Ruko and Holy Stone are packing some impressive high quality features when compared to higher price brands. In this article we compare the Ruko F11 Pro vs Holy Stone HS720 which are a major step up from budget drones. They are packed with intelligent features making them easy to get started with and advance to cool tricks.
These birds come in at similar price points and functionality so which one comes out on top?
We take a look at how the specs on paper stack up to real world testing.
Standard Specifications
| Ruko F11 Pro drone | Holy Stone HS720 | |
| Size | 44cm / 17.51 inches | 36cm / 14.37 inches |
| Weight | 520g / 18.34 oz | 460g / 16.02 oz |
| Range | 1200m / 3937 ft | 999m / 3277ft |
| Flight time | 30 mins (3.5hrs recharge) | 26 mins per battery (5-7hrs recharge) |
Flight time & Range: The Ruko F11 Pro has an impressive flight time of 30 minutes per battery and a recharge time of 3.5 hours thanks to the 2500mAh intelligent batteries. This is one of the best in the field at higher price points as well. Holy Stone’s flight time comes in at 26 minutes per battery and the recharge time is much longer at 7 hours. Ruko also comes out on top in terms of range, beating Holy Stone HS720 by about 200m / 656ft and still responding well to control at the 1.2k distance.
Dimensions: Ruko F11 is slightly larger and heavier than the Holy Stone. Ruko is a couple of inches larger measuring 17.51 x 15.94 x 3.15 inches and 520g and the Holy Stone is 14.37 x 12.19 x 2.4 inches, 460g. Both fold down to easily fit in a back pack or even your pocket. The Holy Stone has a good sturdy feel despite being lighter.
Design : Holy Stone has a sleeker, professional looking design while Ruko looks like its inspired by the Transformers…. the 80s version… Sorry Ruko! Both have ABS plastic bodies reinforced with aluminium and adopt the foldable drone trend making them easy to transport. The controllers are well designed, sitting comfortably in the hands and nicely laid out. Again the Holy Stone has a nicer design with a higher end look, it also features a built in screen in the transmitter.
Hardware Comparison
| Ruko F11 Pro drone | Holy Stone HS720 | |
| Motor | Brushless | Brushless |
| Battery type | Lithium ion | Lithium polymer |
| Gimbal | No | No |
Motor : Both feature brushless motors. These are more efficient as they produce less friction which means the motor is less likely to overheat and last longer.
Battery : Lithium Ion vs. Lithium Polymer Batteries – Which Is Better? Li-Ion batteries dont have the ‘memory effect’ where batteries become slow to recharge over time. They are relatively small and pack a lot of power. Li-Po batteries are generally more expensive. They’re lightweight but can’t store as much power as the Li-Ion equivalent and don’t last as long. Despite this they are often favoured over Li-Ion batteries as they have better stability and are seen as more robust. So while Holy Stone has a higher end battery, Ruko F11 Pro actually has better performance.
Gimbal : A gimbal compensates for the movement of the drone to keep the camera stable so when the drone moves the camera stays at the same angle. These birds use image stabilisation which isn’t as robust. If photo and video quality is important to you take a look at Ruko’s new version of the F11 which has a 2 axis gimbal (you can check out the specs here on Amazon – Ruko F11 Gim Drone). Ideally if you want really good image stabilisation you need to take a look at drones with a 3 axial gimbal so they stabilise on the yaw, pitch and roll axis such as the DJI Mini 2.
Ruko's upgraded version, the Ruko F11 Gim, features a 2 axial gimbal and 4K video.
Read my full review on the Ruko F11 Gim here.
Camera & Video
Both have 4K UHD cameras capable of capturing 3840 x 2160 high resolution stills. The Holy Stone trumps Ruko F11 Pro with 4k video. They have similar field of view, Ruko 120 degrees vs Holy Stones 110 degrees. Both have 90 degree adjustable motion range to change perspectives in front of the drone to below.
| Ruko F11 Pro drone | Holy Stone HS720 | |
| Camera | 4K UHD | 4K UHD |
| Video | 2.9K | 4K |
| FPV First Person View | Y | Y |
When flying Ruko, the higher precision 5GHz band is limited to around 500m so the live video transmission cuts off. This is an advancement implemented with this model when compared to Ruko U11 which comes in at about $100 less but only has a flight range of 300m.
Special Features
| Ruko F11 Pro drone | Holy Stone HS720 | |
| One key take off and landing | Y | Y |
| Headless mode | Y | N |
| Point of interest orbit | Y | Y |
| Return to home | Y | Y |
| Follow me | Y | Y |
| Tap fly / intelligent flight | Y | Y |
Ruko has GPS to allow its smart assist functions. It adjusts for drift in real time using GPS to maintain altitude and location. The drone can stabilise for video and camera footage while you use the GPS hold (altitude hold) feature.
One key take-off and landing : This automates take off and return so you don’t have to tackle these sometimes tricky manuevers.
Headless mode : Allows the pilot to ignore the orientation of the drone, you toggle left so the drone flies to your left … no matter the direction of the front of the drone.
Point of interest: Select an object for the drone to orbit, capturing a 360 degree view. This function has an impressive 100 m radius.
Return to home : The drone’s location is recorded when it takes off and when this mode is activated the drone will return to this spot. Most drones include this now and it’s an important feature to check incase you loose signal or have a low battery.
Follow me : Select an object (ie. person or boat) and activate this feature for the drone to follow at a set distance with the object in frame. Great for solo travellers that want to capture their adventures hands free taking the ultimate selfie. However, use this feature with caution as neither of these models have obstacle detection sensors.
Tap fly : Select a route for your drone using the app, then let it go without needing you to drive.
Conclusion
The Ruko F11 Pro and Holy Stone HS720 are solid entry-level drones showing good value for money, with many advanced features making them both popular with recreational drone enthusiasts. The camera quality is fine for home video and personal use but not ideal if you want to take more professional photography due to the lack of a gimbal. Higher spec models such as the DJI Mavic Mini have a three axial gimbal for increased stabilisation.
Overall, even though the design of the Holy Stone looks much sleeker, Ruko comes out on top. Ruko F11 Pro has a longer flight range, better battery performance, faster recharge time and also features headless mode.
A couple of thing that may sway you to the Holy Stone are the higher resolution video or right hand throttle mode for left handers. However, Ruko’s newer model, the F11 Gim can take 4K video AND has a 2 axial gimbal so this is worth a look if high quality photos and video is important to you. At the time of writing the Holy Stone HS720 comes at a slightly lower price, see links below to Amazon to check current prices.
