Whether you’re sightseeing or taking group selfies, the HoverAir X1 offers a fun, hands-free way to capture your summer vacation. And right now, it’s available for around $268.99 ($80 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo, which is the best price we’ve seen on the selfie drone.
Though fairly basic with a max resolution of 2.7K at 30fps, the HoverAir X1 excels at the essentials. The pocket-sized drone is quick and easy to set up – in under 20 seconds, my colleague Thomas Ricker was able to unfold it, power it on, and choose from six preset flight paths: hover, follow, orbit, zoom out, bird’s eye, and a customizable mode – before capturing hands-free footage. It also comes with a companion app that lets you adjust distance, altitude, and other settings for each preset.
To keep costs down, Zero Zero Robotics omitted some features that pricier drones from rivals like DJI offer, such as obstacle avoidance sensors and a physical controller. The HoverAir X1 also struggles in windy conditions and can’t keep up with faster activities like road biking. It lacks GPS too – though the company included a VIO (Visual Inertial Odometry) system to compensate, which works well enough. Still, it does a great job covering everything most users need from a drone, making it a solid choice if you’re looking for a budget-friendly, quick, and easy-to-use option.
