Many major manufacturers want to build a drone that weighs very little, fits into a small bag, and captures high-quality photos. The Skyrover X1 bundle is a new entry into this space. It aims at casual weekend flyers and photography hobbyists who want an alternative to the dominant brands. Rather than being a true rival, it currently appears to be an attempt to capitalize on the established reputation of DJI. At first glance, the likeness with the DJI Mini series is obvious to those familiar.
As a remote sensing specialist, I spend most of my working hours dealing with large, heavy mapping drones. When I fly for personal hobbies or vacation photography, I want something that does not require a trailer to move. The Skyrover X1 promises a complete flight package that fits inside a single carrying case.
It starts at $500, which is about $150 less than the DJI Mini 4 ($649 starting price), which is a fairly comparable DJI model, as they both have the 1/1.3-inch sensor. Do note that the Mini 4 is 1 generation behind the current latest DJI Mini 5 pro model, though the 5 has a larger 1” camera sensor.
Quick specs
- Weight: Exceptionally light (sub-250 grams)
- Camera: 12MP or 48MP photos, 4K video, upward-tilting gimbal
- Flight time: Reported up to 35 minutes of flight time, but closer to 30 minutes in my testing in higher altitude Utah.
- Bundle Features: Three batteries, charging hub, remote controller, and carrying case
Unboxing and first physical impressions
When you open the retail box, the first thing you notice is the carrying case. It is compact, making it a compelling option for travelers. Inside, Skyrover packs the aircraft, the remote controller, three flight batteries, a three-bay charging hub, backup propellers, and the required connection cables.
The physical size of the drone — about the size of the palm of your hand — is surprising. If you are used to older consumer models, seeing how small and light this platform is will cause a bit of a shock — but happily make it easy to slide into a backpack for a day hike.
The drone, controller, and carrying case
However, upon opening the drone I noticed a visible gap in the housing directly underneath one of the obstacle avoidance cameras. The two pieces of plastic shell do not meet flush.
This build quality issue becomes more apparent upon sliding the battery out. I peered inside the empty battery compartment and could see the green motherboard and the central processing system, which I felt like was a miss. Typically I’d expect a protective wall or seal separating the battery bay from the core electronics.
This design introduces risks, particularly for people who do not fly in perfect weather conditions:
- Dust and sand: Fine particles can enter the shell and settle directly on the circuits. I spend a lot of time in the desert and I would be very careful using this drone where propeller wash could kick up fine sand particles that will eventually need to be cleaned out of the rotors and electronics.
- Beach and coastal flying: Salt air and sea spray can enter the housing and cause rapid corrosion.
- Moisture: Even a light mist could settle on the exposed motherboard.
To be clear, when the battery is installed these sensitive innards are covered, but it doesn’t seem like a big stretch that dust, salt, or debris would have easy access to the electronics with normal use. If you purchase this drone, plan to fly it only in clean, dry environments. Cleaning debris out of that interior would not be fun (and perhaps impossible).
The inverted gimbal and light batteries
The camera sits on a unique mechanical gimbal. Most drone manufacturers place the stabilization hardware above or behind the camera module. Skyrover puts the gimbal below the camera.
This inverted design allows the camera to tilt upward at a steep angle, up to 60 degrees pitch. It does not look straight up, but it gives a much higher view than most competing drones. This feature is great for hobbyists who want to capture dramatic angles of tall trees, mountains, or buildings from below.
Here is the drone with the camera showing off the 60 degree tilt that is allowed by the gimbal location and shape of the airframe.
The batteries themselves are surprisingly light. When you pick one up, it feels like an empty plastic toy. Each battery is rated at 2560 mAh and 18.7 Wh and will realistically give you about 20 minutes of flight time. This rating is low enough that you can pack all three into your carry-on luggage for commercial flights without violating aviation safety rules in most countries.
The bundle comes with a plastic charging hub that holds all three cells. They click into place with a physical latch. To charge them, you connect the hub to a wall outlet using the provided USB-C cable. There are no status lights on the batteries, but it’s easy enough to click them into either the charging port or the drone itself to get a readout from 4 led lights.
The remote controller: Design and controls
The remote controller’s design feels familiar to anyone who has flown a modern drone. The top section of the controller pulls upward, acting as a spring-loaded clamp to hold your smartphone, which serves as your live flight screen. Short cables connect the controller body directly to your phone.
The clamp fits standard smartphones well, but it cannot hold any size tablet (sorry iPad folks!). If you prefer a larger screen, you must purchase a third-party adapter.
While my version didn’t come with a screen in a controller, there are some versions you can buy with this configuration.
The physical controls are simple but functional. The two main joysticks feel stiff, providing high resistance when you push them. The controller also includes:
- A wheel to tilt the camera gimbal
- A dedicated button to snap photos or start video recording
- A Return-to-Home button
- A customizable Function button
- A slider switch to select flight modes: Cinematic (slow), Normal, or Sport (fast)
- A power button with four small LED lights to display the controller battery level
The controller feels lighter and slightly less polished than a premium controller, but it performs the same core tasks.
App setup — and the best flight tutorial I’ve seen
Before your first flight, you must connect your phone to the system. I used an Android phone for my testing. You scan a QR code printed on the packaging to download the installation file for the app.
Firmware updates
Once the app is running and the drone is turned on, the software prompts you for a firmware update. The process took about ten minutes and completed without any errors. One thing to note: the drone and the controller both emit a loud, harsh buzz when they boot up, enough to make you jump! It is not a pleasant sound, but it lets you know the hardware is active.
The guided flight tutorial
The software’s best feature is its initialization tutorial. When you open the app for the first time, you’re forced to complete a visual guide that explains where to look for critical information like battery life, satellite connections, and speed.
After the screen tour, the app begins a mandatory in-flight tutorial. The drone takes off, hovers, and then instructs you to perform basic movements:
- Ascend and descend
- Yaw left and right
- Pitch forward and backward
- Roll side to side
- Perform a controlled landing
As I ran through the tutorial, I was reminded of video game tutorials back in the day when controllers needed to be calibrated before playing a level (see: the 90’s and early 2000’s). I appreciated the thought that went into this, as it’s a smart piece of software design that gives new pilots immediate confidence before they fly on their own.
Flight performance
In the air, the Skyrover X1 flies exactly like you expect a modern drone to fly. It responds predictably to the control sticks, and the user interface matches standard industry layouts.
Satellite Lock and Eco Mode
The GPS performance is excellent. During my outdoor tests, the drone locked onto twenty satellites almost immediately. This rapid connection ensures that the automated Home Point updates before you leave the ground.
Skyrover also included a clever feature called Eco Mode. If the drone is sitting on the grass while you mess with settings on your phone, the aircraft automatically drops into a low-power state. This stops the drone from wasting battery life before it even spins up the propellers.
The rear sensor problem
While the flight performance is stable, the Vision Positioning System had an annoying glitch in my review flights. During my flights at altitudes between 100 and 200 feet, the controller constantly beeped to warn me of an object behind the drone.
There were no trees, buildings, or birds nearby. The rear sensor was detecting either the drone’s own spinning propellers or the glare of the sun, I’m not quite sure. This ghost obstacle warning triggered during roughly half of my first flight. The constant beeping on the remote and flashing warnings on the screen quickly become obnoxious. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t find a fix for this glitch, which persisted intermittently across my first session, though the problem didn’t come up in my flights afterwards. My guess is the sun wasn’t hitting the sensors in a way that caused any issues on my subsequent flights.
Another missing software feature is airspace awareness. The built-in map does not show flight restrictions or restricted zones, which is an otherwise helpful feature found in other drones of this same price point. If you’re a safe pilot (and you are if you’re reading this site!), you must check other sources to ensure you are flying legally. In the U.S., that would be one of the B4UFly approved service providers.
Camera quality
This is an area where the drone really shines. The video feed is sharp, the pictures I took were beautiful. I liked how the camera took my input for exposure and I felt that the contrast and brightness looked really well balanced. I created a few panoramas and they turned out excellent. I have no complaints on the data this drone produces. The system uses a sensor that allows you to shoot at either 12 megapixels or 48 megapixels. For standard casual snapshots, the 12-megapixel setting keeps file sizes small, but 48 megapixels would be ideal if to capture maximum detail in prints you’ll blow up large.
The live video feed sent back to the smartphone screen is sharp and clear, with a fast frame rate and minimal delay. The app features a 1x, 2x, and 3x zoom tool. Keep in mind that this is a digital zoom, not an optical zoom. When you crop in to 3x, the image quality degrades noticeably.
Here’s that zoom in action, where the drone is in the same place but you see the same shot from 3 different zooms.
A picture for 1x, 2x, and 3x digital zoom on nearby snowcaps. The zoom is probably just fine for instagram posts, but the quality degradation will show on larger screens or printed out photos.
The software includes a Pro Mode that unlocks full manual exposure control. You can adjust the ISO, change the shutter speed, and tweak the aperture. You can also save images in standard JPEG, uncompressed RAW, or both formats at the same time. Having access to RAW files is a huge benefit if you enjoy editing your photos in software like Lightroom to pull out shadow details.
Skyrover X1: is it worth it?
The Skyrover X1 bundle offers a lot of features for a compact, lightweight system. The camera quality is excellent for the $500 price, the upward-tilting gimbal is a great creative tool, and the built-in flight tutorial is perfect for beginners. To be clear, this drone feels like a clear reproduction of the popular DJI mini series, which leads me to question: What is this drone offering that DJI isn’t? The answer? Not really anything. It does have a lower price point than the Mini 4, but there are some glaring flaws I was able to spot.
The drone has clear limitations. My model had a gap in the plastic shell, the exposed motherboard inside the housing means you cannot fly it near sand, dust, or moisture without risking damage, and the lack of airspace data on the map means you must do extra prep work before you take off. All that being said, I am very happy with the quality of photos and videos that were produced, they are right up there with similar DJI drones I have flown.
If you want a highly portable camera drone for casual weekend use, and you plan to fly only on clear, sunny days in clean areas, the Skyrover X1 can meet those needs. If you need something rugged that can handle beach trips or windy, dusty environments, there are better options on the market. As for myself, if I’m going to invest the money, I would take a hard look at whether the X1 would fit my needs, but I’m more likely to go with the DJI Mini series that has a proven track record.
The post Skyrover X1 Review: looks like a DJI alternative, but it’s not appeared first on The Drone Girl.