1 2 3 Wiggers, Kyle (2019-10-01). "Skydio 2 can track up to 10 subjects while avoiding obstacles". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  8. ↑ "Inception Spotlight: New Skydio 2 Drone Powered by NVIDIA Jetson". NVIDIA Technical Blog. 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  9. ↑ Fisher, Jim (August 7, 2021). "Skydio 2 A drone that's almost impossible to crash". PCMAG . Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  10. ↑ Aldred, John (2019-10-02). "Skydio prepares to take on DJI with the new Skydio 2 4K self-flying drone". DIY Photography. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  11. 1 2 "U.S. Autonomous Drone Maker Skydio Announces New KeyFrame Capability for Breakthrough Autonomous Cinematography". Skydio. Skydio press release. January 4, 2022. Archived from the original on April 16, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Tomkins, Mike (2022-01-10). "New gear: Skydio 2+ drone flies further, longer; autonomously captures video". Popular Photography. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  13. 1 2 3 Voss, Olaf von (2022-01-10). "Skydio 2+ Drone Announced – Improved Features and New Keyframe Mode". CineD. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  14. 1 2 Hollister, Sean (2022-01-04). "Skydio announces $1,099 Skydio 2 Plus, turns drones into programmable cameramen with free update". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  15. ↑ "Skydio discontinues its consumer drone offerings, shifts focus to enterprise". DPReview. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  16. ↑ Systems, Inside Unmanned (2023-08-10). "Skydio Pulls Out of Consumer Market to Focus on Business, Public Sector Users". Inside Unmanned Systems. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  17. ↑ "Skydio Just Shuttered Its Consumer Drone Business". Flying . 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  18. ↑ "Products – Aeroarc" . Retrieved 2025-08-29.
  19. ↑ "Chula Vista police become the first to use Skydio 2 drones". cbs8.com. 2019-12-03. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
  20. ↑ Operator Manual: Skydio 2/2+ (Version 24.1). Skydio. May 2, 2023. pp. 52–54.
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