In context: When the SkyRover X1 drone appeared on Amazon, it arrived with little fanfare but quickly captured the attention of enthusiasts and industry analysts alike. Priced at $758 and offering a feature set strikingly similar to DJI's well-known Mini 4 Pro, the X1 stood out in a market now conspicuously lacking official DJI drones.
That fact alone made its debut noteworthy as major US retailers and online platforms had largely run out of DJI products, leaving would-be buyers with few mainstream options and soaring prices from resellers.
The context behind SkyRover's emergence is unusual. Reports from outlets such as DroneXL and investigations by independent security researchers suggest that the similarities between the SkyRover X1 and DJI's drones go beyond the cosmetic.
Kevin Finisterre, a well-known hacker and longtime analyst of DJI's technology, found evidence indicating that the new drone directly interacts with DJI's digital infrastructure. According to Finisterre, who shared his findings on X, the SkyRover app connects to DJI's cloud services and even accepts credentials from DJI user accounts – a sign of deep technical overlap.
Busted already @konrad_it @Bin4ryDigit, it has connections to @DJIGlobal @DJISupport @DJIEnterprise via @DJIFlySafe references, and "AASKY" references. That took like 20 minutes? lol Pathetic. https://t.co/VZxNM4YS16 cc @hayekesteloo @DroneXL1 @DroneDJ @gregrev here's a scoop! https://t.co/eo7Az8aJjK pic.twitter.com/XSE48DOtqb
– KF (@d0tslash) July 22, 2025
The intrigue deepened when others, including security consultant Jon Sawyer, examined the mobile app that powers the SkyRover drone.
Sawyer discovered that the app used the same encryption keys as DJI's official software and highlighted awkward attempts to obscure these ties, such as code modifications that replaced the name "DJI" with vague terms like "xxx" and "uav." This evidence, tracked and shared by researchers on social media, reinforces the view that the SkyRover X1 is more than just a lookalike; it may be a rebranded DJI product or a device built using licensed DJI technology.
The response from reviewers and the drone community has echoed these suspicions. AirPhotography, who received an early unit, later revealed that he was asked not to mention any drone brands in his initial review. In subsequent videos, he compared the X1 to DJI's Mini 4 Pro, noting strong similarities while also highlighting subtle hardware differences, such as its incompatibility with existing DJI batteries and controllers.
Already unpacked, slightly more obfsucation than DJI Fly/Pilot. Most mentions of DJI Renamed to xxx or uav or something similar. https://t.co/MjGrKzg7v0 pic.twitter.com/w8tKtiaJHI
– Jon Sawyer (@jcase) July 22, 2025
SkyRover's manufacturer, SZ Knowact, is based in Malaysia, a country that has become a favorable manufacturing hub for companies looking to avoid US tariffs on Chinese-made electronics. Regulatory records, including FCC filings, list SZ Knowact as the maker. Further investigation by researchers revealed that SkyRover's online presence closely resembles that of Cogito, a Hong Kong-based company known for marketing other rebranded drones originally designed by DJI.
Efforts to clarify the business relationship between DJI and the SkyRover X1 have yielded few answers. DJI has neither confirmed nor denied any involvement, stating only that it is continuing to investigate the matter internally.
The company's silence is reminiscent of previous episodes – such as with the Anzu Robotics Raptor and Cogito Specta drones – which experts also found to share technology and design with DJI. In some cases, these products appeared to circumvent import restrictions by being branded under new names or assembled outside of mainland China.