This question comes up constantly, so I made this guide to help people who are just starting out with FPV.

The good news: you really don’t need to overthink this.

First: if you’re starting fresh, get ExpressLRS (ELRS).

It’s what I’d recommend to basically any new FPV pilot today. All of the radios below run EdgeTX and are available with built-in ELRS, so you can start in a simulator and eventually use the same radio with your actual quads.

Here’s how I’d break it down:

💰 Best budget choice: RadioMaster Pocket

If you’re trying to get into FPV without spending a ton of money, just get the Pocket.

It’s cheap, tiny, runs EdgeTX, has ELRS built in, works great with simulators and is honestly good enough that you may never feel the need to replace it.

The compromise is mainly the size. The gimbals are smaller and it doesn’t have the same premium feel or ergonomics as the bigger radios.

But don’t mistake “budget” for “bad.” The Pocket is a legitimately good FPV radio.

I’d buy the Pocket if:

You’re brand new, want to practice in a simulator first, travel a lot, or just don’t know yet whether FPV is going to become a serious hobby.

🏆 Sweet spot #1: RadioMaster Boxer / Boxer Crush

For most people who know they’re going to stick with FPV, the Boxer is incredibly hard to beat.
You get full-size gimbals, great ergonomics, lots of switches, excellent battery life and plenty of RF power without carrying around a giant radio.

The regular Boxer is probably the pure value king.
The Boxer Crush is basically the nicer version for someone who wants to spend a little more. You get the excellent AG01 CNC gimbals and a more premium overall radio.

The one thing you don’t get is a big color touchscreen. The screen is small and monochrome.
To be fair, it doesn’t matter very much once the radio is set up. You’re looking through your goggles when you fly, not staring at the radio.

I’d buy the Boxer/Boxer Crush if:

You want a radio you can buy as a beginner and realistically keep for years.

For a lot of pilots, this is the end-game radio without paying end-game money.

🔥 Sweet spot #2: RadioMaster TX15 / TX15 Max

This is where things get interesting.

Think of the TX15 as taking a lot of what people love about the Boxer and adding a much nicer modern interface.

You get full-size gimbals, a 3.5” color touchscreen, EdgeTX, built-in ELRS and a relatively compact body.

The TX15 Max upgrades that experience further with AG02 CNC aluminum gimbals and some nicer materials/controls.

It also supports both 2.4GHz and Sub-G/900MHz ELRS, which gives you more room to grow into more advanced setups later.

For a beginner who has the money and already knows they’re serious about FPV, the TX15 Max might actually be my favorite overall choice.

I’d buy the TX15/TX15 Max if:

You want the Boxer-ish size but really want a color touchscreen and a more premium, modern radio.

👑 Best of the best: RadioMaster TX16S MK3

Want the big one?

This is it.

The TX16S MK3 is RadioMaster’s flagship and is probably the most capable all-around FPV radio of this group.

Huge 5” color touchscreen, full-size gimbals, tons of controls, powerful hardware, dual-band ELRS/Gemini-X capability, JR module bay…the thing is loaded.

The downside?

It’s big. And fairly heavy.

For someone just flying a couple of 5” quads at the park, a lot of what it can do is probably unnecessary.

But if you want one radio that you can grow into for FPV drones, long range, wings, planes, cars, complicated models, external RF modules, etc., this is the “buy the ridiculous one and never wonder if you should have bought something better” option.

I’d buy the TX16S MK3 if:

Budget isn’t the main concern, you don’t mind a larger radio, and you want maximum capability.

So…which one should you actually buy?

“I just want to try FPV.”
➡️ Pocket
“I’m serious about FPV and want the best value.”
➡️ Boxer
“I want nicer gimbals but don’t care about a touchscreen.”
➡️ Boxer Crush
“I want a premium radio with a great touchscreen without going huge.”
➡️ TX15 Max
“I want the flagship. Give me everything.”
➡️ TX16S MK3

Honestly, none of these are bad choices.
The biggest mistake a beginner can make is spending weeks researching radios instead of buying one, plugging it into a simulator and learning to fly.

And one last thing: if you’re starting from scratch, buy the ELRS version. Unless you already own equipment that requires another protocol, there’s very little reason for a new FPV pilot to start somewhere else.

For anyone who wants to go way deeper into radio choices, gimbals, protocols, EdgeTX, ELRS, form factors, etc., Oscar Liang has an excellent and regularly updated radio guide.

Hopefully this saves the next person getting into FPV a lot of time and energy!

View Poll

I hope they’ve at least matured enough so we don’t have to stop the match for 30 mins this time.

Back to back away wins, wem back