Holy Stone HS720E vs Ruko F11 Gim

In this article, I will be comparing two very popular beginner-friendly drones, the Holy Stone HS720E vs Ruko F11 Gim. These drones are in the mid-tier range, they cost just under $400, and both come with very similar features.

My personal choice would be the Holy Stone HS720E, Holy Stone are an established drone brand, and they manufacture some of the best quality mid-tier and low-cost drones. Having said that, the Ruko F11 Gim drone is also a very good drone and has a good rating on Amazon, which you pick will come down to personal preference.

Something else you may want to take into consideration is that the Ruko F11 Gim drone is sold under different brands, two of the more popular ones are SJRC and Deerc. They differ in price range, so you may want to shop around and also see who provides the best customer service, if you decide to go with the Ruko F11 Gim drone.

Also, if you live in the UK or the USA, these drones will need to be registered with either the CAA or the FAA. You will also be required to label these drones clearly with the registration number you will be provided with, drones laws are constantly being updated as the technology improves and more people start flying, make sure you are familiar with these laws, wherever you live and fly safely.

Holy Stone HS720E vs Ruko F11 Gim

Camera

So, the first feature I would like to compare is the camera, this is one of the main features of any drone and why they have become so popular. Both the Holy Stone HS720E and Ruko F11 Gim have similar types of cameras, they both record video footage in 4K and have an electronic image stabilisation feature that will reduce distortion in videos and photos.

The Holy Stone HS720E camera has a 130° FOV and the angle can be adjusted 90° up or down. It records video footage in 4K at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps, however, to record video footage in the highest resolution, you will need a fast micro SD card, preferably class 10 or above. Unfortunately, a memory card is not provided with the drone, so you will need to purchase one separately (this also applies to the Ruko F11 Gim drone).

Photos are captured in 4K in JPEG format and the live video feed is pretty good quality as long as you keep the drone well within the video transmission range and the signal is free from any interference.

The Ruko F11 Gim comes with a similar set of features for its camera, it records in 4K at 30fps and captures high resolution images in JPEG format. It also comes with electronic image stabilisation, however, what separates it from the Holy Stone HS720E is its 2-axis gimbal, which also helps with image and video stabilisation. It’s probably also the reason why the Ruko F11 Gim is a little more expensive than the Holy Stone HS720E.

However, there is no drastic difference between the overall quality of the videos and images produced by these cameras.

Holy Stone HS720E vs Ruko F11 Gim – Design & Build

The Holy Stone HS720E is one of my favourite drones when it comes to aesthetics, it’s a well-built drone that has a foldable design and has modern look and weighs just under 500g.

The drone comes with brushless motors for better flight stability and has LED lights on the bottom of each rotor arm. The lights indicate when the drone compass is fully calibrated, and they also help in troubleshooting any issues that may occur. There is a micro SD card slot on the side of the drone and a couple of lights and an optical flow sensor on the bottom. The drone comes with a dual GNSS receiver (GPS & GLONASS) for better signal coverage and improved positional accuracy. The drone is powered by a lithium polymer battery provides a flight time of around 20-23 minutes and takes 5 hours to fully recharge. To extend the flight time, it is advisable to purchase a couple of extra batteries.

As for the Ruko F11 Gim, it too is a foldable drone, however, I am not a huge fan of its overall design. It’s a much bigger and heavier drone than the HS720E, the main reason for its size is because it comes with a large battery.

It’s a more powerful battery than the one that powers the Holy Stone HS720E and provides the Ruko F11 Gim with a flight time of around 25 minutes of flight time. This is a longer flight time than the HS720E and one of the plus points it has over the drone.

Other than my dislike of its design, most of the features the Ruko F11 Gim comes with are very similar to the HS720E. The drone has brushless motors, LED lights on the end of its rotor arms, a dual GNSS receiver and a micro SD card slot on its side.

Both drones come with a similar type of remote controller, they are small and have a nice OLED screen in the middle that displays telemetry data about the drone. The transmission range varies, the Ruko F11 Gim controller has a range of around 1.5km, while the HS720E has a range of around 1km. Of course, due to drone laws, you will have to keep the drone within your line of sight, so the control range shouldn’t really matter.

However, you should be aware that the Ruko F11 Gim controller has an internal battery while the controller for the HS720E requires 2 AA batteries, these are not included with the drone package.

Holy Stone HS720E vs Ruko F11 Gim – Flight Features & Performance

Both these drones have similar flight features, they both come with multiple speed modes and are easy to operate, making them suitable for beginners and experienced drone pilots alike.

One of the best features of both drones is their GPS assisted intelligent flight modes which allow anyone to operate these drones hands-free.

The intelligent flight modes include follow me, point of interest and tap fly.

The Ruko F11 Gim comes with an additional intelligent feature which will allow you to capture videos and photos through hand gestures.

These drones also come with an automatic return to home feature, this can be activated manually via the remote controller or app, and it is activated automatically if the drone battery gets low on charge, or you lose connection.

The Holy Stone HS720E and Ruko F11 Gim transmits video feed over 5G WiFi, so you will need to make sure that your smartphone or tablet has 5G WiFi capability to make use of the FPV feature.

The drones fly well and can even be flown in mildly windy conditions, although if you are a beginner, you should only fly when there is hardly any wind.

Hovering capability is good for both drones and the flight time is a little less than what is officially stated but you will be able to get well over 20 minutes of flight time for each drone.

Holy Stone HS720E vs Ruko F11 Gim – Key Features

Final Thoughts

Between the Holy Stone HS720E and Ruko F11 Gim, I personally prefer the first option, mainly because Holy Stone are an established that known to produce good low-cost to mid-range drones. Also, the Holy Stone HS720E just looks better, however, as you will have noticed from the comparison article, there is little difference between the drones when it comes to features and flight performance. Ultimately, it will come down to your personal preference and budget, if you want more options are similar price points, check out this article for the best drones under $400.