Holy Stone HS450 – mini drone with obstacle detection
The Holy Stone HS450 is a robust mini-drone, which is suitable for adults as well as for children from about 10 years. The ultra-small copter comes with three batteries and offers up to 21 minutes of flying fun. A special feature is the possibility to control the drone with your hands only.
Design and features
The yellow and black mini drone is well-made and has fixed rotor guards. The robust design allows the drone to survive most collisions and crashes undamaged and ensures lasting flying fun.
Weighing just 35g and measuring 8.3 x 8.9 x 3.9cm, the Holy Stone HS450 is not only extremely lightweight, but also very compact. There is a blue LED on the front and a red one on the back – so you can easily tell front and rear apart.
Thanks to the sturdy prop guard, consisting of protective guards around all four rotors, it can be operated by children without any problems. The prop guards not only protect bystanders, but also the drone itself in case of contact with walls or furniture.
A special highlight are the 360° infrared sensors for obstacle avoidance (also downwards) – a feature that is otherwise only known from expensive camera drones of the upper class.
The obstacle avoidance mode can be turned on and off separately. This works by a long (3 seconds) press on the left shoulder button. The drone confirms the successful activation of the mode with a long beep and the red LED starts to flash continuously.
Tip: The obstacle avoidance mode works best when using the Headless mode at the same time, which is explained in the next paragraph. The range of the sensors is approx. 50 to 80 cm. The sensors detect white surfaces best – black or reflective surfaces (including water surfaces) may cause problems with detection.
Headless mode is a simplified way of controlling the drone. When the mode is activated, it does not matter in which direction the front and rear of the drone are currently facing when you press left, right, front or rear control commands. The drone will always fly in the direction you press out.
A safety feature of the HS450 is the built-in emergency stop function. If you ever lose control of the drone, the motors can be stopped instantly by pressing both shoulder buttons simultaneously.
The control of the Holy Stone HS450
The Holy Stone HS450 is controlled with the included 2.4 GHz remote control. For operation, however, 3 x 1.5 V AAA batteries are still needed, which are not included.
Takeoff and landing work conveniently at the touch of a button. Once in the air, the small drone can independently maintain the current altitude, even if you release the control sticks.
Depending on your preference, the drone can be flown at three different speed levels, which can be selected via the left shoulder button.
If you notice that the multicopter is drifting in one direction, you can recalibrate and trim it using the remote control. The process is also explained in the detailed user manual and should be repeated at regular intervals.
A highlight is the ability to easily control the drone with your bare hands as well. Instead of letting the drone take off via controller, you can simply throw it out of your hand into the air and let it fly. Thanks to the built-in infrared sensors, you can fly in any direction by moving your hands close to the drone.
Flight time and range
The flight time of the Holy Stone HS450 is about 5 to 7 minutes – per battery. Since the mini drone comes with 3 batteries (3.7 V, 300 mAh), you can enjoy about 15 to 21 minutes of flying fun before the batteries (LiPos) need to be recharged.
A recharge takes about 40 minutes and works via the included USB charging cable. Simply connect the cable to a standard power supply, such as that of your smartphone. Of course, you can also connect the cable to PC, laptop or a power bank.
A status LED on the batteries provides information about the charging status.
The control range is about 55 yards (50 meters). Since the mini drone is primarily intended for use in your own four walls, this should be more than sufficient. If you want, you can of course fly the drone outdoors as well. However, you should make sure that there is no wind and the weather is dry.
Fun for young and old – the tricks of the HS450
The Holy Stone HS450 is capable of various flight maneuvers, which can be triggered either at the push of a button or via gesture control.
Rollovers or rolls in all directions can be triggered by briefly pressing the right shoulder button and then pressing the right joystick in any direction.
The drone performs an automatic circular flight by a long press on the same button.
However, if you want, the Holy Stone HS450 can also be made to perform various tricks using only your hands.
If you hold your hands close to the two sensors on the front and rear of the drone, and then quickly move one hand under the drone, it will spin on the spot.
To make the drone perform a roll, hold your hands close to the two sensors on the sides.
To make the drone fly a circle on its own, place your hands in front of the front and rear sensors and then hold just one hand near a side sensor.
Scope of delivery
- 1 x Drone
- 1 x remote control
- 3 x 3.7 V, 300 mAh battery
- 2 x USB charging cable
- 4 x spare propellers
- 1 x screwdriver
- 1 x instruction manual
Conclusion
The Holy Stone HS 450 is extremely well designed mini drone with excellent price-performance ratio. Due to the stable propeller protection and the emergency stop function, it is also ideally suited for children from about 10 years.
With no less than three batteries, you can enjoy up to 21 minutes of flight time and fly around at a distance of about 55 yards (50 meters).
Unique for mini drones in this price range are the built-in infrared sensors for obstacle detection and avoidance. In addition to safe control via controller, the sensors also allow the drone to be controlled solely by hand, without any remote control at all.
The necessary fun factor is also provided by 360° rolls, rotations around its own axis and a mode for automatic circular flight. We think the Holy Stone HS450 is one of the best mini drones currently available for a small budget and can therefore recommend the model without hesitation!