One of my favorite quadcopter is the Holy Stone HS120D drone. This entry-level drone comes with a built in 1080P HD camera designed to capture aerial stills and videos. If you are looking around for a great-quality camera drone to start with, then you have come to the right place because the Holy Stone HS120D is packed with awesome camera and aerial capabilities.
The Holy Stone HS120D is an entry-level camera drone built for beginners who have never flown a drone before. But would like to learn how to fly a drone as well as master the basics of aerial photography. Which both skills are important to master first before you plan to buy more expensive drones such as Mavic Mini and Holy Stone HS720E for example.
I assembled an in-depth Holy Stone HS120D review to guide you through all the details that you need to know about this foldable camera drone. In this review, we will talk about the Holy Stone HS120D drone’s flight performance, build and design quality, and features. At the end of review, you will be able to decide whether to buy the Holy Stone HS120D drone. Without further ado, let’s get the propellers spinning.
Package Contents
Before you get your hands on this camera drone, let’s talk about what is inside in the package. Sometimes when you buy a drone, you need to make additional purchases in order to get a complete experience. The Holy Stone HS120D is a standalone drone and ready to be flown right out of the box. Although, I recommend purchasing additional flight batteries and a 32GB microSD card to store videos in its true resolution quality.
Inside the package, you should expect to get the following items:
- 1 x HS120D Drone
- 1 x Carrying Backpack
- 1 x Transmitter
- 2 x Drone Batteries
- 2 x Extra Landing Gears
- 4 x Propellers
- 1 x USB Battery Charger
- 1 x User Manual
Design and Build Quality
My initial impression with the Holy Stone HS120D drone was how sleek this quadcopter is. It comes with jet black coating which gives a nice and professional appearance. Not to forget to mention that makes it easier to spot this drone in the skies. While the Holy Stone HS120D drone is not foldable compared to its counterparts: Holy Stone HS510 and Mavic Air 2. The Holy Stone HS120D is a surprisingly high-quality drone thanks to its durable and sturdy framework.
Underneath its main body framework comes with a 1080P HD camera that can be adjusted remotely. Which is definitely a big win for beginners as you will be able to view through the eyes of the drone remotely. Personally, I liked the fact that the Holy Stone HS120D comes with built-in landing pads that provides support and softens rough impacts during the landing phase.
A single battery provides up to 18 minutes of flight time. Inside the box comes with an extra battery which brings the total flight time to 36 minutes — a solid deal for an entry-level camera drone at this price tag. Each motor arm is built with brushed motors that helps deliver strong aerial performance thanks to high reliability and good flight controls.
Though it would be nice if the Holy Stone HS120D drone is equipped with brushless motors for better flight time and speed. Generally, brushless motors are found on more expensive drones such as Ruko U11 and Potensic D68. Overall, the build and design quality of the Holy Stone HS120D drone is solid. This camera drone gets a big thumbs up from me.
Flight Performance
In the next part of the Holy Stone HS120D review, we are going to talk about this drone’s flight performance. Generally, toy drones like Sanrock U52 and DEERC D20 have low flight performance due to a much lower power output. While more advanced drones like Phantom 4 Pro and Mavic 2 Pro / Mavic 2 Zoom have a much higher flight performance due to high power output and combination of intelligent flight capabilities.
The Holy Stone HS120D drone is somewhat in-between. While it is small, compact and lightweight enough to be flown outdoor with ease. This camera drone is equipped with a GPS module that helps make intelligent flight decisions for the quadcopter. This includes optimizing battery usages for longer flight time and provides the user with a smart warning system.
As I mentioned before, a single battery provides the Holy Stone HS120D drone up to 18 minutes of flight time. Which is actually a very good amount of flight time at this price range. Additionally, this camera drone can be flown up to 300 meters away. The combination of both flight time and range gives this camera drone the best of both worlds that beginners will truly appreciate.
Controllability
One of the most important decision factors is how easy it is to fly a drone. If you are a beginner and have never flown a drone before, then you will want to start with a smart drone that has built-in GPS capabilities. Fortunately, the Holy Stone HS120D drone is equipped with a GPS module. Which eliminates the need to maintain stability manually. The GPS module automatically keeps the drone stable through use of data obtained via satellites to provide precise positioning.
A beginner with no prior aviation experience will be able to fly this camera drone with ease. Since the drone is able to fly and maintain autonomously without the need of a pilot’s input, you can focus more on flying the drone and get more enjoyment out of it. To fly the Holy Stone HS120D drone, simply push the movement lever. To adjust altitude and rotate the drone, push the left lever to tweak the direction you want to set it at.
Additionally, you can adjust the camera remotely. Though in order to be able to do so, you will need to connect the drone to your smartphone. Mount the smartphone onto the remote controller to start tweaking the camera settings. Overall, flying the Holy Stone HS120D is straightforward, simple and super easy for beginners to learn how to fly.
Features
One of the main advantages that the Holy Stone HS120D drone brings to the table is intelligent flight modes and you can thank the GPS module for that. Intelligent Flight Modes gives you the ability to fly the drone autonomously. Choose from these following modes: Follow Me Mode, Orbit Mode, and even customize your own flight paths for the drone. Once you pick one of these intelligent flight modes, the drone will start recording on the go.
As I recommend to every beginner whenever they fly one of these drones to go into Headless Mode. If you are wondering what the heck is Headless Mode, it basically reorients flight controls from drone to remote controller. Instead of flying in the direction that the drone faces at, the drone flies based on the direction you are pushing the movement lever at.
This is a big help for beginners who want to learn how to fly a drone as they do not need to worry about direction flying. Additionally, the Holy Stone HS120D drone comes with speed mode. By default, the drone will be at its slowest speed setting so that you can learn the basics of flight. Once you are comfortable with flying, you can adjust the speed mode to elevate your piloting skill.
Lastly, the Holy Stone HS120D has built-in safety features. You will be able to stay in the loop whenever the drone battery is almost out or if it is out of range by making beeping noises. If you lose sight of the Holy Stone HS120D drone, do not worry. This camera drone has a built-in Smart Return to Home function which can be activated with a push of button.
Conclusion
As we come to the conclusion of the Holy Stone HS120D drone, this is a very good camera drone. With a built-in 1080P HD camera that delivers true resolution and quality aerial shots. The Holy Stone HS120D drone also boasts awesome flight time and range. This drone will definitely keep you busy with a number of features, mainly intelligent flight modes for many months to come around.
If you are curious to see what your other options are, I recommend you to check out our camera drones. At Dronesfy, we are home to the biggest drones selection — all of them are handpicked and highly recommended among our customers. The Holy Stone HS120D is a very good training drone that will teach you how to fly and master the basics of aerial photography.
I hope you find our in-depth Holy Stone HS120D drone review helpful and informative. If you have any questions about this camera drone, let us know in the comment section below. Stay tuned for more drone news and deals at Dronesfy. Happy flying and fly smart!
