Holy Stone HS720E – How Far & High Can It Fly?

As one of the most budget-friendly drones directly competing with the DJI Mini 2 SE, the Holy Stone HS720E would be the choice for many new pilots.

But with this drone being so cheap, we don’t know what to expect. How far or high can Holy Stone HS720E fly?

The Holy Stone HS720E can fly up to 0.6 miles (or 1km) under the best circumstances and a little under 400ft (120m) max altitude, restricted by the Ophelia Go App. In FPV mode, it can fly up to half of the maximum distance.

But wait. There’s more to it. 

We will also answer a few questions about this drone’s range and max altitude and if we can do anything to extend its range.

Holy Stone HS720E max range #

There are so many drones on the market, from budget-friendly to semi-professional and professional ones, capable of flying from a couple of hundred meters to many miles.

Sadly, the HS720E draws the short stick in this situation. 

Although it’s a decent drone with some intelligent functions, we are unfortunately limited when it comes to flight distance. 

And believe me when I say it’s terrible.

For instance, while this drone can fly for a maximum of 999 meters or 0.6 miles (3277 feet), the similar-priced DJI Mini 2 SE can fly for up to 6.2 miles, about ten times farther.

While legally we can’t fly that far because we need to keep our drones in line of sight, there’s more to it than the flight distance. For instance, the farther a drone can fly, the better it is able to combat interference produced by other electronic devices, WiFi routers, and cell towers. 

So, indeed. This is the HS720E max flight distance that you cannot bypass in the app, and here, we refer only to the standard flights.

In FPV mode, the Holy Stone HS720E is restricted to an even lower flight range, up to 500m or 0.3 miles in the best-case scenario.

And all these flight distances are in interference-free areas. 

But this drone could fly more if there wasn’t a max range restriction by the Ophelia App.

So, in the following video, there was a range test by a fellow YouTuber, Steve, where he managed to fly this drone for up to 1010 meters, about 10 meters more than the maximum range, where he was left with barely a bar on the transmission signal.

Others have done many other tests, and the drone couldn’t reach its maximum distance before the transmission was cut off.

I personally don’t like to fly this drone long-range because it’s incapable of doing so.

**» MORE: **How to Fly Holy Stone HS720E (Explained for Beginners)

How far can Holy Stone HS720E fly inside a city? #

When you’re flying inside a city, you will be dealing with a lot of interference.

There’s no exact formula for how far the HS720E can fly in high-interference areas. It depends on many factors, but mostly on how busy the radio and WiFi spectrums are.

In general, I would not expect this drone to fly more than 400 meters at best in these scenarios, and even then, I would be skeptical about flying it that far.

The video and radio signal can be cut off instantly, especially if you start getting lower bars on the remote controller screen.

But also keep in mind that if you’re flying inside a city, this drone does not benefit from relaxed drone laws because it weighs around 500 grams, so in some parts of the world, it may be illegal.

Always check your local drone laws if you’re allowed to fly in population-dense areas.

**» MORE: **Can You Fly a Drone in a City?

How high can the Holy Stone HS720E fly? #

When you fly a drone in the United States, and in most parts of the world, you’ll be required to fly below 400ft or 120 meters of altitude for safety and legal reasons.

So, the Holy Stone app does not even let you go higher than 394ft, which is exactly 120 meters, and you’ll be restricted to that. 

Because the HS720E can go up to 1000m away from you, the 120m lock on the altitude mode is not related to getting the drone out of range but for legal reasons.

DJI does the same with its drones, but you have the option to increase it for up to 500 meters for rare circumstances. The Ophelia App does not allow you to do that.

**» MORE: **How High Can DJI Avata Fly (Explained for Beginners)

What factors can influence the Holy Stone HS720E range? #

When we cannot fly a drone as far away as advertised, there have to be some reasons behind it. Here’s what we know:

• **Laws and Regulations: **With FCC in the United States and CE in Europe, we’re restricted in the transmission power of a drone, limiting the range it can fly. The HS720E flight range is generally low anyway, and restrictions have little impact on it, but it can affect the signal penetration.
• **Interference: **This is by far the main reason you’ll not even be able to reach the 0.6-mile maximum flight distance of this drone. If you fly in a high-interference area, you’ll be limited to flying barely to the edge of the visual range.
• **Battery Life: **While the battery is a factor in reaching the maximum flight distance of a drone, knowing that the HS720E can fly for about 23 minutes per battery and can reach a maximum of 0.6 miles doesn’t influence the drone that much; however, a deteriorated battery may have a major impact in flying longer and farther.
• **Wind Speed and Weather: **Flying in harsh weather, whether we’re talking about wind or very cold environments, although it does not directly affect the maximum range of this drone, it does affect the battery life, hence can impact how long and far this drone can fly.
• **Line of Sight: **If there’s anything between you, the pilot, and the drone, such as trees or buildings, your signal will be drastically affected, and the HS720E range will be very limited. You’ll most likely experience signal drops until getting back in the line of sight with your drone.
• **Antenna orientation: **Those little antennas from the top of your remote controller have to be unfolded and oriented directly towards your flying HS720E; otherwise, your maximum flight distance can be affected or even face interruptions.
• **The place you fly the drone: **No, we’re not talking about high-interference areas, but in places where the signal can be very limited, IMU and compass can go haywire, and the GPS signal will be blocked. If you fly in any area with a high amount of iron and other metals, such as domes, parking garages, and other metallic structures, your HS720E will act erratically, and your range will be limited.

**» MORE: **How Fast Can Drones Fly? (An In-Depth Guide)

Can you extend the Holy Stone HS720E flight range? #

Unfortunately, you cannot do much to extend the flight range of your HS720E.

Even if you do mount a few accessories, such as a range extender for your remote controller, you will still be limited to a maximum of 3277 feet as per the drone firmware / Ophelia Go App.

Conclusion #

The HS720E is by far not the best drone to choose in terms of how far or high it can fly. 

In fact, as compared to other similar drones and even more expensive ones, the HS720E is at the bottom of the list.

With all the technological advancements in drones, I recommend not settling for what the HS720E range can offer. 

Drones can fly for miles and miles, and the signal strength and penetration have advanced to the point where you can get a live feed even a dozen miles away. 

And 0.6 miles at best is just too little.

**» MORE: **How Far and High Can DJI Mavic Air 2S Fly? (Explained)