Walksnail Avatar vs DJI Air Unit vs Caddx Vista (RunCam Link)

Many FPV hobbies think that while the Walksnail Avatar system is the new rising star, the DJI HD Digital FPV platform is dying slowly. Caddx was the first FPV camera manufacturer that joined DJI’s platform, followed by RunCam and Foxeer. The Caddx Vista VTX was intended to provide a lighter alternative for the DJI Air Unit.

After the marriage breakup between DJI and Caddx, Vista becomes RunCam Link. Now, Caddx joined the Walksnail team by providing compatible devices. The Avatar VRX is a standalone Walksnail-compatible video receiver that makes possible a cross-compatibility between the two platforms that was expected for a long time. The Avatar VRX, through its HDMI out, can be connected to any FPV Goggles with HDMI input.

For November 2022, Caddx prepared an aggressive campaign to convince those who had already purchased the Vista to migrate to the Walksnail Avatar system. Promotion details:

• Pilots who have owned six and above Caddx Vista series products (including Nebula series, Polar series, etc.) can get a 40% off on the same number of Walksnail products;
• Pilots who have owned ten and above Caddx Vista series products (including Nebula series, Polar series, etc.) can get a 50% off on the same number of Walksnail products.
• Pilots who have collected all the products of Caddx FPV Digital since its release will get a set of free Avatar systems!

In July this year, DJI submitted a request in the FCC database for the new O3 Air Unit and the new DJI Goggles 2. It is believed that “O3 Air Unit” refers to Ocusync 3, which is DJI’s proprietary over-the-air communication protocol. The new Air Unit should provide a better range and an upgraded camera with a single-axis gimbal.

Walksnail Avatar versus DJI HD Digital FPV in-depth comparison table

Conclusions

In my personal opinion, the most significant advantage of the DJI HD digital FPV system is that it is a more mature platform with fewer bugs compared to the Walksnail Avatar. Despite that may consider that DJI’s FPV system is a closed platform all popular FPV camera manufacturers provide compatible cameras. While the DJI Air Unit is considered too big and heavy for smaller FPV drones, the Caddx Vista \ RunCam Link VTX is excellent for 2.5″ quadcopters.

On the other hand, the Walksnall is a much lighter system. The ultra-light Avatar Mini 1S weighs just 6.8 grams. Being a new platform, there are only a few compatible cameras, but a more attractive price compensates for this. The Fatshark Dominator HD FPV goggles and Walksnail Avatar FPV goggles are also cheaper than the DJI FPV Goggles 2 and V2.

Range-wise, both HD digital systems provide up to 4KM transmission distances. Both platforms have 1080P@60FPS and 720P@120FPS video modes.