HOVERAir X1 | ⁉️ Outdoors Gadget of the Year 2023?

[@jim-bob-outdoors]

Played with one the other week. I was at work and with the dolly setting, it would follow indoors around the warehouse and even come inside the back of the truck, and back out without hitting anything. Very impressive.

[@PhilTParker]

I have owned mine for a few weeks now. I plan on taking it with me on vacation. It will be my “cameraman” when my wife and I enjoy time in the British Virgin Islands! Look for a video soon from us from our experiences over there. Right now I’m in California where we are enjoying an “atmospheric river” of rain. We need that rain, trust me. But it will be amazing to take this little flying “cameraman” with us to record our fun on those beautiful sandy beaches next to the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean! A note about the drone. The first time you fly it, this little smile, like when you were a young kid, will start spreading across your face. It just does what you tell it to. Always give it a couple of seconds to recognize you…that is when it is “locking on” to your image. That’s how it knows how to follow you around. One more thing. Hold out your hand and stay still, making sure it’s about five inches beneath it. That way the drone will know it’s ready to land. Otherwise, a five year old could fly it. Always know that if the wind is too strong, above ten knots, you will quickly know to stop flying. Remember you don’t want to lose it! Another thing…yes you can purchase a dedicated tiny handheld controller from the manufacturer. That will allow you to fly it like a normal drone. Just know this little guy won’t go farther from you than a short distance. Remember this is designed to stay close to you anyway, by design. And always remember to select the audio being recorded from your phone in order to filter out the noise from the drone fans. Remember. This isn’t supposed to be a fancy DJI high priced drone. It’s a selfie camera that flys. The best setting on it isn’t 2.7k, it’s 1080p which allows HDR to be active. you want that resolution and the richness of HDR as a combination. Perhaps the next iteration will be 4k with HDR. I would pay $500 for this drone if it had those two things and had a controller. :)

[@Notchedto11]

Absolutely hit the nail on the head. I’ve been hovering (pardon the pun) over the buy button for a while. As a metal Detectorist, I gave up on taking my DJI drone on digs because of the faff….everything I’ve seen makes me think this will work perfectly for my vlogs, and the audio through the app worked well too. Thanks so much for the honest review, new sub here! All the best Marcus

[@benhikescamps]

Many thanks Marcus for that feedback and for subbing! 👍👍

[@stuartjameswright]

I have one. It is brilliant. Zero faff, 100% fun.

[@benhikescamps]

Agreed. Free of faff!! Thanks for watching 👍

[@o.bsoutdoors3871]

Really interesting review Ben, we have watched a few other videos on the Hover air x1 lately, they do seem to be the gadget of the moment. Have to say, really cool little gadget! 🤩👌. Definitely fills a gap in the market for vloggers who want quick aerial 'selfie' shots without the faff of a drone. Great for walk pasts too 😊👍. Have to say, we love our dji mini SE, and for us that will always come with us to capture the big mountain landscapes, but we would definitely have a hover air alongside the drone in the vlogging arsenal 😀. For us, we will wait for the £400 price tag to come down though before purchasing. Thanks for sharing, and we wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas, and all the very best for 2024. Shell and Pete 🎅☃️❄️🎄👊👍

[@michaelgatford6194]

I'm really impressed with this ben. It will definitely give you more video capabilities.

[@benhikescamps]

Thanks Michael. I think so too.

[@AirbornePirates]

Great video Ben, They sent me one a few weeks ago but i've not had a chance to try yet! Very excited

[@jmpersonal2402]

I think these are fabulous... after three MAVICs... They can go to the grandkids.... the Hover - mine is in white... is great fun and so easy.

[@benhikescamps]

I agree, very easy to use. Thanks for watching.

[@philandminiphil]

Like you Ben, I was thinking of getting one of these for my long hikes. Bit worried now about footage storage but I think you can download to your phone that days video footage, although I don't know how much footage you could fit onto 24gb? Any ideas?

[@hikersheep]

I love it too! I got it last month and took it on 2 trips and my last 2 videos. Sooo easy to use. I love that it speaks in British accent too 😂.

[@shred3005]

Got one a couple of months ago and it’s replaced my DJI Mavic Mini for bike trail riding adventures. So easy and quick to get in the air and get some great personal action footage. The DJI Mini is much more suited to scenic footage with distance and altitude. The Mini has better video but the X1 isn’t bad at all. DJI has much better flight control but isn’t as clever autonomously. Both have their places but this is so small, light and easy to use that you take it on every adventure and spend less time faffing about to get some good video. The audio using the app is clever cutting out the sound of the Hover X1

[@h.bsfaithfulservant4136]

Hang on a minute... haven't I already seen you review this before?? Oh no, wait a minute, that was your doppelganger, Daley 😉. Incredible piece of kit...the drone that is, not Daley 😆

[@jonbroadsword7572]

Just think of all the MILES you will save not having to set up your camera on a trail and then leisurely hiking away/towards it for that dramatic shot -- and then scurrying back to pick it up.

[@benhikescamps]

LOL 😂 Good point Jon. Sadly though I think I’ll still be doing a bit of that! 🥾🥾🥾

[@ianmacfarlane9454]

Good video that Ben, looks a nice bit of kit👍👍

[@benhikescamps]

Thanks Ian.

[@pauloduarte3095]

I would love to get one but because he can’t fly above water I can’t really use it, I am trying to get started on canoe camping and fishing and i must admit that this little drone would be really amazing for my adventures

Hi Ben. Hope alls well. Great looking kit you’ve got there. Up, up and away Sir and we’ll get it to drop off a pizza on its way back. A pizza of 250grams or less.👍

[@benhikescamps]

That’d be nice!

[@benhikescamps]

I’m well thanks. Hope you’re good too Tim.

[@philhaha4243]

Impressive most impressive..have to put on my list for my camping and hiking trips thanks ben nice video..merry Christmas..

[@benhikescamps]

Thanks Phil 👍

[@the_elder_wand3845]

Thanks for this video. Please tell Me about the video quality especially the vertical mode because I’ll use it for social media. Thank you

[@benhikescamps]

I always have it set at 2.7K (the highest) and 30fps. Vertical mode can be switched on in settings. I’ve not tried that yet though.

[@benhikescamps]

Thanks for watching.

[@the_elder_wand3845]

@@benhikescamps thank you so much. 😊

[@fog360]

Nice review, I seen a few videos on them now , enjoy this one ☝️

[@BourneOutside]

Good point with the storage capability, Ben. Battery life could do with being a tad more powerful too. But early days and hopefully the manufacturers will listen to the worldwide thoughts of its users. I won’t hold back. I’d love a trial of this unit.

[@benhikescamps]

Agreed. Like everything, it will evolve and get better.

[@BourneOutside]

@@benhikescamps For certain. Especially when they get great like yours 😉👍🏼

[@zafiracamper]

I thought that was a hover on the Seven Sisters vid 🎉

[@thesecondhalf5823]

I really like this thing but the noise seems a bit excessive if you weren't doing voicovers. What's your thoughts on that?

[@benhikescamps]

Not a massive issue as I use drone footage often with music or for cutaways. 👍

[@dookiexave]

can it fly over swimming pool or cliff?

[@benhikescamps]

I guess you could, in theory, but it would be at your own risk.

[@andyevans8472]

Do we need a licance

[@benhikescamps]

CAA says yes.

[@derekmcmanus8615]

Did Christmas come early ?

[@DavidWilsonOutandAbout]

Interesting video, Ben. I do not think it can replace a regular drone as it is basically just for selfie footage. What sort of wind conditions can it operate in!, can it fly over water?. The big question is, had you not received this to review, would you folk out the best part of £400 on it!.

[@benhikescamps]

Hi David. From owning a DJI for a while and using this, it’s slightly like comparing apples with pears. The DJI is for higher altitude shooting,faster with slightly better stability in wind. As it as a controller, you can send it where you want with manual control and do more than selfie photography. The HOVERAIR isn’t marketed as a drone but is a high quality flying selfie camera. It could be used over water from a boat, SUP board etc. but you’d need to be careful. Similarly, I was cautious with my DJI over water. It can operate in a light breeze and occasional gust. However, my DJI was never that great in wind either. With regards to would I pay the £400 or so for it new, I probably would yes. Thanks for watching. 👍

[@bechilled3875]

So do you get to keep it now, have to send back, pay for it ?? If not boom great way to earn / save £400 on buying one yourself. Don't blame you. Have great Christmas, look forward to next year's videos.

[@darrenmc168]

Ben which external mic are you using ?

[@benhikescamps]

AGPTEK lavalier microphone from Amazon. £16. Good for the price.

[@psjbutler]

Nice, great tech but seems a bit pricy at just under £400 on Amazon. I’d wait until the price comes down before buying it.

[@ssantario]

나는 그것을 당장 구입하고 말테야.

[@hazzardoutdoors]

Impressed with everything on this but the price. For such a limited device that is less capable than a dji mavic mini but 100quid more expensive is ridiculous. Battery life is appalling also. Those tiny batteries won't be long until they need replacing, and the company has no credibility yet like dji. I suspect after a year of attempting sales this price will drop dramatically, then I may be interested...

[@benhikescamps]

Agreed, there are things they will need to sort out - including the price. I do think it can’t be really compared to a DJI functionally. It’s just not like those. It’s designed for closer quick deployment footage. Last weekend, I took it out and used the drone three times. I only used half of one battery. To keep the weight down (125g), the batteries have to be smaller and thus a lower capacity. I imagine this will improve though with future models. Battery time on my old DJI Mavic Mini was wasted setting up and getting things in place. Whereas in the X1, it’s simply, press, film, stop. This, from my experience, makes batteries last longer than you think.