Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
Everyone who knows their way around drones will tell you one thing–that the beginner drones category is full of clutter. You’ll need to sift through lots of crap before finding something worth a flight, and it gets worse as the price range lowers.
But the Holy Grail of beginner drones, the mighty Holy Stone, cuts the chase with the HS270 drone. This compact quadcopter blends quality, performance, and durability and at a price that blows competitors out of the water. You get features that you’ll actually use, with an excellent camera and a handy app to launch your drone journey in style.
If you’re after a beginner drone that you’ll use way into your intermediate pilot phase, then this review shows the reasons why the HS270 drone is a worthy choice.
Table of contents
- About Holy Stone:
- Holy Stone HS270 Review:
- Features:
- What Is In The Box?
- Holy Stone HS270 Unique Selling Points:
- Pros:
- Cons:
- Holy Stone HS270 Build and Design:
- Holy Stone HS270 Camera:
- Holy Stone HS270 Performance and Usability:
- Holy Stone HS270 Battery:
- Holy Stone HS270 Remote Controller:
- Holy Stone HS270 Setting Up and First Flight
- Is HS270 Drone Worth It?
- Holy Stone HS270 Pro and Safety Tips:
- Final Word on Holy Stone HS270:
About Holy Stone:
Holy Stone Enterprise Company Limited has been in business since 1981, making various electronic devices, components, and lately drones.
Headquartered in Taiwan, this Taiwan Stock Exchange-listed company has been turning heads in the drone world since their first one, the Holy Stone HS170 Predator.
They have since maintained a good name in the beginner drones category, equipping their products with high-end features and adapting them for use by novices and pros alike.
The other popular drones under their belt include the HS150 Bolt Bee, HS700D Ophelia, and my all-time favorite and subject of this review, the Holy Stone HS270.
Holy Stone HS270 Review:
Features:
Brand: Holy Stone
Type: Outdoor/Indoor Quadcopter
Model: HS270
Communication Features: Radio Control, WiFi APP Control, WiFi FPV, GPS Module
Camera resolution: 3840x2160P (stored in TF card), 2976x1680P (stored in mobile phone)
Camera: 5GHz frequency, FOV-1020/2.0 Lens, adjustment angle-900-00
Functions: Camera, Forward/backward, First Person View, Hover, One Key Takeoff and Landing, Low-Battery, Smart, and Failsafe Return to Home, Turn Left/Right, 3D VR
Material: Plastic, Electronic Components
FPV Distance: 1312 feet (outdoor and unobstructed)
Operational frequency: 2.4 GHz
Model Power: Detachable rechargeable battery
Battery: 7.4V 3500mAh LiPo
Flying Time: About 18 minutes
Charging Time: About 6 hours
Video: AVI/MP4
Photo: JPEG
Max supported TF Card: 32GB
Drone weight: 595g/21 oz
Product size: Unfolded 16.85*11.61*3.15 inches and 7.9*4.1*3.2 when folded
What Is In The Box?
- Holy Stone HS270 Drone
- Remote Controller
- Battery
- USB Charging cable
- (4) Propellers
- (4) Screws
- Screwdriver
- User Manual
Holy Stone HS270 Unique Selling Points:
If you’re used to beginner drones that offer the bare minimum in drone functionalities, then the HS270 will impress you instantly.
The features and functionalities are way past what many drones within the same price range offer, and you’ll find it a worthy possession even after getting past beginner level. Below are the Holy Stone HS270 drone unique selling points:
Easy to fly:
If you didn’t know, drones aren’t “plug-and-play” devices. You’ll need to do the assembling, initial compass and gyroscope calibrations, and troubleshooting before getting it to the skies for the first time.
And, sometimes, the whole process is easier said than done, and especially for beginners.
The HS270 comes fully assembled right out of the box, and the initial setups are straightforward with the help of the easy-to-read and elaborate user manual. T
The drones also feature intelligent flight modes, GPS, safety return to home functions, and dedicated 1-key landing and takeoff buttons.
Long flight time:
The HS270 has an impressively long flight time of up to 18 minutes. By standards of beginner drones that barely get past 10 minutes, this drone competes well even with some intermediate drones. You can buy extra batteries to lengthen your flying fun.
Packed with high-tech features:
To be honest, Holy Stone needs a pat on the back for the amazing HS270 drone. The drone features high-technology functionalities that appeal to and prepare beginners for more advanced drones.
Some worthy mentions include Headless Mode, GPS tracking, Altitude Hold, Real-Time Wi-Fi FPV, and 3D Virtual Reality headsets (not included) support.
Assured quality:
The drone looks and feels sturdy enough to handle collisions and mishandling, with a 30-days warranty and money-back guarantee.
Quality 2.7K camera:
Though a beginner drone, the 2.7K camera places this drone is way above its weight class. You’ll be able to take awesome quality videos and photos, both indoors and outdoors.
Further, the Follow Me and Altitude Hold features coupled with the GPS/GLONASS positioning system assist in taking stable and accurate shots.
Pros:
- Relatively quiet and very responsive
- The folding makes it highly portable
- Excellent stability even in windy conditions
- Outstanding photo and video qualities
- Crafted for durability
- Foldable and portable
- Good flight time
- Affordable
- Beginner-friendly and easy to use controls
- Great transmitter control distance
Cons:
- Long battery charging time
Holy Stone HS270 Build and Design:
Though slightly bulky, the HS270 is a compact and aesthetically appealing rectangular-shaped drone. The gray color gives it a metallic and professional look.
For durability, the frame is made of high-quality plastic (high-grade polycarbonate), with foldable arms and propellers to enhance compactness and travel friendliness.
Each of the arms has an LED light on the front to improve visibility during flights.
Further, the Holy Stone HS270 features brushless motors that are significantly less noisy and power efficient. The drone runs on a detachable and rechargeable LiPo battery located on the top side.
In the front, the drone features a built-in 2.7K camera, remotely adjustable up to 900 for clear and wide-angle shots.
HS270 drone gets slightly larger when unfolded, with a weight of 595g. Remember to check your country’s regulations on drones before taking it to the skies.
For instance, users from UK, USA, and Canada need to register the HS270 as it surpasses the maximum set weight of 250g.
The HS270 features a micro SD card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards, but no TF memory card is provided with the drone purchase.
However, you have the option of recording photos and videos directly to your phone’s memory, albeit in lower quality than on a micro SD card.
Holy Stone provides a nicely built controller for the drone, powered by a rechargeable LiPo battery and with easy-to-use controls.
In addition, you’ll need to download the HS GPS V1 app that runs on iOS and Android platforms to be able to fly this drone.
Holy Stone HS270 Camera:
As earlier stated, the HS270 features a 2.7K camera, with a 1200 wide-angle lens, and rotatable to 900.
The video and photo qualities are exceptional, with the view of the earth from above fantastic through this high-quality camera. Coupled with a First-Person Viewing and 5GHz image transmission, you’ll certainly enjoy what this drone allows you to see.
Also, the camera is built around a shock-absorbing holder to iron out vibrations for minimal footage distortions.
However, this drone could use some stabilization features like advanced gimbal to eliminate jello effects and shakiness. But at its price, it’s not made for professional use, and the quality is sufficient for beginner use.
And the instant shareability of the Holy Stone App tops it all. You can actually shoot and share videos and photos on social media or even store them in the cloud.
The feature eliminates the need to carry your laptop for backup or sharing your footage when using the Holy Stone HS270 drone.
Holy Stone HS270 Performance and Usability:
For such a feature-packed drone, you would expect some good performance. And in reality, the HS270 is easy to fly with an impressive performance.
The drone has excellent 1-key flight features, with an inbuilt GPS module that allows for excellent hovering capability and stability even in windy conditions. Below are other performance features of the HS270 drone:
- Tap Fly allows you to customize a flight path for the drone for hand-free flights and recording within the defined path.
- Point of Interest orbiting: The drone locks on to a selected point and orbits or hovers around it.
- Follow Me: Just as the name says, the drone will lock on your phone and follow you around from behind.
- Record voice: The HS270 drone app allows you to record audio along with images and videos.
- GPS Auto return: The drone has Return Home Features under emergency conditions, and you can also activate the feature with a one-key click.
Holy Stone HS270 Battery:
Nothing can ruin the reputation of a great drone like a short battery range. And Holy Stone knew better to include a powerful Lithium-polymer battery that runs the HS270 for a whopping 18 minutes. For its price range, its battery range is above most of what its competitors have to offer.
The battery has LED lights to indicate charge level and is very easy to pull out and replace. Even though you only get one battery with the drone, you can buy an extra battery to boost the range to almost 40 minutes.
To charge the batteries, Holy Stone provides a USB charging cable that you can connect with a computer or a 5V 1A/2A USB adapter. However, a depleted battery takes around 6 hours to charge fully.
Holy Stone HS270 Remote Controller:
Holy Stone includes a remote controller for the HS270 drone. It uses an inbuilt Li-Po battery, rechargeable using the same USB cable and adapter as the drone battery.
The RC is minimalistic and ergonomically designed for that comfortable feel and easy handling.
On the top face, the RC features a power switch, a left joystick for throttle/ rudder control, a right joystick for direction control, a headless mode/ GPS mode activation button, and a 1-key takeoff/landing, power indicator light, and return to the home button.
There is also an indicator panel with a one-key return, speed switch, headless mode, and photo/video indicator lights.
The RC features a retractable phone holder on the front side that fits standard-sized phones. The front side has a speed switch knob, a camera angle adjustment knob, a video recording button, and a photo/trimmer button.
And to enhance portability, the remote controller handles are foldable. The HS270 controller has a range of over 1968 feet, an FPV range of up to 1300 feet, and transmits data at a frequency of 2.4GHz.
Holy Stone HS270 Setting Up and First Flight
To be more beginner-friendly, the Holy Stone comes almost fully set up right out of the box. You’ll need to unfold the drone, rear arms first, followed by the front arms.
And use the provided screws and screwdriver to fix the motor shaft and propellers in place, according to the A/B corresponding positions.
Before the first flight, you’ll need to charge the drone battery and the remote controller fully. Disconnect the battery from the drone, connect the USB charging cable to the battery, and then to a computer or USB phone adapter (5V, 1A/2A).
Also, click the charging cable to the transmitter before connecting to a computer or USB adapter (5V, 1A/2A). Depending on the power output of the charging port, the drone battery can take up to 6 hours and the transmitter up to 1 hour to fully charge.
Download the HS GPS V1 app either from Apple Store or from the Google Play Store and install it on your phone.
You’ll then need to power up the drone and the transmitter and pair everything to the drone’s Wi-Fi network. Before the first flight, calibrate the compass and the gyroscope, and then search the GPS signal if flying outdoors.
The user manual contains detailed setup instructions and steps that are straightforward to execute.
Once all set up, push the transmitter’s left-stick to the lower-right corner and the right-stick to the lower-left corner simultaneously to unlock the motors. Your drone should be ready to take to the skies for the first time.
Is HS270 Drone Worth It?
Absolutely. The HS270 is a great budget drone for beginners and hobbyists. The drone has a sturdy and decent design and is feature-packed to impress all users. It’s not the cheapest beginner drone, though, but the many features are worth it.
The performance is impressive, with a powerful matching camera to better your view while in the sky. The GPS module stabilizes the flights satisfactorily, with excellent beginner-friendly flying modes already preprogrammed.
The controls are straightforward, and even the most green of users will be up and running in no time. The on-key functionalities add to the usability of this drone, with a solid battery and brushless motors to keep you flying for longer.
Holy Stone HS270 Pro and Safety Tips:
- The minimum recommended flying age for the HS270 is 16 years.
- Read the user manual thoroughly before flying the HS270.
- Always check the drone, controller, and battery for damages and correct installation before a flight.
- Fly the drone with a fully charged battery, and perform all the recommended pre-flight procedures before takeoff.
- You’re advised to fly in open areas, where you can maintain a line of sight and preferably below heights of 120 meters.
- For your safety and that of the drone, avoid flying near or over obstacles, high voltage power lines, crowds, trees, water bodies, and airports.
- The onboard compass can be affected by electromagnetic fields near base stations or power lines.
- Avoid flying in extreme weather conditions such as rain, fog, snow, and strong wind.
- Be careful with rotating motors and propellers, and keep a distance to avoid ear damage by the drone’s nose.
- Avoid flying the drone when tired, under the influence of alcohol, under medication, or when in any physical discomfort.
- Follow your local laws on drone flying, and avoid flying in No-Fly zones.
- Follow the battery safety rules as outlined in the user manual.
- Keep the drone clean and well maintained.
Final Word on Holy Stone HS270:
The Holy Stone HS270 allows you to enjoy high-end features at an entry-level price. It offers excellent value for money and a chance to wet your feet in the drone’s pool in style.
You can practice all the maneuvers you want and up your piloting skills with a drone not cost-worthy to worry over.
It’s great for outdoor use for recording weddings, rafting, fishing, hiking, and other memory-worthy moments. And the instant share feature of the accompanying app lets you instantly share your incredible shots with the world.
Happy Flying!
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