5.0 out of 5 stars Love It! Reall fun, easy to fly - be careful with your surroundings!

J. · September 15, 2019

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } I researched and compared and just could not decide which drone to get. As you can imagine, I wanted perfect ultra-high quality pictures and video, amazing intelligent flight features, amazing flying time and built-in artificial intelligence so I only had to think and the drone would just do.Then I saw the prices of those ultra high-res, super-smart, really nice drones and decided I had to be more practical. I finally decided on this drone.DeliveryI was able to fly the moment it arrived. Though the battery was not fully changed, it came with about 40% charge which allowed me to play with it for ~10 minutes as soon as I got it. This is important to determine if there are any issues.PackagingMy drone arrived meticulously packed. Sure ... the usual Bolo bubble packing was there. I am talking about the drone items. Came in a beautiful box. May not mean much to others but this tells me the manufacturer pays attention to detail. But that attention to detail did not stop there. Opening the box, the entire contents were perfectly nestled in a form-fitted special cutout styro-foam. This protected all the contents very nicely. The props, camera gimbals, transmitter, smart device holder, landing gear assembly, drone battery and especially the drone where nicely protected. Furthermore, everything within packaging was wrapped in protective plastic covers (imagine a zip-lock with sticky tape instead of the zip). Included in the package is also a USB adapter cable that connects to the battery charger. The charger has the ability to charge two batteries (NOTE: Only one battery comes with the drone).Minor Assembly RequiredSome assembly is required but not much. You will need to mount the props. This is quite easy to do since they are threaded to the motor axle. To facilitate the assembly, a spanner is included that holds the motor axle while the props are rotated (i..e. screwed) on. Pay attention to the labels on the props to match-up A and B props. The quick guide that is included has just the right information to get started. The manual clearly shows pictures and also provides easy to understand written instructions. The smart-device holder (I use an iPhone) snaps to the extension pole and does require a little bit of muscle to get it into place. I like this because one snapped together, it is very sturdy and holds my iPhone exactly as I set it. The springs for the holder are nice and firm. There is absolutely no fear of your device accidentally falling out.Pre-FlightSo ... as soon as I assembled everything (adding the props, installing the iPhone holder, installing the batteries, adding the landing gear and the prop-protectors) I was ready to power-up.Once the drone is turned on, quickly turn-on the transmitter (be sure to hold-down the lock button while turning on) and the transmitter and drone will immediately 'sync' together. The LCD display on the transmitter will show signal strength, battery status of both the transmitter and the drone and most importantly, will show the number of satellites the drone was able to recognize. Acquiring satellites can take some time depending on where you are located and your surroundings. Be patient. Once you can get 7 - 9 satellites, you can be confident the GPS features will work well. I had watched enough you-tube videos to know how to get the drone ready for flight (rotating 3 or more times horizontally and then 3 or more times vertically to allow satellite acquisition). This is done after both the drone and the transmitter are on. I have not tried doing the satellite acquisition step before turning on the transmitter so not sure if that sequence works.You will need to download the app (use the QR code in the manual - makes it super-easy to ensure you get the right app). Next, go to your device wi-fi settings and you should see the wi-fi of the drone listed. This is just like connecting to any wi-fi hotspot and the connection was quick. Next, open the app. You will have to click past a screen that looks like the drone screen but it is in reality, somewhat like a screenshot showing the app controls. Consider it a pre-flight console layout reminder. Click past that and, assuming your wi-fi selection was correct, you will be connected to the drone. The first thing I saw was the full-screen image of whatever the camera was viewing. The image was great! I was surprised that the colors were so vivid.The last step in preparation for flight is pressing and holding the Unlock / Emergency Stop button for a couple of seconds. This unlocks the drone and the props spin-up with low revs to show it is ready to go.First FlightThe you-tube videos and the manual show there is an easy to get the drone into the air: the One Key Takeoff / Landing button. I did not use this feature. I simply 'pushed-up' gently on the left joystick which really spun-up the props and lifted the drone off the ground.OK ... some words of caution: THIS DRONE IS VERY POWERFUL !!! You do not realize it until you throttle-up! For those that may not be experienced with flying RC devices, please make sure you are away from any buildings, trees or any other type of obstacles! It is especially important to keep it away from kids and I suggest you do not try to pick-up the drone while it is in 'flight-ready' status. You will need to room to learn how to move the right joystick to navigate away from hitting anything ... so a nice open area away from things and people give you the perfect conditions.LET ME REPEAT THIS: THIS DRONE IS VERY POWERFUL !!! This can be a dangerous toy! Not just for kids to use, but also for adults. DO NOT fly this drone near people. The build-in GPS functionality will try to keep the drone where it is supposed to be and will really apply immense power to the props to keep it going. I suggest you do not try to fly this indoors especially if you have ceiling fans which can create air currents that push the drone around. These props can do SERIOUS damage. If you are responsible, you do not have to worry.Once I got over the sudden realization of how dangerous the drone could be, I was ready to take it for a real spin. Did I say this drone was powerful? WOW! This baby can MOVE! In less than two seconds I was at least 150 ft above my house and skipping over the trees around my neighborhood. The signal was good and my iPhone was showing exactly what was right in front of the drone.I really fell in love with this drone. The image quality is better than I expected and the ability to use a SD card to record on-to is really great.After a few more flights and getting more practice, I decided my iPhone was just not ideal for some situations. If you want to move around, then a smaller device like an iPhone is ideal and the attached iPhone holder is the way to go. If you are able to be stationary, then a larger device gives you more viewing real-estate. I used my iPad Pro and really liked that. The display shows lots of buttons that you can use to get quick access to features (they can be hidden) but I like having a display with everything right at my fingertips and yet a real large clear view of what the camera is seeing.I liked this drone so much, I have already ordered a second battery. I freaked my wife out as she was leaving the house. She pulled out of the driveway and began to drive away. I zipped the drone past her car, spun it around (the camera is now facing her windshield and the drone is flying backwards - she is driving forwards). Needless to say, she did not expect that and I heard about it for sure! Ha ha ha!Happy flying! Be careful especially around people and kids!

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Little Drone

A.C. · May 28, 2025

This is my first drone and it was so easy to use out of the box. It's a fun little drone that takes great photos and video. I can't wait to get really good at flying this. The carrying case was perfect for all the items. I can only think of two things that the manufacturer can do to improve on this. One is that the camera holder should open up a little more. I had to remove my phone from its case in order for it to fit in the controller. The other thing is to include a second battery.

4.0 out of 5 stars I am using the HS360E GPS EIS to photograph flowers: it's good enough

D.S. · May 28, 2025

Some text associated with the new drone HS380E EPS EISsuggested that there was a 3 axis gimbal or 1 axis gimbal picture stabilization.Now, sometimes, when the drone is pushed forward, the drone pushes its nose down and upand the picture from the drone is goes away briefly. The flower pictures are good enough with the HS380E.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very fun drone

A. · June 3, 2025

Excellent drone. Easy to fly. Great camera. Great range. Modern app and controller. Highly recommend!

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fun!

D.S. · May 24, 2025

It’s a lot of fun flying these around. I like to take lots of pictures and videos. Definitely worth it.

5.0 out of 5 stars As Advertised

R. · May 28, 2025

Received what was ordered and works as promoted especially when following directions.

1.0 out of 5 stars 2021 UPDATE - Drone Crashed Inexplicably After Only 12 Flights!

T. · November 17, 2019

UPDATED JANUARY 2021 - NOW JUNK!!! - After flying this drone only 12 times in 2019 when we bought it for our RV, it sat unused for about a year because of Covid restrictions (we use it primarily when we go RV camping). During Christmas holidays took it out of case, recharged drone batteries, put new batteries in remote, recalibrated everything OK and did 1 short test take off and landing. After arriving in New Orleans for New Year took drone out, turned everything on. Remote and cell phone connected with the drone OK so next we pressed the "unlock" button and the drone inexplicably took off straight up to about 100 feet, traveled horizontally about 200 feet out and then the props shut off and the drone literally fell 200 feet down from the sky. The landing gear broke off, the camera mount broke and the main body is cracked in 2 places. GARBAGE NOW - NOT WHAT I PAID $200.00 FOR!!!This is one GREAT flying drone. I had a Potensic T35 before this one and the difference is HUGE! Better GPS system makes for a much more stable flight and the larger brushless engines on the Holy Stone provides the fastest flying speed in a drone this size and keep it rock solid even in fairly brisk winds. One of the biggest advantages this drone has is its camera and mount. The camera is exceptionally clear (HD) with a good vibration mount and the power directional (up and down) gimbal very smooth. The Holy Stone HS700D drone uses military spec batteries which I found to hold a charge MUCH longer that my previous drone (Potensic T35, 6 to 8 minutes - Holy Stone HS700D a good 16 to 18 minutes). Has a LOT of great automatic flying features: auto takeoff/landing, point to point flying, orbit flying, follow me flying, auto return to home. VERY responsive manual flight controls and fast flying speed makes this drone, in my opinion, not the one to try to learn - "How to fly a drone" on.