An entry-level drone that looks really promising: the Holy Stone HS360E. No gimbal, just electronic stabilisation, but at about 200 euros I tested it in Brindisi's famous wind in January 2025 to see if it's the right first drone.
Unboxing and build
Nothing to assemble: everything comes in a nice box, with a set of spare propellers. The first thing I noticed was how sturdy the controller and the drone feel. It doesn't feel plasticky like most entry-level drones. I loved the controller's two legs that fold out and screw in, and the phone holder comes with cables for Android and iPhone, all in the box. With DJI you usually have to buy the cover, the cables and all sorts of extras.
Note the name: the HS360E (not the HS360) has no gimbal, just a shock absorber and electronic stabilisation. It has four brushless motors, weighs 249 g and claims 3,000 m of range. I went up to about 500 to 800 metres and video and control were solid; I didn't want to push it and lose it. It looks a lot like a DJI, but those "sensors" on the front are just decoration. The only sensor is the optical flow underneath for landing, so fly carefully.
Flying in the wind
Brindisi is always windy, so I always test drones in strong wind. Before take-off you do a compass calibration: rotate it on its belly twice, then clockwise on its vertical axis, until the light turns green. In the air it really surprised me: the GPS works very well and it held its position in a way I hadn't seen on any entry-level drone below DJI. You'll see some shake in the footage because of the wind, but with no wind I'm sure it gives great 4K video.
Battery: about 20 minutes, and around 17 minutes while struggling hard in very strong wind. The controller has buttons for return to home, photo and video, a zoom dial (very slow, and it crops the 4K) and a wheel for the 90° camera tilt. The smart modes (follow me, point of interest, waypoints) didn't impress me: they follow the remote's GPS rather than locking onto you. There's also no geofencing, so it flies anywhere it gets satellites. Fly responsibly.
Photos that blew my mind
A feature I loved: while it records video to the SD card, it sends a low-quality copy to your phone, and every photo is sent to your phone in full resolution, ready to post. And the photos really don't look like they came from an entry-level drone.
It was listed at $299 on Amazon, around 200 euros with a coupon. Until then, when people asked me for a cheap drone, I said: save up and get a DJI. Now there's this option, with the same concept as a DJI, minus the gimbal.