The consumer drone market continues to grow exponentially. Experts even estimate that by the end of 2021, sales of drones in the US alone will reach $12 billion. 

Common movers why drones grow in popularity are UAV-driven mapping for hazardous tasks, like power line inspection and pipeline, IT applications, civil defense, and recreational use.

Professional photographers are using their drones for their work, be it to shoot wildlife or weddings. Drone technology has likewise made it easier for us to capture beautiful aerial shots.

Right now, the market for commercial drones is dominated by major brands, including Holy Stone. Drones produced by Holy Stone are known for their agility, but also in a way not too fast that you’d feel out of control.

And one model that’s making a trend is the Holy Stone HS340.

If you want to know more about the Holy Stone HS340, keep on reading. We provide you this in-depth review about the unit and whether or not it’s worth investing your money on!

TLDR: Review of the Holy Stone HS340 Mini Drone

 

Product Description

Let’s begin discussing the build quality and design. The Holy Stone HS340 is a small drone (6.93 x 6.22 x 3.43 inches package dimension). It is not foldable, but the weight is so minimal that you won’t mind it being fixed as it is as you travel.

The propeller guards are also small, which is a good feature if kids will be the ones to fly this drone. Why? Well, the HS340 can withstand a few crashes and with it, the kids’ learning experience on how to fly this quadcopter.

Micro Drone Flight Test

During our micro drone flight test, we observe that it’s very maneuverable and is great for indoor flying. It’s so simple to fly this unit and even newcomers will surely not find it difficult to use the auto takeoff, headless mode, rotate mode, circle fly mode, and flip characteristic features.

Smart Control/ Voice Control

What we also like about this unit is you can control it to follow the path you set on the app interface. For example, you can set simple voice control phrases, such as “landing” and “take off” and the drone will perform the corresponding actions at your command.

Another one we tried is posting a palm or V sign in front of the drone’s camera and the HS340 will automatically take video or photos. This feature is useful if you love doing selfies.

But because this is a mini drone, it also lacks other things that you’d expect in a powerful drone. For example, it tends to be unstable and it’s not easy to trim (adjusting the yaw, roll, pitch, and throttle using the transmitter buttons). 

This is because it does not have wind resistance. Another loophole in this drone is that it is not foldable, although we don’t think it would be so much of an issue since this is, after all, a mini drone already.

Pros 

• You can do cool tricks, like circle mode, 3D flips, and speed rotation
• Allows voice control (sync in the app interface) to do corresponding actions
• Equipped with 720 camera (WiFi FPV camera) that also sends back real-time image to the app interface
• 20 minutes of flight time
• Batteries safe to charge and easy to replace
• Has “Throw to Go” mode, wherein you can simply toss the little drone and it automatically flies
• In-flight FPV images and video may be recorded and seen to your smartphone using the HS FPV app (simply download on the App Store or Google Play)
• With 360-degree auto-rotation feature

Cons

• Not foldable
• No wind resistance
• 2.4 GHz WiFi FPV video may come with inherent body dropping and lag

Is it worth it?

If you’re looking for a mini drone that is easy to fly both outdoors and indoors, then this model is worth investing in. We especially like its throw go function, which means that you can just easily toss it into the air and, after calibration, it takes off.

In-Depth Review of the Holy Stone HS340

Specifications

Weight: 50g/1.76 OZ

Dimension: 173*180*38mm

Flight Time: 11 Minutes

Charging Time: 60 Minutes

FPV Distance: 98 feet / 30 m

Flight Distance: 131 feet / 40 m

Camera Frequency: 2.4Ghz

Video/photo Resolution: HD 1280X720P

What’s In The Box?

1*Drone and Transmitter; 2*Drone Batteries; 4*Extra Propellers; 4*Extra Propeller Guards; 1*USB Charging Cable; 1*Screwdriver; 1*Dust Cover; 1*Phone Holder1*Instructions for Use

Quality and Durability

The Holy Stone HS340 Mini is durable and its fuselage (main body) is made of lightweight ABS material so it can fly fast. However, it doesn’t mean that it’s not a sturdy drone. 

The material offers some sort of protection so that the electronic parts inside remain safe even if the drone crashes as you fly indoors or outdoors.

As for this camera quality, it is equipped with a 720p nose camera that functions as a first-person view. As for its remote controller, it is lightweight and small. It doesn’t feel cramped when you’re holding in.

Additional Features

This little drone also comes with an emergency brake. The purpose of this feature is that if it finds an obstacle in its flight path, you can easily press the emergency stop button and the drone likewise stops immediately.

At best, whether you prefer outdoor flying or indoor flying, fly this unit in an obstacle-free area.

Warranty

All products from Holy Stone have at least 3 months warranty.

Who is it Best for?

This is a great drone to introduce to kids (the manufacturer suggests users should be at least 14 years old) and beginners. It’s easy to control and won’t break easily if they crash it on their very first flight.

Compared to other fun RC toys, the price of the Holy Stone HS340 Mini drone is affordable.

What Do People Say About it?

Amazon 

An Amazon customer said, “It has 3-speed modes and defaults to the slowest which is perfect for flying around the house when first starting. I then bumped it up to speed 2 inside which was still easy to maneuver as long as you have the room.

I do not recommend the 3rd speed inside the house, but highly recommended outside.”

While the product enjoys good reviews (majority left above average rating), there are still very few who were dissatisfied with the drone model.

One buyer said, “It was good indoors but then I tried it outside and it blew over my house and I couldn’t find it.”

YouTube 

Quadcopter 101 said, “[It’s] a tiny little drone, very safe.. [It’s] meant for beginner pilots and meant for kids too, I guess, with the prop guards installed. This isn’t going to harm anybody if you fly.

B4U GO also shared, “What an amazing little drone this is. I am so impressed. I’ve done a lot of reviews on mini drones before [and] Holy Stone really has the market wrapped up in mini drones…Can’t get over how much I’m pleased with this and if you’re thinking about buying it, buy two and give one away and people will like you more because this thing is so much fun !”

Reddit

While the thread did not particularly talk about the HS340 mode, some users did wonder whether Holy Stone drones are good. To which, one shared his experience, “I had a holy stone hs-120d, it randomly fell out of the air and some other people experienced that too it seems. They have great customer service and I was able to return it, but be careful with those drones.”

Another said, “I have the HS 120, great beginner drone. Take some advice from seasoned pilots; you’ll crash your first one, make it an inexpensive experience, then upgrade.”

The Verdict: Should I Buy It?

If you are a beginner pilot and you want to learn to fly a drone, this unit from Holy Stone is worth buying. You’ll be surprised just as we were that this small quadcopter has so many useful flight functions.

But anyway, the whole point is that it’s fun and easy to fly! And oh, one thing we forgot too is that this Holy Stone HS340 has a stable hover function so you can let this UAV drone hover stably as you concentrate on taking good footage!

Interested? Click here to buy it!

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