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HoverAir X1 Pro Max Drone: Raw Travel Footage and Real Test
I took the pocket sized HoverAir X1 Pro Max drone on a trip through Europe and show you nearly 15 minutes of raw, unedited footage straight off the drone.
What’s in this video
This is my new favorite drone for travel. I used the HoverAir X1 Pro Max for about a month, mostly on a trip through Scotland, Ireland and England, and this video is close to 15 minutes of raw footage straight out of the drone. The company sent it to me, but I’ve owned DJI Mavic drones and my buddy on the trip flies DJI too, and we were both impressed.
It fits in your pocket and has full prop guards. That matters. We flew it through dense woods in follow me mode and it clipped branches more than once, but nothing got sucked into the props and it stayed in the air. Obstacle avoidance is in the tail, so when it’s flying sideways on a dolly track shot it can still bump things. Because it’s so light, it recovers fast instead of dropping out of the sky. One gust did knock it down at a beach and the battery popped out. The drone was fine.
It was windy almost every day and the footage still came out smooth, no jello, no cheap drone look. I’m not a drone pro, but I flew it down a castle tower column and it followed me down the stairs into a dark dungeon tunnel and handled the lighting well. You can fly it with no remote using smart modes and land it in your palm, or use the beacon and joystick remote kit for more technical shots. It was $699 for just the drone at the time of the video.
Key moments
- 0:00 Why this is the best drone
- 1:08 Drone control and footage
- 2:36 Wind resistance and durability
- 4:26 Challenging cinematic shots
- 6:21 Testing with a drone pro
- 9:39 Autonomous follow me mode
- 12:35 Smart modes and summary
Quick takeaways
- Full prop guards let it brush branches and keep flying, which is a big deal for follow me shots in the woods.
- Obstacle avoidance is in the tail only, so sideways tracking shots can still hit trees.
- It handled steady wind in the UK fine, but updrafts and spotty reception around stone buildings made it unsteady.
- You can fly it with no remote in smart modes and add the beacon remote kit later if you want manual control.
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