The Holy Stone F180C: A Speedy But Durable Mini-Quadcopter

The Holy Stone F180C is a remarkable device in the world of small drones! It is considered a top-notch drone for beginners with remarkable video and photo capturing capabilities. It also has a 4-way flip mode with continuous roll, an LCD display that displays flight information, LED indicators for night time flight, and it features four different sensitivity modes.

Product specifications:

Buy Holy Stone F180C on Amazon

What’s even more amazing is that it comes with a mini SD card, a card reader and all of eight additional blades for you to replace the older ones in the event that something bad happens to them.

This drone is receiving nothing but praise from Amazon and other marketplaces from satisfied customers worldwide, and I do believe that it is worthy of all those praises. I was completely blown away by the sheer beauty and speed of this mini-drone and the added camera just won me over completely and sealed the deal.

Build Specifications

Packaging

The F180C is a small quadcopter and its packaging is small too. It measures exactly 3 ½ x 7 x 13 ½ inches and it weighs about a pound.  That means that it can fit into a small suitcase perfectly and you won’t have any trouble if you carry it with you overseas. In the box, you will find:

• 1 x User Manual
• 1 x Card reader
• 1 x 2G mini SD Card
• 1 x Accessories
• 1 x USB Cable
• 1x 2-in-1 Battery Charger
• 8 x Additional Blades
• 1 x 3.7V 350 mAh Bonus Batteries
• 1 x Transmitter (without 4 1.5V AA batteries)
• 1 x Drone with 1 battery and 4 blades

Many consumers report that the package arrives much earlier than expected when they buy from the supplier I suggested, and those who have had to deal with customer care for the company, say that they are very friendly and helpful too.

A few customers have even gotten double the storage space on their free micro SD card but this is just a promotional gesture of the company- the extra storage space is not guaranteed. But what is guaranteed is the fun and excitement you will get from flying this remarkably speedy yet stable quadcopter all around the place!

Design and Durability

When designing this drone, it’s obvious that Holy Stone had everybody in mind. It is great for intermediates and experts to have fun at their own skill level while being simple enough to help starters learn the ins and outs of drone flying.

Measuring a mere 5.3 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches, some would fear that it wouldn’t fare well in high winds. But they are dead wrong… this little drone is a beast! It boasts superb stability even in the strongest of winds and, what’s even more, is that it has some degree of water resistance. This is not to say that you should go flying your drone in the midst of a storm or throw it in the ocean for some afternoon fun- it was not built for that.

But the fact that it can withstand such harsh tests and still come out unscathed says a lot about its superior build quality, its lasting endurance and the manufacturer’s commitment to producing nothing but the best drone for its consumers.

One reason why the Holy Stone F180C is so extremely durable is because of its sturdy yet lightweight frame. This helps to protect it during potentially dangerous falls that would have otherwise damaged heavier drones. But this drone won’t fall so hard if an accident happens during flight, and even then, there are many replacement parts that are readily available to you for repair.

The spare parts are extremely affordable and you will get quite a few spare parts with your purchase as well. This ensures that your Holy Stone F180C will be with you for a very long time and you and your family will be able to enjoy it for some time to come.

Its frame is also very beautiful. It has a cool spine design on its exterior and when its LEDs light up it becomes even more beautiful.

Camera

Did I mention that this drone comes with a camera? Yes, yes it does! I was extremely pleased with the picture quality of the camera in good lighting, although it didn’t fare so well when the light intensity got lower. This non-removable camera has 2MP and a video recording ability of 720p.

What’s even more, is that you can store all of your photos and videos on the free micro SD card that comes with the Holy Stone F180C.

I also liked the fact that I could control the camera functions from the controller itself and it will tell you all the information you need, such as when you are taking a picture and when you are recording a video. I think this is much more convenient that having the camera controls on the quadcopter itself.

Battery and Flight Time

The Holy Stone F180C comes with two rechargeable 350mAh LiPo batteries that have a typical charge time of forty-five minutes each. These batteries fit into the quadcopter itself and so you will have to purchase separate batteries for the controller since the manufacturer does not include them in the package.

Most users report a flight time of between 5-10 minutes but when I did my tests, I got exactly 7 minutes of flight and these 7 minutes seems to be what most people are getting too. Interestingly, this quadcopter also works with the Hubsan X4 500 mAh batteries and so if you have a preference for these batteries, you can pop out the ones from Holy Stone and fly it with your Hubsan X4 500 mAh batteries. Also, if you want to make the best out of your batteries and perhaps squeeze a few more minutes out of them, we suggest checking out our article about the ways to extend your drone’s flight time.

Many users on Amazon have reported that their packages came without one or both of the Holy Stone batteries. If this happens to you, do not panic. Simply send them an email to the producer and they will get you your spare batteries in no time.

Controller

I like the controller that comes with this quadcopter! It sits quite comfortably in your hand. It also has smooth controls and it has a variety of extra buttons that serve different functions.

There is a button for controlling the different camera functions and there is a button for turning the LED lights on and off. There is a button to enter flip mode and there is a button to change the sensitivity mode.

The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) of the controller also has indicators for every feature on the device. Therefore, you will be able to tell the recording status, sensitivity level, and signal quality just by looking at the LCD screen. You can fly your drone up to 100 meters away in all directions before it starts to lose signal.

A few users mentioned that flying the drone over large bodies of water would cause it to lose signal so be careful with this.

Flight Performance

The Holy Stone F180C is extremely stable when you fly it indoors and outdoors and this is because it is controlled by a 6-axis gyroscope that provides it with remarkable operational stability. There are also different sensitivity modes for you to choose from: 25%, 50%, 70% and 100%.

The 25% sensitivity mode is for those of us who are just starting off with drone flying. It allows you to fly your drone slowly and easily while you learn how to pilot your machine.

As you increase the sensitivity mode of the Holy Stone F180C, you will find that it flies much faster and you have greater levels of control over the machine. It becomes more responsive and you can keep on increasing the sensitivity mode until you find one that is right for you.

Overall, the Holy Stone F180C is one very fast machine. You won’t have any problems at all while you fly it indoors and it will fare well in even strong winds. Just remember that some parts of it tend to heat up and so you should give it a chance to cool down before you fly it at top speeds again.

Value for Money and Guarantee

Overall, there have been very few complaints about this remarkable drone and its capabilities. For a very reasonable price, you are getting a top performing drone with bonus parts that come at no extra cost to you. You have also realized that it is durable, so if you take care of it, it will last for a very long time and give you great flying fun for years and years to come.

Also impressive is the customer service that comes with the Holy Stone brand. It is evident that they hold their customers in high regard and the customer service that I experienced from them was truly impressive. The customer care agents are friendly and they will try their very best to ensure that you are satisfied with their service.

As for the guarantee, nothing was mentioned on the Amazon site about the guarantee and so you will have to check the manufacturer’s website directly to find more details about their guarantee and their return policies. So just send them an email and I am sure that there will be someone available to you who would be more than willing to help.

Unique Features

The non-removable camera that comes with the Holy Stone F180C quadcopter is actually, high definition (HD), and it features six different camera lenses. You also won’t have to worry about your photos being blurry since it uses Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) to ensure that the photos are crystal clear regardless of the flying speed of the drone.

It also uses 2.4 GHz Auto-connection technology that won’t interfere with other drones in your vicinity. So you and the rest of your family can play outdoors or even indoors with your drones with confidence knowing that there will be no signal interference at all.

Lastly, this drone comes with a micro SD card slot and a free micro SD card that you can use to store all of your pictures and videos from the drone. This micro SD card makes it extremely easy for you to transfer your pictures and videos from the drone to your computer, smartphone or tablet.

Similar Models or Main Competitors

The Hubsan X4

The Hubsan X4 is a model that’s similar to the Holy Stone F180C except for one thing: it has first person view capabilities! So if you’re in the market for a small drone like the Holy Stone F180C but you need one with a video camera that’s able to give you first-person view, then the Hubsan X4 is the model to get!

Some call it the ‘Eye in the Sky’  and that alias is a testament to the supreme picture and video quality that you get from the 0.3 MP camera on its 4.3-inch color Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen built into its controller. It too has a micro SD slot but this micro SD slot is built into the controller where all the videos and pictures are stored.

The Hubsan X4 is also an RTF model, with 6 axis stabilization, which makes it very stable in the air. It is able to fly very fast and it can still communicate with its controller at a maximum distance of thirty meters away. Its charge time is similar to the Holy Stone F180C and it goes from 0% to 100% in about forty minutes.

You will get about nine minutes of flight time from this full charge. The Hubsan X4 is a lot like the Holy Stone F180C, and if the quad from Holy Stone does not fulfill all of your needs, then you might want to give the Hubsan X4 a try. You can also get much more familiar with this model by reading our Hubsan X4 in-depth review.

Like this amazing product? Then you can buy it from Amazon.

The Syma X5SW

The Syma X5SW is a competitor of the Holy Stone F180C that I believe is worthy of praise. It is quite an affordable quadcopter and I believe that is one you should check out if you are looking for a great drone.

It offers a First Person Viewing (FPV) mode and you will get this by attaching your smartphone to its transmitter and then watching the video feed from there. Its transmitter with its LCD display will also give you important diagnostics about your flight, including your direction, signal strength, battery life and much more.

The controls on the transmitter are also very easy to understand and beginners should have no problem learning how to use it. You can fly it side to side, up and down, forwards, backward and even do some tricks. Its 0.3 MP camera will also allow you to capture decent pictures and videos from up in the sky.

It has a long charging time of one hundred and thirty minutes, however, and from this, you will only get about five minutes of flight time. It also has a range of about fifty meters. Nonetheless, it is still quite an impressive drone and you will have lots of fun with it. You can read more details regarding this model in our Syma X5 series review.

If you interested you can buy it on Amazon.

The UDI U818A

The UDI U818A quadcopter is another great beginner’s quad and it will help you to hone your skills at an affordable price. It is ready to fly straight out of the box and you won’t have to worry about crashing it because this machine is one of the most durable quads that I have ever seen!

It bounces back from crashes effortlessly like a true champ! I crashed mine, time after time, but it still functioned perfectly and it still does to this day. And, if you want to dig deeper into the features and characteristics of this model, check out our UDI U818A review.

It has a charge time of about one hundred and twenty minutes. From this, you will get anywhere between six and nine minutes of flight time. Its range is only thirty meters and that is low compared to the drones reviewed up above.

If you think that this product could be useful for you, then you can check its price here.

Overview

After listing its main characteristics now, let’s see some pros and cons.

Pros:

• Spare part availability
• Less than sixty minutes charging time
• Several extras in the pack
• Different sensitivity modes
• HD camera
• Highly durable, even if used on water
• Responsive controls
• Fast and stable
• Headless return home mode

Cons:

• 5-7 minute only for flying per charge
• Heating up on extended use
• Difficulty in using in high winds
• Video lost if battery dies in between recording
• Camera not performing well in low light areas

Grab yours today and let the fun begin!

Also, let us know about your adventures with this amazing drone in comments. We can’t wait to read your stories!