HoverAir X1 Definitive Review: Tool, Toy, or Trash?
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- Опубліковано 24 чер 2024
- This is the definitive review of the Hover X1, diving into every feature, including a slate of new ones too!
Hover X1 on Amazon (supports the channel!): amzn.to/3IZgZhM (don't forget to hit the 'Save $80-$90/EUR' coupon code box!!!!)
Over the last decade and a half, I’ve tested almost every autonomous follow-me drone made in the market. During that time period we’ve seen many newcomers attempt to break into the market, albeit, less these days as DJI’s dominance has increased. Of course, their dominance is for good reason: They generally make some of the best drones out there. But when it comes to follow-me type features, while DJI has had the best image quality and other drone features, they haven’t always had the best follow-me technology. That award was Skydio for years, before they got out of the consumer business. One key feature of Skydio and other sports-focused drones (AirDog, Staalker, etc…) is that they don’t require you have a remote controller open, whereas DJI does.Thus enter, the tiny little Hyper X1.This unit aims to bridge that gap by essentially creating drone the size and weight of a small paperback book, but with an autonomous follow-me mode that requires no controller or phone app be open. Just tap a button, and go off and run.
0:00 Quick Overview
0:25 Crash Montage
1:05 Pricing & Unboxing
1:33 Hardware & Weight Comparison
2:24 Cage & Breakage
2:54 Hover X1 Flight Modes & Buttons
5:36 Timed 'Get it Flying' Test (How Fast)
6:23 Non-Tracking Modes (Orbit, Birdseye, Etc)
7:00 Tracking Modes Overview
7:23 Continuous Tracking Example in Woods
8:34 What Happens In a Crash
9:43 Dolly, Side Track, Follow Track Deep-Dive
11:57 Kids & Wife Usage of Hover X1
13:17 Let's Talk About the Bad (Speed, Wind, Loss)
18:09 Manual Control
19:00 Gimbal/Camera & Photo Resolutions/Modes
20:20 Battery & Charging
21:15 Footage Quality vs DJI Mini 3 Pro & Mini 4 Pro
22:03 Final Thoughts & Recommendations
Note: Re-upload to fix editing error.
#HoverX1 #HoverAirX1 #HoverX1Drone #Drones - Спорт
Dear Hover: I cut this part from the review, since it was getting absurdly long, and I needed to shave down the time a bit. However, on the off-chance you see this, here's my request for a Hover X2. But, I’d caveat that by giving a warning here: Don’t raise the price. The reason you’re successful, is because this is relatively cheap. If you raise the price even a little bit, it gets right into the DJI Mini 3 Pro on sale prices, and you'll instantly lose every time. You can't compete there without a massive increase in features/functionality (without impacting weight).
Nonetheless, the four things I'd ask for are:
1. Slightly faster top speed. If you can get to 25MPH/40KPH here, that’d be massive for cyclists and a lot of other sports. I don’t need 50-60KPH or something crazy. Just 40KPH would really be huge, even if in bursts.
2. Slightly better image quality: I’d like to say 4K, but really I just want a bit more quality out of the 2.7K image, especially a reduction in artifacts you’ll see on bigger screens or some lower light conditions. I'd be easy for you to get all crazy with a log mode or such, but that'd be getting distracted in my opinion. Focus those efforts on other flight modes/customization instead.
3. A little bit longer flight time: But please, *NOT* at the sacrifice of the size of the batteries. Again, like the warning I gave up above on price, the 125g weight right now makes it feel like nothing in my pocket. I don’t want a much heavier drone. That’s why people like this thing, don’t ruin it trying to be a larger DJI.
4. A few more custom buttons (or, re-labeling some of the existing buttons to be custom): I virtually never use the Orbit, Hover, or Birdseye functions, but I use Dolly and Side Track a ton. Heck, you can do this in software now, since it audibly announces which mode it's in anyway. Just give me an advanced mode in the app that let's me re-use those existing buttons as something else. Speaking of which, can you add it audibly saying 'Vertical' if it's in vertical mode (when it's listing off the parameters)? Sometimes I forget to switch back, and then regret my life choices later on.
Thanks!
-Me
Update 1 (May 1, 2024): Great to see Hover has added the repair kits in the last two weeks, and very reasonably priced at $20/20EUR. Awesome to be able to buy one ahead of time, just in case. Much appreciated. Additionally, in the latest firmware update this past week, they added the button to cycle through the custom modes by holding the small button down, once having selected the custom modes. This removes the requirement to use your phone to go from Dolly Track to Side Track and largely solves my #4 above. Much appreciated on both!
Agree on the price. For me i need this to be a disposable 200 dollar drone. Not sure if it’s possible. Even a used mavic mini is better than this. For example you could run a litchi app with track function
The major attraction is the quick to setup for a short social media shot. Sometimes that’s all you need.
@@SingaporeUntold I think the ~$350 pricing is fine (Also Hover: The silly $80-$90 'coupon code' checkbox on Amazon for months is only hurting you - the number of people today that have said in comments they didn't buy it because it was $80-$100 more than they wanted to spend, and didn't see the $80-$90 coupon code option loses a lot of sales. I understand technically why you do that on Amazon, but just lower your MSRP price and be done with it. I promise you'll get more sales that way than hidden coupon code checkboxes.)
Anyways, as for your Mavic Mini comment - the thing is, this isn't that drone. It's very different. The Mavic Mini requires a controller to operate. It'll break after a few crashes into trees at these speeds, let alone 30-40. The Mavic Mini is amazing for lots of other things. But this is sorta like comparing a Mountain Bike to a Road Bike. Sure, they're both bikes, and they have overlap in certain scenarios - but you don't always use them in the same scenarios.
I'd say it would be worth them splitting the difference . An X1 (version 2) to improve the 2.7k image (point 2) and software tweaks (point 4) and maybe an X1 PRO to also add a bit of speed (point 1) and battery (point 3).
I think the X1 (V2) would be great for fun & runners and hikers, while the PRO would be more suitable for cyclists (and skiers if he tweak the decent issue) and other more advanced users.
It's an interesting product but curious to see the version 2 or 3. Buying a first generation product feels like paying to beta test the product. DJI got the Mini to maturity with the 4th iteration, the Mini 3 was somewhat mature enough though.
25p would be useful
I bought 1 minute after watching your video i have a DJI mini 3 and this is EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED a no fuss drone that can take great beach shots and other activities
That beach shot with the sun, oh man… IT’S AMAZING! Your reviews never fail, trustful source, as always.
Thanks!
Your review of this HoverAir X1 drone has been the BEST review out of all the reviews that I've seen on YT! You showed so many cool features about this drone that the other reviewers either don't know about, or didn't bother to show. Truly in-depth! Thank you for posting such a thorough review and demonstration of all of it's current features.
Thank, much appreciated!
I have always wanted something like this. Which means in a few years it is going to be perfection.
Wow! I always thought this drone was trash with a lot of marketing but this review really blowed my mind, I really wanted it to be trash but now I even want one Jajaj I could come in handy for certain situations
I just got mine- Really fun! Your review is helpful to a new user- Thank you!
Perfect review, just the info I needed! Keep up the great work 🥳👍
Thanks!
Excellent, comprehensive overview! This is the No-brainer, follow me drone i have been waiting for. The other stock modes are a plus. It is also the perfect size for my bike and motorcycle front bag or hydration pack.
Loved and subbed. The review was absolutely perfect. I like that you didn't go into too many technical specs because I tend to stop paying attention, and I love that the review was long. Nothing will turn me off faster than a review that is too quick. I don't feel like we get enough information. I am about 95% of the way there is to pulling the trigger to buy this because of you
Thanks - appreciate it!
Thanks for a great review: direct, to the point, easy to understand, and with pertinent examples. Very well done and greatly appreciated!
Thank you for this review - I really did appreciate it. You also reminding me of when my own daughter was younger - so much fun to share wonderment with kids.
I’ve seen all the influencer’s reviews of this drone and was very intrigued, but thought I’d wait until I saw a DC rainmaker review 😂 Great info as always.
Thanks!
I totally agree. It's kind of "if it's not on Strava...". If it's not tested by DCrainmaker there is for me still an asterisk on the review.
Great to see this! This drone has been an absolute game changer for me. So easy to take on rides and runs and actually use it... mainly for social media. Unlike other drones where the idea seems great but the practicalities mean they spend most of their time in the box.
hi, I want to ask if it is possible to stream live on Facebook or UA-cam
@@tibi1groufka from a drone? No.
@@tibi1groufka Not any way that I'm aware of.
@@Dcrainmaker
Thanks anyway
Great review. Ended up getting because you weren’t sponsored and could give a true and solid review. Thank you ❤
Very tempted to get one of these to make my cycling, hiking and bikepacking videos more dynamic. Don't think I can justify the cost or size of taking a "proper" drone, and don't think I'd make the most of them. This might be the sweet spot.
This is the “go to” review for this drone. Perfect! I’m buying one for my metal detecting exploits as the audio feature also works for my lone digging shots. Thanks, Marcus
Great review sir! Thanks for your honesty and in depth review!
Thank you for this review. You answered all the questions I had. Seems like a ‘drone’ for me!
Great detailed review. Thank you. Subscribed!
Wow, that ks a very detailed review! Thank you so much!
I go hiking a lot and this thing sounds like a dream. Youve sold me on it, getting one now.
Yeah, it's excellent for hiking. More to come on that topic!
The palm landing makes me nostalgic for the DJI Spark!
Best review I have seen so far. I own a Hover X1 since August and can confirm everything mentioned in the review. The software has constantly improved and new really useful features have been added, I even did not know that there is a side tracking mode mode. Love to test it the next days. Thanks for pointing me to this. The main issue with this drone is in my opinion the video quality and I am not talking about 4k. The footage from the drone is heavily oversharpened , has a lot of artifacts and has a poor color range making it hardly impossible to color grade the footage. The 1080p footage of my DJI Cameras (Action2 and Mini2) is way better. Besides that ,it is a great and easy to use drone.
THis is exactly the information I was after: sharpening and color grading. From what I understand, that's basically unfixable in post so this is not for me then. Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks, top effort as usual. Yes sir!
Very well rounded video. I have a Hover and a DJI M3 pro . Both have their place . Thank you !
Great thorough review! I was sold until the speed portion of your video. I’m a road cyclist and will look through your other videos for a faster drone with great follow features. 👍
i like my hover x1 your review was excellent. 2 wish list items .. removable sd card. wireless noise cancelling microphone direct to the drone no phone app.
Thanks a lot for the video. Very informative and really good way how you describe it 👍
"the light in the front of the drone changes from green to RED" is not a scary sentence at all.
🤣
Would not care My WiFI has been called Skynet for decades now- I! am ready !
It reminded me of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the "friendly" HAL 9000 😅 - Hey Dave, I will track you now....
Used it for a few months last year and certainly bringing it out for my runs now the weather is getting better again. Great for Strava posts!
Exactly!
I’m a runner, this would be really useful for analysis of running style, gait analysis etc.
Oh this made my day, the tree crashing compilation, gold! Thanks for the LOLs!
Thanks!!!
Amazing review. Thank you!
Great video all the info I need just bought it and for the content I make I think is what I need
this is solid! I want to get this down the road!!
Great review … thank you … helping me make a decision. This seems exactly what I want.
Great review. I've wished for a tiny drone that follows you during trail runs. Sounds like this is the one.
Thanks for a great review 😄
I love this little thing, gets me some different shots for my videos and is dead simple to use. I just wish they would give us an option to tone down sharpness and saturation
Thank you for covering usage over water!!!
outstanding write up. thanks!!!!
That was awesome. A very simple fun gadget
I have one. Great for family holidays.
Great video. Awesome clarity w your explanations. What is the other drone you mention for doing scenic footage?
Thanks !
DJI Mini series
Really good review and I love that it’s European., from the Netherlands. Only this drone is very expensive in my opinion. I happen to have a Spark, never used it with its hand guidance only before, but now feel inspired to try that feature out just for fun. Greetings from Finland!
Amazing review 🎉🎉🎉
Great video and looks like the perfect product for me, especially as it seems that it is completely usable without a smartphone, as i don't own one. Thanks for the info.
As always, a fantastic review, thanks so much! Quick question; can you give me an idea of follow cam distance when travelling at 15 kph?
Great video. Any plans to test the engo 2 glasses?
Had mine since the beginning, love mine, does everything that describes
Best review of the X1 I have seen. I have one of these but haven't used it nearly as much as you, so there's lots of great tips I will use. I did unfortunately discover the skiing challenge and almost died yomping uphill to save it. Wondering if a side track might work better?
dope review thank you!
Thanks very for the review, I bought one of these a few weeks ago after watching this review. Not sure if you know but they have just recently released a spare/replacement parts kit. And also, not sure if it is a recent update, but I accidentally discovered that you can change the distance setting for each mode (eg for orbit, follow etc) by holding down the small button for that mode - it cycles through the different distances (eg 1.5m, 3m etc). Similarly, you can also cycle through the different custom mode modes by holding down that button - so you don't need to pull out the app to change these things. Super useful!
Indeed, really good to see on the bike replacement parts (and being totally reasonable too!). That custom mode change must be in the new firmware that came in the last few days, that's great to know!
Great review! Thank you. BUT, did you say it only records 2-3 mins at a time? Did I hear that correctly?
Great review as ever, Ray! I do have two questions: how do you make a photo with this thing and will you be able to use it from a rock? We are going to Lofoten next month, where there is a rock that you can cross, would be a great selfie shot. But that would most likely require the drone to be more than 15 m above the ground after take off. Would it be possible to do that with this one?
looks a lot like Florida Great review as always, you are my go to for new stuff but I wonder will it follow a rc car or real car or is it just for people?
looking forward to comparison video
Cool. Thank you. I still like this HoverAir’
Great content thank you 💯
Thanks!
Mr. Rainmaker, thanks SOOOO much for this amazing review. Sweetie (my Beer 🍺 Vlogs co-star) & I love ALL your videos. But, we comment here because we own 3 DJI drones that we do NOT use and this drone that we use EVERY WEEK. It in our top 3 video products including Insta360 x2(now4) and DJI pocket 3. And, the AMAZING thing is that , as you mentioned there are no obstacle avoidance sensors but it still does an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING job of VISUALLY avoiding objects with its camera. It weaves in, and around everything as long as it is flying forward. This blows our BeerVloggjng brains. And, since we got this at its launch we have used it to shoot an opening dronie shot for the last 50 of our 107 Beer 🍺 Vlogs and it only crashed once in high winds without a scratch to itself or the car it hit! We recommend this all the time. And we can’t wait to buy the next version (or a $600 PRO) version. Thanks again for ALL your videos.
- Eric ZORK Alan & Sweetie [ 🤣Professional🤣Poets & Bed 🛏️ & Beer🍺 Vloggers ]
Thanks for the great review. Any chance to find out about the menus on the phone a bit more? I'd like to know what it can actually do in each different mode. I keep putting off buying it because there is no info about that in any of the reviews, and they don't really give much info when you contact them. I guess I'm mostly interested in the a custom flying time in the orbit, zoom and bird's eye modes, and can I stop them early if needed? Thanks
Yeah this drone has definitely added so many options for me! Love it for solo content creators.
Indeed, they've done a great job of adding new features!
@@Dcrainmaker quick question: I'm visiting Amsterdam / EU from the US and hoping to do some bike vlogging. Are there any issues using the hover in urban areas? Would I get reported or in trouble?
@@BestSideCycling The areas in/around Amsterdam are entirely no-fly zones, due to Amsterdam Airport. And it's a big no-fly zone, and they do state they track drone flights. The best phone app to quickly check is one called 'GoDrone' (orange icon when looking for it). That said, if you're doing cycling, I've got a ton of drone-friendly routes that I use constantly for all my videos, and happy to give some links. Roughly speaking, it takes about 25-30 mins of casual road-bike riding to get out of the Amsterdam no-fly zone. Also note, when looking at the App, there's a few old no-fly zones in there that were temporary one-time restrictions, so do tap on them and check the date/times (the big red one to the east of the airport isn't real, but a phantom one).
Pretty cool to see my local trails (@Baarn) from a different viewpoint 😎
I occasionally make some very low budget films and I can definitely see some applications for this drone.
Great, I ordered it
21:11 Dutch locale with perfect paved path yet wilderness? Envy!
Indeed!
This is the best review and info video for the X1 that I have seen. Since the video was made, Hoverair now sells a repair kit with spare 4 propellers and 2 cage pieces for $20, in black or white color.
Yup, great to see - and reasonable too!
Thanks for another great review. Now I'm hovering over the buy button like a small human drone. Hopefully I'll land on it soon.
This is a great review. I’m intrigued. Just one question, how is the sound? (Maybe I missed your comment on it). I have a DJI mini 2 and it seemed a bit louder from the video.
Crash montage was fan-freaking-tastic. This thing kind of looks awesome. I just don’t want to pay a lot for it. I’m so impressed at how fast you can get it up in the air.
For $350, it seems very reasonable to me (assuming the combo pack and using that $80 Amazon coupon), especially for running and trail shots.
@@Dcrainmaker A shame it is 539,- in the EU, that is a bit to expensive for me.
@@mrbjorndekker It's currently 450EUR in the EU. On Amazon.de it's 539EUR for the combo, but there's a coupon code below that which says 'Save 90EUR', bringing it down to 460EUR, or 380EUR if you don't do the battery bundle.
Very good review... Wonder how you got all those sunny days in the Netherlands to make this video :D
That’s why the review took four months. 🤣
Thank you for the comprehensive video. A few questions:
1. What file format & color profile does it shoot in?
2. Is 24fps possible with this drone?
3. Does the user have any control over exposure settings?
Thanks
nice review thx. So how will the follow work if other persons are around you or even when you are in a crowd.. festival type crowd..?
Thank you for your review! Would you have any real concerns with it flying into someone if you was running along a path or trail and other people were on it (moving in either direction)?
Needed this review! I’ve been kicking around the idea of this drone for gravel cycling as the mini 3 pro doesn’t have an adequate remote mount. Looks like this may just do the trick for sharing footage from group and club rides.
Yup, perfect for the vast majority of gravel riding (except fast descents).
@Dcrainmaker luckily I'm north of Boston in Massachusetts, and it's pretty flat here. Shouldn't be an issue in this area. Appreciate the reply!
Cheers so much 😊
It works better if you use the app and adjust all the parameters and save them
I got the 190 dollar Aliexpress deal lol ❤
In Canada on Amazon its on sale for $509 right now... their store site its $540 Canadian. Both for the combo with extra battery
Thank you for such a thorough review! I'm trying to decide between this and the DJI mini 3 for travel content - I do think that I want to be able to get sweeping landscape shots.. so I should probably go with DJI. I also want to be able to film hotels and such without me in it and it sounds like the manual mode on this isn't the best.
Do you think it'd make more sense for me to go with a standard DJI drone for travel content?
Useful review
Thanks!
What’s been your experience with using it around others? I’m a bit self conscious of the sound being to disruptive on an otherwise quiet hike.
Also curious if you tried the mic mode out at all and your experience with that.
Thanks always for your straightforward and honest reviews!
I'm super self-concious about flying drones with peope around (read: I don't fly with anyone within 50-75m at least). So in that sense, everyone is so far away it doesn't matter. I used the Mic mode a bit (where it pulls in your phone). It's kinda neat, but not something I tend to use the audio from, since most times I'm either putting music over it (short Instagram/etc clips), or, it's part of a larger project with narration/etc being used as b-roll.
You can reduce startup time by about 10 seconds turning the thing on while running :) It still needs to calibrate gimbal, so I guess startup time cant be any shorter. It is also possible to keep Hoover on, it slowly consumes battery (before it turns automatically off), but it will fly almost instantly when needed - its useful when doing bunch of shots.
Agree, it’s much more tolerable to all the gimbal bounces when turning on than most other drones.
For the most part been really happy with mine as well. 2 catches I had. 1. Used it out on a bike ride and I could not get it to come back to me when I was done having it record it just kept running away. 2. My 3 year old does the same thing. Usually yes it bounces off, but of course the one time mom was around it did manage to catch in her hair.
You were just helping with a hair cut, keeping things budget friendly…right? 🤣
Great review. I can basically put together how this compares to a Skydio. Obviously the Skydio has better obstacle avoidance versus… none (lol) but it’d be great to hear your thoughts on that, mostly around context, ie when you would use over the other.
Well Skydio stopped selling drones for consumers, so kind of moot comparison
@@peterz4108Yeah, because the moment they stopped selling them, all Skydio units dropped out of the sky and stopped working. Let’s also ignore the fact that they still fully support them with new replacement parts that you can order and honor all warranties. Or ignore the fact that you can STILL get them with enterprise licenses. Or that there are plenty in the used market.
🙄
I did some unsuccessful attempts at skiing as well, with my Hover going crazy and flying away from the piste into the woods. I was thinking of trying to attach a lightweight 10 meters leash, so that if it stops it will get pulled. I want to see how it behaves in such a situation
"it's nearly impossible for her to hide from it" thats cool! wait, no, that's terrifying. we have to stop the rise of the machines, Ray!!!
😂
Resistance is futile.
Wow Ray… you just sold that drone! I’ve had a Phantom Pro, a Spark, and a Mavic (my current work drone). Recreationally this drone seems like it fits what I want better than any of my other drones for what I want to do!
Hi Ray, good to see that you've decided to test this drone. I bought it a while back. Question: what mode and settings did you use at 23:28 in the vid? Love the for me familiar shot at the beach, did a lot of beachbike when I still lived near Haarlem. Greetz and thanks for your review.
So in that shot, I used the manual mode with my phone to just fly it there (takes maybe 20-25 seconds to setup), and then rode through the shot. And indeed - the beaches there are awesome!
Thanks Ray👍 I'' give it a go next time. I've also got a seperate 8BitDo controller which I saw on YT for manual control@@Dcrainmaker
Looks like a TV remote using computer fans to fly…?🧐
wow, great info! Two questions: 1) is it light enough that no drone license is needed in the US? 2) what about audio? Does it have a microphone or does it link to a wireless mic or the phone mic somehohw?
Spare parts are actually easy to get. Their customer support is beyond excellent. Crashed my drone on a Saturday.. Messaged them that a propeller broke. The replacement arrived Wednesday.. This considering im based in UAE.
these are some beautiful trails! where are you riding your bike? Would love to visit that trail at 11 minutes
This is all on the MTB trails in Hilversum, specifically near Kasteel De Hooge Vuursche.
That shot at 8:59 where it hesitates before flying into the tree. The X1 is like:
"C'mon man... fine..." whomp
I originally brushed this off as a toy as well… but it looks like what I had hoped the Spark was going to be after I realised the Mavic was too cumbersome to take everywhere.
If they could get it to work whilst skiing that would be amazing… but I wonder how the tracking works when there’s more than one person in the frame?
Well this was perfect timing. I was robbed on Good Friday..all they got was my GoPro. I have been looking into a drone for urban downhill (stairs) do you have other recommendations for a drone that was able to up with you on a ski run?
Great review as always. What about dealing with sweat? Jersey pockets or running shorts?
No problems with sweat. I did a bunch of hot-sweaty Florida runs with it, and my shorts were drenched - all good! Realistically, it's just got one open USB-port, but my guess is they did internal waterproofing on that anyways, even if they don't claim it. Otherwise, it just stays in my jersey pocket and running shorts pocket.
Great info. Thanks!!!
I crashed mine into snow, it has a bunch of openings at the bottom so the drone was full of snow. Took the battery out immediately, and dried it on my cars ac vent on hot. It was fine. I think a little moisture won't be a problem, and it comes in a cloth sack and has an optional small case .
Hey DC, would it track a swimmer if you used it in Open Water? I reckon you could get some really cool shots
Is it water or sweat resistant/proof? What if i will take it on my running shorts for a long run. Or drop it to the pond?
Great vid. Thank you. Just one question. Would this drone lose you in a crowded place or even in, say a small group of runners?
Surprisingly it seems to hold pretty well to the targeted individual. My daughter did a bunch of running around and hiding between a group of four adults, and only once (out of many attempts), did it re lock onto someone else.
@@Dcrainmaker that is super duper cool. Thank you!
Crashed ours only once in over 80 flights. The footage has been impressive. Only complaint is dolly track isn’t quite far enough away.
Only once?!?! You need to try harder! 😂
6:52 - You can put it in the Dolly and Follow modes in that Smart mode
Weird, how do you get Dolly/Follow triggered within the Smart Control mode? The instructions don't seem to mention anything about that. But happy to know if there's a way!
@@Dcrainmakeryou chose the tracking mode (and other settings like height of orbit, bird's eye, etc...) in the settings for Smart Control