As you’ll see in this Holy Stone HS190 Review, this mini drone has some great features like altitude hold, headless mode, and one key return. In addition, the price point on this model is also really good at under $50, which makes it an excellent option if you are shopping on a budget.
So let’s take a closer look and see what else you can expect from the Holy Stone HS190 Mini Drone.
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At A Glance
Last update on 2023-06-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
1-Minute Review
The Holy Stone HS190 is a mini drone from Holy Stone. Also known as a “Portable Pocket Quadcopter,” the HS190 is an excellent gift for kids. It is a new generation drone that is easy enough for kids to fly and operate. It is also capable of “one-button take-off and landing.”
Main takeaway – Fun first drone for kids or a great toy for drone enthusiasts to play with at home and practice
- Foldable and easy to carry
- Made entirely of plastic to reduce the risk of injury and make it more children friendly
- Cheap and Affordable
- Multiple drones do not interfere with each other’s signal and can be operated simultaneously
- Easy to operate
- Due to how light it is, it comes with four extra propellers in case it crashes or has rough landings
- Light and easy to break
- I could not take videos or pictures with it
- Can’t do flips in headless mode
- Short flight time
- It only works as a toy and nothing more
Last update on 2023-06-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Let’s take a closer look.
Key Features
- Headless mode for a more exciting flight experience.
- Foldable and easy to carry: It is small and light, making it easy to carry anywhere.
- One button take-off/landing: the drone can take off and hover at a set altitude.
- One key return: with just the push of a button, the Holy Stone HS190 comes right back to the pilot.
- It has an altitude hold function (hovering technology): it can utilize the air pressure from its propellers to maintain a set altitude once you take your hand off the throttle stick.
- The lighting system supports night flying.
- High-speed rotation: the drone can do a 360◦ rotation and fly at high speeds to make flying more fun.
How does Holy Stone HS190 work?
The Holy Stone HS190 Mini RC drone operates on a frequency of 2.4 GHz with a 6-axis gyro nano quadcopter. It is also capable of altitude hold and 3D flips.
The headless mode is designed to give beginners a better feel of this top-notch piece of tech. The mini Holy Stone HS190, as its name suggests, is practically palm-sized. It was designed this way to provide a safer flight experience during indoor flights and outdoor flights.
The Holy Stone HS190 flying drones are also capable of an altitude hold function. This is good for you when practicing your flying skills. Take your hands off the throttle stick; the mini RC drone stays hovering at the same altitude with the altitude hold.
The Holy Stone HS190 comes with a headless mode. This changes how the joysticks work and ultimately how the drone will fly. In addition, it has LED navigation lights that help track which direction the drone is facing. Keeping track of where one is standing when launching the drone is vital as it locks on to the direction one is facing when the Holy Stone HS190 has taken off.
The drone is also capable of various flight movements and high-speed rotations. In addition, it can perform 3D flips and has three-speed modes. The speed modes vary depending on the pilot or person controlling the drone, which makes it great for beginners, and as they advance, flying becomes more interesting.
There are two ways to charge the batteries, which give about 7 minutes of flying time. It comes with a USB cable to charge the batteries; a small built-in line inside the controller makes carrying the drone around much easier.
Performance
Mini Drone Weight and Dimensions
The drone weight is about 24g which means that it does not require FAA registration. The drone’s dimensions are 4.5 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches. These also include the propeller guards.
Charging Time and Flight Time and High-speed Rotation
The mini-drones take about 40 mins to charge fully and operate for a flight time of about 5-7 mins before you need to charge batteries. The 360-degree rotation feature is worth all the noise.
Mini RC Drone Transmitter
The controller’s transmitter works between ranges of 30m-50m.
Limitations
- The drone was crafted intricately for safer flight and more effortless movements. However, it is incredibly light, making it not as highly durable a toy drone as you would expect, and thus, easily damaged.
- It has a short flight time. However, as this is a toy for kids, it would need a more extended flight/playtime to make it an excellent toy for kids.
- Unable to do 3D flips in headless mode.
- It is just a toy drone set for flying and does not have cameras for taking pictures or recordings.
Ease of Set Up and Use
The drone comes with a remote control that operates on a frequency of 2.4GHz, which acts as a house for the drone. It also comes with a USB power cable connected to an adaptor, power bank, or laptop.
To set up, you must first turn the drone on, then the remote controller on, and then turn on the drone which will give off a beep and show the remote control indicator lights when synchronized.
Moving the left and right joysticks to the bottom center of the remote controller helps to calibrate the gyros. Finally, moving the left joystick and right joystick to the bottom corners (left and right, respectively) unlocks the drone for flight.
The controller also has one button for take-off and landing, making the drone easier to fly for beginners. In addition, the small buttons used to maintain altitude and fine-tune flight movements can be reset by holding the joysticks toward the lower left-hand corner of the remote.
It also comes with blade guards that protect the propellers, which must be taken off when the drone is put back in its house. However, the drone has four extra propellers, a screwdriver, and a user manual to help with maintenance and easier set-ups.
Reliability
Reviews from multiple satisfied customers show that this drone is a great gift for kids and a cool piece of gear to have. It is not just easy to operate but also portable and well affordable.
Despite its short flight time and not so stable features, it is very safe for indoor and outdoor flying and great for children and adults.
Ongoing Maintenance
Holy Stone has no more maintenance that needs to be done on this product. Customers would usually buy a newer or more advanced model of the mini drones manufactured by Holy Stone to satisfy whatever need the Holy Stone HS190 mini drone cannot.
Extra Purchases and Ongoing Costs
Customers are often advised to purchase pouches or cases that house the drone. In addition, its controller, and USB cables. This is to make transportation not just more accessible but also stylish.
If you are tight on the budget then you should check out Best Drones Under $100 With Longest Flight Time
A Couple of Alternatives to Consider
For those customers who would prefer a cheaper alternative, the Potensic A20 Mini Drone is the one for you. It also boasts similar features as the Holy Stone HS190; one critical take-off and landing, altitude hold, and protective guards for the propellers.
This drone has protective guards for the propellers all around to keep it safe for keeps and reduce impact when crashing into walls. It also has adjustable speeds to make flying fun for its users.
It has shock absorption material to use as protection when the drone is falling to the ground. This drone comes with three batteries to serve a flight time of 18 minutes, longer than the Holy Stone HS190. This is cheap and safe fun for the kids as it works well both indoors and outdoors.
For those who do not mind spending a little more, the DJI Tello Quadcopter may be the drone for you. This indoor or outdoor selfie drone packs a lot for the sub-$100 price point.
Tello is a mini-drone that you can fly on your own or with an app. Practice aerial moves, learn more about drones while developing programming skills, and capture incredible photos and videos.
Tello has two antennas for clear video transmission and a high-capacity battery for impressive flight times. You can start flying by simply tossing Tello into the air!
Also check: Best Drones Under $300
FAQs
Does the drone require the user to reconnect the gyro sensors each time the motor stops?
No, but you should recalibrate the gyros once in a while.
Does it have a camera?
No, it does not have a camera.
Is it easy to stabilize like the other models?
Yes, the drone is easy to control in-flight and is very user-friendly for beginners.
In the headless mode, the directions are relative to the pilot, so if you move the direction joystick forward, it moves away from you, and if you move it backward, it will fly back to you and so on.
Final Thoughts
Multiple reviews show that as a simple toy, this is an excellent buy as it is quite affordable and satisfies the purpose of having a drone to keep your kids busy. It does not require knowledge that is too advanced, which makes it easier to operate.
It may have a short flight time but promises to give you some of the most exciting 5-7 mins you’ve ever had with its display of cool flips and other aerial tricks, which will leave you happy and smiling all the way.
