Today, I want to introduce you to another possible UAV of interest, the Holy Stone HS700. Perhaps you haven’t heard of this brand before, so you’re admittedly curious. What is are the features?
This drone is produced by Holy Stone, a global drone manufacturer. This drone features 20+ minutes of flight time, GPS-assisted flight, and an adjustable camera, so it’s a good drone for beginners and specialists alike.
You probably want even more information on the HS700, and we’re here to provide it. Ahead, we’ll talk more about this Holy Stone drone, including a rundown of all its features and its pricing and availability. We’ll also have a pros and cons section so you can decide whether the HS700 is just the drone you’re looking for.
Features of the Holy Stone HS700
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Holy Stone produces drones for beginners and advanced users as well as specialty drones and accessories. The HS700D FPV is categorized on their website as a specialty model. What is so special about it, you ask? Here are the features packed into this UAV.
Custom Flight Paths
The HS700 is operable via its included remote control, or you can download Holy Stone’s app and set up custom flight paths that way. Using your smartphone or tablet screen as the map, run your finger along a path where you’d like your drone to fly. Then watch as the HS700 follows your path to the letter, including going in straight lines or circles.
Auto Returning
When you want to bring your Holy Stone UAV back, use the Auto Return feature. When in this mode, you set the Take-off Point for the HS700 to travel to. It will automatically head back to that point anytime you command it to. Besides that, the drone is smart enough to return to the Take-off Point when it’s out of range, it loses connection, or if its battery is about to die.
GPS Follow Me
In the GPS Follow Me mode, the camera points towards your direction and the drone goes wherever you do. This gives you a novel vantage point for capturing impressive videos and photos.
Easy Controls with Holy Stone HS700
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Although it’s not marketed as a beginner’s drone, the HS700 isn’t hard to use once you get it out of the box. Holy Stone says you can activate quick launch by pushing a single button, the start key.
Advanced Propellers
The included quick-release propellers found in the drone are some of the best of Holy Stone’s assortment of drones. According to the manufacturer, the props don’t require any screws to get them ready for flight.
Brushless Motor
Some drone enthusiasts prefer their UAVs to be whisper-quiet while others don’t mind a bit of noise as long as it’s not overly distracting. The drone is on the quieter side thanks to its brushless motor, which Holy Stone touts as another major feature of this drone. The motor is supposed to require less maintenance too.
Holy Stone HS700 Has Good Flight Times
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With a 2800mAh battery, the Holy Stone HS700 can fly for 22 minutes at a time. That’s pretty great, especially for a relatively small drone name like Holy Stone. Remember, the DJI Inspire 2 has a top flight time of 27 minutes at a clip, so that’s only a difference of five minutes between it and the HS700, yet the prices of these two UAVs are nothing alike (more on this later).
Even better is that Holy Stone says the drone will indicate to you that it’s running out of power so you can land your HS700D before it’s completely out of juice.
To recharge your drone, Holy Stone includes a USB charging cable with your purchase. The manufacturer notes that it takes between five and seven hours for the HS700 to be fully recharged and ready to use again.
4K FHD Camera
The camera included with the HS700 shoots in 4K full high definition or FHD. Its lens has a field of view of 110 expansive degrees, and the camera is adjustable up to 90 degrees. Holy Stone updated the camera in the HS700 in other ways too. Besides the panoramic field of view, the camera transmits in 5G for FHV video capability in real-time. You can even shoot at distances between 1,640 and 2,600 feet away.
The drone has a max control range of 3,280 feet with a remote control frequency of 2.4 to 5 gigahertz.
The Holy Stone app is also a built-in photo and video editor. Fix up your footage within the app and then post it right to your social media feed.
How Much Does the Holy Stone HS700D Cost?
Based on those features, you might assume the HS700 costs close to $500, maybe even $700 and up, but it doesn’t. This Holy Stone drone is available new for $229.99. That makes the it one of the more reasonably-priced drones on the market for sure.
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Best Place to Get the Holy Stone HS700D?
Although Holy Stone has a website and a whole page dedicated to the HS700 (link above), if you click a button on that page to buy the drone, it redirects you to Amazon. Thus, that’s the only place you can get this drone as of now.
Here’s the Amazon listing for the drone in black, available new. The link for the HS700 in white is here, but you can only buy that one used. For some reason, it costs more, so it’s even more expensive despite that it’s not new. Go figure!
Should You Buy the Holy Stone HS700D?
Now that you have all the information about the HS700, it’s decision-making time. To help you determine whether this Holy Stone drone is right for you, here are some advantages and disadvantages to consider.
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Pros
One of the biggest pros of the HS700 by far is its affordable price. Remember, Holy Stone calls this a specialty drone, yet you’re still not paying specialty prices. Compared to a DJI drone, which can be well over one thousand dollars, this drone is an absolute steal.
Okay, but it’s not like there aren’t dirt-cheap drones out there. These UAVs are a dime a dozen. Indeed, they are. Yet unlike those drones, the drone has a lot of high-quality features that belie its very low price.
For example, its flight time rivals some DJI drones at 20+ minutes. Its flight range is impressive with a max control range of more than 3,200 feet. The GPS tracking feature puts you in control and lets your drone follow you as it shoots video or photos, which is pretty cool. Custom flight paths are another nice feature.
We of course have to talk about the drone’s camera. Holy Stone reworked the camera for this drone so it has a more expansive field of view and can shoot from hundreds of feet away. The panoramic view will let you capture landscapes or properties with ease. The 4K FHD quality, although not UHD, is still really good.
It’s also quite convenient how Holy Stone has an app you can download to track your drone, set flight paths, and even edit your footage. We also like the beginner-friendly features such as the low-battery alert and how the HS700D will return to a predetermined point if it’s losing range or power.
Cons
If you dig into the specs on Holy Stone’s website, it seems almost like there’s some assembly required with the HS700D. According to the manufacturer, in your box is one drone, a transmitter with a phone holder, eight propellers and a propeller spanner, two landing gear pieces, a screwdriver, and the drone battery, dual balance charger, and USB charging cable.
You wouldn’t need a screwdriver if you didn’t have to put the parts together. Based on the product description from Holy Stone, we assume it’s the propellers you’d have to attach to the HS700. This might not necessarily be such a big deal to some people, but if you like your drone to be ready to use right out of the box, we don’t think that’s the case with this drone.
The recharge time is also very slow. Admittedly, most drones don’t charge at lightning speed, with the average charge time about an hour, maybe 90 minutes. Even still, the HS700 charges in as little as five hours and as long as seven. At its fastest time, five hours is a long time.
If you had to use your UAV professionally, such as if you’re a real estate drone photographer, you can’t afford to fly a drone for 20 minutes and then wait five or seven hours for it to recharge. You wouldn’t get much work done that way, which would only hinder your career.
Thus, while the HS700D is a perfectly good drone for everyday use, we wouldn’t suggest it for professional purposes. Its battery charging time is just too much of an Achilles heel.
Conclusion
The Holy Stone HS700D is a low-priced yet high-quality drone with a 4K FHD camera, a generous flight range, good battery, and GPS features. The only downside of the Holy Stone HS700 is its lengthy battery recharge times, but even that’s not such a deal-breaker if you only use your drone for recreational use.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive drone with some features that almost remind you of a DJI, the HS700D is it.
Hal Simmons
When I first started flying drones I was always afraid of damaging my drone. I would always be thinking what if. I questioned myself often and as a result it made me question various aspects of flying drones. In the process I learned a lot. This is why I feel I have a lot of information that will be helpful to beginners and intermediate drone enthusiasts. Of course I still have a lot to learn so join me on this journey and I am sure you will enjoy the adventure ahead of us.Get daily lessons that start with how to choose a drone.