Review: Walksnail Avatar HD Nano Kit V3 – Introducing Low-Latency Racing Mode, New Camera and VTX

Today, we’re digging deep into a product that’s creating quite the buzz in the FPV community—Walksnail’s Avatar HD Nano Kit V3. This new release comes with a bunch of exciting new features and hardware, including racing mode which improves latency. Let’s break it down and see if it’s worth the hype.

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New to FPV and wondering which FPV system to get? Check out my comparison: https://oscarliang.com/fpv-system/

Where to Buy?

You can get the Walksnail Avatar HD nano Kit V3 from these vendors:

• Caddx: https://oscarliang.com/product-4a7o
• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DFfT0tv
• GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-13lo
• RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-z4gr
• Amazon: https://amzn.to/44EMYwj

It comes with the following accessories:

• 1x Walksnail Avatar HD Nano Camera V3
• 1x Walksnail Avatar HD Mini VTX
• 1x Walksnail Avatar V2 Antenna
• 5x 2.1×3.4x1mm Gasket
• 2x M2x4/5/6mm Screws
• 4x M2*5*0.5mm Washer
• 1x 14 to19mm Bracket
• 1x 4 Pin Power Cable
• 4x M2x14mm Screws
• 1x 4 Pin USB Cable

Walksnail’s Racing Mode

If you’re into high-speed, close-proximity FPV flying through gates, trees, and other obstacles, the new racing mode is something to look forward to. While it might compromise on resolution, it makes up for it by offering a more stable video link, which is essential for racers.

Here’s how it works: Racing mode scales down the video resolution from 720p/1080p to 540p to prioritize link performance. The bitrate is fixed at standard level to optimize latency so you won’t be able to set it to “High.” Additionally, the frame rate is locked to “High” to minimize any delay between video frames.

With these tweaks, Walksnail is promising “stabilized low latency” so you can fly faster and more precisely. We’re talking less lag, more stable latency and fewer frame drops or freezes.

You can easily switch between standard and race modes right in the goggles menu (goggles restart after change).

Previously, Walksnail’s channels were more like DJI style, and not exactly the same as the standard raceband channels, which could lead to issues during racing events. Now in racing mode, you have 8 channels available – these channels are the same as analog race band (R1 to R8 spaced 20MHz apart), which is a welcome change for serious racers.

The available channels are: R1 (5658), R2 (5695), R3 (5732), R4 (5769), R5 (5806), R6 (5843), R7 (5880), R8( 5917), RP (5500 Racing public channel).

When you first switch to racing mode, the default channel is RP (racing public), it’s outside of the R1 to R8 frequencies to avoid interference with other pilots.

In racing mode it also has sharing feature which allows you to share your feed with two other Walksnail receiving devices, such as the VRX modules and Walksnail goggles (e.g. for referees or spectators).

Race Mode is compatible with existing Avatar HD goggles (and Fatshark Dominator HD) and the new VTX as well as older VTX. Essentially, you can upgrade to Race Mode without buying the new VTX.

Note that Race Mode is not a fixed-latency system. The latency is still variable, much like its predecessor. However, race mode does offer better stability in latency when the signal is good. This could be vital for racers who need consistently low latency. However, the lower resolution could be a deal-breaker for people prioritising image quality.

Regardless mode (racing or standard), onboard recording is always the same at 1080p 60fps, with 50Mbps bitrate.

Walksnail HD Nano V3 VTX: What’s New?

The new V3 VTX is perhaps the most versatile Walksnail has released so far. Not only it’s great for racing, it can also be used in larger freestyle drones, as well as small micro drones as it can be powered by 1S LiPo.

Size comparison: Walksnail Mini 1S Lite VTX, Nano V3 VTX, V2 VTX

Specifications

• RF Output: Up to 500mW
• Voltage Range: 3.1V – 13V
• Camera: 14x14mm, weighs 3 grams, native 4×3 sensor, and 160-degree field of view
• Storage: 32GB onboard memory
• VTX Dimensions: 31.8 x 31.8 x 7.2 mm

Design

The camera is the Avatar HD Nano Camera V3, it’s a nano camera, measures 14x14mm and weighs less than 3 grams. Its FOV is 160° with a resolution of up to 1080p 60fps. It’s has a native 4:3 sensor, but it’s switchable in 16:9. The video transmitter has a metal case with a weight of just over 13g. The whole V3 kit including the antenna, weighs around 21g.

There are M2 mounting holes on the sides of the camera.

The new VTX is fully protected by metal housing making it a durable choice for racing. It also doubles as heatsink which allows the maximum RF power increased to 500mW. Its size is identical to the Whoop VTX, but it’s slightly smaller than the V2 and Pro VTX, and it offers both 25.5×25.5mm (M2) and 20x20mm (M3) mounting.

There’s a cable pre-soldered and glued to the VTX. However, there is an error in the voltage label on the cable; it incorrectly states 3.1V to 5V, while the VTX actually supports a voltage range of 3.1V to 13V.

Antenna has a UFL connector and can be secured by a retention bar.

Features

The VTX has an internal memory of 32 GB for onboard 1080p 60fps video recording. There’s no SD card slot, so it will rely on the onboard memory for recording.

There is no gyro onboard, therefore image stabilization (such as Gyroflow) is not supported in this version.

The new camera offers some exciting features, including low-light noise reduction. This can be crucial when you’re flying during dawn or dusk, ensuring that your video feed remains as clear as possible.

Supporting 1080p at 60 frames per second, and 720p at both 100 and 60 frames per second, the camera offers versatility to meet various user needs.

Power

One of the best improvements here is the VTX’s input voltage range, from 3.1V to 13V, allowing you to power this VTX directly from 1S to 3S batteries, or from a BEC on the flight controller. The power output has been increased up to 500mW, a welcome improvement over previous LITE version.

Here’s the manual leaflet that came with the VTX:

Testing

Setup and Installation

For my test run, I used the beta firmware 34.40.15, as recommended by Walksnail, and mounted the VTX on my 3.5″ Volardo. The installation was fairly straightforward—thanks to the inclusion of all necessary bolts and nuts in the kit, and the 25.5×25.5mm mounting holes on my drone.

However, there’s room for improvement in the mounting design. While Walksnail offers versatility with both 20x20mm and 25.5×25.5mm mounting options, the design choices leave something to be desired. For instance, the 20x20mm mounting holes are for M3 hardware, which doesn’t work with the M2 holes commonly found in most frames. And for the 25.5×25.5mm mounting, I wish there were threads in the metal housing, eliminating the need for nuts.

Flight and Performance

The first thing to note is the lack of jello, which is always a good sign. The VTX allows switching between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios.

In Race Mode, the system maintained a consistent latency of around 23-24ms. Occasionally, it would spike to 33ms for a split second when flying through areas with dense foliage. Despite these brief spikes, the bitrate remained nearly constant at 25mbps which is impressive. While Race Mode provided a robust and stable performance, it did exhibit some compression artifacts that can be distracting, but it’s overall flyable.

Switching back to the standard mode improved video clarity considerably, but also increased the risk of latency and bitrate fluctuations. In this mode, I observed latency varying from 25ms to 35ms, especially during extreme maneuvers like flips and rolls or when flying behind obstacles. That suggests that antenna orientation and physical barriers might have a bigger impact on latency and link stability in standard mode than in Race Mode.

Switching from 500mW to 25mw output power in race mode, latency remained stable, but further compromised video resolution, making it challenging to see clearly especially when flying behind obstacles. You probably want to stay in line of sight flying when using low RF power.

Does Latency Really Matter?

In race mode, even as someone who doesn’t race professionally, the difference in latency was actually noticeable. I found myself flying more confidently, even if the trade-off was lower resolution and occasional compression artifacts. While latency does matter, most available systems offer sufficiently low latency for casual flying. And practice will help you get used to the latency too. But if you’re into competitive racing, then you will definitely benefit from systems like HDZero and Analog that offer low and consistent latency regardless signal strength.

Potential Issues

One quirk I encountered involved mode-switching: if you don’t manually stop the recording before switching between standard and race modes, there’s a risk of corrupting both the Goggles DVR and the VTX’s onboard recording.

Also, when rendering OSD in DVR footage in post, I noticed that the OSD didn’t scale correctly in the 540p Race Mode—it appeared to default to 720p. This could be related to mode-switching during recording, but further investigation is required.

Conclusion

The absence of Gyroflow support in the V3 VTX Kit is a notable drawback, especially for those seeking advanced image stabilization. However, it appears that Walksnail aims to strike a balance between the full fledge V2/Pro VTX and the Lite VTX. One major perk is the 1080p onboard recording with 32GB onboard memory, available at a relatively affordable price point.

You can get the Walksnail Avatar HD Nano Kit V3 from these vendors:

• Caddx: https://oscarliang.com/product-4a7o
• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DFfT0tv
• GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-13lo
• RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-z4gr
• Amazon: https://amzn.to/44EMYwj

Overall, the V3 VTX Kit ticks many boxes for me. It’s impressively versatile, compatible with a wide range of quadcopters—from racing drones to full size freestyle and even micro drones. The unit’s compact design, lightweight build, and durable construction align well with the requirements of drone racing. Its newly introduced Race Mode, designed to enhance latency stability, makes it particularly appealing for racers.

But versatility doesn’t stop there. With a maximum output power of 500mW and commendable image quality, the V3 VTX is also well-suited for freestyle flying. And, if you’re into micro drones, the VTX’s compatibility with a 1S input voltage is a convenient feature.