HOVERAir X1 6 Month Review

Here’s my long-term review after 6 months using the HOVERAir X1 drone!
If you want to see raw footage straight from the drone you can downloads some here: drive.google.com/file/d/1Cn1b...
Check out the HOVERAir X1 Drone 👉 bit.ly/45pq6Bv
Check my original review video 👉 • This Drone Flies Itself!!
And a Q&A 👉 • BEFORE You Buy A HOVER...
📦 PRODUCT LINKS
HOVERAir X1 Drone : bit.ly/45pq6Bv
Camping Gear : amzn.to/3RWEyh5
Filming Gear : amzn.to/45NRHfP
✉️ GET IN TOUCH
Email : [e-mail]
Website : www.daleyoutdoors.com
⚠️ DISCLAIMERS
All reviews adhere to my own terms set out at www.daleyoutdoors.com. I make it clear in each video whether I have purchased a product myself, or been gifted it for review.
Some of the links above may be part of an affiliate program and generate a tiny commission. This is at no extra cost to you.
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Long Term Review
01:24 - Poor Video Quality
03:36 - Rubbish Battery
05:18 - Too Expensive
06:24 - Features I ACTUALLY use
07:04 - Feature I DON'T use
08:56 - Change THIS setting!
09:26 - VERDICT
10:31 - More...
#HoverAirX1 #SelfFlyingCamera #Drone #hoverx1

[@Notagain640]

I've just bought one of these and agree with all the point you've made. My use case is family back packing and cycle touring video clips, or even 'regular' holiday clips. Something a bit more than a photo. For this use case I think it's perfect. The no controller, zero setup makes it something you can be more spontaneous with, which is exactly what I want. If you're out on the trail, you're so much more likely to use this because it's so quick to get out, shoot, then put away. Yes it is a little expensive but it seems they have no competition at the moment. For me the quality is more than good enough. They only thing I don't like, and either you or some other KZbinr has mentioned, is when you wirelessly transfer files to your phone and the time stamp is the transfer time not the initial recording time. Other than that, I think this is the perfect balance of weight, functionality, video quality, speed of deployment and ease of use.

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment 👍

[@davidcarr2308]

My trust issues are tingling

[@Notagain640]

@davidcarr2308 why?

[@ZeroZeroRobotics]

FYI，because the device doesn't have a "timekeeping" battery in it, it syncs the clock everytime you connect to your mobile phone. That means, if you connect to your mobile phone *before* filming, then the timestamps should be accurate, but in order that you don't have a timestamp from the last time you filmed let's say two weeks ago, that's why you'll see the timestamp being the transfer time.

[@RhodySeth]

Thanks for the review. I think this is just what I’m looking for to supplement my trail running videos.

[@FENCYCLIST]

It's a great piece of kit had mine 6 weeks, and used it more than my Dji mini 2se had 10 months, its the convenience that appeals to me, use it for cycling day rides and hopefully holidays,

[@thesouthernwoodsmanuk216]

Thankyou for a honest review. Drones for me are on the back burner due to cost. At least I have a honest opinion on how this works in the field. Take care and thankyou.

[@ianmacfarlane9454]

Doesn't look a bad bit of kit for the money, thanks for the update 👍👍

[@DaleyOutdoors]

No problem 👍

[@JosephFengler-nm2xd]

Thanks! This was a great review. 🎉

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Thank you so much! Glad it was useful 👍

[@davidmorris4142]

Really good review mate . Think ill get one now

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Cheers 👍

[@NolanOnTheRiver]

Great information m8 thank you

[@jackalster77]

Just bought, it is awesome.

[@scotbotvideos]

Good review.

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Thanks! 👍

[@gbej1]

I have one and agree with your points. It works very well for my own use case as I can record myself without the need of having to operate the drone or have someone operate it for me. Also, I have never flown a drone and don’t need the skills to use it. Even the audio is quite decent in my opinion. I also have two other cameras for other formats of filming. This drone does not have competition as I do not know of any drone that is fully automated as this is but I suspect other companies will start producing similar drones, especially DJI

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Yes I think (hope) there will be some competition in this space soon. Should drive the feature set up and the price down 👍

[@BimbleWithBruce]

Great review I've been looking at getting one since your first review and still trying to raise funds to get some equipment to do more for my silly channel. I'd deffinitly get one IF and only IF they was a lot cheaper. The sownside for me is the price of the HOVERAir X1

[@ricknoah9184]

I'm using a wireless clip-on mic on my Android phone. It has been giving me strong, even, clear audio. It's the EZColoris wireless microphone. 37-ish dollars. It has a USB-C passthrough on it's phone dongle. Otherwise, I love my X-1. Best little casual quality b-roll flying camera -- ever. And the Portrait mode is great for Tik-Tok, with the audio already there ! Literally ready to post, unless, of course, you want to do post edit clipping and stuff.

[@rialobran]

The price would have been lower if they hadn't handed them out to every outdoor channel in the UK...well almost every channel, lol. Seriously though, everyone that has one has been making quality videos with them as far as I am concerned, all B-roll footage, but it seems great for that, and has added to the content and interest.

[@AirsoftRealSteelBoxing]

Im thinking if this is sturdy enough for me to use for airsoft

[@rems1234]

thank for your review. My only concern about this drone was its 2K video quality. However, it was great that you uploaded the raw footage. This allowed me to run some tests and improve the video's post-production quality, equivalent to 4K. Everything is good now, and I ended up purchasing a HoverAir X1 :) If anyone is interested in seeing the enhanced videos, I can also upload them

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Glad the files were useful 👍

[@davidf4897]

Very good six month review. I'm in my 60s and want something simple to take some drone shots for family outings, hill walking and camping. Really tempted, but the price is putting me off.

[@bownsaway]

I love my HX1 had it 4 months I have a couple of DJI drones but this little drone doesn’t need the controller just fire it up and your away be it walking or on my bike it’s there instantly filming.

[@archygrey9093]

I'm thinking of getting one for fighting fires, we live on a cattle station in Australia and often have to handle the bushfires that pop up, either by back burning or bulldozing ahead of it to cut it off. But when you're surrounded by tall tree's its hard to tell exactly how far away the fire is or even its direction (wind blows smoke around), we already use a much larger drone but its cumbersome to carry around in its case and takes a while to set up, a small drone that can fit in my pocket and can go well above the tree's would be good enough for me

[@danielduesentriebjunior]

But for this application I would rather get a DJI mini. The remote has so much more reach.

[@vinutien]

No review seems to talk about how well the X1 performs with groups of people or if it’s following a person and few other people come into the field of vision. Most of us are not loners and when you go out with a group of people, you want to know how well such a drone would keep its position and its mode. My experience has been that it doesn’t do so well with a group. 10:31

[@brewswithviews]

Just crashed my Mavic Mini into a waterfall 🤦‍♂️ but looking at something new. Totally agree with the issues with the DJI stuff, it's a pain getting everything out and set up, especially just for some B-roll. This looks like it will do the job but seems to pricey right now.

[@benhikescamps]

As an X1 owner, I agree with all of that Ben. The convenience of just being able to get it out, select a mode and go is perfect for my hiking vlogs. It just works. On my last hike, I think I used it for 3 shots and only used maybe a third of one battery. That’s worth bearing in mind if someone has battery concerns. The price is an issue especially when you think what else you can get for the same money. However, the trade-off is the convenience and brilliant controller-free - even app-free presets you have by way of the physical buttons on the drone. You only have to open the app to hit connect and change settings - if you want to. Really enjoying mine at the moment. Good 6-month review Mr D 👍

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Thanks Boss 🤘

[@adddn1876]

Been using it over the past couple of months. Brilliant for our use cases, some good interesting captures of our travels and moments. No setup time, if you feel like capturing the moment, it's a 15 second job. Also acts as your own cameraman, even indoors. Doesn't fly well in windy conditions, there are audio sync issues and have probably paid a bit more for the novelty. Would definitely recommend for casual users who want "phenomenal" shots otherwise not possible with a phone or camera...

[@ZeroZeroRobotics]

Yayy! Glad to hear you're enjoying it.

[@wzep263]

You can connect external mic for recording;

[@danielduesentriebjunior]

I bought it for hiking, although I already have a DJI mini 3. However, the mini 3 including controller weighs about half a kilogramm more and uses more space in your backpack. I think it is great. It is also virtually indestructible.

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Mines still going strong. I love it for quick shots 👍

[@danielduesentriebjunior]

@@DaleyOutdoors If it crashes in a tree it just falls to the ground and due to the protective cages no damage occurs.

[@Notchedto11]

I've been hovering (pardon the pun) over the 'buy' button on this drone for ages, but the slightly inflated price (imo) keeps putting me off. I do think I will eventually buy one, as like you I hate the faff of setting up my DJI all the time, and invariably just leave it home nowadays. As a metal detectorist KZbinr I can see the value of the simplicity so I can film some digging shots from different perspectives without the hassle.....this was a good honest review and appreciate the feedback! New subscriber! Marcus

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Thanks Marcus! Let me know what you think if you pull the trigger :)

[@SussexOutdoors]

Cheers for sharing your views, Ben. I do think this is an excellent piece of kit for autonomous camera shots (I've found I'm not great driving one of these things!), but as you said, for its price at the moment, it's a little to pricey for me to invest, especially without 4K video. I do like the fold away design, and the fact that the rotors are covered (for the inevitable crash into branches!). All the best, James.

[@robertnitrile519]

Im just getting to grips with my tripod(2kg) and my camera,, unfortunately my budget won't allow me to buy anymore filming kit,, excellent review and information ,,!!! I guess I'll just have to throw my phone in the air to capture height shots 😅

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Haha good idea! Just make sure you catch it 😬😆

[@tonysutton6559]

Or get a long telescopic selfie stick.

[@PhilTParker]

Thanks for a down to earth discussion about how this drone performs. It’s accurate, although I think the audio function to record from the cellphone OR a wireless mic is not a gimmick…it’s quite convenient, and I enjoy the sound. Yes it is a touch muffled, but still it’s great to have audio without the sound of the drone, which I don’t like and don’t want to hear on my recordings. To the makers of this drone: PLEASE make an X2 unit and add 4k along with a micro SD port, and USBC. I will go for that option, given the opportunity!

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Thanks! You can get better audio results using an e thermal recorder and doing voice isolation in post 👍

[@tonysutton6559]

I might be tempted at half the current price but they are extracting the urine when you compare the cost to a Mini 3.

[@TacBlades]

I have been watching this one for a while I really like the simplicity of it. what is it like in a breeze ? does it need to be zero wind or is it ok with a bit of wind ?

[@DaleyOutdoors]

It’s ok (tested) in winds up around 17mph.

[@TacBlades]

@@DaleyOutdoors oh wow

[@captainjim605]

I've used mine in winds up to 15 mph - it is working hard to try to stay stable and using up the battery faster. That said, the results in that wind were decent. Definitely better in less wind, though.

[@davidzof]

DJi is a palava most of the time. Agree with everything you say. Manual mode gives you a proper drone but it isn't what this drone is all about. In winter the battery manages only about 5 to 6 minutes; about 10 flights but again I've only used 1 battery on my trips. For cycling it fits in a cycling jersey, which is excellent.

[@danielduesentriebjunior]

Keep the battery warm in your pocket.

[@guypisapia]

Is this something I could use if I'm snow skiing (carving) fairly fast (45 km/h) and I want the camera to follow in front of me (dolly mode) about 10 to 20 feet in front and about 5 feet above the ground? Will the white snow be a problem?

[@DaleyOutdoors]

No, the snow won’t be a problem, but the speed will. Max is 15mph (24kph)

[@guypisapia]

@@DaleyOutdoors Is there an alternative you would recommend.

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

Just watched this and really interested in getting one, I just have one question. Can it fly with two people walking along, or would it get confused and not know who to follow? Thanks!

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Yes, it locks on to the person holding it at take off.

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

@@DaleyOutdoors thank you, that was the one thing we couldn’t find info on 👍 Thanks!

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

@@DaleyOutdoors really sorry to be a pain, last question I promise. When using the iPhone as a mic for sound, does it cut out all the ambient sound, or just the pitch of the drone propellers? I.e. would it still hear birds etc?

[@DaleyOutdoors]

@@JulieandMartinonRIB it cuts anything if that’s the same frequency range as the propellers. So it depends on the time of the bird I guess.

[@JulieandMartinonRIB]

@@DaleyOutdoorsthat’s great, thank you! 😃👍

[@NatGreenOnline]

I'd love to have a more powerful version of this (with 4K of course) that could handle faster action sports like snowboarding.

[@DaleyOutdoors]

That would be cool! 😎

[@0808anwar]

agree with the price. wish it more cheaper. here it sold for around 9 millions rupiah, thats expensive.

[@hakes187]

Its 389.00 US on sale I guess..I would think it's good

[@everyoneknowsadave3580]

Nice bit of kit …. Just balking at the price when I’ve only got 250 subs 😢 😂 …. Great review video … thanks 👍👍

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Hopefully the price for this type of drone will come down over time. I’m sure there’ll be new models and versions from other companies so they’ll need to start being more competitive on price 👍

[@j0404t]

do you think this would be good for roof inspections?

[@DaleyOutdoors]

No

[@j0404t]

@@DaleyOutdoors why not if it can reach the height of a roof and can be navigated in manual mode?

[@DaleyOutdoors]

@@j0404t You asked if I think it would be 'good'. It's not what it's designed for. There are much better options out there for less money. The flight time won't give you enough time to do a decent inspection. You can't zoom in so you'd have to fly too close to the roof/building. So my answer is 'no' 🤓

[@j0404t]

@@DaleyOutdoors Well yeah, you gave a one word response, so I was curious why, 🤓 Battery life should be good enough for a cursory glance on most roofs.

[@DaleyOutdoors]

@@j0404t why not buy a DJI Mini for less money? Thats better suited to the job?

[@HardyTempestsWildCampsandWalks]

Enjoyed both yours and Bens (Londoner) review on this one. Really wanted to like this product but for the money I do think they are about £200 pounds overpriced. Have read that the app retains rights over your footage, is that correct? Also on the quality of the footage, doesn’t compressing low resolution video just make it worse? That being said though the convenience is not to be sniffed at. And I’m a tiny bit jealous I didn’t get a freebie. 😂 Luckily Santa was very generous and got me a mini 4 pro to play with .

[@DaleyOutdoors]

KZbin compress all video for streaming, the footage straight from the camera is a lot clearer in most cases (where people don’t specify ‘high quality’ in the player)

[@HardyTempestsWildCampsandWalks]

@@DaleyOutdoors yes , get that. But surely low quality video is going to look worse compressed than high quality. You can certainly see the difference when watching on anything else but a phone.

[@DaleyOutdoors]

@@HardyTempestsWildCampsandWalks if low quality refers to the resolution, like for like yes, it will probably look worse. It depends on the codec used and the goals set though. If it’s compressed to a specific bandwidth (vs a ratio) then the lower quality video would be closer to the original as it needs less compression to fit the target size.

[@ZeroZeroRobotics]

All of your footage is transferred directly from your device to your mobile phone - nothing goes to the cloud unless you choose to share it in the app.

[@purechaos7188]

Why do the long shots on video then go back to get your camera when this does it for you ? Very good for certain uses and the video isnt bad ☮️

[@MarriedToTheKGB]

i like the idea but it just seems a big shame they didn't put in a 4k camera or had a decent flight time but mostly for the spec it seems way too over priced

[@massimonotaro607]

What about licences and taking it abroad?

[@DaleyOutdoors]

You need an operator ID in the UK. ‘Abroad’ is a bit vague - check the regulations for the country you’re going to …

[@massimonotaro607]

@DaleyOutdoors thank you..could you please tell me how to get operator id and is there a web site to find out about taking it abroad..reason I'm asking i can't find anything 😭😭

[@DaleyOutdoors]

@@massimonotaro607 Google? www.caa.co.uk/drones/rules-and-categories-of-drone-flying/introduction-to-drone-flying-and-the-uk-rules/

[@massimonotaro607]

@@DaleyOutdoors thank you so much

[@toslinked]

I really like it and the video quality is ok for me, but the thing that really keeps me from buying it is the terrible noise it makes.

[@Elvirgelion]

How is its durability? what happens if you accidentally drop it

[@DaleyOutdoors]

I haven’t dropped it but it seems sturdy. The props are covered by cages too.

[@cheec8548]

Have you flown a DJI? 😅

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Yes

[@marktaylor6266]

Any good for home movies?😮

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Defo 👌

[@teestravels]

When I first see these and youtubers use them I thought the quality isn't there when you can buy a dji mini 2 and get 4k30 or the se you get 2.7k and a much better product

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Better depends on what your use-case is really. All good choices though to be fair.

[@cabracove]

I'm still laughing at all the comments about why people wouldn't buy one. This isn't an advertisement or a sales pitch. It's a review. Buy one or don't. If it's too expensive, buy something cheaper. If you don't like that it's made in China, don't buy it. If you want a better camera, then buy something with a better camera. But don't show up and whine about something you aren't going to buy anyway.

[@thewebstylist]

That’s quite a profit margin they’re making indeed

[@Planet-ICELAND]

bring down the price, sell more drones, or risk losing the train.

[@markjob6354]

Sorry, mate, but I'm tired of hearing this misleading claim from Social Media Influencers in their "so-called full disclosure," which I have to say I find incredibly disingenuous. So you say, You were sent the HoverAir X1 for review. So you say, the company did not review your video before releasing it on KZbin. However, here's what you did not say - "I got to keep my HOVERAir X1 Drone free of charge." Therefore, YOU HAVE BEEN COMPENSATED Sir. Now, I do honestly believe you are being truthful in your analysis and evaluations of the HOVERAir X1 drone, but come on, we all understand you got to keep the device, and thus, it is totally fair to conclude you have been compensated.

[@DaleyOutdoors]

When I say I was sent if for free that’s what I mean… yes, I get to keep it. All my review terms are clearly laid out on my website. This is also a follow up video from my initial review, be sure to check that out.

[@Tom_Roberts]

Way too expensive. Wouldn't even consider buying it at this price.

[@gregoryoutdoors]

Gimmick! Nobody needs noisy drones.

[@DaleyOutdoors]

They’re all noisey 😆

[@patrickevans8940]

Other KZbinrs giving them good reviews as they are freebees !! But when you have to pay for them, reality is they are feeking useless

[@DaleyOutdoors]

I was clear in the video I got the drone for free, and gave an honest appraisal. Have you got one?

[@patrickevans8940]

@@DaleyOutdoors I did have, but sent it back and got a refund Dosent do what it says on the description

[@DaleyOutdoors]

@@patrickevans8940 what didn’t it do? Mines worked so far but I haven’t tried every feature.

[@SBATHORGOD]

Terrible review.. other videos are better watching for

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Check my initial review. You'll *love* it.

[@thelonewolf666]

its so far overpriced piece of chinese crap

[@DaleyOutdoors]

Yes, you said.

[@RedDevilGoo]

it’s a great little camera if you use it for what it’s made for. selfies. it is overpriced. i was fortunate enough to buy this on the kickstarter campaign for £240. i’m not sure id pay nearly £400 for it

[@richardpoupart2892]

I agree, they're too expensive for my budget.