World's First Self-Flying 8K Pocket Drone

As a solo creator, capturing footage of yourself can be a challenge. But what if I told you there's a self-flying drone that can make it easy? This is the Hover Air X1 Pro Max, and with just the press of a button, you can capture stunning AK aerial shots. [Music] So, in this video, folks, I'll walk you through my experience with the Hover Air X1 Pro Max, showing you what it's capable of, so you can decide if this is the perfect drone for your creative projects. Also, a big thanks to 00 Robotics for sponsoring this video. So, Hover offers several bundles, and I got the skiing combo. Let me just quickly show you with what the Hover Air X1 Pro Max is equipped with. So, at the front you've got a camera that is sitting on a twoaxis gimbal. On top there is a power and select button along with a display screen, a USBC charging port to the side, a micro SD card slot. It features four propellers which are protected by propeller guards along with a bottom sensor and rear obstacle sensor. What I love about the Hover Air X1 Pro Max is how incredibly compact and easy it is to carry around. Its foldable wings snap into place with magnets, and when folded, it's about the size of my palm. At just 192 g, it's under the 250 g limit, which means I can fly it in many places where I don't necessarily need a drone license. Though, be sure to always check your local drone rules. Now, despite being so lightweight, it's surprisingly sturdy. The propeller guards protect the drone from minor bumps, and I did bump it a few times, but it still flies perfectly, and also it makes it safer to fly around people. The Hover Air X1 Pro Max is really super easy to use. It launches and lands right from your palm. No control needed. Just unfold the wings and press the button for 1 second to take off. It will then start recording automatically. And when you're done, hold your palm beneath the drone and it will land gently. Now, a total game changer is the built-in display that allows me to see the current flight mode, battery life, altitude, and distance. And what makes this drone even better is that I can tweak the flight settings directly without needing the app. I can use the side buttons over here to switch presets, adjust distance, or change altitude. Now, if you're looking for more customization options, you can definitely use the Hover X1 app to enhance your flight experience. Now, inside the app, there are tons of advanced customization features, but diving into all of them would make this video way too long, so I want to really focus on the fundamental features that truly make this drone amazing. Now, one important thing to remember is before takeoff, make sure to wait for the omni terrain icon to activate. It takes around 30 seconds. Once it turns solid, you're all set to fly over water, snow, uneven surfaces, as well as large height differences. The Hover Air RX1 Pro Max has various built-in flight modes that are perfect for capturing unique shots of yourself. And these include hover, zoom out, orbit, follow, sidetrack, bird's eyee, dolly track, and manual mode. Hover mode locks a drone in place to track your movement. Zoom out pulls back to capture your environment while still keeping you in the frame. Orbit mode circles around you, but be careful in this mode as it doesn't have side sensors. So, make sure to use it in an open, clear area. Then, we have follow mode, which tracks you from behind and can go up to speeds of 42 km per hour. Perfect for walking, running, biking, or even rollerblading. Then, we've got sidetrack. Like the name suggests, it captures the subject from the side. Then there's bird's eye, which captures a top- down shot of you, but you can also change the camera angle instead of downfacing front-facing to create a reveal shot. Then there's dolly track, in which the drone captures you from the front, giving you gimbalike shots. Then there's manual mode, giving you full control via the app's virtual joystick. Hover also includes a range of other unique modes, such as ski, cycling, dolly zoom, and so on, depending on the type of scenario you're filming. Now, I've been seriously impressed with the video results. They were incredibly smooth even in windy conditions, all thanks to the twoaxis gimbal and electronic image stabilization. The Hover Air X1 Pro Max comes with 64 GB of built-in storage, perfect if you forgot your SD card at home. However, you can expand it up to 1 TB with a micro SD card. Because shooting in 8K does take up a lot of space, 1 minute is about 2 GB. Most of the time I prefer shooting in 4K anyways since the image quality still looks great. As I mentioned earlier, it can shoot up to 8K at 30 frames per second. It is equipped with a 1 over 1.3 in SIMO sensor and a 16 mm wide-angle lens providing a wide field of view that is perfect for aerial shots and performs great also in low light. It also handles a 4K HDR and HLG 10 bit color up to 60 frames per second and also stunning 4K at 120 frames per second for ultra slow motion. Now, you can also shoot vertically which records up to 4K at 30 frames per second. Great for social media. Now, all of the footage you've seen so far was shot using the manual camera settings using the Hover AirX1 app, which to me is the biggest advantage of getting this drone. And here's the best part. It works with both manual mode and automated flight presets. You can easily adjust and lock settings like ISO, shutter speed, and white balance to prevent exposure or color shifts, giving your videos a more professional look. Because sometimes auto mode can overexpose your footage, especially in the skies, making it look less appealing. Now, when using the smart preview to adjust the camera settings for automated flight modes, I usually film in 4K at 25 frames per second in HDR for 10 bit color. I set the shutter speed to 1 over 50 for a smooth cinematic motion blur and use Hover's ND filter to balance the exposure. And once everything's set, I launch the flight mode with these settings locked in. The Hover Air X1 Pro Max offers some incredible control options that make it super versatile and fun to use. Now, my absolute favorite is, of course, the self-flying mode. It's perfect for effortlessly capturing cinematic shots of myself. Now, when it comes to getting more creative shots, I love using manual mode. With the Hover X1 app, I get a live preview and oncreen joystick, which is fantastic for pulling off precise moves like smooth flybys or custom reveals. And I get about 500 m of range with a smartphone, which worked really well for the usual shots I create. When I need to take things up a notch, like flying higher or generally need more precise control, I switch to the beacon and joystick. It not only extends the range of up to 1 kilometers, but also provides great accuracy for those moments when I want to use the drone like a traditional one. And this setup works flawlessly for me, allowing me to capture everything from those standard shots to more dynamic ones while still having all the controls I need. Now, in terms of battery, the Hover Air X1 Pro Max offers up to 16 minutes of fly time. Though in my experience, I get around 12 to 14 minutes depending on factors like weather and speed. For casual clips, two batteries are usually enough, but if I'm filming all day, for example, I usually bring at least four. So, who is this drone really for? I personally had a lot of fun using it, and it's definitely earned a spot in my film making kit. I absolutely love compact gear that makes life easier as a solo creator. It's so much easier to get this drone in the air for capturing establishing shots or even just shots of myself. I think this drone is perfect for content creators and outdoor enthusiasts who want high quality hands-free aerial shots without the hassle of flying a traditional drone. I also think this drone offers a great balance between hobbyists and professionals. You don't need much experience to use it, but it also provides advanced features like manual camera settings to help you achieve a more professional look in your videos. Now, let me know what you think about the Hover Air X1 Pro Max in the comments. I'd love to hear your thoughts and which features matters most to you. Now, if you're interested in the original Hover Air X1, I also made a video about that which you can check out right here. Other than that, thank you so much for watching. Hope you enjoyed this video. Take care and see you in the next one. [Music]