HoverAir Aqua pricing announced – but it's the tech that really surprises, as waterproof drone takes off on crowdfunding platform

According to its page on IndieGoGo, the HoverAir Aqua – the world's first 100% waterproof selfie drone – will come in at $999 (around £742 / AU$1,530) for "early birds," or will end up with a final MSRP of $1,299 (£965 / AU$1,990) when it ships by an estimated "December 2025." which it should, in theory, because it's already met its minimum target.

This is the lowest of three pricing bundles that are still shipping on the drone's IndeGoGo page, which also features a Fly More Combo for $1,199 (£890 / AU$1,836), quoted MSRP $1,676 (£1,244 / AU$2,567) and a Land and Sea Combo for $1,399 (££1,039 / AU$2,143), MSRP $1,963 (£1,458 / AU$3,006).

I can't say for sure if these will prove to be the final prices or shipping dates – but they do provide the best clue available yet from HoverAir.

It is also true that HoverAir has previously made use of crowdfunding platforms to get drones to market – not least the company's breakout HoverAir X1, as well as the more refined and powerful HoverAir X1 Pro Max variants. There is no reason to assume this is anything other than the company operating in its usual manner, even as competitors like DJI and now Antigravity bring drones directly to market.

I'd also imagine that a unique and different drone like the Aqua would further encourage the use of this kind of platform, since the market cannot be guaranteed – or at least, it couldn't have been. Now, since we've seen the threshold for production crossed, it looks likely that the drone will become a real product.

The Aqua features a built-in 1.6-inch AMOLED display, offering live preview and shot review, an unusual feature.

The IndieGoGo description also indicates that the sub-250g drone will feature RTK (Real Time Kinematic) positioning technology, which has often been associated with more expensive mapping drones in the past. Interestingly, it is said to be achieved without a subscription cost – and this is the technology relied upon to cope with "complicated water environments."

That is why what other drone users might have called a beacon is being named a 'Lighthouse' for the Aqua drone, and it will support a feature that HoverAir is calling a 'VirtualTether' creating an 'unbreakable bond'. This can be used not only in water environments but in difficult land environments like dense forests, too.

One other thing apparent from this new information release is that HoverAir's existing Beacon and Joystick system – as seen in the previous Pro Max drone – will be available for land control as well, enabling manual control of the 1/1.28-inch camera drone that boasts up to 4K at 100fps and HDR plus 10-bit Log.

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Check my full review of the HoverAir X1 Pro Max to know a bit more about it, and check out my guide to the best camera drones.