Holy Stone HS510 Review – A Cool Lightweight Foldable Drone With A 4K Camera

Hi and welcome to my review of the Holy Stone HS510 drone.

This is one of the latest drones from Holy Stone who have established themselves as one of the best companies for low-cost consumer drones.

I have reviewed many Holy Stone drones, most of them are decent drones that are easy to fly, come with some good features and are suitable for everyone.

The Holy Stone HS510 is one of their more advanced drones and comes with really cool features that will make it easier to fly.

It has an excellent rating on Amazon, but I have to warn that this drone sells out fast, so if you like after what you read in this review, don’t wait too long before purchasing this drone.

Holy Stone HS510 Review

So, if you are a fan of small, lightweight foldable drones then you will love the Holy Stone HS510.

Also, if you are a drone enthusiast, this drone will seem familiar to you, that is because it is a rebranded version of the very popular Bugs B7 drone which I have reviewed here.

This really is a beautifully designed drone, it is small, very light and has a solid structure and does not feel fragile in your hands.

The drone weighs less than 250g, this number is significant if you live in the UK, Canada or the USA as it means you will not need to register the drone if you just want to fly for fun.

However, if you plan on using the drone for commercial reasons (which you can but I wouldn’t recommend it), you will need to register it and get a drone license.

The drone does come with a dual GPS module that allows it to connect to more satellites for more accurate tracking data and autonomous flight modes.

There is an optical flow sensor on the bottom of the drone, this will help the drone fly more smoothly in areas with a weak GPS signal and also allows you to fly the drone indoors.

One feature that really looks cool is the LED light on the front, it makes quite a spectacle if you fly it in a dark room. There is also a large LED light on the bottom of the drone that can be used as sort of a searchlight, which will be fun to play around with.

There is a micro SD card slot on the side of the drone, and it supports class 10 or above memory cards with a maximum capacity of 32gb. Unfortunately, a memory card is not included with the drone package, so you will need to purchase one separately.

One of the advanced features of this drone is its brushless motors, these motors have several advantages over brushed motors. These include being more powerful and efficient that allows them to last longer, hover better and fly more smoothly.

Brushless motors also allow drones to fly faster and hold steady in windy conditions, however, with a drone, like the HS510, I would not recommend anyone to fly this type of drone in any kind of windy conditions, especially if you are a beginner drone pilot.

The drone is powered by a 7.6v 1500 mAh LiPo battery that goes on top of the drone and its design complements the aesthetics of the drone.

It’s a battery that provides the drone with a flight time of around 12-15 minutes, this is a decent flight time but there are drones with longer flight times at similar price points.

The good thing is, you get an extra battery with the drone package, this will allow you to extend the flight time without having to wait for a couple of hours for the battery to recharge.

Another aspect of the drone I like is its remote controller which has a minimalistic design and is comfortable to hold. There are a pair of handles that fold out from the bottom to give a better grip, but I do not see the need for them.

There is a smartphone holder that pulls out from the middle and there is a nice OLED screen that will display vital telemetry data about the drone. The controller requires 2AA batteries, however, these are not included with the package so you will need to purchase some yourself.

The maximum transmission range for this drone is around 600-800 meters on a good clear day and for FPV its around 200-300 meters.

You will also need to download the Ophelia GPS app to make use of the FPV feature and autonomous flight modes. This is a decent drone app and it is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

It’s fairly easy to use and you get access to a lot of the features the drone comes with via the app. There have been complaints that the app crashes too frequently but I think this is mainly due to people having older smartphones that do not run on the recommended versions of the iOs or Android operating systems.

Something else I want to add is that you get a really nice drone carry case, this is an added bonus for people who like to travel with their drones.

Holy Stone HS510 Camera

One of the best features of a drone is definitely its camera, you can have a lot of fun with them and explore the world from above which is always a fun experience.

Although the camera can record videos in 4k, I will be honest with you and say it is not the best quality as it records at only 16fps. However, it does record 2.7k at 24fps, which is much better, it’s not professional-level videos (and you wouldn’t really expect it to be for around $200) but it’s good enough for what it costs.

As the camera drone does not have any kind of stabilisation feature, you will notice distortion like shakiness, this is unfortunate because even some kind of electronic stabilisation feature, which is probably less expensive than installing a gimbal, could have reduced these effects.

The camera also captures images in 8mp, which is pretty good quality and the live video feed is transmitted in 720p.

Overall, this is a nice camera and worth its price, however, if you are willing to pay a little bit more, the Hubsan Zino sells for just under $300 on Banggood and comes with an amazing 4k camera stabilised by a 3-axis gimbal along and comes with many other advanced features.

Intelligent Flight Modes

Like a lot of cheap GPS drones, the Holy Stone HS510 comes with a few autonomous flight modes. These are fun to use and allows you to concentrate more on taking better quality videos or photos while the drone flies on autopilot.

One thing to note is that for these smart flight modes to work properly, you will need to be in an area with a strong GPS signal.

So, the HS510 comes with the following intelligent flight mode:

Follow me – Pretty self-explanatory, in this mode the drone locks on to your smartphone and follows you from behind.

Tap fly – This mode allows you to draw a flight path and the drone will fly along it on autopilot and come back home.

Point of interest – Lock the drone on to a point of interest and the drone will automatically orbit that position.

Automatic return home – This is one of the best features of this drone and it will minimise the risks of losing the drone in mid-flight. It can be activated via the return to home button on the controller or app and it is automatically activated if you lose connection or if the drone battery gets too low.

Flight Performance

The drone fly’s well, it hovers accurately and is easy to control. Its brushless motors allow it to remain steady and with its GPS module, you can track the drone pretty accurately on the app. I wouldn’t recommend flying drones like this in any kind of windy conditions and sometimes you may have problems with the drones FPV, this is mainly because of a fault within the app. Overall, the drone works as does most of its features.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a cheap GPS drone with some decent features and a good camera, the Holy Stone HS510 will be a good choice. The drone is suitable for most people, is easy to operate and fun to fly. Click on the button below to find out more details and check its current price. If it is out of stock, you can always purchase the MJX Bugs B7, which is pretty much the same drone but is only sold on Banggood and delivery time is around 2 weeks.