Hello, drone enthusiasts! Welcome to my Holy Stone HS260 review.
The Holy Stone HS260 is another superb release from the Holy Stone brand. This drone is specifically made for beginners or teenagers. Professionals can also enjoy flying this drone, as it is equipped with some features that can be found in other, more sophisticated drones.
Holy Stone is a Chinese drone manufacturer known for selling consumer drones at low prices to the general public. The Holy Stone HS260 comes equipped with a 1080p camera for capturing your moments and scenery.
The Holy Stone HS260 is a brushed motor quadcopter that is super easy to fly. This drone does not have a GPS function. However, it comes equipped with a 2-axis gimbal for camera stability. It also has an optical flow to ensure precise positioning for stability in windy conditions.
In this Holy Stone HS260 review, I will go over the features and benefits of this beginner drone to show you if the drone is the right choice for you before you go ahead to purchase it.
- Quick Overview of the Holy Stone HS260
- What’s Inside The Holy Stone HS260 Box
- Holy Stone HS260 Specifications
- Features and Benefits of the Holy Stone HS260
- Holy Stone HS260 Pros and Cons
- Holy Stone HS260 Set Up
- Best Alternatives to the Holy Stone HS260
- Holy Stone HS260 Safety Tips
- Final Thoughts on the Holy Stone HS260
Quick Overview of the Holy Stone HS260
The Holy Stone HS260 comes equipped with WiFi capability and a 2K HD camera for capturing precious family moments. It also has a 2-axis gimbal for camera stability. It can stream videos and capture images through the Holy Stone app.
This drone is very durable, which is why it is perfect for beginners.
The Holy Stone HS260 may not have many drone-rich features, but if flown the right way, it can give its user a thrilling flight experience.
The HS260 user interface is pretty straightforward and not complicated to figure out. This is the perfect drone for beginners and a gift for kids.
What’s Inside The Holy Stone HS260 Box
- 1 x HS260 Drone
- 1 x Transmitter
- 2 x 3.85V 1300MAh Batteries
- 2 x USB Charging Cables
- 4 x Spare Propellers
- 4 x Propeller Guards
- 1 x Screwdriver
- 1 x Manual
Holy Stone HS260 Specifications
- Weight: 140g/4.94oz
- Flight Time: 15 minutes /per battery
- Dimension: 313*213*55mm(Unfolded)
- Charging Time: 60 minutes
- Transmission Distance: 197-262ft / 60-80m
- Max Flight Distance:328ft/100m
- Photo/Video Resolution: HD1920 x 1080P
Features and Benefits of the Holy Stone HS260
Let’s go over the features of the Holy Stone HS260 and its benefits to users.
Design and Build
The Holy Stone HS260 build is small and compact. It is a foldable drone and has a similar design and dimensions to the HS175 series. This drone can be classified as a small drone with a measurement of 313*213*55mm.
Just like most Holy Stone drones, this drone weighs less than 250 grams. This design adds to its mobility in the air, and it’s also a pretty fast drone. Since it weighs less than 250 grams, you do not need to register it with the FAA before flying.
Since we are being honest, most small-size drones have issues with the wind, but not the Holy Stone HS260; it handles moderate wind well. However, do not attempt to fly during severe windy conditions.
The propellers are top-notch and powerful to provide that balance and stable light. The detachable battery fits in a hole that can be found on the side of the drone, while the camera is fixed underneath the drone to give it enough clearance to capture footage from different angles
Battery Flight Time
The Holy Stone HS260 is powered by a 3.85V, 1300mAh Li-Po battery that gives it a 13-minute flight time, which is different from the 15-minute flight time that’s advertised on the sales page.
After testing, the Holy Stone HS260 battery takes around 1 hour to charge completely, which is impressive compared with other drones of similar size and battery that usually take 3 hours to charge completely.
You can always have two batteries on hand; that way, you get up to 26 minutes of flight time, so purchasing extra batteries may be the way to go.
Remote Control
The Holy Stone HS260 remote is great to handle; it has a similar design to the 175S drone remote controller.
The remote control is not difficult to figure out; it’s pretty straightforward, like the power button, take off button, auto take off, speed, camera, and gimbal button.
First, you have to unfold the controller. the phone holder, and at the lower part are the grip handles.
The first things you notice are the dual joysticks and the power button. Then, after opening the central lid, you will discover the auto take-off button on the left, the speed button (for high and low), and at the right, the headless mode button.
At the back of the remote are the gimbal buttons to move your camera up or down, and to the left are the buttons for camera and video recording.
The remote comes with its own battery. You have to download the Holy Stone drone app, which is available for both Android and iOS devices, to connect your smartphone to the drone and also utilize the FPV feature.
Camera
The Holy Stone HS260 is equipped with a 2K camera capable of taking 1080p pictures. The HS260 is also capable of recording videos in 1080p.
In all honesty, because there are phones with quality cameras nowadays, the drone footage may not be up to par. The HS260 does not have an SD card slot. So, all videos and pictures are saved on your game.
The wide-angle lens has a 120-degree field of view that can capture full details in your shot. While the adjustable camera lens can capture photos and videos from different perspectives,
However, expect the videos to be of a different quality than those from other, significantly more expensive drones.
Control Range
The Holy Stone HS260 has a maximum range of 100 meters before it loses connection with your smartphone and remote control. You should be careful not to go above the limit because it is not a GPS-enabled drone. You might end up losing your drone.
This drone does not have any obstacle avoidance features. Flying your drone around trees or other obstacles could cause collisions, especially if you are a beginner.
Speed and Power
The Holy Stone HS260 comes with a 2-speed mode, which can be adjusted by pressing the speed button on the controller to vary your speed during flight.
Holy Stone doesn’t give a direct specification of the speed on the sales page, but many people who purchased the drone on Amazon have attested to how far it can go.
You should be careful about going into full-speed mode because it doesn’t have an obstacle avoidance mode. Plus, you’re more likely to collide with obstacles if you’re a beginner drone pilot. so, avoid places with trees.
Durability
Like most other drones, the Holy Stone HS260 is made of plastic (reinforced plastic). The drone is light and very easy to carry.
The Holy Stone HS260 is fairly durable, despite being made of light and strong plastic; it can even stay together after falling one or two times. However, you should take precautions.
Holy Stone HS260 Pros and Cons
Here, I’ll go over what I like and don’t like about the Holy Stone HS260
Pros: What I Like About the Holy Stone HS260
- Long flight time from two batteries
- Syncs fast with your phone
- Simple-to-use controls with low latency
- It flies well and is stable in calm weather.
- Folds nicely and is small enough to slip into my coat pocket
- The price is quite good
- Its user interface is pretty basic, and novice fliers will quickly catch up.
- Very reliable and fun to use for beginners
- It comes right out of the box ready to use
- Very super simple to calibrate
- Instruction manuals are easy to follow (they did a great job transmitting from Chinese to English)
Cons: What I Don’t Like About The Holy Stone HS260
- It can be difficult to fly during windy periods
- It doesn’t have obstacle avoidance mode. This means you have to fly the drone in open areas without lamp posts, tall buildings, electricity lines, trees, and other obstacles.
Holy Stone HS260 Set Up
I’ll go over some basic setups for the Holy Stone HS260 if you’re a beginner drone pilot who doesn’t know how to set up the drone. However, you’ll have to exercise patience so you don’t screw things up.
1. Charging the Holy Stone HS260
The first step is to charge the Holy Stone HS260 drone battery with the USB cord. Unfortunately, only one USB cable is provided in the package, so you’ll either have to wait for one of them to get full before charging the other or simply buy another USB cable.
2. Assembling the Holy Stone HS260
Putting on the propellers: This shouldn’t be too difficult. Holy Stone provided a magnetic screwdriver to help in attaching the screws to prevent them from falling off. They also provided extra screws in case you misplaced some while attaching the propellers to the body of the drone.
Install the propeller guards if you want
Insert the charged battery in the battery slot of the drone
3. Pairing the Holy Stone HS260 With the Remote Controller
The drone pairs with the controller quite easily. Just switch on our drone and remote controller and move the joysticks upward. You will hear a beep to notify you that the pairing is complete.
4. Pairing the Holy Stone HS260 With Your Smartphone
The next step is to pair the Holy Stone HS260 drone with your smartphone.
1) Download the Holy Stone app on your phone – free
2) Turn on the controller.
3) Switch on the drone’s battery. The battery’s lights will show the charge level; four lights indicate a full charge. Before successful pairing and calibration, the drone’s lights will flash white and pink or red.
4) Go to the WiFi section of your phone’s settings and choose the Holy Stone WiFi signal.
5) Click the “Enter Device” button in the app’s first page’s center after launching the Holy Stone app.
5. Function of the Holy Stone HS260 You Should Know
2-speed modes: When flying the drone indoors, you can start with a modest speed and then increase it to a high speed when you arrive outside.
Headless Mode: If you find it difficult to discern which way the drone is facing while it is far away, simply switch to headless mode, and it will do it for you. When you turn, the drone spins to realign with you.
One-key takeoff and landing: This makes it incredibly simple for a newbie to launch or land the drone. When you are unsure what to do with the drone, simply press this key.
Optical flow positioning: Under the drone, there is a sensor for this. It allows the drone to maintain a precise location while swaying slightly.
Best Alternatives to the Holy Stone HS260
In this section, I’ll share with you three alternatives to the Holy Stone HS260 to give you more options:
1. Holy Stone HS720E (Best Overall Holy Stone Drone)
In my opinion, the Holy Stone HS720E is the best holy stone drone. It’s easy to use, has advanced flight mode, & comes with dual batteries for a more fun time and a 4K EIS anti-shake camera with a Sony sensor
2. DJI Mavic Mini (Best DJI Alternatives)
The DJI Mavic Mini is my best DJI alternative to the Holy Stone HS260. What I like about the Mavic Mini is that it has a long flight time of 30 minutes. Not just that, it comes with a triple battery for triple the fun and a 2.7K HD camera attached to a 3-axis gimbal that provides camera stability and smooth footage.
3. Holy Stone HS430 (Best Budget Holy Stone Drone)
The Holy Stone HS430 is my best-budget Holy Stone drone. It’s pocket-sized, easy to use, and comes with all the basic features and functions of premium drones on the market without the expensive price tag.
Holy Stone HS260 Safety Tips
- 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 minimum recommended flying age for the HS260 is 16 years.
- You’re advised to fly in open areas, where you can maintain a line of sight and preferably below heights of 120 meters.
- Be careful with rotating motors and propellers, and keep a distance to avoid ear damage by the drone’s nose.
- Avoid flying in extreme weather conditions such as rain, fog, snow, and strong wind.
- Avoid flying the drone when tired, under the influence of alcohol, under medication, or when in any physical discomfort.
- Keep the drone clean and well-maintained.
- Read the user manual thoroughly before flying the HS270.
- Follow the battery safety rules as outlined in the user manual.
- Fly the drone with a fully charged battery, and perform all the recommended pre-flight procedures before takeoff.
- Follow your local laws on drone flying, and avoid flying in No-Fly zones.
- Always check the drone, controller, and battery for damages and correct installation before a flight.
- The onboard compass can be affected by electromagnetic fields near base stations or power lines.
Final Thoughts on the Holy Stone HS260
Overall, the Holy Stone HS260 is an awesome drone for both beginners and professionals alike. It is a lightweight drone; you have to be careful with where you fly them.
Remember that this is a toy drone with amazing features that are also found in professional drones. Its flight time, flight handle, camera, and several other tweaks make it one of the cutting-edge toy drones out there.
You can also check out the best Holy Stone drones to see the reviews of various drones from the Holy Stone series and know the benefits they have in store for you.
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