The HoverAir X1 is a drone unlike any other. This little flying camera makes you the centre of the action.
While other drones require you to remote control the flight or program a path, the HoverAir X1 follows you while you concentrate on the action.
There are five pre-defined flying modes and an empty slot to create your own.
Once you turn it on, you can easily change between pre-programmed flying modes at the touch of a button. The HoverAir X1 will tell you, in English, which mode is currently selected.
You then place it on the palm of your hand and push the power button one more time. It will take off and hover for a few seconds, looking for you. When the LED turns red, it starts recording and following the selected pre-programmed mode.
These modes are Hover (it frames you from a static position), Zoom Out (it moves away from you, including more of your surroundings while keeping you in the centre), Follow (keeps you in the centre of the frame while following around, up to 20 Km/h), Orbit (it will fly around you creating a panoramic picture centred around you) and Bird’s Eye (an overhead view while flying up higher and higher).
These are all fun, and when you install the mobile app (not required), you can customise these even further by changing some parameters. For example, you can adjust the height and how far the HoverAir X1 Will fly away from you in the Zoom Out mode.
The HoverAir X1 uses an intelligent visual-inertial odometry (VIO) algorithm to identify and follow you. It also knows when to land because it will see your extended hand, with palm up and approach it slowly, ready to land.
There are more advanced modes, but they require you to take some basic flights before being unlocked. For example, Dolly Track will follow you from the front but is only unlocked after you complete a few basic modes.
The mobile app lets you download footage and photos from the HoverAir X1 to your phone. Most settings are changed via Bluetooth, but the app will switch to a Wi-Fi connection for faster downloads.
Alternatively, you can plug it into your computer via USB to copy the videos or photos.
You can also access manual flight control using the mobile app, which is similar to a traditional drone flight.
The HoverAi X1 design is ingenious. The wings, where the propellers are cased, fold away, protecting the drone and changing its shape for convenient storage. In this case, it measures only 127 mm by 86 mm.
These wings aren’t too hard, so any bumps can be absorbed. And bumps will happen. If if bumps into something, the HoverAir X1 will land gracefully and announce, “Collision detected”. But it’s very light, at only 125g, so occasional bumps aren’t a big problem.
Playing around with it, I noticed two things you must know.
First, it’s not a stealth machine. It’s a bit noisy. Some dogs will ignore it, and others will try to chase it.
Second, the 11-minute battery life (1050 mAh) is not long—not when you are having fun. It's a good thing the HoverAir X1 comes with two batteries and a USB-C double battery charger. Using the provided charger, it takes about 35 minutes to fully charge.
The HoverAir X1 records 2.7K videos at 30 frames per second (or 1920 by 1080 @60fps and 1920 by 1080 @30fps HDR) using H.264 encoding. Photos are 4000 by 3000 pixels, equivalent to a 12 MP camera. The field of view is 90°, and the aperture is f/2.4, with a focus range from 0.75 m to infinity.
The videos are incredibly clear, and the different mode effects make them compelling.
Overall, the HoverAir X1 is a fantastic feat of engineering and design. It is very smart and in such a small package. If you are a content creator or an amateur videographer, this is an excellent addition to your gear bag.
