Customer Ratings & Reviews

I love it ! It was pretty light and no need the remote control! It is pretty easy ! Everyone can play with it ! It is pricey…

They say that the best camera is the one that’s on you. I find this incredibly accurate when it comes to drones too. This ultra-compact and pocketable drone makes carrying a drone less of a chore and more likely to be with you when out-and-about. Don’t let the tiny size fool you. The Hoverair X1 Pro Max sports a lot of the same features you find on larger drone models including 8k video, gimble stabilization, programmed flight modes and total manual control if needed (more on this later). What sets this drone apart is the fact you don’t need a remote or phone to operate. The phone app does make downloading your videos or pics easier, fine tuning the flight programs and firmware updates. But aside from that, you can easily operate the drone without pulling out your phone. Simply unfold, power on, select the program and start capturing the moment. It does take 20ish seconds to fully turn on, which is lightning fast compared to traditional drones. The 15 automatic flight modes/programs are what makes this drone possible without the need for a remote. The modes mirror a lot of the other flight modes from major drone companies including hover, spiral, zoom out, and tracking. The tracking mode can track you from the back, front and even side. Within most modes, you can choose how close you want the shot and if you want the angle to be flat or high. The screen on the top of your drone tells you everything you need to know and can easily be read in direct sun. While in tracking mode, the hoverair had no issues keeping up with my bike going 20 mph. Not only are there automatic flight modes, you do have an option to use your phone as a manual control too. Not the same distance you will find on larger drones with dedicated remotes but 100 ft is nothing to complain from this size of a drone. Perfect for aerial stills. My only negative is the app. It’s not the most intuitive to use and lacks a lot of editing tools you find from other action cameras. Hoverair’s app video editing is very mediocre. No music list to choose from to add to your videos. My work-around for this is to edit the exports in other action camera apps so you can post your video to your socials. To keep things light, the battery life is very short. Probably 10-15 min of straight use. Having multiple batteries will help. Multiple sensors will help mitigate some crashes but I have crashed the drone while it was following me in the woods. Little branches will crash a lot of drones but this drone touts its durability so crash away! In summary, this drone does it all, with or without a phone and remote. Ultra-portability makes it a bit more enticing to carry in my jacket pocket when I’m out. It’s super fun and the quality of the videos and stills are shockingly good for a small sensor camera. I highly recommend this.

I shoot a lot of video from home movies, to some work videos and an occasional friend’s wedding. I am by no means a professional videographer but I am not a complete amateur either. I really put a lot of effort into videos and they need to look professional. That’s what really sparked my interest in the HoverAir X1 Promax. I have drones and they are great for the establishing shots or quick pass by ect… but what I wanted was the professional and smooth dolly track feel and the professional and smooth 360…. Well HoverAir X1 Promax delivers that and a ton more! I got it out of the box and the box it comes in is a great hard storage for the unit. Can fit in a gear bag and keep it safe…But they also give you a semi soft turtle shell case with molding inside for the HoverAir X1 and batteries so they all fit perfectly. The softshell case is smaller and is even easier to transport while keeping it safe. I love how they thought about transporting it! Nice touch. The app was easy to down load and they provide an easy to follow video tutorial that had me up and running in minutes. I love the battery system they use. The batteries are super easy to swap and with three of them I can get the shots I need and move on! The app is also super easy to use and everything was very intuitive and responsive. The HoverAir syncs up fast and reliable every time. I had no issues which I so appreciate. Very often when shooting, moments will present themselves such as lighting or a dance ect and the last thing I want is to be hunched over a camera trying to syn the thing while the magic escapes and is gone. HoverAir underlying tech was solid. Once I was up and running I did have a small hiccup which was all my own doing…I activated it in the garage area where I was playing with it and tried to grab it by the wing with my hand and “whack” got a little nick on my finger. It has mesh to try to prevent that but I guess in my panick to grab it my finger got in there just right….well after a small bandaid, a cuss word and consideration of the wings not being handles…I moved on. NOTE: just be aware and if you have younger kids…let them know not to grab the wings…just set your hand under neath it and it will land. The take off and landing does feel magical and futuristic by the way.. so smooth. It’s like be falconer and the taming the bird as it gently descends to you hand… pretty cool. I went through the flight modes and was amazed with just how smooth and professional they look and feel! It has a ski mode and cycling mode… the 360 spin which I love… It looks cinematic and top tier! Dolly zoom, spiral and the birds eye view I really loved as well. It can also zoom out for those type of survivor style shows. Orbit and another super useful one was the follow mode… Beach walks or hike videos will never be the same again for me. And that what leads to the professional look…. It would take many people and equipment to get these shots in tv land or a movie set…I have the ability in a small little case that fits in my go bag!!! Remarkable!!!! No more positioning cameras for a walk by or having to try to walk around a party for the 360… nope … just push a button and let it lift off and HoverAir X1 Promax takes care of the rest!!! The video quality at 8K is amazing and the batteries say 15 minutes which was in the ball park I got. With the xtra batteries should give you plenty of time to get the shot. The two batteries in the charger charge in about an hour. The onboard battery (which is the same as the other two backup batteries) of the craft took about 45 minutes to charge. It also has 64 gig’s of memory built in and a micro sd card slot if needed. It has AI that states it can eliminate rotar noise when recording and you can use your phone, earbuds or a mic to grab audio. When I tested this feature, the audio was not good enough to make the final cut (at least not using my phone). It does a great job at removing the rotary sound but the audio is not natural when speaking. The audio lagged a bit and sounded tin canish. A voice over would need to be done with a proper mic set up ext and caught on a better camera and maybe overlayed in post production…. But most of the time for the shots I will use this camera for… I will have music ect playing and it will not be using ambient sound. Overall this is a must have game changer for video enthusiast/ beginner professional. It will give you shots that will punch way above it’s wieght class!!! Easy to use, superb video quality and a ton of fun to boot….You can’t go wrong! If you’re a podcaster on have a channel and you do anything outdoor or utilize walk and talks…This is a must have winner!!!

I was mainly interested in this drone for its tracking feature, but it can do so much more. If you're looking to capture that epic shot while you're out in the mountains by the campfire, out on a beautiful beach, or just chilling in your backyard, this drone can do that and make it extremely simple to pull off. This bundle comes with 3 batteries which say they last 15 minutes of flight time and that's fairly accurate. I got down to 3% and was able to film about 10 minutes with the largest battery consumption coming from the "Follow" shots and I was able to get 21 different shots from photos to short 6 -14 second videos to long 2.5-minute videos all saved on its internal memory(does support sd card). It is also really easy to transfer every shot you take to your phone, and the downloads are quick! It is set to 1080p default export, but you can change to as high as 8k if you want crisp quality. As mentioned above, this drone is extremely simple to use. You pick the mode you want the drone to fly in, put the drone on the palm of your hand facing you, press the button in the middle and it takes off if the conditions are right. Depending on the mode you select, the drone will keep recording for either a set amount of time to complete that "hover mode" such as 360 spin or spiral or continually record you until you activate the land feature. Landing is as easy as getting the drone to take off. You simply hold your palm out underneath it and it initiates the landing feature. You can also manually take control through the app if you need to. I also mentioned I got this drone mainly for the tracking feature. I recently started trail running more often with my younger brother and his dog. We record portions of our runs with our phones or action camera but this drone is a game changer. I haven't used it on the trail yet but I am extremely excited to try it. The only downside of this bundle is that it doesn't come with the Beacon or Joy Stick Controller which adds better tracking, live camera view, and better manual control over the drone. I bought the Beacon separately for the trail runs since I don't believe this drone has true obstacle avoidance. On a "cycling mode" test flight around my neighborhood, I set the drone to follow High and Close but it hit a tree branch and crash landed. Luckily, the camera was fine and it was scuffed up a bit but flew just fine with no issues to camera quality which really shows to the durability. Unfortunately, the crash landing video didn't save because the camera popped out on impact and my wife hadn't been recording me at the time. Overall, I absolutely love this drone. It gives me so many more creative options while trail running or just hanging out with friends and family. It can fit easily into my running chest pack for quick storage and battery swapping. I can't wait to take this on my next adventure into the woods!

Wow is my first reaction. I have used drones for years (all DJI) , specifically the DJI Neo, which is very similar to the HoverAir. After using this drone for several days, I can confidently say this HoverAir is much better for my needs, at least as a drone that’s designed to be used without a controller. While you can use your phone to control it, you will likely prefer using the pre-set modes, at least I do. You can buy a controller and display for the HoverAir, which is a nice option if you prefer to fly yourself. I’m going to discuss several of the pre-set modes and how they are, in my opinion, superior to any other small travel drone. Since this is really a flying camera rather than a traditional drone, there are several pre-set modes like hover, zoom out, follow, orbit, birds eye. You can also create your own pattern the drone will follow, but I’ve found the pre-installed ones to be perfect. I ride a road bike and after setting the drone to “dolly track,” it follows right beside me at pretty high speeds, which was a welcome surprise. Its movements are quick and nimble and I believe it has more power and speed than the DJI Neo. The camera is the main feature, of course, and I can confirm the imagery is nice and crispy, especially compared to the DJI camera. In general, the drone is confident with its movement and actually works really well when it’s moderately windy, something the DJI Neo is terrible at. That alone is a feature since it’s less likely to get “blown away” if a strong gust of wind occurs. I plan to use this when biking and running, and of course on vacation. While this is mainly an automated flying camera, it’s still a drone and you must follow drone rules. Given its portable size and carrying case, it’s easy to take along with you wherever you want to film incredible footage. My main complaint so far is when you hold your hand out for it to land, it sometimes hesitates and scoots up when it should just lower into your hand, making it difficult to land as it hesitates. I’m sure a firmware update can improve this mode. Another thing this drone does well is speed…it can move very fast which I imagine is useful for sports like skiing (there is a ski mode, too). There are sensors on the bottom and rear, but it will collide with things on occasion, so be aware of that. In all, I am very pleased with this little drone and it’s been receiving updates regularly, so it’s improving as time goes on. Just respect local drone laws and have fun! Highly recommended!

What good is a drone if it is impractical to use? I have never taken my drone on a family trip of any kind. It hasn’t been impossible, but it has been impractical. It takes up significant space, and it is a hassle to unpack it, use it, and get it re-stowed, not to mention the hassle of going through security if a plane trip is involved. The HOVERAir - X1 Pro directly addresses this dilemma. It is tiny and fits in the palm of your hand. It does indeed look like a toy, but it most decidedly is not. This retail combo offered by BestBuy comes with an attractive zippered case with enough room to stow the folded drone and the two extra batteries in their charging unit, all of which are supplied. Once you have downloaded the app on your phone, and have set up the drone properly, it is possible to use the drone to perform pre-programmed tasks without the use of your smartphone or an outboard controller of any kind. For example, you can have the drone follow you, spiral up and then back down, hover, or climb up to a bird’s eye view. When the task is completed, you simply extend your arm and offer the drone your open palm, and it lands and cuts off its rotors. You can use the app as a controller while you guide the drone looking through its front camera. Hover offers a separate joystick controller through its website, but I could not find that assessory on the BestBuy website. Prior drone owners may consider the control offered by the app alone as limited and there is a learning curve. This size of the drone limits it ability to overcome significant wind gusts, and I found that it sometimes was off the mark when instructed to return to its original starting position. I have not been able to avoid crashing the unit several times, but it has taken a licking and just keeps going. It had to be engineered to survive crashes because it lacks obstacle avoidance. If you set it up to follow you, and a low hanging limb gets in the way, the drone will hit the limb. I am certainly not suggesting that due care in its operation should be ignored. I expect to hone my skills with this drone over time. Hover offers a subscription for extended warranty and accident protection. You can record both stills and videos using the software supplied. I thought the quality was excellent, whether shooting in HD or 4K. Each battery is said to support a flying time of 20 minutes, but operating conditions can reduce your shooting time. During my operation over the past several days, both battery and unit firmware updates have been detected, downloaded and installed without issue. Size matters, and in the case of the X1 Pro, smaller is better. I can accept the limitations of this drone to enjoy the benefits of its small size and utility. I can see professionals using this cam to supplement the work of their larger units. I suspect that for family and hobby use, this drone is going to be very popular. Instead of being discouraged from using it, I have not been able to resist trying to exhaust its possibilities, and it is going to travel in my carry-on the next time I get on a plane. If this little drone sounds like it might fit your needs, I would encourage you to give it a try. It’s addictive.

The Hoverair X1 Ai drone is a CV impact 8k drone. The retail combo comes with the drone a USB 2 battery charger and USB Charging cable and 3 batteries. It comes with a protective case to hold the drone , charger and the 3 batteries. There is additional space for an accessory or additional batteries. The drone has several modes built in and can be flown without a controller. The drone takes off from your palm, locks on to you and will follow a preset flight path or follow you. The drone can follow you through several activities from walking to intense activities like mountain biking or skiing up to 26 mph. The drone does have active collision avoidance so it can follow you through crowded areas or wooded areas but it can not avoid all obstacles. There is an omniterrain mode that allows it to fly over land or water but it is not waterproof. Hover supplies some stickers to protect the drone if a wet environment is anticipated. It is made of hyper elastic material (HEM) that prevents most breakage. It can do dolly track , side , front and rear following. The drone can hover, spiral up , birds eye view from above or even circle around you . You can fly the drone in manual mode using your phone or with a controller accessory you can purchase separately. There is even a copilot mode, a hybrid of manual and automated modes. Hover states “In CoPilot mode, your camera continues to use intelligent subject tracking and active rear obstacle detection. You don’t need to worry about steering to keep your subject in frame or manually dodging trees or buildings. All you do is make directional nudges—forward, backward, up, down, or gentle turns—to adjust its position mid-flight. The camera still knows who it’s following and how to fly safely” AMAZING!. You can control the drone with the app or optional beacon or joysticks. As for the camera performance in a word, outstanding! Using it’s 1/1.3” cmos sensor with 14 stops of dynamic range and 7 layer lens you can let your creative juices literally fly. With the 8k camera and 107 degree field of view and 2x zoom you can capture fantastic video. You can also capture at 4k at 120fps for those dramatic slow mo shots. The camera is HDR HLG 10 bit capable of capturing in BT2020 color gamut, you can also load an HLOG lut expanding the dynamic range to the full Rec 709 color gamut at 10 bit. In vertical capture mode you can capture at 30 fps at 4k for social media. Smooth capture 2.0 provides stabilization of your video in rough terrain using a 2 axis gimbal and Ai assisted leveling. The drone supports up to 1Tb SD cards and comes with 64gb of onboard storage with about 12 gb needed for firmware leaving a little more than 52gb for your use. This drone is very small and compact, easily packed in a suitcase or backpack, even carried in a large pants pocket. The drone falls below the 250 GM cut off at 192 gm so it does not have to be registered unless you use or commercially. You still must still pass the trust exam to get your certificate from an accredited provider to fly any drone.The exam is easy and took me about 5 minutes to take and pass. You can purchase HOVERcare $89 (1yr plan) - $129 (2yr plan) that gives you discounted on repairs 15% (1yr plan) - 35% (1yr plan) and discounted low cost replacement at $179 body trade in or $279 (1yr plan) - $289 (2yr plan) for flyaway replacement. Replacement express with 2 way free shipping. I thoroughly enjoyed this drone. It was very easy to use, the autonomous flight, currently 15 modes work very well and hover continues to add more. The video was easy to download through the hover app to my phone. You can also download it to your computer using USB C.

Beyond impressed of the Hover Air X1 ProMax!✨ For the past couple of days i have been blown away of what this compact drone can do! From the moment i unboxed it, everything felt premium and sleek, intuitive controls, and a setup that took less then 5 minutes! 📸Picture quality: -The 8k videos at 30fps (or even at 4k with 120fps) and stabilized footage are stunning. Colors are vibrant, quality and smoothness are top tier. It handles HDR footage like champ and the results are always breathtaking! 🚁Flight performance: -It's super light-weight (192.5g), folds up easily and doesn't require a controler which is ideal for quick captures. The auto-lunch and return features work flawlessly, and the battery life is surprisingly solid for it's size and capabilities. 🎒Combo Perks: -The Pro Max Combo comes with 3 Batteries total (up to 15 usage time/each), a dual charging hub and a protective case - super handy for travel and all you need for travel and extended shoots. It's clear that they taught through what a content creator actually needs! 💡Conclusion: -Whether you are a content creator, traveler or just someone who loves cool tech, the HoverAir X1 ProMax Combo is worth every penny. It is portable, powerful and packed with smart features that make aerial photography fun and easy!

I am not an advanced drone user and that’s important to understand up front. I participate in car shows throughout spring, summer and fall. I wanted a drone that was easy to use for a novice but had advanced features that can be used as I become more proficient with its use. I picked up the Hover Air X1 Pro Max and it can be a great drone for both beginners and experts. Included in the box with the Pro Max is a faux leather hard case to store the drone, batteries, multi-language instructions, a felt bag to hold the drone and charger. Set up is very straight forward, charge the batteries, (the Pro Max comes with three batteries and a charger), and download the App for your phone. Using the Pro Max is very easy. The X1 Pro has a small screen with a selection button on the left and right sides of the enter button in the center. When you turn on the X1 Pro it announces the current mode the drone is in. There are six preloaded flight modes, Orbit, Ski mode, Cycling mode, Indoor follows, Spiral, Bird’s Eye, and Dolly Track. Using one of the preloaded modes allows the drone to work without using the phone app. For example, if you select the” follow mode” the X1 Pro will follow you while you walk, run, cycle, etc. You can configure the height of the drone and following distance. All of the modes provide some basic configuration on the drone itself. When you’ve used the drone for a determined amount of time the app opens the manual controls for you to fly the X1. The App is where you can do a deeper dive into the setting for the camera and where you can access the on-board memory to download the videos and photos. There are several more flight modes that can be accessed as well. The camera quality is very good and can shoot in 1080p, 4k and 8K. Using the manual mode for flight is very good and allows you to control the total flying experience. I can’t say enough about the Hover X1Pro. Just using the preloaded mode can be enough for most people, but it also has the advanced configuration through the phone app to keep advanced users happy too!

Never thought I would love this drone as much as my Zero Zero Robotics Falcon. Same company and all the bells and whistles with it. If you’re looking for an action drone or even a selfie drone you can’t go wrong. Just got married and the pictures and videos are amazing.

The size is small and it's very portable. However, the user experience is pretty mediocre. For example, the mobile app control often fails to find the Bluetooth connection, and restarting doesn't help. This means you can't control it with your phone. Overall, it's not worth buying.

Note: this is a lengthy review, so here’s the summary: • Small, light drone with high-resolution camera. • Easy to use, even without a controller or phone app. • Multiple modes make it easy to get the videos you want. This is a selfie drone that even beginners can use right out of the box. • App provides lots of options and manual control. • I like and can recommend this drone, but with a caveat at the end of the review. This is my first drone, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I’ve always seen them used to take videos of a house or property, to get an aerial perspective. You can do that with the X1 ProMax, but that’s not it’s main purpose. The X1 ProMax is the latest offering from ZeroZero Robotics, a Chinese company trying to take on the leading drone manufacturers. Unboxing the ProMax, you get the sense that these guys are here to play. The drone comes nicely and securely packed in a very nice black box with magnetic closure and foam padding inside. From the beginning, this thing screams quality. The drone itself is folded and held securely by a magnetic clasp. The quad fan blades are entirely enclosed in a tough, flexible cage that protects them from damage. The material used for the cage is so strong that there is a piece of it included in the box, along with a note challenging you to see if you can tear or break it. You can’t. Who is the target audience for this drone? I got the Combo pack, which includes the drone with one battery pre-installed, a dual battery charger, two extra batteries, a charging cable, and a zipper case. Notice I didn’t say it comes with a controller. That’s because, although the ProMax is a camera drone, it is first and foremost a selfie drone, designed to make it easy to get videos of your outdoor adventures. The ProMax is very small and light, intended to make it easy to go with you anywhere. It’s so small, in fact, that it can take off and land from the palm of your hand. The ProMax currently features 15 tracking modes: • Hover • Zoom Out • Follow • Orbit • Bird’s Eye • Spiral • Manual Control • Snapshot • Dolly Track • Ski Mode • Cycling Mode • 360 degree spin • Dolly Zoom • Indoor Follow • Side Track Each of these modes features a number of settings that you can change to tailor it to your liking, but the main thing to know is that this drone is designed to make it easy to get the results you want. You don’t even need a controller or phone to get the drone to follow you on a run or bike ride, to orbit around you, shoot up high for a bird’s eye view, or just hover in front of you. You can even use indoor tracking mode to have it follow you while you give a tour of a building. All of these modes, and even a few of the settings, can be selected right from the drone itself, using its single button and left/right selectors. Short-pressing the button will cause it to take off from your palm, and for many of the modes all you need to do is approach it and put your outstretched palm under it to cause it to land in your palm. I was able to try out all of the modes except for ski mode, and all of them are very easy to utilize. I set the drone to track me on an electric scooter, using both “follow” mode as well as cycling mode. Neither mode had any trouble keeping up with me, even when I exceeded 15 mph. I’m not a mountain biker, so I didn’t put it through its paces in the woods, but it had no trouble keeping up with me in our neighborhood or in my backyard, getting through the trees we have there. It also had no problem following me around inside the house, which would make it useful for recording property touring videos. With so many ways of capturing videos, I’m looking forward to finding new ways to capture photos and videos that were previously impossible. In addition to all the preset modes, you can also fly manually, using the phone as the controller. I expected to be forced to flights that stayed within about 30 feet or so, given the limits of Bluetooth, but it uses its own wifi connection for manual flights, which allowed the drone to fly pretty far away. I flew it just over 100 yards and it was still under my control. That’s really impressive, and I’m not sure how they did that! The X1 ProMax’s camera is pretty impressive, capable of recording 8K video at up to 30 frames per second, 4K HDR video at up to 30 fps, 4K video at up to 60 fps, and 2.7K HDR video at up to 60 fps. It can also create smooth 4X slow-motion videos, and you can take still photos at either 12 MP or 48 MP. When I first started using it, I was disappointed by the video quality, but then I learned that you need to export the videos using the highest video settings if you want high resolution video results. Audio recording is handled by the app on your phone. It does a good job of filtering out the sound of the propellers, but synching the audio with the movement of your lips must be done in video editing software after the fact. I don’t know how other drones handle this, but it’s clearly not a focus for this one. I’m not terribly surprised, since the phone is not in the same physical location as the drone, but hopefully the engineers can eventually find a way to make this better. Battery life is perhaps the area where you might be most disappointed. You can get 8-12 minutes from a single battery, so it can’t accompany you from the bottom to the top of the mountain without swapping out the batteries. The combo pack I got came with 2 extras, so you might be able to get close to 45 minutes total by using all 3 batteries. The combo pack includes a dual battery charger. While it does come with a charging cable, it does not include a charging block. This doesn’t seem like an oversight until you figure out that the batteries will only charge at full speed if you have a 65W adapter. Unless you have a laptop charger that charges using a USB-C connector, you probably don’t have a 65W charger. This means that the dual charger will prioritize the battery closest to full before it charges the second battery, rather than charging both at the same time. While not a big deal (the batteries still charge) it would have been nice to include the necessary equipment, and at this price point, that should have been done. And now for the caveat: remember that manual flight I described, where it stayed under my control for such an impressive distance? It didn’t end well. For manual flights, you can either instruct the drone to land wherever it is, or you can touch a button to tell it to return to the starting point. Since I had not previously used the return feature, I wanted to try that, so I did. Inexplicably, the drone started ascending much, much higher than I was flying it, putting it at the level of some tree branches that were overhanging the road. That immediately scared me, but I hoped that obstacle avoidance would kick in and avoid the branches. Nope. It flew right into the branches, got tangled up and crashed to the ground below. Also remember that “untearable” material used for the propeller cages? Yeah, that broke too. Nonetheless, it was still in pretty good shape, so I turned it back on to see if it would fly. It started up as normal but wouldn’t fly because it sensed that it wasn’t unfolded, even if it was. I ensured that there was no debris anywhere, but still couldn’t get it to fly. I really can’t understand why this crash happened. Why would it rise to such a height, and why couldn’t it detect any obstacles? Shouldn’t that be considered part of basic operation? Since this happened not because I flew it into a risky situation but under automated control, perhaps it’s also something that can be improved via a firmware update. Working with Zero Zero Robotics was great. They were sorry to hear of my mishap and took care of me right away. I hope to be back in business soon, but I won’t be using the “return” feature unless I’m in a wide-open field with plenty of room for weird flight patterns. This is a compact drone that can go anywhere and capture all of your special outdoor adventures, just be careful if you want to use the “return” feature.

I hope this item specially with price range should go with the beacon or controller with the package

Calling this just a drone almost seems like a disservice. It’s really a flying camera platform. I’ve had a few drones over the years, and this is by far the easiest and fastest one to get flying and recording videos. Its super portability combined with that ease of use is going to make it the first camera drone that will always be in my bike bag ready to record our adventures. The drone (ok, that’s the easiest word to use) folds in half and easily tucks into the included hard-sided bag, along with the two spare batteries and charger. The fan blades are protected within a cage, which also protects your fingers when it launches and lands from your hand. The protective cage material is, according to a sample included in the box, a HEM™ or Hyper-Elastic Material which is a “proprietary advanced material used…for unmatched durability and elasticity.” The sample card challenges you to try to tear it or break it. It really does seem extremely sturdy. The only documentation I read was a simple “please read before your first flight” instruction wrapped around the drone. It simply says to charge the battery, install the app, power on the drone and connect the app. After charging the batteries and installing the app I was connected to the drone in no time. It did have a firmware update that installed quickly (5 minutes or so total) and then it was ready to go. All the other instructions I needed were in the app. It runs you through a first test flight, then you can start sampling the other modes like follow, orbit, bike mode, etc. It really was quick, easy, and intuitive to start using the drone. Each flight records video automatically, and the voice announcements from the drone were very helpful to let you know what it’s about to do. It announces the mode, then starts a beeping countdown when it’s about to take off. Landing is as simple as putting your hand a foot or so underneath it until it settles onto your palm and shuts off the fans. The app does train you with a “landing gesture” (arms crossed over your head) so if it’s hovering too far away you can use that to call it back to you. After a flight (or flights), you can use the app to click on the album to download the videos. It switches your phone’s wifi to the drone and transfers the files that way, so it transfers very quickly. It comes with onboard storage, but there’s a microSD slot if you want to add a card. There were a couple times where my phone couldn’t connect to the drone album, but I just closed the app, re-opened it, and tried again. That fixed it each time. While it’s true it doesn’t automatically avoid obstacles while filming, if you’re just mindful of your surroundings and where the drone is positioned it’s very easy to keep everything safe. Just as a test, I did have it follow me in bike mode as I rode up my driveway and then onto a fairly narrow porch. It did a great job following behind me and only lightly brushed one of the porch pillars as I stopped. It did scold me with a message saying it ran into something and that I should be more careful, but no harm done. If you want to capture some great videos of yourself doing various activities, I think you’ll be extremely pleased with this drone. It’s so easy and intuitive to use, and so portable, that I expect to carry it with me to more places and use it more than any other drone I’ve had. After other disappointments over the years, I admit I was skeptical about this one, but it appears flying camera technology has finally caught up with all the promises. After using it for a few days now, I absolutely love it and highly recommend trying it out.

I’ve owned drones before, and I honestly thought my last one couldn’t be topped. I loved it — until I picked up the **HoverAir X1 Pro Max Combo**. After using it, I can honestly say this one has raised the bar. One of the first things that impressed me was how **simple it is to set up and fly**. There’s no complicated process — just unfold it, power it on, and it’s ready. The **stability and obstacle avoidance** give me confidence when flying, and the **tracking feature** is outstanding. I tested it on a walk, and it followed me the entire time, keeping me in frame without me touching the controls. It felt like having my own cameraman. The **camera quality** is phenomenal. The Pro Max captures crisp, colorful footage at high resolutions, and the photos look professional right out of the drone. As a real estate agent, that’s a huge plus — the **aerial views will be phenomenal for my online listings**, giving buyers a perspective they wouldn’t get otherwise. It’s a real marketing advantage. I also like the flexibility. You *can* use the app to unlock advanced features, previews, and settings, but you don’t always have to. The onboard presets let me launch and record quickly, which is perfect when I just want to capture something fast. The only drawback I experienced had nothing to do with the drone itself but with the **delivery process**. If they use the same company that handled this delivery, and you’re not home, the package usually gets dropped off at an access point — not the same day, but the following night — which means you often don’t get it until **day three**. That’s an inconvenience, especially when you’re eager to try out new gear. ### ✅ Pros * **Easy to set up and fly** * **Reliable tracking** — it followed me step-for-step on a walk * **High-quality video and photos** (up to 8K on the Pro Max) * **Smart shooting modes** make cinematic shots simple * Option to fly **with or without the app** * Combo pack includes **extra batteries and case** * Perfect for **real estate photography and aerial listing views** ### ⚠️ Cons * **Battery life** is limited (extra batteries are a must) * Lightweight design makes it **less stable in strong winds** * **Learning curve** if you want to master every smart mode * Higher price than basic entry-level drones ### Final Thoughts My old drone was one of my favorites, but the **HoverAir X1 Pro Max Combo** has officially taken its place. Between the smooth footage, flawless tracking, and stunning aerial views that will elevate my real estate listings, it’s both fun to use and practical for my work. If the delivery process had been faster, it would have been a perfect experience — but the drone itself is absolutely worth it. The perfect balance of **power, quality, and ease of use**.

I have a couple of different drones, but this one is just a bit different: You really don't need to control it, just give it enough room to follow you around. There are several tracking modes, with options for indoor and outdoor use. The indoor tracking can be a bit complicated due to smaller spaces, door gaps, etc. This drone actually tracked me indoors better than I expected, but it was still a bit challenging. Outdoors is where this thing really shines. In open spaces, it tracked and followed me like a pro. I even tested it tracking me on a kayak. It was a bit terrifying, honestly, because I was hoping I wouldn't lose it to the river. But in was fine - although I had a little challenge at first getting my hand back under it. Yes - handling...you start the drone, lay it on your hand, and after a short countdown, it lifts on its own. When you want to retrieve it, you simply put your hand underneath it. The drone has cameras all around it and it does a fantastic job of identifying you. The output video quality is really good, and it has some level of image stabilization. I'm prepping to using this to record video content for music - I think it's really that good. But note: Yes, it's NOISY! Luckily there's an option to use your phone's audio, which also means using a proper mic. When I'm done, it all folds away and stores neatly in the included case. I wish the battery lasted longer, but the additional batteries helps. There are additional accessories you can buy that give you even more control of the drone, but as a hands-free solution, this one is primo!

I have wanted a drone for years but resisted purchasing one because I was intimidated by the complexity of drone flying. Plus, a drone controller reminds me of a gaming controller and I’m not a console gamer. My few attempts at using a controller were disastrous and I just knew I’d crash a drone instantly. Then I heard of the HOVERAir X1 PROMAX and I had to have one. In fact I’ve rarely been so excited about trying a product, mainly because this one is so incredibly innovative. HOVERAir markets the X1 PROMAX more as a flying camera than a drone and one that largely flies itself. Perfection! I couldn’t crash it because it does all the work! I own several action cams so a flying automated action cam truly excited me. The HOVERAir X1 PROMAX Retail Combo comes with the X1 PROMAX, 3 1920 mah smart batteries, a battery charging hub, a usb c cable, some stickers, and a manual. All packaged nicely in its included carrying case. The size of the X1 was even smaller than I expected. The X1 folds for compact storage and can easily fit in a pocket. Even unfolded for flight, it truly fits in the palm of your hand. Due to its size you’d think it’s toylike but not so. This thing is well made and durable. The propellers are protected within a cage made of HOVERAir’s HEM, their proprietary hyper elastic material, which is super tough. They include a sample of this material in the box. Tug on it, and try and tear or break and you can’t. The X1 body is made of a magnesium alloy. Both of these materials make it incredibly light and strong. Setup of the X1 was simple. Just get the HOVERAir X1 app and connect the X1. You’ll activate it and then there is a firmware update which took about 10 minutes. After that you’re ready to fly. This cannot be simpler. The X1 is preprogrammed with 15 different AI assisted flight modes which provide a ton of anxiety free, flight options including follow, zoom out, follow, orbit, birds eye, spiral, snapshot, dolly track, ski mode, cycle mode, 360 spin, dolly zoom, indoor follow, side track, and manual. You can access these modes on the X1 directly using the small onboard screen and control button to cycle to the mode you desire or you can do this within the X1 app. I used the app. Within the app you can also find a ton of customizations for each mode including altitude, duration, distance, target tracking, camera angle, resolution/framerate, video encoding, etc. But ultimately you just select the mode, customize the shot, hold the X1 in the palm of your hand with the cam facing you, hit the control button, and the X1 executes the selected flight mode flawlessly. Using the app you can also use the live preview function to connect to X1 via wifi so you can see what the X1 sees while in flight. This is awesome feature to get an immediate view of the flight in progress. The X1 tracks you and your position and then returns automatically to you upon completion of the flight. You simply extend your hand and the X1 lands in your palm and powers down the propellers. Amazingly simple and fun! I found myself selecting a flight mode and playing with various customization settings to test each recorded result. This was extremely fun testing these modes and settings. The resulting videos were truly impressive and the X1 will record up to 8K@30fps. There is even a vertical shooting mode for all your social media posts. Onboard storage is 64gb. But the X1 also has a microsd slot with support up to 1tb. While flight modes are AI controlled and automated there is also a manual mode. Here you can use the app on your phone as a controller. The app design makes control quite easy and intuitive. Transmission range using a phone is limited to about 98-1640 feet depending on the environment and obstructions. HOVERAir offers an add on accessory which is a beacon and controller which provides additional range and control options for manual flights. The X1 makes the tripod, the selfie stick, and even a cameraman obsolete with its hover and follow flight modes. I found that the X1 did an amazing job of tracking and following me while hiking and even cycling through some winding terrain with plenty of trees and brush. The X1 did exceptionally well navigating obstacles by sticking to the path that I followed. There are proximity sensors onboard and a rear camera which assists for rear collision detection. While biking the X1 kept up with no trouble with its max follow speed of 26 mph. I love that the Retail Combo pack came with 3 batteries with each battery providing up to 16 minutes of flight time. 16 minutes doesn’t sound that long but I was pleasantly surprised by the large amount of footage I could get on a single battery. To transfer videos I simply connected the drone via usb c to my phone or iPad. Here I easily edited and shared flight footage with family and friends who were impressed by the beauty and quality of these aerial videos. The HOVERAir X1 PROMAX is by far my favorite device in ages and is incredibly fun and easy to use. Highly recommended.

The HoverAir Pro Max is easily the most effortless drone I’ve ever flown. At under 200 grams, it slips into a pocket or small bag and is ready to go at a moment’s notice. Launching it is as simple as holding it up in your palm and pressing a button, and when you’re done, it floats right back into your hand. That kind of portability and convenience means I can bring it on hikes, bike rides, or beach trips without thinking twice—and still come home with smooth 4K footage thanks to its built-in stabilization and automatic shooting modes. What makes the HoverAir so fun is how little effort it takes to capture creative shots. With preprogrammed modes like Follow, Orbit, and Dolly Track, I can set it in the air and let it do the work while I focus on the activity. It feels more like having a personal camera crew than flying a traditional drone. Even obstacle avoidance is smartly designed, letting the HoverAir weave through trees or adapt to uneven terrain so I don’t have to stress about crashing it in the middle of an adventure. That said, when I’m looking for absolute top-tier video quality, I still reach for my DJI Mavic. The Mavic 3 delivers longer flight times, professional color profiles, and higher resolution footage with more dynamic range—perfect for when I want cinematic aerial shots and don’t mind spending time on manual controls. But I can’t ignore that it’s heavier, requires a controller, and takes more setup before getting in the air. Along with the HoverAir Pro Max drone, I also own the Original DJI Mavic 3 and Dji Mini 4K drones. For those keeping score, I also have a DJI Spark which still works and flies often for fun with my kiddos. For me, the HoverAir Pro Max has become the “everyday” drone—the one I bring on outdoor adventures, family outings, or spontaneous moments because it’s so small, easy, and reliable. The DJI Mavic stays my go-to when I’m focused on production quality and creative control. Together, they make a perfect pair: one built for convenience and instant memories, the other for professional-grade storytelling. Ease of Use & Automatic Shooting Modes HOVERAir X1 PRO / PRO MAX is designed around “hands-free” flying: weigh­ing just 192 g and pocket-sized, it promises effortless launch by raising it to eye level and pressing a button, and return by extending your palm for a gentle landing. It offers 15 cinematic flight modes—Follow, Side Track, Orbit, Bird’s Eye, Dolly Track, and more—all activated from the app without manually piloting the drone. DJI Mavic 3, by comparison, also excels in intelligent automation through features like QuickShots (Dronie, Rocket, Circle, Helix, Boomerang, Asteroid), MasterShots, Hyperlapse, Waypoint Flight, and FocusTrack modes such as ActiveTrack 5.0, Spotlight, and Point of Interest 3.0. These let users compose cinematic shots with minimal input, but still involve more manual control around takeoff and landing, typically via controller inputs and GPS-assisted “auto land” commands. Launching & Landing Convenience HOVERAir’s most distinctive advantage here is its physical simplicity: launch and land from the palm of your hand, with one button to launch and a palm extension to land. In contrast, while DJI drones like the Mavic 3 and Mini series are streamlined and compact, they’re still handheld launches only in the sense of carrying and unfolding—the actual takeoff and landing require button control via the controller and app, along with observing the drone’s state. Obstacle Avoidance & Tracking Smarts HOVERAir X1 PRO / PRO MAX features rear proximity sensors with braking systems and (on the PRO MAX) an extra visual sensor, plus ShadowTrack technology for navigating tight spaces like woods, alleys, and indoors. It also includes OmniTerrain sensing to handle changing surfaces like slopes and beaches, and Level 5 wind resistance. Meanwhile, the DJI Mavic 3 brings 360° omnidirectional obstacle sensing, combining six fisheye sensors and two wide-angle sensors, alongside APAS 5.0 for real-time avoidance even in Normal flight mode. Combined with powerful subject tracking via FocusTrack and incoming ActiveTrack 5, DJI offers an exceptionally intelligent, safety-focused system—particularly in open-air, cinematic drone usage. Verdict Summary Simplicity & portability: HoverAir wins for launch/landing ease and lightweight, tucked-away design. Automated cinematic control: Both are strong, but DJI offers more mature, widely tested modes like QuickShots and MasterShots. Obstacle avoidance: DJI provides a more comprehensive, proven 360° avoidance system. HoverAir still offers impressive tech in a compact frame, but it may be better for controlled environments or specific activities. Use-case alignment: HOVERAir is ideal if you want ultra-simple, hands-free videography—think adventure runs, skiing, biking—while DJI remains the top pick for general aerial video pros looking for full automation plus advanced obstacle safety. I was super impressed with the way the Hoverair drone followed a subject both inside and outside regardless of the terrain or challenging obstacles. It really works!