Holy Stone HS360E drone review

Holy Stone continues to release beginner-friendly drones at a range of sizes and price points to cater to the needs of a wider community of beginner drone pilots. The Holy Stone HS360E is a sub-250 g model that looks a little like the DJI Mini 4K and is similar in many ways but offers a much more basic camera.

Camera specs are thin on the ground but it's 12MP and features a 2-axis gimbal for tilting the camera, which is supported by Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) rather than the more effective mechanical stabilization that's delivered by 3-axis gimbals. It certainly smooths video, but it can't eliminate larger movements of the drone during flights.

This produces FPV-style video footage where the tilt pitch and roll of the drone are captured to produce a more immersive type of video. This isn't for everyone, but if you'd like this type of video capture, the HS360E could be one of the best beginner drones for you. Video is captured at 4K 30 FPS on the microSD card in the drone, while 720p 30FPS video is captured on your smartphone with the HS Fly app installed.

Photos are captured in JPEG format in either 4000 x 3000px or 3840 x 2160px (4K) dimensions on the microSD card. Photos saved to your smartphone are in 4K dimensions. Image quality isn't the best but we'll cover that in more detail later. Several features are great for beginners and these include GPS Return to Home, subject tracking, timelapse, panorama, slow-motion video and several automated flight patterns.

Holy Stone HS360E review

Holy Stone HS360E review: Design

• Folding design
• Well-made drone
• Solid controller

The HS360E, as previously mentioned, looks similar to the DJI Mini 4K with its light gray airframe and folding design. The propeller arms fold out horizontally, which takes it from 5.5 x 3.5 x 2.17in / 140 x 90 x 55mm when folded to 8.37.1 x 2.17in / 210 x 180 x 55mm when unfolded, with a weight of 8.78 oz / 249 g. This means that US pilots won't have to register the drone with the FAA if flying recreationally.

The overall design is simple, but the build quality is good. The overall kit looks and feels like good value for money. There are no sensors on the drone for collision avoidance, but there is a much more basic optical flow sensor facing downwards on the bottom of the airframe.

There is also a light on the bottom that changes color to signify whether or not the controller is connected. In low-light conditions, the light on the bottom of the drone could allow the pilot to identify the orientation of the drone. In daylight, it's impossible to see once the drone is in the air.

Image 1 of 6

The HS360E gimbal is extremely simple with only a 2-axis movement for changing the tilt of the camera, with smoothing of video provided by Electronic Image Stabilization. The tilt mechanism of the gimbal isn't the most refined — it's difficult to position it between -90 and 0 degrees and easiest to either set the camera to look forward or straight down.

The 2000 mAh Li-ion batteries are advertised to provide up to 30 minutes of flight. During testing, flight times were coming in at around 19 minutes before a low battery warning came on. This was in 50°F / 10°C temperatures, so during the summer, it's safe to assume that this would increase slightly but certainly not to 30 minutes. So, with only one battery in the kit, a second and possibly even a third would be a worthwhile investment.

Image 1 of 2

The controller that comes with the HS360E is the most common controller with Holy Stone drones and it looks like it's heavily inspired by the DJI RC-N2 controller, but with a basic screen to show flight information. Build quality is lower than the DJI RC-N2, but it's not bad either and it's comfortable to hold and easy to operate, which is most important.

There's a telescopic phone holder at the top where the phone cable can be stored and the control sticks can be unscrewed from the gimbals and stowed in rubberized compartments at the bottom of the unit.

Where most of these controllers come in dark gray to match Holy Stone drones that are typically this darker tone, this version comes in light gray to match the HS360E. There are seven direct access controls to make operation more convenient.

Holy Stone HS360E review: Functionality

• Auto Return to Home
• Timelapse and slow-motion features
• Basic subject tracking

The HS360E uses the same Holy Stone app as the higher spec and more expensive Holy Stone HS600D; the features and functionality of the two drones are extremely similar, despite the HS360E being the more basic model of the two.

The HS360E does fly well and the flight controls are responsive, allowing for smooth operation of the drone to achieve a range of maneuvers, so no complaints here. It's not the fastest and most powerful drone, with a maximum wind resistance of just 12.3 mph, making it unsuited to windy conditions.

This is a GPS-enabled drone like most, if not all, consumer camera drones. This holds the drone in a hover so it doesn't get blown along in the wind. Although, there is both vertical and horizontal movement of the HS360E to the extent that it's best to keep a close eye on the drone when hovering at lower altitudes. With no collision avoidance, this drifting could result in a collision but is, of course, much less of an issue when flying at higher altitudes.

GPS also allows for GPS Follow Me, which uses the GPS signal from your smartphone to track you. This works reasonably well but it's far from the most sophisticated application of the feature. GPS also delivers Return to Home (RTH) functionality with Smart RTH to return the drone to the take-off point at the touch of a button. Return to Home also offers Failsafe RTH and Low Voltage RTH, which return the drone when the signal to the controller is lost or when the battery charge is low.

RTH is both a functional and safety feature that can be extremely useful in a range of situations, as the feature's application suggests. This, alongside the take-off and landing button on the controller, makes it safe and easy to get the drone up and into the air.

This button also initiates an emergency stop when depressed for two seconds, but this only works when the drone is below 16 ft. Then there's Optical Flow Positioning for indoor flights when a GPS signal is unavailable.

The HS360E also offers shooting modes including Panorama, Time-lapse and Slow Motion video. These are easy to use and certainly provide some creative options for beginner pilots. One point to make concerning panoramas is that these are saved to your smartphone, rather than the microSD card, and that they're captured at such low pixel dimensions that they're only suitable for web use.

Within the Multi-functions menu, there are automated flight patterns available, including Point of Interest, Catapult, One-key Ascension and Spiral Up. AI Subject Tracking is a feature where you draw over the desired subject in the HS Fly app and the HS360E camera follows the selected subject effectively. The drone remains in a hover, so you have to fly it to maintain tracking of moving subjects. Other options within the menu include VR capture, Gesture Selfie, Selfie Video and Camera Filter.

Holy Stone HS360E review: Performance

• Automatic camera control
• Photos in JPEG only
• Images are soft

Camera specs are thin on the ground, but we know that the camera has a 12MP sensor. This can capture photos in JPEG format in either 4000 x 3000px or 3840 x 2160px (4K) dimensions on the microSD card in the drone. Photos saved to your smartphone are in 4K dimensions. Video is captured at 4K 30FPS on the microSD card, while 720p 30FPS video is captured on your smartphone.

The camera itself is automatic, so you simply point and shoot to capture photos and videos. The only adjustments available are for white balance, contrast, saturation, sharpness and brightness, so there is some control available but it is limited. The exposure of the automatic camera is pretty good and if you find it's too light or too dark, it can be adjusted using the brightness control.

One issue with the camera only having a 2-axis gimbal for tilting the camera while relying on EIS to smooth video, is that the pitch of the drone is captured when you first fly forwards or backwards. Any movement of the drone is captured in videos with the EIS removing only vibration. This produces an FPV look in videos. To combat this to a degree, flying slowly and smoothly does reduce the pitch and roll of the drone, so it's less prominent in videos.

For photos, the roll of the drone into the wind when hovering can result in the horizon being captured at a 45-degree angle. Image quality from the automatic camera is on the soft side and JPEG processing is visible in photos. Video quality is better, as is often the case with drones, and videos shot in brighter conditions typically look best. This does mean that it's not the best drone at this price point for camera functionality.

Image 1 of 6

Holy Stone HS360E review: Cost

The Holy Stone HS360E costs $249 / £269. This is a good price for a beginner drone in the sub-250 g category but the HS360E faces some stiff competition from several manufacturers.

The HS360E comes in a kit that includes the drone, a controller, one battery, a charging hub, phone connection cables, a USB-C cable for battery and controller charging, a spare set of propellers and a shell case with a shoulder strap to carry everything. The case offers two cutouts for batteries but I think it would be worth purchasing a second battery to increase flight times.

Should you buy the Holy Stone HS360E?

The HS360E is a basic drone with a point-and-shoot camera that relies on Electronic Image Stabilization to smooth video, which produces a more FPV style of video capture. It does fly well and features available include time-lapse, slow-motion video, panorama and GPS subject tracking, so you do have creative options available.

Build quality is good and the HS360E is undoubtedly easy to set up and use. The size and weight of the drone are also ideal for beginners. However, if you'd prefer a drone with a more advanced camera and gimbal functionality, this isn't the drone for you.

If the Holy Stone HS360E isn't for you

The Holy Stone HS900 is the best Holy Stone drone available and is also a sub-250 g model. It offers excellent flight capabilities and a high-quality camera for capturing photos and videos.

The DJI Mini 4K is DJI's most basic sub-250 g drone that's capable of capturing 4K video and Raw photos. It flies incredibly well and benefits from DJI build quality and overall performance.

The DJI Flip is a selfie drone with camera drone functionality. This means it can track you intelligently or you can fly it yourself to capture aerial photos and videos. Plus, it features built-in propeller guards.