Holy Stone F181W 1080P WiFi FPV Drone with Wide-Angle HD Camera Live Video RC Quadcopter with Altitude Hold, Voice Control, Gesture Control and Easy to Fly for Beginner & Kids, 2 Batteries Included

The drone arrived well packed and required only minimal assembly (fitting the legs, propeller guards and 1080P camera, all easily fitted), it came with 2 modular batteries (3.7v, 750 mAh, the instructions stated 10 minutes flight time). An instruction manual, mobile phone holder, four spare propellers, screwdriver, screws and a battery USB charge cable are also supplied. The transmitter requires 4 AA batteries (not supplied) and the camera requires the fitting of a micro SD card (not supplied). The drone is well made and should be capable of taking the odd crash.The instructions are very clear and after pairing the drone with the transmitter and calibrating the gyro (both simple to perform) I tried out the ‘one key start/landing’ function. The drone took off and held a stable altitude with no control inputs, any drifting can be balanced out using the trimmer controls. I tried the drone in fairly still wind conditions and it performed really well at all speed settings (four speeds can be selected). It is really responsive. The drone can perform 360 degree flips simply be pressing the upper right hand button, the transmitter then beeps to let you know the flip mode has been selected then press the right joystick in whatever direction you want to perform a 360 flip in that direction. It works extremely well and recovers to the pre flip position.I achieved a reliable transmitter to drone range of over 300 feet which was perfectly adequate for a drone of this cost. I found that a flying time of ab 7-8 minutes for each battery with a recharge time of about an hour.With a micro SD card fitted into the camera still photos and videos can be taken, the quality is very good, videos are recorded at 1080P and are stored as MP4 files so can easily be played back on a computer.The drone can also be operated in ‘headless mode’ which makes it easier to control particularly for somebody new to drone flying, the transmitter button that selects headless mode also performs the ‘one key return’ function. The instruction manual clearly describes how these functions operate.I then fitted the mobile phone holder to the transmitter, you need to press this in firmly in order to lock the phone holder in, if you don’t you will find the holder will fall out (be warned).Once I downloaded the ‘DEE FPV’ app onto my phone and located and connected to the Holystone FPV WiFi network (this operation only takes a minute or so) I tried out the DEE FPV app. This allows you to get a ‘First Person View’ (FPV) from the drone camera on your phone screen (I achieved a range of over 200 feet. The app allows full control of the drone (even without the transmitter if you like) including take offs and landings, flips, taking photos, videos (using hand gestures), voice control, gravity control (tilting the phone to control it) and setting trajectory paths. These all worked well but my preference was to use the transmitter controls.I was vey impressed with this drone it was well made, very responsive, performed well and excellent value, I can thoroughly recommend it. Just remember that once the front (blue) and rear (red) lights start flashing that the battery is getting low so it is time to land the drone !

The media could not be loaded.  The F181W drone is quite fast, manoeuvrable, and easy to use. I like flying it to high altitudes, it handles them really well and you get great views.The app brings you near real-time camera footage at quite high quality and saves them as MP4 files, which is a plus. However, there is the problem that sometimes the camera's live stream freezes for a second which could be the difference between 'surviving' and flying into a tree. This happened to me once as I tried to get used to the first-person view on the camera. The files from the camera seem to also have moments where the camera freezes, but this could probably be fixed by using an SD card (not included). That was enough time for it to drift slightly backwards and get stuck. Fortunately, after about an hour of throwing a water bottle tied to a rope at it, it was retrieved with only a broken propeller guard, hahaha. The flip function also works a treat, perfect for children. The two batteries provided allow for sufficient flight time in one session to enjoy the drone's capabilities fully.Overall, the drone is a pretty good enjoyable toy.

I am really pleased with this purchase. I'm a total novice but I think this a great beginner's drone. It's not expensive but it's well made and packed with features. It will take a beginner quite a while to master them all but that's all part of the fun. This drone performs best on a very calm day. It's very light and I've found that anything above a gentle breeze makes it more difficult to control. The drone does have a speed control though and increased speed may help it cope with wind. Having said that, I'll definitely be flying well away from trees and lakes on windy days. I'd recommend flying over grass initially so that there's less chance the drone will be damaged in a crash. I'd also advise that the drone should be quickly checked over after a crash in case any parts are missing or loose. I lost a propeller guard and was unable to find it. I received excellent support from Holystone Customer Service though who were able to source replacement guards for me. I think this drone is really good value and I do recommend it if you're looking for an entry-level drone. I'm also very impressed with Holystone's Customer Service.

This is a great entry level drone for those looking to gain skills to transfer to bigger better camera drone models. It’s easy to get set and up in the air so you can start practicing quickly. Not over impressed with the battery runtime but I could’ve gone for a slightly more expensive model had I realised so that’s on me and not the drone. It is easy to control and very robust so I’m not to worried about crashing at this stage as this drone just get back up in the air with no issues. I’d leave the blade guards on this one as it’s no harm and allows for crashes and mishaps.The nice 360 loop trick is fun!The app and phone camera could be slightly easier to get to grips with I think.

Another case of the drone shooting up at high speed never to be seen again.Flew OK on day one, but the next day we followed all instructions on pairing and calibrating the gyro, but when my son pressed the 'one-press-takeoff' button the drone shot up at high speed right into the sky. It was literally a small black dot against the clouds. Needless to say we never saw it again and I had an upset son to console. I wouldn't buy this again or any that show this symptom.