Holy Stone HS700D Review: A 2K Camera Drone at This Price?

Driven by the need for more competition and fulfilling the demands of consumers who want more for less, Holy Stone has aimed to strike the perfect chord with the Holy Stone HS700D’s release.

Promising top of the line specs and intuitive features for around the $200 price point, the HS700D smokes most drones in its price range — on paper at least. But how does it fare in the real world?

Those with amateur interests in photography and filmmaking will be delighted with what the Holy Stone HS700D has to offer, sporting a 2K-ready camera onboard and incredible stamina to boot. But is it competent enough to be dubbed as an enthusiast/photography drone killer?

Find out in this detailed, hands-on Holy Stone HS700D drone review.

Quick Specs

Weight	Unloaded: 608 grams
Size	Length: 8.66 in Width: 8.66 in Height: 6.10 in
Speed	Max speed: 40 mph
Signal	Range: ~1 km Operating Frequencies: 2.4 GHz
Battery	Flight time: ~22 mins Capacity: 2800 mAh
Recording	FPV: 2K FULL HD, 12-MP camera

Holy Stone HS700D Features

GPS + GLONASS

Just like how breathing comes naturally to any living thing, any modern drone can’t be taken seriously without a global navigation satellite system included in it. The Holy Stone HS700D has a dual GPS + GLONASS module to pinpoint its exact location on the map, therefore making its smart features accurate and functional when needed.

This also means that the Holy Stone HS700D is incredibly stable when hovering or following a predetermined flight path, making use of 24+ satellites triangulating on its position with eerie precision.

One Key Takeoff/Landing

While the Holy Stone HS700D packs a lot of serious features, it doesn’t forgo beginner-friendly functions at all.

The One Key Takeoff/Landing button lets you initiate the drone to take off without having to maneuver it and stays in place at a fixed altitude so you can plan your next move. The same goes for landing it, where it slowly descends on your desired surface without having the need to inch your way into it awkwardly.

Follow Me

It seems like a follow me mode has been mandatory for these recent drone releases, the Holy Stone HS700D being no exception. Easily go hands-free by accessing the Follow Me function of the drone to change piloting locations, or to film yourself in the third-person perspective if you are on a solo excursion.

However, as the Holy Stone HS700D doesn’t have obstacle detection features, it’s safe to say that it depends on the controller signal to actually “follow” you, instead of the more modern object tracking follow modes that intuitively adjust speed and focus to keep the subject in the frame at all times.

Auto Return

One handy mode to have is an Auto Return function, which can be manually prompted to immediately recall your Holy Stone HS700D back to your position, or automatically comes on in the event of low battery levels, signal transmission loss, and other critical errors that might endanger the drone mid-flight.

The Holy Stone HS700D makes use of its GPS feature to record its primary take-off point before venturing out to the skies, making it easy for it to trace its way back to you when the feature is active.

Waypoint Mode

You can do a lot of cinematography shots without needing to pilot your UAV, thanks to the waypoint function of the Holy Stone HS700D. Simply plot a path on the smartphone app based on the map of the locality, and watch your drone fly itself to these points with accuracy and stability, giving you the freedom to adjust camera perspectives with ease.

Orbit

Do you want to do a 360° pan of a subject but have failed to do so manually, as your timing and piloting savvy isn’t up for the job yet? Automate it with the Holy Stone HS700D’s Orbit mode, which sets a subject as a point of interest as it flies around it in a full circle, at a fixed speed and distance. This allows you to take perfect circumferential shots without worrying about the drone’s flight controls.

Gesture Mode

Apart from the traditional remote control, the Holy Stone HS700D also has a Gesture detection feature that responds to simple hand gestures like waves and hand signals like the peace sign, which makes it come closer or fly back farther, and take selfie shots, respectively.

This can come handy during selfies or just a party trick to show off to your friends. Nothing like a movement-based function on a drone of this price point.

Battery Life

The Holy Stone HS700D sports a 2800 mAh battery that provides up to 22 minutes of flight time, which is impressive considering the average storage capacity it has. This is good news for those perfecting their piloting skills or wanting to get extensive footage of scenery for content creation purposes.

While the beefy flight time is more than enough for most people, charging it can become a dragging task. Clocking in at about 4 to 5 hours until the battery pack is fully replenished, you’d be safe to buy extra battery packs if you deem that one isn’t enough.

Fortunately, the design is modularized to make pack replacement seamless.

Camera

The Holy Stone HS700D’s 12-MP CMOS sensor camera supports video capture if up to 2K resolution at 30 fps, and stills at 2048×1152 formats.

This means incredible photo and video quality at a price where you’d expect 1080p support at most, which is actually what happened with this drone’s older iteration, the HS700.

The Holy Stone HS700D only has a 1-axis gimbal though, supporting 90° of up and down movement to allow you to change perspectives while in flight.

While this means you’d have to fly slower if you need to capture moving objects in frame, you’ll be at peace in knowing that it has an “optical flow” system, which basically means that the drone will automatically adjust its stability based on the air pressure and wind speed. So while you might not get the perfect standstill you need, things are still incredibly stable and balanced.

Ease Of Use

While most drones settle for gamer-like controller gimmicks to appeal to younger crowds, the Holy Stone HS700D comes with a professional-looking transmitter to give you the premium feel level of control found on pricier models.

It is rounded and has a bit of heft to it for optimal comfort and ergonomics when in use, and follows the standard dual joystick layout, with simple labeled buttons populating the face of the controller.

A monochrome display at the bottom gives you battery stats and signal levels, while a phone holder accommodates your smartphone for easier usage of the FPV mode. Furthermore, the battery on the controller can hold up to 3 to 4 hours of juice in it, so you won’t have to top it up frequently and can go on several flights without recharging.

Design and Build Quality

The Holy Stone HS700D comes in a quadcopter layout like most drones nowadays and weighs 608 grams, so check in with your local flight authorities for registration purposes.

Its body is mostly made up of rugged ABS plastic with an aluminum-reinforced frame, making it virtually resistant to most crashes and collisions. Speaking of damage control, the extra long landing gear provides ample protection and clearance for the 2K camera during landing maneuvers.

It features powerful 1500KV brushless motors for better frictionless performance, power efficiency, and a longer service lifespan as well, so you’re sure the Holy Stone HS700D isn’t bailing out on you anytime soon.

Aesthetics-wise, the Holy Stone HS700D doesn’t go too over-the-top, relying on a fixed design and mild curved accents for a no-nonsense look. And while it doesn’t have the foldable benefits of some higher-end drones, portability isn’t out of the question for this bird as it can fit in most carrying cases or bags quite well.

Performance

We have no complaints in terms of the Holy Stone HS700D’s flight performance, as it is as snappy and nimble as advertised. In fact, it is a step up from the HS700 in terms of speed and flight time, taking it to 40 mph tops and over 2 minutes of extra juice in the air. Those quality brushless motors help much in improving its performance over its predecessors, not to mention the abundance of assistive flight functions on it.

The 1 km range is more than enough for most users, but it’s nice to know that you have that much potential area to cover for a drone this affordable. The aforementioned optical flow system, when paired with the GPS + GLONASS feature, lets the Holy Stone HS700D withstand moderate winds with no effect in responsiveness whatsoever.

Final Thoughts

What the Holy Stone HS700D brings to the table for the price is hard to beat. Extensive functionality, smart features, a 2K camera, and a juiced-up battery all account for the price to performance value of the drone.

Sure, there are alternatives within its price range, but few of them come close when you bring up the perfect balance of specs and features in this advanced UAV.

The Holy Stone HS700D doesn’t even leave beginners behind with its newbie-friendly features, all the while retaining superior photography performance consistently.

And to protect the features it has in play, its plastic and aluminium frame is durable enough to survive a bit of wear and tear, too.

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