HOVERAir X1 Hands-On Review

If you're looking for a compact, easy-to-use drone that makes capturing high-quality aerial footage simple, the HOVERAir X1 is worth considering.

With its unique folding design and lightweight build, it’s designed for someone who isn’t necessarily a drone expert or enthusiast. It’s for those who want quick and shareable footage without the complexity of traditional drone controls.

The X1 offers a variety of intelligent flight modes and an effortless user experience, making it perfect for on-the-go filming. However, it’s priced significantly higher than the DJI Neo, which provides 4K video, longer battery life, and better overall performance at a much lower price.

While the HOVERAir X1 excels in portability and ease of use, its higher price and shorter battery life make it difficult to justify, especially when the more affordable DJI Neo offers similar core features with better video quality and longer flight time.

So, what is it? 

The HOVERAir X1 is a small, easy-to-use drone that can capture aerial photos and videos at up to 2.7K at 30 frames per second, with minimal effort.

While you can use a phone or a more advanced controller to pilot it manually, it comes into its own when you use its preset flight modes (more on those below). All you have to do is press a button and it will take off, lock onto you as its main focus and use smart tracking to keep you perfectly in frame.

Once you’re done, all you have to do is hold your palm underneath it, it will land and you can then download the footage directly to your phone. It’s very easy to use and better yet, you can get some great shots with it.

Design

The X1 is built for portability. Weighing approximately 125 grams, it’s lightweight and it stands out thanks to its foldable ‘wings’. When folded, it's not much bigger than a smartphone. This is very convenient for carrying in a pocket or small bag, and it comes with a small carry case in the box.

The drone features an enclosed propeller design, meaning the propellers are encased in a plastic cage. This allows you to hold it out in the palm of your hand without worrying about getting your fingers caught in the blades. It also adds a bit of hardiness to the drone ensuring it can handle a rough landing without damaging the propellers.

On the top, there are two buttons, a power button and a mode button. The power button allows you to turn it on and off, obviously, and it’s also used for taking off. Press it once and a countdown will begin and then it will start up and fly off.

The mode button allows you to select from multiple pre-programmed flight modes without the need for a traditional controller or smartphone connection. The modes have icons giving you a quick idea of what the mode is, and there are lights underneath them to show you which one you’ve chosen. There are also audio queues that will inform you of what you have selected.

There’s a status light on the front of the drone that allows you to understand what’s going on. The green light signifies that the drone is ready to fly, while a red light shows you that it's recording and tracking the subject. It’s a nice touch.

On the top, there’s a battery compartment. This is easy to use, but it does take a little bit of effort to get the battery out.

The X1 comes in a black and a white version, both look fine. Overall, the design is functional but, I don’t think it looks quite as good as the DJI Neo.

Camera Modes

The X1 is capable of filming in 1080p at 30/60fps and 2.7k at 30fps. This is good for social media-worthy videos, but it’s not quite as good as the DJI Neo which can film in 4K at 30fps and is significantly cheaper.

The X1 offers several intelligent flight modes. There's a mode for every type of footage you could want. Here’s a breakdown:

Hover: The drone stays in place while keeping the user centred in the frame.

Zoom Out: Starts close to the subject and gradually pulls back and up, revealing more of the surroundings.

Orbit: Circles around the user at an adjustable distance and radius.

Follow: Tracks the user from the back, maintaining a steady distance and keeping you centred.

Bird’s Eye: Ascends vertically or in a spiral with the camera facing down, capturing overhead views.

Snapshot: After take-off, the drone positions itself in front of the user and takes a photo when the subject stays still.

Dolly Track: Maintains a fixed distance in front of the user as they move toward the camera.

Side Track Mode: Follows the user from the side, capturing dynamic lateral shots.

Gesture Control: Control the drone without touching it, using specific hand gestures for commands.

Manual Mode: For those who want full control, this mode allows for manual piloting through the companion app, enabling custom flight paths and creative shots at speeds up to 1 metre per second.

Advanced modes like Side Track and Dolly are unlocked as you use the X1. To access these, you need to pair your phone with the drone and select one of these options. That will then bind that flight mode to the ‘custom’ option on the device. For example, if you want to use Gesture Control, you choose it in the app and then you need to change to the custom flight mode on the drone. This can be a bit inconvenient if you don’t have your phone on hand, but a little pre-planning allows you to set it up beforehand. It’s a straightforward workaround.

Most of these modes work well, but I experienced some issues with Gesture Control, Manual Control and Dolly Track. Gesture Control lets you use arm movements to command the drone. You can wave your hand twice to activate orbit mode, raise your hands above your head for a bird’s-eye shot and more. Unfortunately, in my tests, this feature was unreliable. The only gesture that consistently worked was the landing command.

Another important point is that the drone lacks obstacle detection. This is particularly problematic in Dolly Track mode, where the drone flies in front of you. Without the sensors, it can’t detect obstacles in its path. If you move toward a tree or wall, the drone will fly straight into it. Again, with some foresight and planning, you can avoid this issue.

And I was a little disappointed at how slow the drone is in manual mode. It has a maximum speed of one metre per second which is painfully slow. Understandably, manually controlling the X1 isn’t the main attractive feature, but I would have liked it to be a bit faster, especially as it can go much faster on its own.

The HOVERAir X1 supports both portrait and landscape filming modes, giving you flexibility for various content needs. Plus, it can capture still photos for when you’re not focused on video content.

Landing/Take off

To have the drone take off, all you need to do is hold it in the palm of your hand and press the power button. From here you wait for the light on the front of the drone to turn red and you’ll know its recording. To get it to land, simply hold your hand underneath and it will drop down and turn off. It’s easy and works very well. I never had a problem retrieving the drone.

For modes like Dolly Track, you can hold your arms in an X above your head to signify you want it to land. The drone will stop flying away from you and will land in your hand. Again, super easy and reliable.

Hover App/Storage

The Hover app is very easy to use. Here you can customise the flight modes to your liking, change a number of settings, download your footage and a lot more.

It has 21GB of internal storage, which is plenty. The storage will free up when you download it to your phone and after filming constantly in 2.7K for a week, I never got close to filling it up.

In the settings, you can change the flight modes to your liking. You can switch between resolutions, change certain parameters and even turn audio recording on or off.

Each flight mode has a set of parameters. For example, the Zoom Out mode has settings to choose how far you want it to fly away, and for how long, and the Birds Eye allows you to set how high you want it to go. It works well, and I was happy with the amount of customisation provided here. It's important to know you will need to set these up with your phone beforehand though.

Audio

The HOVERAir X1 drone does not have a built-in microphone for audio recording. Instead, it utilises your smartphone's microphone to capture sound. This approach ensures that audio is recorded close to the source, minimising unwanted noise.

The HOVERAir X1 app synchronises this audio with the video footage and applies AI-powered noise reduction to eliminate propeller noise and other ambient sounds. Users can choose between light and deep noise reduction settings within the app.

This means you can also use an external microphone, so long as it's connected to your phone, which is a nice touch.

Battery

It has a 1,050mAh lithium battery that offers around 11 minutes of flight per charge, though in real use, you’ll typically see 9 - 10 minutes. The battery is easy to swap out, so you can keep flying longer by bringing extra batteries with you. This is quite a bit less than the 16-minute capabilities of the DJI Neo.

Fully charging a battery takes about 35 minutes with the dedicated charging dock and around an hour if you charge it directly through the drone’s USB-C port.

The package includes two batteries and a charging port, so you’re set to start flying right away.

Verdict

The HOVERAir X1 is undeniably impressive. It’s compact, user-friendly, and equipped with a variety of intelligent flight modes that let you capture a range of dynamic shots with ease.

Its standout feature is the unique folding design, enhancing portability and making it perfect for social media users and casual content creators who need a drone that fits in a bag or pocket and offers quick, shareable footage without hassle.

However, the X1 is significantly more expensive than its main competitor, the DJI Neo, which offers 4K video, longer battery life, and better overall performance.

While the X1’s simplicity and convenience will appeal to those looking for easy-to-use drone capabilities, its higher price, shorter battery life, and performance limitations, make it harder to recommend over the more capable and budget-friendly DJI Neo.