If you're familiar with the ever-expanding world of aerial photography and camera drones, you'll be familiar with DJI.
It's the undisputed king of drones, producing high-quality ones catering to all budgets. The DJI Air 3S remains my favorite — I don't go anywhere without it. But I recently tested two drones that made me wish DJI had this one accessory.
I'm talking about the HoverAir X1 Pro and X1 ProMax. These are selfie drones, like the DJI Neo, so they can't exactly take to dizzying heights like others can. They're meant to be flown in close proximity.
But that doesn't mean you can't fly them at high altitudes — as long as you have the HoverAir Beacon and JoyStick.
The Beacon and JoyStick are very interesting accessories, and unlike anything I've seen from DJI, Potensic, Extreme Fliers, and others.
They're extremely versatile and easy to use, and they take your flying experience to the next level. How, you ask? Let me show you...
One, two, three
When I first took the HoverAir Beacon and JoyStick out of their boxes, I was confused yet intrigued. I'm more accustomed to whipping out the DJI RC-2 or RC-N3 controllers and taking to the skies instantly. How do you use these? How do you set them up?
When I first took the HoverAir Beacon and JoyStick out of their boxes, I was confused yet intrigued. How do you use these? How do you set them up? These were questions I asked myself.
These were questions I asked myself — but it was fairly easy and quick to get started with them. A flick through the manual and a few minutes of Googling led me to understanding what these were for.
The Beacon is a rectangular device with a small 1.78-inch OLED touchscreen that serves as — you guessed it — a beacon to improve the X1 Pro and X1 ProMax’s subject tracking.
You can also clip it onto your bike’s handlebar and the drones will accurately follow you. You can quickly swap between flight modes while cycling, negating the need to grab the drones to change the settings via their buttons.
Or you can use them while skiing.
Oh, and the Beacon doubles as a microphone too which records clear audio while (sort of) suppressing the drone's sounds, as you can see above.
The Beacon and JoyStick's prowess lies in their versatility when they're used together.
Clipping the Beacon onto the right JoyStick allows you to fly the drones with one hand. If you want a two-handed controller, simply clip on the left JoyStick and pop in the control sticks included in the box.
All that's left to do is insert your smartphone, without its case, into the holder and connect it via the included USB-C or lightning cable. Neat, right?
Using the Beacon bumps up the transmission range to 0.62 miles (1km) as opposed to 500m when flying hands-free.
This or that?
Using the Beacon and JoyStick makes flying the HoverAir X1 Pro and X1 ProMax much easier. The joysticks are highly responsive and comfortable to use for long periods of time, and I really like that you can use either one or both hands.
The drones themselves are straightforward to use and boast fantastic video specs, like 8K and 4K video, electronic image stabilization and more, which you can find out all about in my full review (and marvel at some of the intelligent flight modes).
So if I had to pick one, would I choose the DJI RC-2 touchscreen controller, the DJI RC-N3 smartphone mount controller, or the HoverAir Beacon and JoyStick? That question doesn't have a straightforward answer.
I love using the RC-2 to fly my DJI Air 3S because the touchscreen is very bright and detailed, and the RC-N3 for the DJI Neo gives you lots of control over a tiny drone. But I've also loved testing the Beacon and JoyStick because of their versatile capabilities.
It also isn't a case of, "One is better than the others." All three serve different purposes to control different types of drones.
It also isn't a case of, "One is better than the others." All three serve different purposes to control different types of drones. But if there is one thing I do know is that I wish such an accessory was available for all other drones too.
Being able to clip a controller to your bike or your jacket while you ski can be a game-changer as you can change settings on the fly — while being mindful of your safety and surroundings, of course.
If you buy an X1 Pro or X1 ProMax, you wouldn't want to miss out on the Beacon and JoyStick — they're revolutionary accessories.
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