Holy Stone HS720G: Advanced yet Friendly!

The Holy Stone HS720G is the kind of drone that any first-timer could wish for. It’s very portable, it has a 4K camera, is easy to fly, and has all the best flight features that a low-cost drone can have.

Now, the third iteration of the HS720 drone comes with a 2-axis gimbal stabilization, which is the biggest upgrade from the original version. To ensure buttery smooth footage, the HS720G’s 4K camera is enhanced with electronic image stabilization (EIS).

Due to the great price-performance ratio and excellent customer support, Holy Stone drones are one the best-selling on Amazon. HS has four product lines: MINI, Beginner, Advanced and Premium. Currently, the HS720G is their top-end model.

Holy Stone HS720G hands-on review

Disclosure: I received this foldable 4K drone from HolyStone in order to test it and do an in-depth review. Although the product was offered for free, all opinions in this article remain my own, with no partner’s influence.

Initially, they wanted to send me the previous model (without a gimbal) but luckily only the newer ‘G‘ edition was available in their European Amazon store. The HS720G drone comes in a nice handbag with the following accessories: remote controller, flight battery, set of spare propellers, USB charging cable, and user manual.

At a glance

The included bag has a velvet-touch finish and dedicated compartments for de drone, remote controller and accessory box. Inside, there is a large zipped mesh pocket for the user manual and smaller accessories.

As you can see in the image below, the HS720G is only slightly bigger than its smaller brother, the HS175D. With folded arms, it measures just 164x90x63mm and weighs 377g (with battery). Being over 250grams, you will need to register it in most countries. The overall design of the drone isn’t too dissimilar to its predecessor, apparently, the only notable difference is in the front (the camera).

On the belly, between two dummy ultra-sonic sensors there is a tiny camera that serves as an optical flow sensor allowing super stable hovering indoors with no GPS coverage. There is a micro SD slot on the left side for local recording. The 2-axis gimbal comes with a plastic protector which must be detached before you power on the drone. It has labels about how to unfold the arms and how to remove the gimbal guard.

Unlike most other drones, that have LED lights on the end of each rotor, the HS 720G has a single LED on the tail that indicates the different flight status of the drone and also helps with identifying any issues with the aircraft.

It has brushless motors with foldable propellers, which during my tests proved to be underpowered for the size and weight of the drone. In windy conditions, the Holy Stone HS720G struggles to keep its position. 

The general build quality of the HS720G is nice. I like the folding mechanism, but ground clearance could be higher. If you want to take off from grass, the gimbal will have problems with initialization.

HolyStone HS720G camera

• 1/2.3″ 8MP sensor
• Shoots videos in 1080@60fps or 4K@30fps
• EIS + 2-axis gimbal

In terms of the camera, the HS720G a 1/2.3-inch sensor shoots 8Mp photos and 4K video at 30fps or 1080P at 60fps. Pilots can adjust ISO sensitivity, White balance, Brightness, and Saturation or add special effects such as Grayscale or Nostalgic. The camera has a 120° field of view (FOV) and can accept memory cards of up to 128GB. Another cool thing is that you can engage up to 5x digital zoom to help bring the subject a little closer.

The 2-axis gimbal not just keeps the camera perfectly stable during flights, but also allows remote angle adjustment. You can remotely toggle from front view to ground view, perfect for roof and chimney inspection. Image quality is not outstanding but in its price range, you can’t expect something better.

HolyStone HS720G battery life

The HS720G drone is powered by a 7.7V 2950 mAh battery. The LIPO pack has 4 charging level indicator LEDs, USB charging port, and a power button. Using my Kovol GaN charger the refuelling process took about 3 hours from 25% (one bar) to 100% (4 bars). Despite that it has a Type-C port it is not compatible with PD ultra-fast charging protocol.

Technical specs say that battery life is 26 minutes in perfect conditions. During my tests, I got an average of 25 minutes of flight time. If you need more fun time, spare batteries are available for $74.99.

HolyStone HS720G range

You should not even read this review if you expect a DJI-like range. Most WIFI drones, including the HS720G, don’t excel in this area. Max flight distance highly depends on the flight field and surrounding RF noise. During my test flights, I got a max range of 1100 meters range till RTH was triggered. When the distance was over 400 meters, the WIFI FPV signal started to have interruptions on my Samsung S21 phone. As the antennas on the RC are fake (no wire inside), is useless to try range extender signal boosters. Also, the manual suggests unfolding the antennas for best performance, which is quite a dummy. You’ll need a 5G 802.11ac wifi-capable mobile device (smartphone/tablet) to make the FPV work with this drone.

As you can see in the picture above, the transmitter has a handy status screen that provides the following telemetry data: drone battery level, number of satellites, flight distance, flight altitude, and signal strength. Additionally, on the front panel, there is the Take-off/Land, Motor Lock/Unlock and RTH buttons. On the right side, there is a switch that turns on/off GPS mode allowing you to fly indoors.

On the right side, above the camera angle dial, there is a shoulder button that allows toggling between Low and High-speed rates. There is a telescopic arm that pulls out from the top that will allow you to attach your smartphone.

Who is the HS720G made for?

Holy Stone’s HS720G drone is great for beginners who want to perfect their flying skills. The included manual covers everything they need to know from the initial setup to land. The calibration process and status LEDs meaning are also well-explained, too.

The folding design and EIS 4K camera with a 2-axis gimbal also make it a great choice for those who are looking for a budget travel-friendly camera drone.

Price and availability

When I published my review, the HS720G was marked to be a ‘New release‘ and the stock status with ‘Currently unavailable. I expect the price to be somewhere between $220 and $250. In the future, you can check the availability and place your order here. Update: We just received this ‘YH8BASC2‘ discount code that gives you an extra 5% off. The coupon is valid till 31 December 2022.