The Holy Stone Mini Drones stable has a number of good products. Among them is the HS430, which they say is a good beginner quadcopter for kids and adults.
This quadcopter is sold with three lithium polymer batteries for more flight time. HS drones are also known for their build quality.
While this is a toy drone to get you into the drone hobby, it has a camera so you will get an introduction to aerial shooting.
There have been some complaints about this one. For instance, with frequent folding and unfolding, wires to the motors become frayed.
The manufacturer says the HS430 battery lasts up to 13 minutes, but in reality, it is more like 8 minutes. Also, there have been complaints about the quality of the videos and being a very light drone, flying it even in the slowest wind is going to ruin the experience for you.
Another limitation is that this small drone comes with three batteries, but one charger. Therefore, you might have to find another charger to charge more than one battery at the same time.
Keep reading as we look at more details of this drone.
Holy Stone HS430 Features & Technical Details
This drone will cost you about $60. Here are the types of features you will get for your money:
Design and build quality
This is a mini drone, small enough to fit on your palm when you fold it. Even when the drone is unfolded, it is still small enough. It folds really small, and the blades also fold up.
The weight is quite low too, so you do not even need to worry about registering it with the FAA. The flip side is that trimming it can be hard even if there is the slightest air movement.
High quality plastic material makes the fuselage of this little aircraft. Besides, it also comes with propeller guards, so if it crashes, your propeller blades are not going to break.
On the top side of the drone, the front and the back are slanted. This helps to give the drone a more streamlined shape, so it can cut easily through the air.
Because of the low weight of this aircraft and the small motors, it is best to fly it indoors or outdoors when the air is calm, without any wind.
Camera quality
This is a camera drone, so you are going to enjoy a good first person view. However, if the drone flies beyond 200 meters, it stops recording video. It is also compatible with VR goggles, so you can enjoy a more intensive FPV experience.
The resolution of the camera is 1080P. You can take photos and videos, but you will have to store them in your smartphone or tablet because it does not have an SD card slot.
Some people have complained that the video file could not load when they stopped flying the drone to view the file. This could be an isolated problem since they are just a few complaints.
This camera might not really do much apart from shoot some decent video and photo footage. For instance, it might not be possible to change the vertical angle of the camera.
Batteries and flight time
You get the HS430 mini with three batteries at no extra cost. Each battery can give you 13 minutes of flight time (that’s what is advertised). However, practically, it will give you about 8 to 10 minutes at the maximum.
The charging time for one battery is fairly short. However, there is only one charging cable, so you will have to charge them one at a time.
The batteries are safe to handle and they do not overcharge. They are safe, even when your kids are using the drone. Besides, the battery slides in easily and locks securely into place in the drone.
Remote controller
This is a short distance drone, so it comes with a 2.4GHz remote controller. The controller is small, lightweight and is not cluttered with keys. The foldable smartphone controller can fit most modern devices. It also opens up towards the upper side, which is very convenient.
On the remote controller, there are 4 LED lights that show you the voltage of the battery. Also, if the battery runs low, the controller beeps to let you know, so you can stop flying it.
Flight Functions
It is surprising just how many flight functions this small quadcopter comes with. They make it a lot of fun to fly, since no one wants a monotonous horizontal flight for 30 minutes.
Here are some of the flight and camera modes:
Throw to fly
It is so easy to fly the HS430 mini quadcopter. Just switch it on, calibrate it with the remote controller and throw it in the air. It will fly.
Gravity sensor mode
Wave your smartphone to guide the drone in the direction you want it to fly, after engaging gravity sensor mode.
Gesture shooting
Take nice selfie photos and videos when you are flying this mini during the day and when the weather is calm. You can share your footage with family and friends on social media immediately. Use the palm sign for videos and victory sign for photos.
Voice control
When you are feeling adventurous, give this drone voice commands to take off, go left, right, land, and it will obey them like a nice pet.
High speed rotation
You can get this mini to rotate fast in the clockwise or anticlockwise direction. Try it by engaging the high speed rotation mode and see what kind of footage it can take when rotating.
Surround mode
If you spot a monument that you would like to capture with the camera from all angles, set this mini on circle mode and it will fly around, keeping a decent radius.
3D Flips
Not only do you have rotation mode to break the monotony of a regular flight, but you also have 3D flips. Your children will have fun doing these nice stunts in all directions.
Headless mode
Children can find it hard to tell where the drone’s nose faces when it is flying and they change their position. With headless mode, the drone will maintain the nose-forward orientation when flying.
Altitude hold
The flying height is preset so you need not bother with the vertical flight of the aircraft. Just concentrate on flying it forward, doing flips, rotations, and taking footage.
Trajectory flight
Open the map on the app and then tap the places on your screen where you would like the drone to fly along and join the dots with a line (draw with your finger). The aircraft will fly along that route when you launch it.
Testimonials from current owners of the HS430
This is a great little flier. It fits in the palm of my 9-year-old son. The only thing I have noted is that even the slightest air movement will throw it off course fast. Charlie Bailey.
For $60, I am so pleased with this purchase, especially the three batteries. However, I cannot seem to get more than 9 minutes from the batteries, which is quite short of the advertised flight time. Mike Sweeney.
Over the time I have been flying this mini drone, I have realized a few things. One, the batteries drain faster if you engage the 3D flips or rotation mode. Two, it will be hard to trim in any velocity wind. Jason Crisp.
This drone hovers well on its own, thanks to the altitude hold function. It also flies well and takes decent videos and pictures. It is a good one to get you started in the drone experience even if you are an adult. Phuen Lee.
This mini aircraft checks many boxes, except that it comes with just two replacement propellers. Most of the drones in its price range come with 4 bonus propellers. Glenn Cross
Holy Stone HS430 Pros
- You can adjust the vertical angle of the camera manually
- It is small enough to fit in your pants pocket
- Camera takes decent footage
- It has so many flight functions for more fun
- You do not need a license to fly it
- You can readily order accessories from Holy Stone
- The learning curve is short enough
- Good for beginner adults and kids
Holy Stone HS430 Cons
- Impossible to control in the wind
- Just one USB charger for three batteries
- Not very durable especially with frequent usage
Who Should Buy The Holy Stone HS430?
This is a good drone for kids because it is cheap and small enough. Besides, the batteries have a chip for overcharge protection so they are safe to charge.
Because of the short learning curve (what with auto takeoff and landing, throw to fly and voice commands …), this drone is a good fit for beginner adults and kids. It comes with propeller guards so when it crashes, the propeller blades have a chance to survive.
With 1080P full HD resolution, you will be pleasantly surprised with the quality of the footage it takes. Overall, for its price range, this is a good buy.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Buying the Holy Stone HS430 is a good choice for a kid or beginner entry drone. It is feature-rich and has tens of flight functions. However, before you can fly it, here are a few recommendations to bear in mind:
First, read the user manual. You will get the information about calibrating the drone there. You will also find out the type of batteries to buy for the remote controller.
Secondly, you can start by flying it indoors where there is no wind. That way, you can test some of its functions. When you fly it outdoors, make sure there is no wind.
Thirdly, fly the drone in an open space without obstacles. It is a simple toy without any protection features apart from the propeller guards. A crash can write it off.
Charge the batteries, all of them, before you can fly the drone.
Show me the price !
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