SkyRover X1 Exposed: DJI’s Shocking Disguise to Beat US Bans?

Brace yourselves, pilots: The SkyRover X1 mini drone just dropped, looking suspiciously DJI-familiar. Your top queries, answered with zero fluff.

Good day, folks. Shawn here from Air Photography. So, this is going to be a question-and-answer style video for the new SkyRover X1 mini drone. This was launched earlier this week, and there’s been a lot of buzz about it because it looks very similar to other drones that we have seen in the past. We’re going to address that here coming up in a minute. Now, if you haven’t watched it, I will include a link to my original kind of a first-look review of it down in the description of this video so you can go and check that out. Now, there’s a lot of interest in this drone, and you can tell by the comments on that video.

Probably one of the most commented-on videos I’ve made. Maybe not altogether, but in a short period of time. I think in the first 24 hours there were over 500 comments and a lot of varying opinions. Some of the comments had a lot of anger in them. Some were kind of curious, some were quite pleased. So, just a lot of really interesting feedback.

Now, a very common question that I was asked is why did I not make reference to the DJI Mini 4 Pro in that video? And the reason is very simple. It’s because I agreed not to. I was actually sent this by a third party, not by SkyRover directly. I haven’t actually had any contact with SkyRover. And one of the stipulations they had when they contacted me was not to make reference to other drones. And I kind of get why they didn’t want that. They probably didn’t want the whole video just focusing on comparing it to another drone. That’s really the reason why I don’t do sponsored videos on this channel. I’ve done a handful of sponsored videos over the years, probably about five or six in the last 10 years. I don’t do sponsored videos for the most part just because I don’t like being told what to say or what I can’t say. I just want my videos to be natural, just be able to talk about what I want to talk about.

But with the SkyRover, that was the only stipulation they really had, and I thought, you know, it’s a drone I’m really curious about. So, I agreed to that. For the most part, it’s okay because it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what it is. You don’t need me telling you it’s very similar to a DJI Mini 4 Pro. That’s something you would have been able to figure out on your own. But with all that said, let’s get into some of the questions because there are some really interesting questions.

SkyRover X1 Batteries and Compatibility with DJI Mini 4 Pro

And the first being is the batteries. Here you can see we have the SkyRover battery and DJI Mini 4 Pro battery. Although they are very similar, there are some very distinct differences, and unfortunately these DJI Mini 4 batteries will not lock in. So they cannot be used.

Another question I’ve had is if one of the DJI remotes, something like the RC2, will be able to connect to the SkyRover. And the answer is no. These are not compatible. You won’t be able to use your DJI RCs with the SkyRover.

Physical Differences

Now, if we just do a quick comparison here, as you can see, they are very similar, but there are some very subtle differences. Just the shaping on the body here is a little bit different. The SkyRover is more rounded, whereas the Mini 4 Pro more has harder lines. The power button there is a little bit different. These vents are a little bit different.

There are some other subtle differences, including the camera. The camera on the DJI Mini 4 Pro has a removable cover which allows you to attach ND filters. With the SkyRover, it is not removable. So, as of right now, there’s no real way to attach ND filters.

That’s not to say a company like Freewell won’t come up with some kind of design that could clip over the top, which they have done in the past for various drones. But other than that, you know, the gimbal mechanism and the overall styling is very similar. If we take a look at the bottom here, you can see again some slight differences with the venting, and there’s no LED light on the Skyrover.

SkyRover X1 Propellers

Now, these are the spare props for the SkyRover. That was another question I was asked is whether they can be used or the Mini 4 Pro ones can be used on the SkyRover. And as far as I can tell, the props are identical. If we lay one over top of the Mini 4 Pro, it is pretty well identical. I wouldn’t say there’s any difference there. The shape and the pitch of them are pretty close. So, I would have to say that yes, indeed. I haven’t tried it, but I would say that the Mini 4 Pro props could be used on your SkyRover.

SkyRover X1 and DJI Mini 4 Pro Remote Controllers

When it comes to the controllers, this here is the controller that comes with the SkyRover X1, the DJi Mini 4 Pro. And as you can see, they are very close, almost identical. Again, just some slight shaping differences. Again, the SkyRover is more rounded, whereas we do have some harder lines on the one for the Mini 4 Pro, but again, they function pretty well the same. Your phone mounts there at the top, and you just plug it in. Whether SkyRover introduces a controller with built-in screen, I guess, is kind of up in the air. They may, they may not. I’m not really sure what they’re going to do there.

SkyRover App and Login

Another question I was asked is if there’s a login, do you have to create a login in order to fly the drone? And yes, indeed you do. If you look at the splash page for the app used to fly this drone, it’s very simple, but you do have to create a login. And going back to the app, I’ve been asked where you can download the app from because people can’t find it on the App Store. And indeed, it is not available on the App Store yet. When you purchase this drone, you’re going to be sent a QR code that allows you to download directly whether you’re on iOS or on Android. I do believe it is coming to the App Store. It’s just not available yet. The app that I was using, the beta app was actually through TestFlight, which is how Apple, you know, tests their beta products. So that just signifies that one is in the works. That was the one that I was using. But in the meantime, you will be able to download the app directly to your device.

Camera Features

Another question I was asked is if it has a flat color profile, and yes, indeed it does. It does shoot in HLG. As of right now, that’s all it has. That may be changed with firmware, but currently that is the other color profile it has.

And when it comes to capturing photos, you can shoot in JPEG, RAW, or a combination of JPEG and RAW, very similar to that of the Mini 4 Pro.

Another good question is whether it offers bracketed photos for those who like to take bracketed photos. And yes, indeed it does. You can do up to seven bracketed photos. You can take single photos, bracketed photos, and it also allows for timed shots for those who like to do that.

Warranty and Insurance

Another good question is warranty and do they offer any type of insurance like DJI Care? The answer when it comes to insurance, no, they do not plan on offering anything like DJI Care Refresh at this time. That may change, but currently there is no option for that. And warranty is a standard warranty. You have 30 days to return or get a replacement. That will be done directly through Amazon. And after that, you have a one-year warranty. And again, that warranty, if you need warranty work for that first year, the costs will be covered. For the remainder of the one-year warranty, again, that will be covered through Amazon. If you have a problem with your drone, you would reach out to Amazon support, and they’ll direct you on how to send it back for warranty work. After that one-year warranty, your drone can still be repaired, but it will cost you. It won’t be covered under the warranty.

SkyRover Company Information

Another question is, do they have a website? And the answer is no. Currently, there’s not a lot of information about the company. For the most part right now, they’re strictly going to be selling on Amazon. There’s not a lot of information about the company or where they’re located out of. Some people have been doing some online sleuth work, I guess you could say, some detective work and you know, there’s references to China and also Malaysia, but when I reached out to find that information, the official statement was that they are not able to provide that information currently.

Storage and Availability

Another question is whether it has onboard storage and the answer is no. It just has the memory card slot there in the back. Now, it does still cache videos similar to that of the DJI products so you can go back and preview it without having to connect the drone. Now, the question is whether it can be purchased in Canada or other countries. A lot of people aren’t able to see it. And as far as I know right now, it’s only been released in the US. It’s not available for purchase in Canada or other countries. Now, I haven’t checked every Amazon, but definitely not in Canada. If you live in another country and you’ve been able to purchase it, let me know down in the comments. I’m sure others would find that helpful as well.

Skyrover X1 Flight Features

Another good question is, does it have an altitude limit like DJI drones? And the answer is yes, it does. If you go into the settings and you set your altitude limit, it can be set to a maximum altitude of 800 m. Another really good question is whether it has geofencing. And I can’t say 100% for certain. But as far as I can tell, no, it does not. And I say that for a couple different reasons. There’s no reference to it in the settings at all. A location near me that I normally fly at, I always get a warning when flying with the DJI drone that it’s at the edge of an altitude zone, but nothing like that comes up when I’m flying the SkyRover there. And also, if we go into the about section in a DJI drone, there’s an option there to update the fly safe database, but under SkyRover, none of that information is there. So, as far as I can tell, it does not have any geofencing or currently doesn’t. Not to say that won’t in the future.

Another good question is does it have the feature for find my drone in the case of an accident if you’ve crashed it? And yes indeed it does. If you go into your user profile on the main page, they have an option there for find my drone that can help you locate it.

SkyRover X1 Firmware and File Transfer

Another question is to do with firmware updates. How do you update firmware on this drone? And it works very similar to that of DJI. You can go into your user profile and there’s an option there to check for firmware updates. And again, you can go to the about section in the settings, and again, you can check for firmware updates. Now, I have not had any firmware updates since I’ve had it, but I’m sure if there’s going to be any important firmware updates, they will be released that way. And when it comes to transferring files, another question I was asked, it has something very similar to quick transfer where you can connect it to your iPad or smartphone and transfer over the content wirelessly. And just like any other drone, you can pull the memory card out, plug it into your device, or you can plug the drone directly in. It becomes like a drive and you can just browse the content.

Is the SkyRover X1 a DJI Drone?

Probably one of the most common questions is, is this a DJI drone? Is this been licensed by DJI to a third party or is this just a complete clone? Now, it’s kind of a complicated scenario. I don’t think DJI will ever publicly say for sure what’s going on there. But DroneXL put out a really good article. Some people kind of dissected the app and there’s a lot of reference to DJI in there. So, they obviously have some part in it. Whether it’s just they’ve licensed some of their software and technologies or if they’ve actually released this themselves, I’m not 100% sure. I guess everybody’s going to have their opinion on that. But it’s definitely not a clone. You know, any company could make a drone that looks very similar to an existing product. But the one thing they can’t replicate is the performance and the software, you know, functionality. And this performs identically to a DJI drone, the Mini 4 Pro. It has just as good flight capabilities, quality of video, the functionality, and all the software features is identical. So, a clone wouldn’t be able to replicate that. If they would, they’d be just as big as DJI. So, definitely DJI does have some hand in it somehow. It’s their technology under the hood. And actually, I’m okay with that because, you know, with all the things going on right now in the market, this might be a good choice for those who are looking to purchase a drone, but aren’t able to get something like the Mini 4 Pro. You’re going to get something that performs just as well, and it’s actually a little bit cheaper, which is always a bonus.

Conclusion

So, yeah, that is the SkyRover X1. Some questions answered for you. Now, there are some questions that can’t really be answered about longevity. Are you going to be able to get parts for this, batteries, spare props down the road, a year down the road, two years down the road? Questions like that really can’t be answered. That’s just going to be a time-will-tell kind of thing. Hopefully, you enjoyed this video and it answered some of your questions. Thanks a lot for watching and we’ll see you in the next.

Photos courtesy of Air Photography.