What do you get if you cross a DJI Pocket 4 with a DJI NEO drone?
You get something that Hoverair call the HOVERAir X1.
Of course they haven’t actually used DJI kit to make this “flying camera”, but the camera p[art does look a lot like the Pocket 4 and the detachable drone section does look a bit like a NEO.
It’s about the size of a NEO too looking at the photos, as I haven’t actually seen a unit as yet (although I have asked for a review model).
From what I can see, it has built in AI tracking, shoots 2.7K AT 30FPS and 12Mp photos and uses what Hoverair call Dynamic Image Stabilisation. I am not sure if that is electronic or optical though. It also shoots vertical footage at 1080p. The lens operates on a single axis gimbal with a 90° field of view.
The whole thing folds up and can easily be slipped into a pocket or backpack.
Like the NEO, it can operate without any controller or smartphone, and from the promo stuff, it appears that it has been mainly designed for a “follow me” type of action, even able to honk along at 25kph to keep up with say, bike riders or sprinters even.
There is an optional controller available however, that can be wrist mounted, as well as optional joysticks.
There are 10 automatic flight modes similar to those offered in DJI drones like Zoom Out, Orbit, Dolly Track and Snapshot.
The whole unit is fully enclosed in a protective frame making it relatively safe to fly around people – but be aware of the CAS rules on that score I’d suggest. And you are well under the 250g weight at only 125g with battery.
Each battery gives you 11.5 minutes of flight time, enough for 20 intelligent shots. When it’s time to recharge, the charging hub powers two batteries. The HOVERAir has 32GB of onboard memory so no SD card is needed.
I’ll know more if the company deems to send me a unit of course, but if this has whetted your appetite, there is more info at www.hoverair.com.
It’s not exactly inexpensive though at USD$399 for the combo kit. That I assume will be plus freight. There is also a Pro version with the eye watering price of AUD$1139, and I’ll check to see what the differences are as I would hope they’d be substantial with such a variation in pricing.
You can order it either in white or black by the way.