Unitree Go2 vs DEEP Robotics Lite3: Two Chinese Rivals for Research and Education

The Lite3 is smaller: 12 kg and 40.6 cm tall in the base version (up to 49.6 cm in the LiDAR variant) with a footprint of 610×370 mm. The Go2 weighs 15 kg, and we found no height figure for it. Payload is 5 kg for the Lite3 in the Basic version against 8 kg for the Go2; the extended Lite3 variants differ in mass and payload. The Go2 reaches 3.5 m/s, while the manufacturer gives no speed for the Lite3 in the available material. Both have 12 degrees of freedom and run about 1.5–2 hours: the Go2 about 1.5 hours on a 230 Wh battery, the Lite3 about 2 hours.

The Go2 wins on sensing: a 4D LiDAR of 360°×96° and an HD camera are standard, plus voice control and gaits trained with reinforcement learning. The Lite3 gets LiDAR only as an option. The Lite3 answers with openness: ROS2 and an open SDK onboard, and four variants (Basic, Venture, Pro, LiDAR). The Go2 EDU version also offers a full SDK and ROS2, but at a different price level. The Go2 comes in Air, Pro and EDU variants. Programming requirements are similar: both need a team that knows ROS2.

Starting prices are close: the Go2 Air from about USD 1,600, the Lite3 from about USD 2,890 (about PLN 11,200 (≈ EUR 2,570)) for the base version, up to about USD 5,400 in LiDAR variants. In Poland a clear gap opens. The Go2 Air costs PLN 9,900–12,000 (≈ EUR 2,270–2,750) in several shops, the Pro about PLN 21,400 (≈ EUR 4,900) and the EDU Standard PLN 35,900 (≈ EUR 8,230). We found the Lite3 in one shop, deltarobots.com, for PLN 19,900 (≈ EUR 4,560); there is no other distributor.

That means the Lite3 costs roughly twice as much as the Go2 Air here, and support and spare parts will be harder to get. You can buy the Go2 from many sellers and compare offers, which can matter for university purchases. If you need a full SDK straight away, compare the Lite3 with the Go2 EDU (PLN 35,900 (≈ EUR 8,230)), not the Air: then the gap reverses and the Lite3 is cheaper. When buying the Lite3, ask for a written offer with the accessory list and the LiDAR. A review of the Go2 with prices is in “Unitree Go2 Review: Prices and the Air, Pro, X and EDU Versions”.

For a school and student clubs the Go2 is better: cheaper, widely available, with documentation and a community. For the first steps we recommend reading “How to Start Learning Robotics in Poland”.

For a university and a laboratory, where openness and compact size count, the Lite3 makes sense. It suits a team that already knows ROS2 and needs a small robot for algorithm tests. Neither is meant for fieldwork: for that the DEEP Robotics X30 is better. We describe wider uses of quadrupeds in “Quadruped Robots: Uses in Inspection, Security and Industry”. When working among people, remember that the camera and LiDAR collect data about individuals (“Data Security: Robots with Cameras and the GDPR”).