Holy Stone HS720E vs. Ruko F11GIM (Here’s my Choice)

If you want to gain confidence flying a drone without spending more than $500, we’ve got you covered!

The Holy Stone HS720E and Ruko F11GIM are impressive drones in the mid-tier range that give you a flying experience similar to a flagship drone.

So after mastering one of these drones, can I fly a flagship? Indeed.

The idea behind these two drones is to give you the necessary skills to become a pro without risking a $1,000+ investment.

So stick with us. We’ll cover the basics of these two drones with points we adored and some we didn’t like too much.

And finally, we compare these two drones side by side in their features, so you can pick the one that fits your current needs.

Holy Stone HS720E overview

Dimensions: 13.27 x 9.45 x 2.28 in
Weight: 495 g
Max Range: 1 km
Max Flying Time: 23 mins per battery
Camera Still Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Camera Shutter: Electronic
Live View Quality: Up to 4K@30
Video Resolution: Up to 4K@30
Internal Storage: No
External Max Storage: 128 GB microSD card
GPS: Yes

✅ Pros

• It has a semi-hard case perfect for travel.
• Although it lacks a gimbal, the EIS provides stable footage and video.
• It comes with two batteries for a total flight time of 46 minutes without charging.
• It’s sturdy, so it’s capable of withstanding windy conditions decently.

❌ Cons

• Due to its weight, you must register it before use.
• It doesn’t have a gimbal.
• Its landing gear makes this drone only suitable for landing on flat surfaces.

The Holy Stone HS720E is a drone for recreational use for pilots who want to improve their flying skills.

You get the feeling of flying a pricy drone without risking a four-figure investment in the learning process.

Its remote controller fits the hand very nicely, as it is light and compact. Its joysticks are very responsive, so it lets you maneuver the drone as you intend to without lags.

Controlling the drone is easy, and anyone with short hands can use it easily.

However, it feels very cheap, and its antennas lack long range.

Even though its camera films in 4K, the final footage lacks the attractiveness to use in a professional space.

» MORE: 9 Tips to Make Your Drone Footage More Cinematic

Ruko F11GIM overview

Dimensions: 17.72 x 15.94 x 3.15 in
Weight: 560 g
Max Range: 1.5 km
Max Flying Time: 28 mins per battery
Camera Still Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Camera Shutter: Electronic
Live View Quality: Up to 4K@30
Video Resolution: Up to 4K@30
Internal Storage: No
External Max Storage: 128 GB microSD card
GPS: Yes

✅ Pros

• Its transmitter comes with a rechargeable battery.
• It comes with two batteries for a total flight time of 56 minutes without charging.
• It has sturdy landing gear for safe landings.
• It comes with a two-axis gimbal with EIS for improved image stability.

❌ Cons

• Due to its weight, you must register it before use.

Conversely, the Ruko drone helps you achieve impeccable footage.

This drone also comes with a 4K camera sensor but with a two-axis gimbal. This little hardware makes a difference when stabilizing your pictures to look professional.

However, you can still consider F11GIM a toy compared to commercial camera drones.

It’s a drone with a rectangular shape that feels robust. The four arms feel solid when unfolded, and their joints look strong.

This design makes it durable and attractive to beginners.

The F11GIM stands out for its flight time between 25 and 28 minutes with only one battery in windy conditions.

» MORE: Difference Between Ruko F11 and F11 Pro

Holy Stone HS720E vs. Ruko F11GIM (In-depth comparison)

Although it’s helpful to know the specifications with a summary of each drone, it’s not enough to help you decide which to get.

What does 4K@30 video recording mean? Is it practical that the drone is lighter or heavier?

Next, we will solve these and more of your doubts by comparing these two drones.

Build and design

Both drones are aesthetically pleasing, with finishes and materials that feel great to the touch.

The HS720E shines over the F11GIM in its design, looking like a high-end quadcopter.

However, the drone and its extremities look more delicate, and that design can be an issue with hard landings.

Worth mentioning is that the HS720E has some tiny legs as landing gear in the belly. This drone won’t land on the arms but on the belly, with almost no space on the ground.

This drone is only suitable for landing on a flat and debris-free surface.

The F11GIM is a bit taller and has a front landing gear to support the aircraft.

The main purpose of this more elevated design is the camera and gimbal assembly are exposed to debris.

The Ruko is a drone for a beginner who needs a more impact-resistant drone. You can see it on its hinges, which are way sturdier than in the HS720E.

That’s why the F11GIM has a boxy and robust shape, which makes it unappealing for users with high attention to detail.

Go with the F11GIM if you want the most durable drone of the two, and design isn’t the first thing you notice in a drone.

» MORE: Best Drone Landing Pad

Weight and size

Neither the F11GIM nor the HS720E is suitable for commercial work, but you’ll have to register both drones,

That said, weight and size are proportional for these drones.

The HS720E is lighter but tinier. It makes the Holy Stone drone convenient for transportation in a daypack and less prone to cause you back pain.

The F11GIM is heavier but larger. However, the main reason for that extra weight is the bigger battery.

So you have a heavier and bulkier drone that can fly longer than the HS720E.

» MORE: Average Weights of Common Types of Drones

Camera comparison

Although both cameras can shoot 4K images and 4K@30 videos, the Ruko camera wins.

The differential factor is Ruko’s mechanical gimbal, which the Holy Stone drone lacks.

A mechanical gimbal helps you eliminate jittering due to movement and vibrations.

The F11GIM camera comes with a gimbal for the yaw and roll axis. Thanks to this hardware, the camera always takes leveled footage, even while turning to the sides or going up or down.

Besides, the Ruko drone has EIS to help eliminate the excess jittering caused by vibrations.

The HS720E comes with EIS too, but the lack of a gimbal makes the final footage look robotic compared to the F11GIM.

You’ll get cinematic-quality shots and recordings with either drone.

Only the Ruko takes will look more natural, with less undesired blur and jittering.

Be aware you need to save the footage on a microSD card, as neither of these drones has internal memory.

The F11GIM and HS720E can use 128GB class 10 microSD cards, guaranteeing a quick saving process.

You will notice that the HS720E saves footage faster than the F11GIM.

The reason is the app, as the Ruko app has a loading prompt that takes a significant time to process, an annoying feature for sure.

However, you get a crisper image worth the extra time.

For both drones, the installation and removal of the card are quite simple and work the same as in a smartphone.

You only need to insert the microSD card, and it saves your 4K content.

Flight experience

The flight experience for both drones is impressively fun and easy to handle, thanks to the GPS assisting feature.

With these GNSS systems, the drones automatically hover at a fixed altitude.

You only need to move it forward, backward, or to the sides without worrying about it falling while not using the throttle to change the height.

The only real difference is in the self-stabilization feature. Both drones’ GPS work amazingly by holding the position of the drone.

When a wind gust moves them, they return to the same spot.

However, the Ruko F11GIM holds its fixed position better. The reason isn’t its GPS, but its weight.

That extra 60 grams makes it less affected by wind.

Both drones generally have poor wind resistance, and their batteries drain fast in windy conditions. But the HS720E will drain faster, as its GPS needs to battle more to maintain its position.

Conversely, the F11GIM has more inertia due to its weight. This means it’s more demanding to stop when it has reached a certain flight speed.

This makes this drone trickier to fly between obstacles, making it only suitable for vast and obstacle-free areas.

» MORE: Best Cheap Drones for Windy Conditions

Flight time

With 28 minutes of flight time, the F11GIM beats the HS520E.

However, the 28 minutes of flight time for the F11GIM and HS720E are ideal estimates.

Both drones are deficient at holding their position in windy conditions, making their batteries drain faster.

As discussed in the weight section, the extra weight favors the Ruko drone. You can then expect more flight time from the F11GIM.

However, for the price difference, those five to eight minutes extra are negligible for some pilots.

Either option you choose, you get a drone with impressive 20+ minutes of flight with one battery.

Remember that both drones come with an extra battery, so you’ll get tired of flying before your batteries drain.

» MORE: How Long Does a Drone Battery Last? What You Need to Know!

Flight range

This topic is complex, as these drones have long ranges, but you shouldn’t reach them.

Regulations say you must keep the drone in view. Generally speaking, this range translates to 300 to 500 m.

The F11GIM reaches 1.5 km, and the HS720E can reach 1 km. Both flight ranges are way more than civil aviation authorities allow.

The max flying range hints at how stable the drone signal is as it flies away from the remote controller. As a rule of thumb, the greater the drone’s flight range, the more stable its signal is.

The F11GIM flight range beats the HS720E flying range by 500 meters, making its signal more stable when reaching the 500-meter threshold.

Why is the flight range critical?

It allows you to maintain control over your drone for longer periods.

This means the remote controller doesn’t need to constantly pair with the drone, saving battery charge.

Also, your drone can go out of range.

Smart features

Essentially, both drones have the same smart features.

The fun and recognizable ones are follow me and circle me.

With follow-me, these drones will stick their camera to you while pursuing you like a dog.

With the circle-me feature, both drones will have you centered in the camera while circling you as you become the center of the circle motion.

These intelligent features work seamlessly in both drones, but the F11GIM has more stable filming.

In the HS720E, the recorded video looks glitchy, as the only way to get a clear image is with EIS.

On the safety intelligent feature side, it’s a draw. Thanks to the automatic RTH functions, you can fly the drones without worrying they will get lost.

Once the drone breaches the boundaries you set on the app, the drone starts the RTH.

If they lose signal for several seconds or their battery is low, the emergency RTH returns the drones to their take-off position.

Finally, the Roku camera detects gestures.

So you can make the drone hover at a fixed altitude, leave the remote on the side, and with a hand gesture, it will take pictures or videos.

» MORE: Holy Stone App – All You Need to Know

Price

Go with the HS720E if you are on a tight budget.

This drone is impressively well-made, durable, and fun to fly for the low price tag. It offers an increased flight time and ease of use for total beginners.

You’ll have a hard time finding a more beginner-friendly option packed with smart features than this for the price.

However, the Ruko wins for those who consider photography and filmmaking a priority.

The two-axis gimbal plus EIS stabilizes your footage, making the HS720E camera look like a toy.

Besides, the F11GIM offers you five more minutes of flight time you can use to take extra pictures.

» MORE: Drones – Best Bang for Your Buck

Ease of use

Both drones are perfect for beginners.

The controls are very responsive and move the drone in the desired direction.

As a beginner, flight direction is tricky to understand.

The north of the drone is where the camera aims. So if the drone faces you with its camera and you move the forward stick, it will move backward.

To solve this direction issue, you can always activate headless mode. In this mode, no matter the direction the drone faces with its camera, it will always go forward when you push the forward stick.

Both these drones come with easy-to-activate headless mode on the apps, so you grow in experience.

The F11GIM is easier to fly, as it’s more stable.

Being a heavier drone with a higher wind resistance makes it hover in place when wind gusts become aggressive.

» MORE: Best Beginner Drones with Follow Me

Why choose Holy Stone HS720E over Ruko F11 GIM

Holy Stone is an established brand for mid-range drones with dedicated customer support.

When you buy this drone, you also gain access to a team open to help you with any issues.

Besides, it’s a well-made drone that looks high-end.

Lastly, this drone is way cheaper than the Ruko.

Why choose Ruko F11GIM over Holy Stone HS720E

The F11GIM is a robust drone with a simple, sturdier look than the HS720E.

It’s also more stable, as its landing gear helps it land on uneven zones without risking its integrity.

The two-axis gimbal and EIS provide jitter-free imagery the HS720E can’t achieve.

The F11GIM has a more powerful battery, allowing extra fun flying time.

What’s better: Holy Stone HS720E or Ruko F11 GIM?

For some of you, purchasing a drone you don’t find attractive is pointless. And that’s where these drones differ a lot.

The HS720E looks stylish, like drones from brands such as DJI and Autel. The F11GIM looks more like a rectangular box with arms.

So for a lesser price, you get a stylish HS720E that you can control and flies smoothly as the Ruko.

And you get proven customer service that few mid-tier range brands can match.

If all the above statements appeal to you, go for the HS720E.

However, if you want a better live view, recording, and photography experience, the F11GIM wins.

» MORE: Best Beginner Drones Under $300