Our Rating - 4.5
The HS440 is a budget-friendly drone that's perfect for beginners or kids. It is easy to use, well-made, and overall a fun piece of technology.
This model offers a delightful flying experience and much more at a price of around $100. It will not cater to the needs of professional filmmakers - but anyone else should be more than happy with it.
Holy Stone has been in the drone manufacturing business since 2014. And since then, they've put out numerous models, each with a unique set of features and different from the rest.
That's why, if you're trying to determine which one will give you the best value for your money, it's vital to look at each HS drone individually. And today, you'll learn about the features and capabilities of the Holy Stone HS440.
Despite it looking relatively similar to HS720E, the HS440 is an entirely different product. It's a small drone and will mainly suit people prioritizing compactness and affordability - but that's only part of the story.
To get a complete picture of this model, please proceed to the Holy Stone HS440 review below.
Key Specs | |
Charge Time | 3 hours |
Flight Time | 20 minutes (one battery) |
Control Range | 330 feet |
Battery | 2 x 1920 mAh |
Camera | 1080 P |
HS440 At A Glance
The HS440 is durable, flies without hiccups - and will provide you with a great bang for your buck. It is a compact model and fits comfortably into the mini drone category.
But unlike many other mini drones, the HS440 does have an SD card slot, so you won't have to burden your phone with all that footage.
FLIGHT TIME
The drone has two batteries, each of which provides you with a flight time of around 20 minutes - more or less.
The batteries are high-capacity (1900mAh) and take roughly three hours to charge, which isn't that long compared to some other HS drones. The manufacturer recommends using the provided cable for the fastest - and safest - charging.
As for handling the batteries, you should not have any issues.
They snap into place easily and are simple to remove and replace as needed. Also, they feature overcharge protection, so you don't have to worry about accidentally falling asleep while the charger is plugged in.
Another awesome thing about having two batteries is that you can charge one while flying the drone with the other!
Camera
I already mentioned that the HS440 looks like the smaller version of the HS720 - which has a 4K camera. Unfortunately, the HS440 doesn't follow in its footsteps, sporting a 1080p cam and requiring a TF card to store footage in full resolution.
When you store data on your smartphone, the resolution is automatically reduced to 720p.
With a field of view of 112 degrees, this camera offers a wide range of possibilities. Even more so, you can remotely modify the vertical angle; it can be adjusted by up to 90 degrees.
Thanks to this nifty feature, you can position the camera to capture the best possible shots under the given conditions.
The camera quality is far from poor - but, as I said, it is not top-notch. That might be an issue for those who wish to shoot HD footage, and they should definitely look for a more high-end model.
On the other hand, folks who are okay with mid-quality videos and more than decent photos will probably love the HS440.
range
The HS440 drone's FPV and controller range is 330 feet, which isn't a lot. The latter is a massive understatement when you consider the HS720 and its 5250-foot range.
But, let's not compare apples and oranges.
The remote controller is small, simple, and light. There is also a foldable smartphone mount on the top, so you can use the app or use the remote control to fly.
Flight EXPERIENCE
I have to admit; this model is one of the most enjoyable to fly of all the HS drones I've tried so far. It boasts plenty of functions that make flying easy and oh-so-dynamic.
There's one thing that you need to know, though - do not fly it in the wind. The drone is very light, and it cannot stand up to the intense movement of air. You may lose control over it, and it could crash.
Now, let's talk about some of the flight features.
Take, for example, gesture shooting. This feature allows you to start filming videos by showing the drone a palm sign. And if you want to take photos, make the victory sign with your hand.
Not only is this a fun way to control the drone, but it makes it extremely easy to take group selfies - e.g., family photos.
The altitude hold mode fixes the drone at a certain height and enables you to only worry about the horizontal axis. The drone can also be left to hover if you want to take a photo or a video.
Another great feature - especially for beginners - is the emergency stop. If the drone gets into an "inconvenient" position or location, such as a tree, the emergency stop button will stop it dead in its tracks and make it come down.
Let's not forget the voice control, either. You can use this feature to fly your drone hands-free.
Just imagine how cool it is to command a quadcopter with just your voice!
The drone also allows you to create a custom flight path which it will follow automatically. That can be a great way to shoot a pre-planned video, for example.
What Do We Like?
The first thing that I have to compliment Holy Stone for here is that they make durable drones. This little guy feels sturdy, despite its light weight and small dimensions. Plus, it's foldable and can be packed into its case for safe and convenient transportation.
Aside from this, the HS440 comes with two batteries, each accounting for 20 minutes of flight time. Many pricier models cannot match this - and if air time is what you're after, then HS440 is a good choice.
You can store the footage on a TF card (up to 32GB), so you don't need a smartphone with a ton of memory space.
As for the drone's controls, they're straightforward and can be mastered in a day. On top of that, it's packed with plenty of interesting and helpful flight features that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Last but not least, since the drone weighs a mere 166 grams, it does not need to be registered in most countries around the world. That means that you're free to take it on your travels and fly it pretty much anywhere - except for drone-restricted areas, of course.
PROS
What Don’t We Like?
The camera on the HS440 isn't the greatest. As I mentioned, it features a 1080p resolution - but you can only utilize it to the fullest if you have a TF card inserted. If not, it will save the videos in 720p by default.
Also, this model doesn't come with propeller guards, which is a significant disadvantage - mainly because it's marketed as a drone for beginners.
Think about it:
Beginners often make mistakes while learning how to fly, and collisions are not uncommon. So, guards would've been more than helpful here.
CONS
Advice to Buyers
The HS440 is a budget-friendly drone that's perfect for beginners or kids. It is easy to use, well-made, and overall a fun piece of technology.
This model offers a delightful flying experience and much more at a price of around $100. It will not cater to the needs of professional filmmakers - but anyone else should be more than happy with it.
Again, I'd like to emphasize that this model is not suitable for wind or any extreme weather conditions. Fly it only when the weather allows it - or else it might get damaged.
Conclusion
Again, if you're starting out with drones or would like to buy one for your kids, the HS440 is an excellent pick. You can fly it for a relatively long time, take decent quality footage, and do exhilarating maneuvers in the sky; all this for the price of a pair of sneakers!
