HOVERAir X1 Review

The HOVERAir X1 is a small folding drone that can fit comfortably in your pocket for transport and fold open for controllerless flight in seconds, taking off from the palm of your hand and capturing 2.7k video using one of its numerous tracking shot modes.

Image Quality

The HOVERAir X1 has a small vertically stabilized camera that can capture video up to 2.7k quality. The size of the camera sensor is undisclosed, but its ability to compensate for overexposure is somewhat limited. Having only a single-axis gimbal for camera stabilization also leaves a large amount of responsibility to the flight performance of the drone if you want to capture smooth, stable video. Throughout our testing, we found that the X1 is capable of capturing clear, flowy video, but is sometimes a bit overreactive in its actions to follow a subject, causing the footage to feel fast and jumpy at times. The X1 also struggles in the wind, which becomes evident in captured videos, due to its limited gimbal stabilization of the vertical axis of the camera.

Flight Performance

The small footprint and lightweight design of the HOVERAir X1 play a significant role in its flight performance. For its size, the X1 does a decent job of staying stable and in control while in flight, but tends to be quite twitchy and unsure of itself, oftentimes drifting away from where it is supposed to be hovering in place. The X1 is quite responsive in its various tracking modes, sometimes too responsive to where it overcorrects and overreacts to the subject it's tracking, making the video capture quite jumpy. The only obstacle avoidance sensors on the X1 are found on the bottom, and are used to identify when and where to land. In our testing, the X1 ran into obstacles several times due to its lack of sensors, which is something to keep in mind when selecting a suitable flight location.

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Portability

The pocket-sized 127 gram HOVERAir X1 folds in half for transport, closely resembling the size and shape of a cell phone. Although the diagonal measurement doesn't change much from 7 inches unfolded to just under 6 inches when folded, its size and shape are much more convenient. The X1 comes with a small soft fabric pouch that protects it in transport, which can also fit the battery charging hub and two extra batteries inside without issue. One concern we had with the X1 is that there is no guard to immobilize and protect the camera and gimbal when in transport, though the camera is tucked into the X1 pretty well in an attempt to keep it safe.

Usability

When it comes to usability, the HOVERAir X1 is quite straightforward, featuring just two buttons on top: one for power and the other for mode selection. You can connect the X1 to your phone in the Hover X1 App via WiFi for a live view of the camera. The app is quite simple but allows better customization of tracking modes and also access to the drone's storage. The X1 comes with a convenient charging hub that allows you to charge two batteries at once, which is convenient and important, as the battery life only lasts around eleven minutes. In our testing, the X1 occasionally struggled to find a subject when initiating flight with a tracking mode and would just hover in place until eventually landing on the ground. The hinges that allow the X1 to fold started to feel pretty gritty after a few dirt landings, and we could see this being an issue in the long term. We recommend taking off from a clean flat surface, or even the palm of your hand, in order to avoid this problem. The built-in propeller cages guard the propellers from damage as well as protect the drone's surroundings from its propellers while in flight.

Should You Buy the HOVERAir X1?

The HOVERAir X1 folding pocket-sized drone is quite responsive but sometimes a bit overly aggressive during subject tracking. Those looking for a basic drone with controllerless flight and subject tracking capabilities will enjoy the X1, especially if tracking quickly moving subjects, such as someone on a bike, for example. Keep in mind that the X1 has very few sensors and is not aware of its surroundings when in flight. It crashed into objects and people several times during our testing, but it performs well with subject tracking in open spaces at slow to moderate speeds. The X1 propeller guards keep it safe, and they also protect you if it happens to run into you. If your use case often involves having the drone land on the ground instead of your hand, the X1 may not be a good fit, as dirt seems to find its way into the hinge mechanisms quite easily when landing on the ground.

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