Drones have looked the same for some time, but things changed with the arrival of the HoverAir X1. Even the market leader, DJI, sat up and paid some attention (in the form of the DJI Neo). Now Zero Zero robotics are back with premium offerings – a Pro and ProMax, the latter boasting 8K video – and they go on general sale today.
8K video is a strong start – most of the best camera drones don't push past 4K resolution without pushing the price over $1000 (US) – but it's not the only spec that shines from the X1 ProMax spec sheet. The ability to capture at 4K 120 FPS – slow-motion brilliance – or 4K 60fps in 10-bit HLG is also attention-grabbing.
Compared to the predecessor, the jump up to 16 minutes of battery life (while still keeping at a stunningly portable 192.5g) is massive. That despite the arrival of a display on the drone to explain more clearly what settings are selected (though the voice feedback is still there).
The drone has also gained additional sensors – vision-based – to minimise the chance of crashes, all putting it in a much higher-end space than before, competing with DJI on all major fronts.
But, you might be thinking, "It's just a 'follow-me' drone – I can't control it for more precise shots." Not so, because – like Skydio (who once did a lot of marketing around the 'follow me' concept before abandoning consumers) there is the option of a controller – and a very unusual one.
Not, though, the inelegant mess of buy-in parts that the Skydio 2+ came with if you opted for all the controllers (they had the same controller as some Parrot drones and a beacon in different plastic entirely). Zero Zero has created a remote controller / beacon with built-in 1.78-inch OLED touchscreen you can assemble to control the drone like any other premium drone OR partially disassemble and use as a personal beacon.
That is a lot of choice – the fact you can the the built-in screen or a a phone screen with the same system, rather than upgrade for a fully new remote is very interesting. As is the option for a wand (all separate remote options in the DJI universe), which really bolsters the portability.
It sounds complicated, but, in essence, it can be re-built like Lego from one, two, or three pieces to suit a number of purposes (as explained in a tutorial post from the company shown here). There is full 'old-school' remote and phone holder to a handle-bar mounted mini display. The quoted range is 1KM – not quite up with DJI's yet, but more than the legal limit so, if it lives up to that, it should be enough!
I've been lucky enough to be testing an early version of the drone, and I'll be sharing my thoughts in detail soon (spoiler: DJI do need to be very worried indeed).
If you want to get your hands on the drone, until now you had to back it at IndieGoGo – though the campaign was the first ever on the site to be guaranteed. Now the company is offering it for sale via their own retail page direct to customers (the Australian page showed prices in US dollars):
🇺🇸 HoverAir Pro $499 | HoverAir ProMax from $699
🇬🇧 HoverAir Pro £459 | HoverAir ProMax from £639
