HOVERAir X1 Review: A Fun Self-Flying Drone For the Selfie Lover - 56juqingba: How-to instructions you can trust

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Table of Contents

Pros

Compact
Lightweight
Easy to handle, beginner-friendly
Great video quality
Great image stabilization

Cons

Poor battery life
Price can be lower

Our Rating

When it comes to drones, you are probably thinking of the big and powerful DJI drones. Zero Zero Robotics attempts to shake up the market with its HoverAir X1 self-flying drone, one that is smaller than the DJI mini, and lighter, smarter and more user-friendly. In this review, we show you how the HoverAir X1 is different from all the drones we have used and how incredibly easy it is to get started.

This is a sponsored article and was made possible by Zero Zero Robotics. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author, who maintains editorial independence, even when a post is sponsored.

Content

HoverAir X1’s Design: Small and Compact Is the Key

Weighing just 125g, HoverAir X1 is a small, foldable drone that can easily fit on your palm (and in your bag). The good thing about its light weight is that it falls below the weight category for most drone regulations. You won’t have to register it, don’t need a license to fly it, and can bring it wherever you go.

Instead of behaving like a typical drone, where you need to manually control it, HoverAir X1 is designed to function like a self-flying camera that is always focused on you. While you can still manually control it by flying it to wherever you want it to go, its best features are those that don’t require your attention at all. It is fully automated. You just need to set it flying, and it will do its job.

There are four propellers, two on each side of the drone, covered in a cage that can be folded together like a book. The lower part of the center block of the drone contains the power and mode buttons. The upper part is the battery compartment. At its bottom is a gimbal with an attached camera. Overall, its design is extremely simple, yet effective.

Specifications

Dimensions	127mm (L) * 145mm (W) * 30mm (H) (unfolded) 127mm (L) * 86mm (W) * 31mm (H) (folded)
Weight	125g (including battery)
Max Flight Time	11.5 minutes （Each battery can perform approximately 20 intelligent shots continuously.）
Battery Capacity	1050mAh
Charging Speed	35 minutes to 100% (using charging hub), 55 minutes to 100% (charging while inside)
Storage Capacity	32GB
Gimbal Controllable Range (Pitch)	-90° to 15°
Connectivity	Wi-Fi (2.4GHz, 5.8GHz)
Maximum Speed	7m/s horizontally, 1.5m/s ascending, 1.5m/s descending
Maximum Wind Resistance Speed	7.9m/s （Level 4)
Operating Temperature	0°C to 40°C (32° to 104° F)
Maximum Flight Altitude	15m
Real-Time Image Transmission Distance	Up to 30m
Effective Working Environment for Positioning System	Ground height from 0.5m to 15m, with diffuse reflective surface, discernible texture, reflectivity greater than 20%, and sufficient lighting conditions (greater than 15 lux, normal indoor fluorescent light conditions)
Photo Modes	Standard mode, Burst mode
Video Modes	27041520@30fps 19201080@60fps 1920*1080@30fps (HDR)
Photo Resolution	4000*3000 (12MP)
Image Stabilization	Mechanical (pitch axis) + Electronic (EIS) hybrid stabilization technology
Field of View (FOV)	90°
Positioning System	VIO
35mm Equivalent Focal Length	19mm
Aperture	f/2.4
Focus Mode	FF
Focus Range	0.75m to infinity
Maximum Video Bitrate	32Mbps

Getting Started

The package shipping to us included an additional charging hub and an extra battery. These accessories are not included in the standard package. Charging the battery will take an hour from empty. It is best to charge the battery fully before use.

Before you start flying the drone, you need to download the companion app for your mobile device. While the app is not necessary to get it flying, it allows you to have more control of the device and enables you to download the videos and photos to your phone.

Long-press on the Power button to turn on the HoverAir X1. Select the flight mode, and place the drone on your palm, with the camera facing you. Press the Power button again to get it flying. For it to land, simply hold your hand up with your palm open, and it will slowly land on your palm. That’s all you need to know to fly it.

There are multiple modes available:

Hover (default): the drone will hover in the air with the camera tracking you, always keeping you in the shot
Zoom Out: starting on Hover mode, it will slowly back up and elevate to reveal the panoramic behind you.
Follow: starting on Hover mode, it will follow your movement and keep you in the frame.
Orbit: will fly in an orbit and take 360° shots of you.
Bird’s Eye: Starting at a low height, it will slowly rise up vertically to reveal a bird’s-eye view.
and more.

For those who like to remote control their drone, you can do so too on your mobile device. Simply tap on the manual control button, and you will be able to control the drone.

What We Like About HoverAir X1

We really like that the drone is compact and lightweight, and we love bringing it along wherever we go. The ability to use it indoors, along with many ways to utilize it, makes it even more fun to use.

The video quality is impressive. Though it doesn’t support 4K video, the 2.7K video resolution is good and clear enough for us – not to mention that it has great image stabilization, and the video is not shaky at all.

A sample video taken by HoverAir X1, using manual control

What We Don’t Like About HoverAir X1

The one and only thing that we don’t like is the short battery life. It can only last up to 11 mins in the air. In reality, it only lasts about 9 mins during our trial. Even if you have multiple batteries, it can still be frustrating to have to constantly switch out the battery with a new one.

Wrapping Up

Other than the short battery life, the drone is addictively fun to use. It is priced at $349 on the company website and $479 on Amazon.

Buy this if you are:

looking for something fun and easy to use.
looking for a selfie camera that can follow wherever you go.
looking for something light to put in your bag.

Do not buy this if you:

love to manually control your drone
love a big drone with a long battery life
need a drone with a 4K camera.

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Damien Oh

Damien Oh started writing tech articles since 2007 and has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry. He is proficient in Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iOS, and worked as a part time WordPress Developer. He is currently the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Make Tech Easier.