Space Verdict.
HoverAir X1 Pro is a powerful personal tracking and selfie drone. Its performance is impressive and it captures 4K video and JPEG images.
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Incredible ease of use +
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We have a team of expert reviewers who spend countless hours testing, Learn more about our testing and reviewing process.The HoverAir X1 is a pioneer in the development of these intelligent and innovative autonomous UAVs. ZeroZero Robotics’ HoverAir X1 is one of two new selfie drones that are available. The DJI Neo has recently captured the attention of consumers withHoverAir X1 Pro, which sits next to the HoverAir X1PROMAX, a more advanced model with 8K The PROMAX has the best image quality, and it also offers more features. However, the 4K PRO is the one that has the most potential for beginners and enthusiasts.
The HoverAir X1 Pro is compact and lightweight.
(Image credit: James Abbott).This drone is designed to track snow sports and cycling. However, it can be used in many other ways. The new accessory
X1 PRO has a range of intelligent autonomous flight modes including manual flight. Flight modes can be selected by using the drone only, the app, the Beacon or the controller, if you purchase the physical accessories.
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HoverAir X1 Pro: Design
- Compact folding design
- Safety propeller guards[1965Itissmallenoughtofitintoajacketpocketandweighsonly675oz(1915g)soitisbelowthe250gthresholdthatregulatorspreferThedesignisverysimilartotheHoverAirX1whichhaspropellersenclosedbypropellerguardsthatcanbefoldedoutfrombeneaththeairframeTheseguardskeeppropellersandobjectssafewhenthedroneisflyingnearobstaclesIthasaminimalisticdesignthatincludesasinglebuttontwodirectionalbuttonssurroundingitinacircularpatternandanOLEDdisplayabovethebuttontoshowwhichflight
The HoverAir X1 Pro features built-in propeller guards.
(Image credit: James Abbott).The battery life of the 1920mAh batteries is close to the advertised flight time of 16 minutes, which is enough time for Thermal batteries are available separately for $99/PS89. They are designed to work in temperatures as low a -20 degrees Celsius/-4 degrees Fahrenheit. These batteries will be essential if you plan to use the X1 Pro for tracking winter sports. They would also be useful if you want to fly the X1PRO in The normal batteries will still work in colder temperatures but the thermal batteries will keep you flying even in extreme conditions.
The Beacon improves tracking precision and provides a small screen.
(Image credit: James Abbott). There are many control options for the X1 Pro, but some require additional accessories. We’ll briefly cover some of these in the next section. Hover X1 is a popular app for setting up and controlling the drone. You can adjust the parameters of intelligent flight modes, adjust the camera settings, and control the drone manuallySince the original HoverAir, the manual flight interface has been improved dramatically. Manual control is now horizontally oriented within the app. This is much more intuitive than portrait-oriented controls with virtual controls overlayed on the large camera view. Gimbal control
Although not as powerful as a physical controller you can still perform complex flight maneuvers by using both controls simultaneously along with gimbal movements.
HoverAir X1 Pro: Functionality
- Excellent tracking of subjects
- Palm landing and take-off You only need to fold out the propeller shields from underneath the airframe and turn on the drone. Then, select the desired mode of flight.
Press the main button to launch the X1 Pro from your palm. Once you’re done, hold your hand down below the drone until it lands The drone comes with 32GB of storage onboard, and a microSD slot that can accommodate cards up to 1GB in size.
The intelligent flight modes of the X1 Pro use advanced AI algorithms to keep the subject in the center of the frame. The X1PRO does a great job tracking or flying around objects. The Follow mode, with a maximum flight speed of 26mph and bursts up to 37mph, is particularly effective.
It is hard to say whether or not this is possible, but the drone was able keep up with a mountain bike when riding as fast as it could. Manual flight control is a very pedestrian way to fly and the speed remains slow.
Despite increasing the speed rates of the drones in the Joystick settings within the Hover app. The flight and controls are extremely smooth when manual flying, which is great. It offers a Wind Resistance Level 5 which is equivalent to 24mph.
The simple OLED display shows the current flight mode.
Image credit: James AbbottIntelligent flight modes include Hover (Image credit James Abbott) Orbit, Bird’s Eye and Dolly Track. The intelligent flight modes have impressive tracking but the most interesting and fun are Follow, Dolly Track, and Side Track. The X1 Pro can also navigate complex environments with ease using only a rear-side collision sensor.
Return to Home is another useful feature, but it’s not equipped with full collision avoidance sensors. You will need to be careful when using the device, watching for obstacles on the video feed and taking manual control, if necessary. The X1 PRO, with OmniTerrain active, can fly over water, snow and cliffs at night. This is not possible with the original HoverAir X1.
The optional accessories will extend the capabilities of the X1 Pro if your budget allows. The Beacon is a tracking device that can be used with Joysticks to create a one-handed controller. It can also be used with the Beacon screen as a camera view.
All of these controller options work extremely well and allow for smooth, precise control of the drone. Unfortunately, you can’t adjust or access drone or camera settings when using your phone as a screen. It would be a fantastic feature if this could be added to a future firmware upgrade and would improve the flying, photography and video capture experience.
HoverAir PRO: Performance
- Excellent video quality in 4K
- High ISO isn’t handled well
- Photos are only JPEG
Close up of the HoverAir PRO X1 camera and gimbal.
(Image credit: James Abbott).Although the video quality of the X1 Pro is superior to photos, this is not surprising, given that it is a selfie drone, with advanced subject tracking abilities, primarily designed for capturing action-packed videos. Photos taken at lower ISO settings are excellent, but we will go into greater detail about both of them in a minute.
X1 PRO has a 1/2in CMOS with an equivalent focal distance of 17mm. This is an excellent wide-angle lens for a drone selfie that captures the subject as well as their environment. The X1 Pro is able to follow subjects from different distances. This wide-angle lens allows for a more effective close following/subject track than a longer focal.
The HoverAir X1 PRO captures 12MP photos which can be printed to around A3 size.
(Image credit: James Abbott).Video is captured in 4K up to 60 FPS, and 1080p up to 120 FPS. This allows for interesting slow motion capture of fast-moving objects. You can also record vertical video that is cropped to the sensor, rather than the camera rotating by 90 degrees. This can be recorded at 2.7K or 1080p with up to 60 FPS. Please note that the footage below is in 4K, but our player only plays it in HD.
HoverAir X1 PRO intelligent flight modes
HoverAir manual X1 PRO flight
Moving on to photo image quality, it is good but not outstanding and is much more so at lower ISO levels because high ISO noise reduction is strong at higher settings. JPEG processing is also strong at these higher settings.
Unfortunately, the camera only takes photos in JPEG. This is a pity because Raw would allow for more editing and processing. However, it’s not a big deal since the X1 Pro is primarily a video tracking drone. It would be nice to have this feature if it were possible.
Photos can be captured at 4000x3000px, which is equivalent to 12MP. This is large enough to print up to A3 size. The 2x zoom also captures these dimensions. This means that it must be using some sort of software-based interpolation. The 2x zoom only slightly reduces the image quality, which is still impressive.
HoverAir PRO: Price
HoverAir PRO is available as a Standard Kit, which includes a drone, one USB-C cable, and a soft storage case for $499/PS459. The Combo kit comes with all of the above, plus a second battery and a charging hub. It also includes a 65W charger, a combo case, and a 65W charger. The kit is better due to the extra accessories, but neither is cheap.
Optional accessories that improve drone performance are also available. The Beacon and Joystick Bundle costs $228 / 208 PS, the PowerCase is $169 / 155 PS, the Multi-function Carry Bag is $79 / 69 PS, the HandleBar Mount is $20 / 19 PS, and the ND filter set costs $69 / 65 PS. The accessories are expensive, but they enhance the HoverAir PROMAX and X1 PRO experience.
Is the HoverAir PRO worth buying?
The HoverAir PROMAX and HoverAir PROMAX are the best selfie drones. They both have the same size, weight, and compact folding design. The accessory ecosystem is also very useful, but the DJI Neo and original HoverAir X1 are more expensive.
Despite its impressive technology, the HoverAir X1 Pro is a fantastic selfie drone. It does exactly what it was designed to do. It does it well. If your budget allows it, this is a great option for a selfie drone.
This drone is not for you
HoverAir X1 offers a basic selfie drone that is more affordable than the X1 Pro, but still has the same intelligent tracking mode for autonomous flight.
DJI Neo is DJI’s new selfie drone. It has several control options, including drone-only, app-control, standard DJI controller and FPV.
While the DJI Air 3S, a mid-sized drone with excellent subject-tracking abilities, is not a selfie drone it is a great option to consider.
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James is an award-winning freelance landscape and portrait photographer, as well as a highly experienced photography journalist working with some of the best photography magazines and websites with a worldwide audience. He???s also the author of The Digital Darkroom: The Definitive Guide to Photo Editing.
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