Skyzone finally released their first OLED FPV goggles – the SKY03O! It uses 1024×768 OLED display panels, with a FOV of 35°. The SKY03O FPV goggles also improved on face-plate and foam pads for better fit and minimized light leak.
Table of Contents
Table of Content
- Where to buy?
- How it compares to Fatshark HDO
- Is FOV too small?
- No 16:9 Ratio
- Full specs and unbox
- Closer look
- Built-in receiver module
- OSD Menu
- Sleep Mode
- DVR
- Battery Options
- How to Update Firmware
- Conclusion
I am extremely excited about this new OLED FPV goggles from Skyzone.
Lower IPD? Power button? 4S and 6S LiPo compatibility? OSD menu? Battery voltage monitoring? Fan speed control? Display adjustments on hue, saturation and sharpness? Fatshark doesn’t have any of these, but the cheaper Skyzone has managed it all with the SKY03O!
Don’t get me wrong, I love Fatshark, I want to see them succeed, but frankly their development has been too slow and I don’t see much innovation in their new goggles.
By the way, it’s SKY03O – Zero Three O, not o3o or o30. They basically took the SKY03S and upgraded the screens to OLED, hence the letter O at the end.
There are a lot of technical terms used in this review, if you are new, please take a look at my FPV goggles buyer’s guide to learn all the basics first.
Where to Buy SKY03O FPV Goggles?
According to BG’s site, they are currently offering a discount for pre-orders.
- Banggood: http://bit.ly/sky03o
- RDQ: http://bit.ly/rdq-sky03o
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/342u0l9
Available in lots of colors and skins: White, Black, Red, Camouflage, Diamond Midnight Blue, Vagary Ice Blue, Amber, Super Glossy Metallic Orange, Super Glossy Metallic Black Rose
Skyzone SKY03O vs. Fatshark HDO
There are currently three OLED goggles in the FPV space, Fatshark HDO, Skyzone SKY03O and Orqa FPV.ONE. Since the Orqa is not released yet (and honestly it’s way beyond my budget), I will only compare between the SKY03O and HDO in this review.
You can see my full review of the HDO here.
| SKY03O | HDO | |
| Price | US$428 | US$500 |
| FOV | 35° | 37° |
| Resolution | 1024 x 768 | 960 x 720 |
| Aspect Ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 |
| IPD | 57.5 – 69.5 mm | 59 – 69 mm |
| OLED Luminance | Yes | No |
| OSD Menu | Yes | No |
| Fan Speed Level | Yes | No |
| Input Voltage | 2S – 6S | 2S |
| HDMI Resolution | 1080p | 720p** |
| Head Tracker | Yes | No |
| Built-in Receiver | Yes | No |
| Module Bay | No | Yes |
| Power Button | Yes | No |
| Color/Skin Options | Yes | No |
| Weight | 261g | 186g |
** HDO is supposed to support 1080p with HDMI input, but in my testing I can only get 720p to work. See my HDO review for more info on that.
Fatshark was the first to introduce OLED panels to FPV Goggles and I am one of the first to try them. After using them for nearly 2 years now, I don’t think I would ever go back to the old LCD screens. That’s how good OLED screens are!
I am glad there is finally some competition in the market, and there are so many things the SKY03O is doing better than the HDO.
The difference doesn’t stop there between the HDO and SKY03O. The screens are actually different too.
Although they are both OLED panels, the Skyzone appears to edge out the HDO which I didn’t expect. To keep it brief, the SKY03O image has higher contrast and shows the detail better than the HDO, I guess the higher resolution isn’t a lie.
I spent a long time trying to record the screens so I can show you the difference in a more objective way other than just words.
The Fatshark HDO I have is nearly 2 years old, and the SKY03O is brand new. I don’t know much that has affected the test, but I did my best to make sure the test was fair and hopefully this is useful.
Is 35° FOV Too Small?
Some people probably are shaking their heads right now at the 35° field of view (FOV), but I am not.
As I mentioned in my HDO review, when you have wider FOV, you will very likely get blurry edges. And that’s exactly the problem I had with the previous SKY03 goggles.
That could have been the reason why Skyzone brought down the FOV (or it could be a display limitation). Anyway, I don’t get any blurry edges with the new SKY03O, the whole screen is crystal clear for me.
But is it smaller than the HDO?
Honestly when I was testing the HDO and 03O back to back, I didn’t even notice the FOV difference, they looked about the same screen size. If you are happy with HDO’s FOV you should be fine with SKY03O’s.
You might find this FPV goggles FOV comparison tool useful.
No 16:9 Aspect Ratio
The SKY03O doesn’t support 16:9 aspect ratio at the moment, and I don’t think it ever will. According to Skyzone, this is a hardware limitation with the 4:3 panels. 16:9 OLED panels can easily do 4:3 by leaving black strips on the left and right sides of the screen, but for some reasons it’s not that straightforward with the 4:3.
As far as I know most people fly 4:3 cameras these days because it’s the best aspect ratio for FPV – as the wider vertical FOV helps flying fast more than horizontal FOV. Most cameras can switch between 16:9 and 4:3 in the settings. Anyway you can still fly 16:9 FPV cameras with it, but the image will just look a bit squashed.
Full Specs and Unbox
Here is a full list of specifications and features for the Skyzone SKY03O FPV goggles.
- Resolution: 1024×768
- FOV: 35°
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- IPD: 57.5mm to 69.5mm
- Built-in 5.8Ghz Diversity Receiver Module, supports 48 channels in 6 bands including Race Band; On-screen RSSI indicator
- Available modes: RF Normal, RF Racing, HDMI IN, AV IN and DVR Playback
- Built-in fan for defogging and cooling, adjustable fan speed
- Front LED for cool display effects
- Input Voltage: 2S to 6S LiPo Battery (or 7V – 26V DC)
- Supports head tracking; Pan : 180°/120°/90°; Tilt: 120°/90°/60°
- Weight: 261g
Accessories Include the following:
- 1 x SKYZONE SKY03O FPV Goggles
- 1 x Carry Case
- 1 x Micro USB Data Cable
- 1 x JR Data Cable
- 2 x 5.8Ghz 2dBi Dipole Antennas
- 1 x AV Cable
- 1 x Power Cable with XT60 Connector
- 2 x Face-plates of different curvature
- 2 x Foam pads of different nose size
- Manual
Let’s Take a Closer Look the SKY03O
The Skyzone SKY03O has a glossy finish, but still feels kind of plasticky like the previous releases. However it does come with a huge range of colors and skins options. Mine is the unique camouflage which really stands out from the the crowd.
Starting from the top, the layout is the same as the previous SKY03 goggles.
Anti-fog Fan
The fan on the Skyzone is incredible. Fan speed level is adjustable from level 1 to 16, and you don’t have to plug in the clunky balance lead to power it like they do with the Fatshark’s.
It can be a bit noisy when the fan is running at high speed and you are flying indoor, but you can slow it down.
Mind you it’s also a cooling fan for the electronics inside the housing, so I recommend keeping it running at all times to avoid overheat. I think the goggles just shuts down when it gets too hot, especially in summer weather. If this happens you know you should increase the fan level.
Power Button
Can you believe it? The SKY03O has a power button!
Holding it down for a few seconds turns the goggles on and off. Fatshark users have been asking for it for years and still not getting it. (we have to DIY)
One quick tap on the power button turns off the fan, fantastic! :) I wish Skyzone would use an LED latching switch in the future, IMO it’s easier to use and looks way cooler!
Buttons
On the left we have the following buttons
- REC – DVR Record/Stop | Confirm/Enter | Hold to enter DVR system
- Mode – Switch RF/AV/HDMI modes | Cancel/Quit
- Search – Enable front camera | hold to enable Auto-Search feature
On the Right, we have these buttons:
- Band – Switch 5.8Ghz Band | Up
- CH – Switch channel | Down
- Track – Head Tracker | Hold to enter menu
I told Skyzone when I was reviewing the SKY03, that their buttons are slightly too complicated to use (each button has too many functions). Coming from Fatshark, it will take some getting used to.
I hope they will eventually listen and change them to something more user-friendly, like multi-directional joysticks for example.
Inputs/Outputs, IPD, SD Card
Now let’s move onto the bottom of the goggles – all the connectors are located here, as well as the IPD adjustment switches and SD card slot.
They moved the power jack to the bottom of the goggles instead of on the side. And you can also find the head tracker output here.
On the other side, we have HDMI input, AV input, AV output, Micro USB port (for firmware update), audio jack and SD card slot. It’s easier to take the SD card out than the Fatshark’s design.
Front Camera
The SKY03O has a front camera as all other premium Skyzone goggles do.
In my opinion it’s really not that useful (I’ve never had the need to use it personally). Some uses it to help find the radio without taking the goggles off. Here is an example image from the front camera of the SKY03.
Example image from SKY03
Faceplate, Foam Pad and Headstrap
The “leather” foam pad is very comfortable to wear. It’s installed with velcro, so you can easily replaced it when wore out.
It comes with two faceplates of different curvature, you can try and see which one fits you better. There are also two foam pads for different nose size to minimize light leak. This is just awesome!
The headstraps is the best I’ve seen, a lot wider than its predecessor’s and the Fatshark’s. It feels very comfortable and secure. I think you can get something like this custom made for the Fatshark but usually cost quite a lot.
Diopter Lens Slots
There are diopter lens slots in the SKY03O, compatible with Fatshark’s diopters. And they’ve fixed the loose slot issue from the SKY03, the lenses now stay tightly and doesn’t move anymore.
Front LED Bar
There is an RGB LED bar on the front of the SKY03O goggles, with many different display patterns. Looks pretty cool at night :) Here is a gif animation I made with the SKY03 (same LED bar and effects).
Built-in Receiver Module
With the Fatshark and Orqa, you spend a lot of money getting the headset, and you still have to spend more on a decent receiver module.
The Skyzone SKY03O comes with the receiver, so you can save a bit of money there, and it’s actually a pretty good one too. Performance is comparable to the popular True-D and the Pro58.
But it’s unfortunate there is no module bay for external receiver modules. This is perhaps the most disappointing news for some people, because they might want to use the ImmersionRC Rapidfire or other Fatshark style modules that do 2.4Ghz for examples.
Update (15 Sep 2019): Skyzone might release a detechable external module bay you can buy separately for the Skyzone 03O goggles. I will make a new post if this happens.
Update (Jan 2020): now available: http://bit.ly/2FO0tRn
Anyway, make sure you get some proper antennas, such as a patch antenna and an onmi-directional CP. The stock dipole antennas do work but not the greatest for the decent signal and range.
See my recommendations in my FPV antenna guide. Also check out DemonRC’s shop, they produce some of the nicest custom made antennas.
SKY03O with Antennas from DemonRC.eu
OSD Menu
I love the OSD menu so much!!! It’s easy to use, and provides all the important information I need. Simple things like the voltage of the goggles battery, how much space is left in the SD card, how long it’s been recording for… You don’t need other equipment to check no more!
The first page of the menu is the head tracker settings.
Second page is display setting – brightness, contrast, saturation, hue and sharpness. It’s great to have the last three which are missing from many other goggles.
But I wish there is an easier way to change brightness and contrast without going into the menu every time. Because all my quads have different cameras and flying in different times of the day require changing these settings frequently.
The third page is all about DVR.
The forth page is about the goggle’s OSD (not related to Betaflight OSD or camera OSD).
One cool feature is “OLED Luminance”, it gives you full control on how bright you want the OLED screens to be. You can turn it all the way up to 8, but even the default level of 3 was a little too bright and gives me a headache. Level 2 seems to be just right for me. Still, it’s useful to have this option in case you fly on a sunny day and need brighter screens.
The last page in the menu is system setting, you can adjust fan speed here, calibrate battery voltage, and format SD card.
Sleep Mode
In the menu, you might have seen “sleep mode” and wondered what it is.
It’s a really cool feature, the goggles turns off the screens if it’s been left idle for too long (timer options: 1 min, 3 mins and 5 mins). This is designed to prevent OLED screen burn in (individual OLED pixel decay). The screens turn back on as soon as you pick up the goggles.
The idle status is determined by the accelerometer inside the head tracker. Such a clever implementation.
But if you are very still during flight and the Goggles doesn’t detect your head movement, it will also shut down the screens. It might sound impossible, everyone moves their body during flight right? Well it did happen to someone I know, guess they might have a gimbal mounted on their head LOL To prevent this, I guess you should set the timer longer than your flight time, or simply set it to off if you don’t want this to happen at all.
I think Skyzone should allow longer timer like 10 mins or even 20 mins to cover long range flights. They can even make it better by adding beeping before entering sleep mode as a reminder to move the head, or turn off the goggles if not in use.
DVR Quality and Features
Comparing to the Fatshark DVR, the Skyzone is more superior – the DVR footage looks better.
Testing with a PAL camera, bit rate appears to be similar and resolution is only slightly higher (from File Property in Windows)
- Skyzone SKY03O – 688×576 / 14Mbps
- Fatshark HDO – 640×480 / 14Mbps
However the resulting file size of the 03O DVR is nearly 3 times larger than that of the Fatshark, maybe due to the fact that the Skyzone uses H.264 codec?
For a 5-min video, the Skyzone is 570MB while the Fatshark is 190MB. An hour of recording with 03O DVR would require 6GB to 7GB of space, so make sure you get a large micro SD card – 32GB or 64GB should do nicely.
See my SD card buyer’s guide for recommendations.
The SKY03O DVR also has the following features:
- Recording is saved automatically when you disconnect power – you don’t lose DVR anymore when you forget to press the stop button
- It doesn’t record static (no signal) – however when you only lose signal during recording it will continue to record through the static
- There is no frame drop issue with the SK03O DVR
Battery Options
The SKY03O FPV goggles doesn’t care what battery you use, as long as it’s within 7V to 26V DC (2S to 6S LiPo). Basically you can just pick up a battery for your quad and power your goggles with it.
But if you are looking for one that works with a wider range of FPV goggles, a 2S is probably a better choice:
GNB 2S 3000mah: https://amzn.to/2PiKXo1
Tattu 2S 2500mah (review): https://goo.gl/XsG8hi
How To Update Firmware
The steps of updating goggles firmware and DVR firmware are exactly the same as the SKY03 and SKY03S, I have a tutorial explains how.
But, when updating firmware, you have to press a button to enter bootloader mode, and this button is very hidden and hard to reach. I wish Skyzone could make firmware update easier in the future.
Conclusion
Fatshark killer confirmed.
Skyzone nailed it with the SKY03O, probably one of the best goggles I’ve tried so far. They are ahead of Fatshark in many ways, especially when it comes to user interface (OSD menu), listening to user feedback and giving users full control of their goggles.
And the SKY03O’s OLED screens are frankly the best on the market right now.
I hope to review the Orqa FPV.ONE too when it’s out. It is nearly twice as expensive as the SKY03O and doesn’t even come with a receiver. The 03O is on pre-order for $428 as we speak (Aug 2019).
You can buy the Skyzone SKY03O from these vendors, buying via these links supports the blog.
- RDQ: http://bit.ly/rdq-sky03o
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/342u0l9
- Banggood: http://bit.ly/sky03o
Here is a summary of all the goods and bads of this goggles I’ve explained in my review.
The Good
- OLED screens are even better than the HDO’s, higher contrast and clearer image overall
- No more blurry edges!
- The screen luminance can be adjusted
- Sleep Mode to turn off screens when idle and prevents OLED display burn in
- It has a power button!
- The IPD adjustment is 2mm wider than the HDO (57.5mm to 69.5mm vs 59mm to 69mm), great news for those who are after narrower IPD
- The built-in receiver module works really well, has auto-search and Race mode
- DVR footage image quality is better than Fatshark’s
- DVR is saved automatically when powered down
- It can be powered by 2S to 6S Lipo, you can basically use any LiPo you have
- Two face-plates of different curvature, and two foam pad of different nose sizes
- Wide headstraps – secure and comfortable fit
- HDMI and AV input supported – you can connect it to your computer and play FPV simulators
- Diopter lens slots available
- You can calibrate goggles battery voltage, and my unit seems to be reporting correct voltage out of the box
- Adjustable fan speed
- Built-in head-tracker with cables and output channel setting
The Bad
- Housing quality and design can be improved
There is no module bay for external receiver modulesyou can get the detachable receiver module bay for other external modules- No 16:9 aspect ratio support
- The operation and buttons are slightly too complicated
- FOV is smaller than the previous SKY03 and Fatshark HD3, but very similar to the HDO
- Warranty support is not as good as Fatshark’s
- Firmware update is a little too complicated
- Need dedicated buttons for changing brightness and contrast
32 comments
I made that mistake and jumped the gun,, I’ve now got the cam sat on a build waiting to find an answer. Someone’s done it successfully with Fatshark HD’s, using the NerdCam3D. Apparently MUX on the vtx combines the signal, same as the Blackbird Cam, then, in the goggles the signal is ‘de-MUXed’ (lol).
I wonder what the difference in specs are and how the FatShark HD’s are capable?
What part of the VRX allows the combined signal to be seperated again?
After an initial set up and test i could find a way to use a 3d cam with these. Would i have to add another receiver to my 03O’s and link it to only one screen to be able to use my blackbird v2 3d cam then? Bought both after seeing it said that the goggles were capable of 3D._.Even the blackbird v2 cam site states that fatshark hd’s and the such can be used,so i thought it’d be possible somehow..?
I don’t personally know how these 3D cameras work as I never used one before. Best to check with the seller or manufacturer about these as I don’t want to guess and mislead you :)
Does anyone know if it’s possible to get the right aspect ratio when using the goggles with HDMI?
I’ve tried every resolution I can think of from my PC, and the goggles always squash the image to fit, even when I choose the resolution that matches the physical resolution of the goggles (1024×768).
You would think that by selecting the actual resolution of the panels, they would map directly, but instead they seem to get squashed and don’t fill the 4:3 screen. Choosing 1920×1080 fills the screen, but of course as it’s 4:3, the images remain squashed as you’d expect.
I just wonder if anyone has managed to display a 1024×768 monitor mapped to the full size of the screen?
One thing that I would like future goggles to have is a menu setting to warn of low battery voltage. When I’m flying around and having fun I typically don’t look at the supply voltage. There is an audible beep letting the user know the battery is low, but it alarms at 20 seconds before they turn off. It would be nice to set the value at which the alarm initiates to prevent abrupt shutoff in mid-flight.
Hey, guys, do u know where can I find an lcd viewer module for a skyzone v02? Do they sell this kind of piece?
How do you download the DVR footage fro Skyzones030 goggles to my computer?
thanks
Take the SD card out of your FPV goggles, and insert it in your computer?
Hi Oscar, thanks for your detailed review of the sky 03O. In your mention of the specs, you mentioned that this particular device offers 3-D however the manual does not mention it and I cannot find a 3-D option on my goggles. I think that the only one that offers it is the 03S. I am planning to buy the Blackbird 2 3-D camera however I don’t want to get it if my OLED goggles don’t support 3-D. Is that accurate? And if so, Is there a way I can upgrade my Sky03O goggles to become 3-D capable instead of buying new ones? Thank you much
my bad, the Sky03 does 3D and i assumed the newer sky03o has it too, but it doesn’t.
Can you power these goggles with the fatshark battery case?
Wow, Skyzone reads your page…
fw 20190911
1.Fixed the range of the sharpness.
2.Add playback function in the OSD menu.
3.Add beep warning 10 seconds before OLED sleep mode.
yes it does. I’m using a Fatshark battery case on mine.
Thanks for the great review!
I am wondering how its built-in receiver performs while flying indoor. I am mainly flying with tiny whoop class drones indoor with my ev200d, and I am hesitating choosing Sky03O as an upgrade, or just a rapidfire module to my current goggles against multi-path propagation. (Or maybe rapidfire + hdo, if I want the oled display…)
Would it do a decent job for having fun with my US65 flying one or two rooms away?
I cannot get mine to record either. Upgraded the firmware of both the goggle and DVR to the latest available, with success. But still no recording. Formatted the SD card in the goggles. Do not have any other SD cards laying around. SD card seems to work fine.
Please contact Skyzone customer support.
I can’t get mine to record – I format the SD card in the goggle – it reads the available memory – but won’t record.
First thing I’d do is to update the DVR (there is a new DVR firmware available).
If it’s still not working, try a different card. Again format it inside the goggles first.
They have them for $399 on BG now.
Ok I could no longer wait, I just bought the 03O :) Hope the receiver is comparable or better than my OwlRC module..
AMOLED displays use low-frequency PWM dimming technology. The lower the screen brightness, the lower the strobe rate, and the greater the possibility of human eyes being able to perceive, making it easier for sensitive people.
It might be so that OLED googles will kill your eyes if they made not with flicker free technology, which is doubtfully used here.
How do we know if the Orqa or Fatshark is using this technology you mentioned? And how do we know if the Sky03O isn’t? Or what you said is just speculation?
How is the receiver of the 03O compared to the OwlRC? I’m currently on Dom V2 with OwlRC and was considering the HDO’s but these screens look so much better! Won’t help if reception is bad though…
I don’t have the OwlRC module to compare to, but basically the internal RX is just as good as the True-D if not better.
I do not understand why people are not taking the Zeiss Cinemizers into account…they have had oled displays since 2014 with both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio; Also build in -5 to +5 diopters…the one disadvantage was that u had to add a receiver :-) but options were and are plenty
I reviewed them, but they are just not great for FPV. They weren’t designed for FPV in the first place anyway.
The weight is an issue but no external modular bay is a deal breaker.
I don’t like the power connector at the bottom, it’s too dangerous … so easy to disconnect.
The connector is a real tight fit, much tighter than the Fatshark one. Personally I don’t see it being disconnected by accident
“I hate the FS frame skipping and not saving when power off.”
I forget how many years I’ve had my DOM HD2’s with a 50 degree FOV but like the HD1’s with $35 DVR (FS paid shipping back!) upgrade I often power off without turning off the DVR and the cap used has ALWAYS saved the flight recording. You must have OLD FatShark googles. And still nothing better for me than the HD2’s except for the last batch of DOM HD2’s with upgrades. As for “blurry” edges… real eyeballs have blurry edges and lose color as well. That’s what head tracking is about… moving the “eyeball” (cam) but no one uses it hardly… and no 3D interest. ERR! It’s like keyboards with no Poly AT (individual “per key” after touch volume control instead of CH AT where one key makes all the other keys pressed respond too… caveman solution. You can use AT with other features like note bending or whatever else you program it for… so sad people don’t use what should be used. With goggles most complaints are vision problems not the goggles… why 3D never caught on… some people can’t even see the effect due to poor 3D stereoscopic vision.
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Better DVR is important to me since I only fly 40 gram 2S toothpicks :) I hate the FS frame skipping and not saving when power off. Thanks for the review!
Hey mate, The attitude V5 also run an OLED screen albeit at 30°