The HoverAir X1 and the DJI Neo compete for the same buyer: someone who wants a camera that flies itself, not a drone to pilot. Both are best understood as flying selfie cameras — palm launch, camera-based follow, hands-free footage — rather than small aerial platforms. On the big questions they land close together, so the differences are in the details.
The Neo is the more complete package. Its 1/2-inch sensor edges the X1's 2.7K output, it plugs into the DJI ecosystem, and you can add a controller later to reach beyond the automated modes. The X1 answers a narrower brief: at about 125 g it is the lighter, more autonomous option, flying with no GPS and no controller — one button and it tracks you. That simplicity is the appeal, but it comes with real limits: short range, a short flight time and 32 GB of internal storage with no microSD slot.
Be honest about what neither is. Image quality on both is fine in daylight and ordinary at dusk, wind tolerance is modest at this weight, and neither will replace a Mini for landscapes — they are not trying to. As a low-risk way into the hobby, though, both do the job.
The licence picture is the same for both, and it is where beginners slip. Both stay under 250 g, so neither needs the A1/A3 exam — that is the weight doing the work. The Neo is formally class C0; the HoverAir X1 carries no EU class mark at all, but weight, not a class mark, is what exempts it. The catch that catches everyone: both have a camera, so operator registration at e.caa.gov.lv is mandatory in Latvia regardless, and the operator number goes on the airframe. Skipping the exam does not skip the registration.
So the choice is simple. For most buyers the Neo is the safer pick — a proper class mark, a better sensor and room to grow. The HoverAir X1 wins if you want the lightest, most hands-off follow camera and can live with the tighter limits. Register whichever you buy, and learn the A1 airspace rules before the first flight.