I love the HoverAir X1 because it delivered on a promise drones made for a while. It wasn't quite, the first drone to do so – but the previous one cost closer to £3000 and was wholly impractical. The HoverAir is safe, pops into the pocket, dead easy to use, and changed the way I think about drones (which, as a long time drone expert, doesn't happen a lot, trust me).
Anyway, the reason I bring all that up now is that HoverAir have a sale on for Black Friday Cyber Monday (who doesn't?) and they very clearly say that the last day is today. The HoverAir X1 has dropped below £300 for the first time but there are hours, not days left:
Actually, it didn't just change the way I think about drones – it also seems to have made DJI change the way they think about drones – hence the DJI Neo – but in many regards DJI is actually playing catch up to the HoverAir design. (In others, of course, they have their own tech to bring to the table.)
What does help the HoverAir X1 is that it has original software designed for its purpose, HoverAir aren't re-purposing a remote-control tradition, but delivering the idea that perhaps the best action camera is actually one that can follow you along as you cycle/skateboard/run/just enjoy yourself, and grab some quick clips whcih make for great inclusions in TikTok/YouTube/Insta Shorts and the like.
In that sense, this is a 'drone for the rest of us' – things are recorded to the drone and transferred wirelessly. It charges from a USB-C socket (like, in all probability, your phone these days), and – most impressively of all it takes off from and lands from your hand – successfully – without posing any risk because the propellors are neatly hidden in cages.
All that and it doesn't push at the edge of any weight limits – it weighs less than a GoPro Hero 13 Black. All adding up to reasons that my family like this a lot more than most of the drones I test!
Check our other guides for the best beginners drone and best kids drones.
