The Holy Stone HS710 is a good beginner quadcopter for adults. It comes with a 4K camera, so you can take good footage from the air.
This drone is a good option for travelers and aerial photography enthusiasts who have always wanted a DJI drone but find them too expensive.
It checks most of the boxes because it comes with a foldable design, has an impressive battery life and with 5G connectivity, you can enjoy FPV over a long flight distance.
With the option to fly using headless or standard mode, even if you are an advanced pilot, you will not find this drone too boring.
There aren’t many downsides to worry about with the HS710. At the same time, it would be so much better if it came with electronic image stabilization (EIS) to remove all distortion from your footage.
However, that is a small downside, so it is not really a deal breaker. The rest of the features are good enough.
Holy Stone HS710 Features & Technical Details
The build quality, the camera and battery quality are some of the top most considerations that you must bear in mind when buying a drone.
Design and build quality
Holy Stone builds their drones very well, so you should not worry about quality. In this one, they have used ABS plastic for the fuselage.
Because of its high quality, this type of plastic is used to make automotive parts, Lego toys, electronic housings and many more items. It is a consumer friendly product since it does not contain carcinogens.
This is a foldable quadcopter. The rotor arms fold nicely into the body of the aircraft and the blades fold because they are in the split-design. When unfolded, it measures 10.6 by 11.9 by 2.1 inches. When folded, the size reduces to 5.8 by 3.6 by 2.1 inches.
Equipped with brushless motors, this drone is able to hold stable in low velocity winds. Brushless motors not only increase the flight performance, but they also consume less power as compared to their brushed counterparts.
The weight of the HS710 is 240 grams, so you do not need to register it with the FAA.
Overall, the build quality is good and detailed, including the LED lights that help in low light flights. You can get this aircraft in white or black color.
Camera Quality
This drone is equipped with a true 4K camera. The camera field of view is 120 degrees and the tiltable angle is 90 degrees, vertically. You can adjust the vertical angle of the camera remotely without having to bring the drone home.
The photo resolution is 3840 by 2160P when you store them in an SD card. If you store the images in your smartphone, they will be in the 1080P resolution.
The video resolution is 4K if you store them in a TF card or 720P if you store your footage in your smartphone.
For your FPV fun, the smartphone holder can hold even the latest smartphones. The FPV range is 300 meters, which is half of the full flight range of the HS710.
Batteries and Flight Time
The HS710 comes with two high capacity batteries that will give you a flight time of 50 minutes. One of the 7.7V 1820 batteries comes installed in the drone and charged, ready for flight.
These are modular batteries and the seller includes two Type C charging cables. You can charge one battery while the other flies. You should only use the provided charging cables so that you do not damage the batteries.
The charging time for one battery is 150 minutes, which is quite impressive since you will get a flight time of 25 minutes. You might find no need to buy a third battery.
As smart batteries, on the small display screen on the remote controller, you will be able to see the voltage that remains.
These batteries are very safe. When fully charged, they stop charging. Overcharge protection is very important in batteries.
Remote Controller
Just like their drones, Holy Stone remote controllers are equally good. This one is sturdy and supports 5GHz connectivity. You can fly the aircraft over long distances without signal obstructions.
The overall remote controller range is 600 meters. Your drone will always be in your sight even when you fly it to the full range.
The keys on the remote controller and the joysticks are very responsive. It has a small LCD display in the middle of the remote controller, which shows you important stats such as flight distance, voltage remaining and flight height.
Even when you fly the HS710 aircraft blindly (without the app), you will enjoy a good experience since the remote controller has a key for all functions.
Flight Functions
This drone can do almost everything on its own, leaving your hands free so that you can enjoy your outdoor adventure.
Combined with the long flight time, you can use it to record every moment on your mountain bike, or your beach volleyball fun.
GPS and Optical flow positioning
The HS710 is equipped with GPS and GLONASS. Both work to keep the drone stable when it is in flight and you will always know its position.
Also, with optical flow positioning, the aircraft hovers so stably so that you can take high quality video and photo footage.
Follow Me Mode
This is another of the flight functions that work courtesy of the GPS connectivity. The drone recognizes you and follows you wherever you go, keeping a decent distance.
Point of Interest
The point of interest is also called circle mode. You can get the drone to fly around a monument or landmark while it takes high quality footage from all angles.
Altitude Hold
With this mode, your drone can hover in the air on its own while leaving your hands free to do other things. It also flies at a set altitude so you do not have to worry about controlling its flight height.
One key take off and landing
This function makes it very simple to fly the drone for your first time since it takes the guesswork out of the picture. You can get the drone to take off and land easily.
Smart Return Home Function
The automatic RTH ensures that the quadcopter comes back home automatically when the battery runs low or when it loses signal connectivity.
Waypoint Flight
You can get the waypoint flight function in the map interface on the app. You get to draw the flight route that you want your aircraft to follow when you launch it.
Emergency Stop
This is another of the safety features. Just press the emergency stop key and the Holy Stone HS710 will stop immediately. You can also apply the emergency stop when the drone comes up across an obstacle.
Headless Mode
With headless mode engaged, you don’t need to worry about the alignment of the aircraft in regard to the pilot’s position. It will realign itself automatically.
Short Summary of Feedback from Existing Owners
I wanted a DJI Mavic Mini, but a friend advised me to try the Holy Stone HS710, which has almost equally good features, good battery life and a decent flight range. I am so glad I did. Hali M.
I was looking for a drone that I can use to document my outdoor adventures for my YouTube Channel. In good lighting, the 4K camera does wonders. Louis H.
The HS710 drone checks many boxes for me. The flight performance is great both indoors and outdoors. With the dual positioning system courtesy of GPS and GLONASS, I always know where my drone is all the time. Wendy Z.
This is my first ever drone. I just wanted something that would be easy to learn how to fly and at the same time, one that would not get boring anytime soon. I will keep this one for a long time. Toby C.
Holy Stone has put together this drone so well, from the storage bag to the foldable design, the two batteries and the high quality camera. It is worth every buck that you pay for it. Morris T.
Holy Stone HS710 Pros
- High quality storage case with a hand strap keeps everything safe
- The app is very responsive
- The fuselage is made with durable material
- Easy to set up and fly
- It has an SD Card slot to store footage in high resolution
- Sold with two Type C charging cables for fast charging
Holy Stone HS710 Cons
- No gimbals or EIS for the camera
Who Should Get The Holy Stone HS710 Drone?
This is an affordable option for people who find the DJI Mavic Mini drones too costly. Thus, anyone can get it but it is mostly designed with adult beginner pilots in mind.
When you get this drone, it is for keeps since it has everything you need. It has a 4K camera, two batteries that give you up to 50 minutes of flight time, many hands-free flight functions and brushless motors for excellent flight performance.
Conclusion and Recommendation
The Holy Stone HS710 quadcopter comes ready to fly, with the batteries charged and one already installed for flight. Therefore, no assembly is required. But don’t fly it just yet.
You should read the user manual to know how to calibrate the drone. For instance, you need to find out whether you have to calibrate it every time before you fly it.
Always use the provided charging cables to protect your batteries. Download the app to unlock more flight functions, which will make your flights a lot of fun.
Lastly, unless it is a performance drone, always avoid flying your drones in the wind because a gust can make it fly away for good.
