Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee Quadcopter

Drones are something that fascinates and scare the best of us. See a drone fly around, and we all begin to picture ourselves as cinematographers, expert spies, or simply a modernized version of kite flyers. But drones are expensive, and they require a certain finesse and practice to fly effortlessly. If you are not experienced enough, you will likely fly the drone into an obstruction and damage it.

Keeping this in mind, drone manufacturers create a range of drones for beginners, amateurs, and experts. The Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee is one such drone or Quadcopter, which is a starter drone for beginners. A Quadcopter is an uncrewed helicopter that has four rotors.

This article will give you a detailed review of the Holy Stone HS150.

Our Verdict

The Holy Stone HS150 is a good quadcopter or drone for people who are not familiar with drone flying. It is like an industrial speed racer look. It is in the micro class of quadcopters. It does not have a camera as it adds on an additional skill to be learned to use the camera for optimal quadcopter usage. It is lightweight, compact, and quick to respond. The propellers and 6 axis gyroscope help in smooth flight. It is an excellent starter quadcopter at an affordable price, with included batteries. If you are looking to indulge in your interest in drones, it can be a good first step without having to burn too deep a hole in your pocket.

Design

The Holy Stone HS150 has 8-millimeter brush motors. It comes with a semi proprietary battery. It does not have a camera. This is mainly because it is a starter quadcopter designed for beginners learning to fly a drone. Adding a camera into the mix can be proven too difficult, as the user will have to keep an eye on the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee’s flight and the camera footage quality.

Adding a camera will also add weight to the quadcopter. Since it is a lightweight, small drone, the increased weight will affect the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee’s flight. It has only one gyroscope, albeit a good quality one, and propellers strong enough to reach 50 kilometres per hour in a matter of seconds. These features are added, keeping in mind that the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee needs to quickly launch and fly smoothly while performing various stunts and flips. The motors need a ten-minute break between long flights.

It does not have an altitude hold. Altitude hold helps the drone or quadcopter maintain its current altitude. This prevents it from going out of range and allows the user to control the quadcopter or drone’s roll and pitch angles. In altitude mode, unless prompted by the user, the drone or quadcopter will continue to hover at the same altitude.

Since the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee does not have it, it is important to be conscious of the quadcopter’s flight pattern. The Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee really sells the idea of it being a bee. It is painted yellow and black to represent the bee. It also has two eyes in the front. It has an emphasizing compact design. It is made of a strong plastic polymer that can withstand temperature changes and some wind resistance.

From a distance, it does give a feeling of a controllable giant bee that can perform flips. However, it is important to note that the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee does not have IMU sensors or inertial movement unit sensors. These sensors are used to measure acceleration and rotation, which can provide the quadcopter’s position data. It also does not have sensors to sense any obstructions in its path.

Therefore, this adds additional responsibility on the user to take care of the quadcopter. These sensors are missing in the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee is cost, weight consideration, and the fact that it is built for beginners and amateurs. The propellors will not handle the additional weight, slowing down its speed and responsiveness, and the quadcopter’s cost will increase significantly.

Since this is a low-cost quadcopter, the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee has only need to have features. It pushes the users to become more efficient in handling drones and quadcopters, giving them the confidence to upgrade to higher models and upgrades while fueling their interest.

Flight

One thing is certain about the Holy Stone HS150; it is fast. It has high power motors which quicken acceleration. While you can change the speed using the controller, the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee can reach a maximum speed of 50 kilometres per hour in a matter of seconds.

This is achieved because of its lightweight build, compact design, and robust motors and propellers. It has a 2.5 GHz 6 axis gyroscope, which offers excellent stability. For those who aren’t aware,  a gyroscope is a device used to maintain orientation and angular velocity. They work as stabilizers in uneven movements. Having 6 axes improves the effectiveness of the gyroscope.

It allows the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee to simultaneously play several modes, making for a satisfying flying experience. The Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee can also do four-way flips: forward, backward, left, and right. This embellishes the flying experience for the quadcopter. It also has a headless mode for beginners. 

In headless mode, the quadcopter or the drone has an inbuilt ability to remember its orientation when it took off for those who do not know. That means that even without any controls or specific actions given by the user, the drone or quadcopter will remain in the position it was settled in before take-off, propellers up.

Also, even if the orientation is different, that is, whether the drone is facing you or not, pressing left or write, it will mirror depending on your position. This means that whether or not the drone is facing you will move left concerning your perspective if you press left.

Build Quality

The Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee really sells the idea of it being a bee. It is painted yellow and black to represent the bee. It also has two eyes in the front. It has dimensions of 5.71*4.25*1.77 inches and weighs about 2.5 ounces, emphasizing the compact design. It is made of a strong plastic polymer that can withstand temperature changes and some wind resistance.

There is some assembly required before using the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee, which is fixing the propeller guards on it. While some might see it as a disadvantage, if this is being given as a gift for children, this can be a fun interactive step, helping them understand how the quadcopter works. Also, using the propeller guards protects the propellers.

For those of you who do not know, propellers are fan-like devices that keep aircraft, helicopters, etc., in the air. They push the air around it using fast and powerful fans, which help life the aircraft, plane, or helicopter in the air. In fact, the quadcopter gets its name because it has four propellors, quad meaning four, signifying the number of propellers.

Propellers are one of the most important parts of any drone. Hence, having propellor guards is a great thing for the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee.

Battery

One of the Holy Stone HS150 neat things comes with the batteries included. As mentioned before, the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee has semi-proprietory lithium polymer rechargeable batteries of 600 mAh capacity. So you don’t have to worry about purchasing new batteries each time.

The batteries can be charged using a USB cord, connected to a computer, or a power source using a wall adaptor of 5 volts and 0.5 to 1-ampere charge. The charging time is about ninety minutes. The battery pack has a red indicator light, which tells you when the battery is being charged. Once the charging is complete, the red LED indicator light turns off.

In our opinion, the battery is not that great, giving far too little flight time compared to the charging time it requires and that it has no camera. One improvement the Holy Stone manufacturers could work on for the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee is increasing the battery charge.

Pros And Cons

No product is perfect. There is always room for improvement. The Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee is no different. Looking at the pros and cons of any product gives an accurate idea of the product’s value instead of the user requirement and the cost of the product. It is also a great way to have an overview of the product without wasting too much time.

If you are reading this section, you have either gone through the whole article so far or are in a hurry and want a quick list of the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing a potentially expensive drone. Either way, we have you covered. This section will discuss the pros and cons of using the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee.

Final Thoughts

The Holy Stone HS150 is a great starter drone, whether for indulging in their interest or as a holiday gift for children. It has a compact design, light in weight build and has a fun exterior resembling a honey bee. It does not have a camera, mainly because it will add responsibility to the user.

It has robust propellers, a six-axis gyroscope for stability, and remote control to control the quadcopter and allow it to perform flips. It does not have altitude control, which makes controlling the drone difficult. But it also has headless mode, so you don’t have to worry about taking the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee orientation into account while flying it.

Overall, it is a great pocket-sized model of a quadcopter, a fun and interactive way to spend time, whether alone or with your family. We strongly advise readers to use the Holy Stone HS150 Bolt Bee only for its intended use. We do not recommend the drone for any illicit surveillance, illegal photography or videography, or any other related activities.