HoverAir X1 Pro Max: One Month Later Review

[@recursoseninternet]

I just received my X1 Pro Max and I am very, very disappointed. All the KZbin videos only mention good things, but nobody mentions what’s missing! For example, the camera of the Pro Max is excellent, but did you know that you won’t be able to use it to take photos if you fly it in manual mode using the beacon + joysticks? In that mode, it can only record video. Do you know that you will never be able to adjust the exposure levels in automatic modes and save them so that your recordings don’t look like the sky is completely white? Why haven’t photography modes like AEB with 3 steps been included, as the old DJI Mini 2 already has? There is a good camera in the Pro Max that is used at 10%. How is it possible that functions from the old X1 have been removed, such as gesture control? Did you know that if you change settings like muting the voice or lowering the volume, it only works as long as you don’t turn off the drone, and when you turn it back on, it doesn’t remember the settings? There are so many flaws and so many absurd things that nobody talks about that I think Zero Robotics has sold us an experiment to finally sell a properly functioning drone with everything it should include in a year. It's disappointing.

[@sylvesterwatson314]

Thank you for this it's very useful. I believe most have not dived into the drone as deeply yet so most will hit this brick wall. I am new to the drone or drones and I would not have known about these points like most. But yes your right the item was put together and shipped with the buyer being the tester 😢 I still await my drone which was paid for up front on 11th September and I tracked it out for delivery on the 4th of November and today the 8th November the tracking has vanished meaning the ski package has vanished, I have sent 3 emails in regards to the item being lost but zero reply from Hoverair, The drone was on the van 4 miles from my house and showing out on delivery and now its saying under investigation, 😡 so I want the price promise which says we will ship to you by October or your money back.

[@sylvesterwatson314]

Very disappointed when the first buyers are used as test pilots 😢

[@DM-tg8es]

@@sylvesterwatson314 Agree. I was surprised that there are features in the app/software that say coming soon. Biggest shock was not being able to take a picture. Seems like a simple thing. I'm hopeful that software updates will come that round out the features and address these short comings. The good news is that it does seem like all software related issues so should be fixable.

[@SFBenjaminK]

I bought the Cycle Combo pak on that comes with all accessories & freaking LOOVE it , this is my first Drone & really enjoy it ....only thing i dont like much the camera blown to much in sun OR day light , don't have a right filter or feather in camera to make it even & tone it down bit is to raw, even shows that in some of the YT videos about the camera & outdoors videos .. but combo pak comes with filters i use , but i dont wanna have it on all the times, but works GREAT in cloudy days

[@sidzhottake]

Thank you for this video but wondering... how good was the obstacle avoidance feature? If good, I may go with the X1 Pro rather than the DJI Neo...

[@kpeterrafael]

1:41 that battery is not inserted correctly into the drone, if you force it that way you will break those small clips on it that keep it secured. To place it correctly, first align the back part where the pins are, push it down, and just after push down the front part. 3:09 it doesn't have any "obstacle avoidance" currently, only "collision detection" But maybe it might have some with future updates. 9:30 regarding the sound recording, there are two options, the second one I think works better currently on the new models. Yeah the full RC setup still needs some updates, that's for sure, but I'm optimistic it will work great when it will be fixed. PS: you live in a very nice place out there in nature!

[@creativecarveciteclimb5684]

Nice catches! Though one small correction: The drone has vision based obstacle avoidance using one rear camera and the main camera. There is none on the sides, and the one on the rear doesn't work very well, but it's still better than nothing.

[@kpeterrafael]

@creativecarveciteclimb5684 it does not have any type of "obstacle avoidance". It only has collision detection on the back and bottom, as clearly stated on their website, IGG campaign page and everywhere else. That means that it stops if an obstacle is detected, and if you are at a speed where the sensors work (currently it works to about 10kph for the pro max and up to 5kph with the pro model). Some of their commercials and promos might give you the feeling there is some kind of obstacle avoidance, but that is incorrect. The company even explained in detail in their group, that the way the drone "avoids obstacles" is by trying to recreate the exact path a person goes. Maybe in future updates some vision based obstacle avoidance will be added, but I doubt that, not sure if there is enough processing power in it for that and even if it is, the battery life will be significantly affected. For example look at Skydio, a huge drone with many cameras and sensors and only about 20 min of flight time, as it needs a lot of processing power that drains the battery fast. But if you saw somewhere that is stated that it has obstacle avoidance clearly written, I'm curious to see. And you can even test that yourself, for example in follow mode it usually very easily hits branches or other stuff in its way if the user is not "showing" it the correct way to go.

[@creativecarveciteclimb5684]

@@kpeterrafael True, you are right. I was just a little confused by your wording, you said "collision detection", but that means detecting the collision after it happens. I think obstacle detection would be a better wording, and that is what I meant by "obstacle avoidance".

[@kpeterrafael]

@@creativecarveciteclimb5684 I used exactly the words Hover uses on their website, which is "collision detection", and that's the general term also in the world of drones. And it pretty much does what its name suggests, it detects collisions and stops (or at least try to stop) before hitting them, but it does not go around any obstacle, it just stops and waits further input from the user.

[@creativecarveciteclimb5684]

@@kpeterrafael Yeah, I’m blaming it on whoever made up the term, not you. Also, you can’t detect a collision and then stop; after you collide, it’s already too late.

[@conniedebeer8058]

Nice review Jay....at 4:55 the cameras view went from vertical to horizontal - how did you achieve that Jay?

[@19ab59]

Hi Jay, would you advise to keep the ND4 on during daytime? I found out that the lens can get scratched easily. And thanks foor you opinion on the Hover.

[@mailpubblica2]

Can you compare the mini 4 pro with x1 pro max in the follow mode?

[@mbalbom]

Hello, has he returned home? Thank you.

[@maxzhang8996]

The sky appears completely blown out at 5:14. Would an ND filter help resolve this?

[@JaysTechVault]

90% sure it’s something to do with how Hover is declaring/tagging their HDR. When I open just the file it looks fine, but in premiere and now the output it looks blown out. Premiere isn’t recognizing that it’s HDR.

[@markshirley01]

Can you do a slow controlled movement near to a subject (cinematic) using the phone app. I need to video the front of hotels bars and restaurants. I've tried the Neo with a phone but found it difficult to slow the speed down

[@andrewchayles]

I originally thought this drone was for me but I need it to be a camera man. If the audio isn't good that's a no go for me. Also, why have 8K when it doesn't even have capability to shoot log footage? This is supposed to be a professional drone yet it can't do the professional things a pro needs. Get better audio so I can talk while filming and get log profile and I'd buy it tomorrow.

[@DEATHROWCANALPRODUCTIONS]

You have to record audio through the beacon and it automatically inserts audio into the video and does away with all drone noise