Walkie-talkies aren’t just fun to use, but they also offer safety when you’re outdoors. In this review, we’re going to break down the best walkie-talkies on the market today. We’ll be taking a look at walkies in every budget range, so regardless of whether you’ve got a few bucks to spare and want the best value or are looking for the best of the best, we’ll have an option for you.
Best Walkie-Talkies
Midland – GXT1000VP4, 50 Channel GMRS Two-Way Radio
The Midland GTX1000 is a great GMRS, two-way, long-range walkie talkie. If you’re looking for a walkie talkie with a lot of range to communicate with then, this a good pick, especially for hiking, hunting, or other outdoor excursions. It is fabricated by Midland, a business with over 50 years of experience in the technology field.
It’s designed for distance as well as clear conversation and features 50 channels to scan for activity across a 36-mile range, which can fluctuate a bit depending on the environment.
Conversations can be triggered via easy voice and sound activation transmission, which enables hands-free operation with up to nine levels of sensitivity. Couple that with 142 individual privacy codes that give you up to 3,124 channel options to block other conversations, JIS4 Waterproof Protection classifying it as splash-resistant, and NOAA weather scan to keep track of severe weather, and the GTX proves to be one stellar companion for outdoor adventurers. The NOAA Weather Alert will sound an alarm indicating that there is a risk of severe weather in your area.
The Midland GTX doesn’t work so well in urban environments with a lot of buildings, which means it’s better suited for open outdoor areas with fewer obstructions. Its communication ranges are excellent, which is excellent when it comes to safety in those environments.
To prolong the battery life, there are several power settings you can select, and these walkie talkies can work with either the rechargeable battery that is included or with four standard AA batteries per radio.
With your purchase, you will receive the walkie talkies, a rechargeable battery for each, boom mic headsets, belt clips, 120V dual desktop chargers, DC and AC adapters, and the instruction manual.
Arcshell Rechargeable Long Range Two-Way Radios
If budget is a concern, then you’re going to need a good walkie that doesn’t sacrifice too much. The Arcshell is excellent if you want a lightweight, durable, and easy to use walkie with good audio quality at a low price.
The Arcshell AR-5 walkie talkie comes with 16 channels that can communicate up to five miles, depending on the environment. Sound quality is superb for this price, allowing for clearly audible conversations. It also offers hands-free mode, an emergency alert feature, and an LED flashlight for late-night navigation, though it lacks the longer battery life of more heavy-duty two-way radios. However, it makes up for this with a lightweight and compact design.
The Arcshell AR5 lacks an LCD screen, and its battery life is somewhat limited, but it’s still capable enough for the construction site, sporting events, security duties, or even a busy restaurant kitchen. It’s also great for families to have fun around the house or during their next outdoor trip.
This walkie talkie features a frequency range of a UHF 400-470MHz, 16 channels with 25KHZ spacing. When you turn the knob to change the channel, a synthesized voice will tell you the channel number —a handy feature when operating the radio in low-light environments.
The high-quality speaker provides loud and clear sound, but you can use the single-earbud style earpiece that’s included to make the speaker silent.
With your purchase, you will receive a couple of Archshell AR5 two-way radios, two rechargeable batteries, two antennas, two chargers, belt clips, hand straps, earphones, and user manuals.
Retevis H-777S Walkie Talkies 10-pack
Up next, we have the Retevis two-way radio, our pick for a great walkie for large parties. If you’re part of a large ensemble, you’ll need a walkie that’s well suited for everyone. The Retevis H777S is an excellent solution with a pack of 10 walkies that runs under 130 dollars and offers excellent quality for every member of your group.
This walkie talkie supports the VOX -Voice Activated Transmit feature – which lets you use the radio in a hands-free way. Just start to speak, and it will automatically begin transmitting without you needing to press the PTT. Your transmissions are encrypted to ensure privacy and security.
The large 1100mAh battery can provide standby energy for up to 3 days, and will fully charge in less than three hours. One handy feature is that charging is done via a USB port, which means you can quickly hook up your charge to any desktop computer, laptop, power bank, or car charger.
The Retevis uses a top-of-the-line channel scan technology that scans each channel for activity. If activity is detected, it will stop scanning, and you ill hear the transmission. It has 16 channels, and bandwidth is selectable in the range of 12.5/25 kHz. The squelch adjustment and low-battery alarm are handy features, while the latest chips inside it offer better performance inside and outside of the buildings.
With this 10-pack, you will receive your radios, Li-on batteries, USB chargers, belt clips, slings, and user manuals.
Midland – LXT630VP3, 36 Channel FRS Two-Way Radio
This is our pick for the best value per dollar walkie talkie. Finding a good value walkie is tough with so many to choose from, but Midland offers the LXT630VP3t walkie talkie as a nice sub-$50 value option that blends excellent construction and audio quality with a nice few features to make that dollar go further.
With this radio, you get a walkie with a maximum 30-mile range in open areas with little or no obstruction and a NOAA weather alert feature that will sound an alert if there is a risk of severe weather in your location.
For extra security, it offers 121 CTCSS privacy codes and 22 channels, 14 of which are extra-privacy channels. Unlike lots of other walkie talkies in a similar price range, this one sports a backlit LCD with an intuitive information readout, which shows useful information like the current channel, transmit power level, battery meter, and privacy code. It is compatible with all Midland FRS/GMRS radios, and the eVOX mode allows for hands-free operation with five sensitivity levels.
The LXT’s yellow casing makes it easy to spot if misplaced. It’s also very durable thanks to a rubberized chassis which makes it shock, drop, and water-resistant.
The LXT is a great walkie that balances price with rugged construction, quality, vast range, and excellent features, which can provide more freedom for outdoor adventurers who want to venture a bit farther off the beaten path. It can work with the included rechargeable battery, but if it dies out, you can simply use any standard set of 3 AAA batteries to power it up again.
BaoFeng BF-F8HP Dual Band Two-Way Radio
The BaoFeng is our pick for the best overall walkie talkie. If you are searching for the most well-rounded walkie, this one is an incredibly feature-packed device with a great battery life that sets it apart from its peers.
You can select from three power levels -1, 4, or 8 watts, while the V-85 high gain antenna provides double the performance than other similar models. It is designed in the USA and has a durable radio shell. Best of all, the 30% larger battery provides a long-lasting radio experience, even while using high power.
This walkie talkie includes a built-in FM radio and flashlight and supports narrow and wideband coverages, VFO and channel modes, CTCSS/DCS tone codes, and ANI code.
A comprehensive, in-depth manual is included to make learning how to use this radio easy even for people with no previous experience.