DJI Neo vs HoverAir X1
Both are under the 250-gram line, so the legal position is identical and the decision comes down to the rows tinted below — the specs where these two actually differ. The DJI Neo is the cheaper of the two at ~$289.
| Drone | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bundle price | ~$289multi-battery bundle | ~$429multi-battery bundle |
| True first-year price | ~$318 | ~$429 |
| Flight min per $100 | 6.2 | 2.6 |
| Rating | No cited rating | No cited rating |
| Takeoff weight | 135 g | 125 g |
| FAA registration | Not required | Not required |
| Remote ID | None | None |
| Sensor size | 1/2" | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor area | 30.7 mm² | 28.1 mm² |
| Megapixels | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Max video | 4K/30fps | 2.7K/30fps HDR |
| Colour depth | 8-bit | 8-bit |
| Log profile | — | — |
| Gimbal | 1-axis | None |
| Obstacle sensing | None | None |
| Claimed flight time | 18 min | 11 min |
| Tested flight time | — | — |
| Battery | 10.5 Wh | — |
| Transmission | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi |
| Max range | 50 m | 100 m |
| Max speed | 36 mph | — |
| Wind resistance | Level 4 (8 m/s) | Not published |
| Service ceiling | 2000 m | — |
| Internal storage | 22 GB | 32 GB |
| Controller | None in the base kit — palm launch and phone app; RC-N3 or motion controller sold separately | None — palm launch and phone app; Beacon remote sold separately |
| Return to home | Yes | No |
| Geofencing | Yes | No |
| Care plan (1 yr) | ~$29 | Not in our snapshot |
| US availability | Sold | Sold |
| Released | 2024 | 2023 |
| Flight claim measured at | DJI's 18 minutes is measured "flying forward at a constant speed of 2 m/s" in windless conditions at sea level — walking pace. Hovering to film a subject, or any breeze at all, spends the 10.5 Wh pack faster. | HoverAir quotes roughly 11 minutes per battery. There is no published test condition for the figure, and tracking a moving subject spends it faster than the hover it implies. |
DJI Neo
At 135 grams with the propellers already caged, this is the drone you hand to someone who has never flown one. It launches off a palm, picks a preset move — orbit, follow, dronie — flies it, and lands back on the hand, with no controller and no app interaction required. A single-axis gimbal and electronic stabilisation keep 4K/30 usably steady, and 22 GB of internal storage means there is no card to forget. The trade is total: there is no obstacle sensing, the Wi-Fi link is good for about 50 metres without the optional controller, and the 18-minute claim is measured crawling forward at 2 m/s. Think of it as a hovering camera with eight fixed moves, not a camera drone you compose with.
Full spec sheet →HoverAir X1
Zerotech's original palm-sized flying camera did one thing and did it before anyone else: you hold it out flat, press a button, and it lifts off, films a preset move around you, and lands back on your hand. No controller, no sticks, no app to fight with. Electronic stabilisation rather than a gimbal holds 2.7K/30 HDR steady enough for social video, and a 1/2.3-inch sensor keeps it honest about what that footage is. What it lacks is everything a camera drone has — no GPS, no return-to-home, no obstacle sensing, and a Wi-Fi link measured in tens of metres. That is not a flaw so much as the category: this is a camera that hovers, aimed at people who want to be in the shot rather than behind it, and at 125 grams it never needs registering.
Full spec sheet →