BetaFPV Meteor75 Pro HD FPV Kit Review
• Chris
BetaFPV’s Meteor75 Pro HD FPV Kit takes the Meteor75 Pro, drops the ArtLynk P1 Air Unit on it and bundles it with the LiteRadio 4 SE radio and the VR04 HD goggles. Where the Aquila20 kit is a cruiser aimed at absolute beginners, this one is a proper 1S whoop, which is the format I actually enjoy flying a lot. Does the HD system hold up on a copter you want to throw around?
This one seems to me like the perfect kit to recommend to someone who wants to try out FPV the “right” way: Betaflight, HD and full acro mode. But let’s have a look if it holds up.
First of all, this unit has been sent to me by BetaFPV for the purpose of a review free of charge - so big shout out to them.
What’s in the box
- 1x Meteor75 Pro P1 brushless whoop (P1 Air Unit pre-installed)
- 1x LiteRadio 4 SE radio transmitter
- 1x VR04 HD FPV Goggles
- 2x LAVA II 1S 580mAh batteries (BT2.0)
- 2x 18650 2600mAh batteries for the goggles
- 1x BT2.0 1S charger / voltage tester
- 4x Gemfan 45mm 3-blade spare propellers
- 1x spare frame
- A couple of spare motor screws
- Cross screwdriver, storage bag
- USB-C cable, manuals and quickstart guide
The quad comes bound to both radio and goggle, so you take it out of the box, charge all the batteries and you are ready to go. I especially like that they give you a spare frame - an extra canopy would have been the cherry on top. But in my opinion the kit really includes everything to get you hooked.
The manuals and quickstart guide are decent. I think that most people interested should have no issues getting things going with this documentation without having to resort to 3rd-party tutorials.
Specifications
| Wheelbase | 80.8mm |
| Takeoff weight | 51g (with battery) |
| Motors | 1102 22000KV |
| Props | Gemfan 45mm 3-blade, 1.5mm shaft |
| Flight controller | BetaFPV Matrix 1S 3IN1 |
| Receiver | ELRS 2.4GHz 3.0, integrated |
| Video system | ArtLynk HD, P1 Air Unit (200mW, ~400m) |
| Camera | P1 VTX camera, 10-30 degree tilt |
| Battery | LAVA II 1S 580mAh, BT2.0 |
| Flight time | 5:30 min claimed (3:30 - 4:00 in real life) |
| Price | $318.99 |
The Radio
The kit ships with the LiteRadio 4 SE, the same trim-button-less bundle variant that comes with the Aquila20 kit. I covered the radio in detail in my LiteRadio 4 review, so I will not repeat it here.
To make it short: I like the radio, I like the form factor, I like how it feels - what I don’t like is that you don’t have official ELRS support and you need to use BetaFPV’s own configurator - which at least on Linux is less than stellar.
Still, for a radio included in a kit, it’s really difficult to complain about. You can continue using it, or you can upgrade down the line in case you want something more sophisticated.
For me personally, this really hits the sweet spot design-wise: gamepad, no screen, feels good in hand.
Something else worth noting is that you can use the radio as a USB controller for use in simulators. This is important especially if you are just starting out: every crash in the simulator is one less in real life and a potential money saver. I always recommend to newcomers that they fly their first packs in a simulator to get a feel for how a quad behaves depending on your input.
The Goggles
The kit includes the VR04 HD goggles, which I reviewed separately in this article. The short version: a lot of digital goggle for the money, a great DVR, and a fit that did not work for me out of the box.
They are box-style goggles: a single 4.5” 1080p screen behind a pair of lenses. That makes them bulkier than a two-screen goggle, but it also makes them cheap and it means you can keep your glasses on inside them. There is a fan built in and they have never fogged up on me.
Power comes from two 18650 cells that sit in the back of the head strap and charge over USB-C. The rating is honest, but plan for something like an hour and a half of actual flying rather than the standby figure. One thing I would do right away: enable the low voltage alarm. Out of the box it is disabled and the goggle simply switches off on you once the cells are empty.
The DVR is the part I like most about them: 1080p60 onto a microSD card, auto record if you turn it on, and playback right in the goggle - which is how you find a quad you lost in the grass.
Where the goggles and I did not get along is the fit. The foam is thin and the battery sits on the back of your head, so if you are buying a pair separately, try them on first. A different head strap sorted it out for me.
You can choose between 3 channels by default and 16 in race mode - this is also explained in more detail in my goggle review.
The Meteor75 Pro
The quad itself is basically a re-release of their analog version with the only difference (in large) being that this one has a digital VTX. Frame, motors and props are the same: Gemfan 45mm 3-blade on a 1.5mm shaft, the same ones you get as spares in the box. I think the canopy is different in regards to the mounting points for the VTX only. Material seems to be identical.
It also comes with those additional canopy pieces where you can make the canopy look like a helmet. I never understood that and it seems like a waste of plastic to me - it’s not even mounted by default. If anyone uses that, leave me a message. I’d really like to know why. Apart from adding weight it does not seem to change any properties. I thought maybe it helps with flipping after a crash, but I could not see that.
Flight controller
The flight controller is an F4 3 in 1 controller, so FC, ESC and ELRS receiver in one small package. Generally I have nothing to complain about it. One thing to notice is that you need a separate board to attach it to your computer via USB-C. Everything you need is included. Generally, I prefer if I can just straight plug in via USB since there is one thing less to lose, but it’s honestly not a big deal. Also this adapter can be used for connecting the VTX to your computer should you be inclined to try out my custom missingLynk firmware.
Firmware
Contrary to the Aquila20, this one comes flashed with Betaflight (v4.5.3 in my case). The out of box performance is good - nothing I would complain about, apart from the rates - but that’s obviously a very personal thing.
The three-position switch on the left is configured such that you can switch between angle, horizon and acro mode. Personally I don’t care for that and simply disable this mapping.
The left two-position switch is arm, which is my default anyway. Buzzer is on the right two-position switch. Flip over after crash on the right three-position switch.
ESCs (A-X-5) come flashed with Bluejay 0.19 - 96kHz and RPM filtering is properly set up in Betaflight - as one would expect from a quadcopter released in 2026.
Weight and durability
I have found the BetaFPV frames to be super durable, and this is no different with this one. I have been bashing it around and crashing a fair amount of times in my go-to garage spot and everything still holds up. I mean, sure you can see the battle scars, but nothing broke - and even if: you have a spare frame.
With a weight of 51g with battery and 36.9g without, it will for sure not win any lightweight competitions, but for the 75mm size and an HD whoop I feel like it’s still in the very enjoyable zone.
Flight performance
Flight performance is very good. I mean you notice the extra weight compared to the analog version, but it’s still quite nimble and does not feel like a schoolbus at all (which I absolutely can’t say about the Aquila20 for example).
The 1102, 22000KV motors do a great job here paired with the 45mm props.
So yeah, in my eyes this one is absolutely freestyle capable (once you increase the rates a bit) and I am having a lot of fun with it. Propwash is more noticeable with this one than with its analog counterpart, but with the additional weight, this is kind of expected.
The tune is also decent, That being said, I am also one to be happy with a 90% tune. I only adjusted the rates to my liking and left the rest as it was - nothing to complain about here.
Flight time
The quoted flight time of 5:30 is a best case cruising scenario, which, let’s be honest, is not what you are going to do with this one. More realistically are flight times around 3:30 - 4:00 with the included 580mAh batteries, at least that’s what I’ve been seeing, but again - this will vary with your flying style and the spot.
The HD system
The video link is BetaFPV’s ArtLynk system, the same P1 Air Unit that is on the Aquila20 and that talks to the VR04 goggles.
Stock latency is around 80ms. You can definitely feel the additional latency when coming from analog and flying this back to back. That being said, this is a latency where you can easily adjust to - a couple of packs and it makes barely any difference - at least to me.
I know a lot of people complain about that because other systems have lower latency and generally lower is better. That being said, digital systems have generally higher latency than analog, so purists will complain about any digital system. I believe that this latency is more than flyable, unless you are competing against analog pilots.
Heat is an issue though, so when having it powered on the bench, make sure to have a fan handy to cool the quad down. Heat has not been an issue for me during normal flight.
The cross-compatibility with other Artosyn-based systems is unfortunately still not there with the stock firmware.
In the meantime I have started my own firmware - missingLynk that opens up the whole stack and my aim is to provide full cross-compatibility between different manufacturers and some other additional features, like live streaming to YT or Twitch for example. You can learn more on github.
Batteries and charging
The kit comes with 2 18650 batteries for the goggle. Their rating is actually pretty close to what you can pull out. The radio has an integrated LiPo battery, which I am not the biggest fan of - I’d prefer if you could swap it in the field. That being said, it holds a decent amount of time. Usually I can get at least two sessions in before I really have to re-charge it.
The LAVA II 1S 580mAh, BT2.0 batteries are really nice. I like the LAVA series of batteries, good C rating, proper power delivery and hold a decent time. Not comparable to the batteries BetaFPV used to bundle.
The included charger I am not a big fan of. You can charge both included batteries at once and also use it as a battery checker. You will not be able to discharge batteries to storage voltage with this one unfortunately. I have had this charger before and it was slightly overcharging batteries, instead of the 4.35V HV level it would constantly charge them to 4.45V. I don’t know if they have actually improved things with this one, or if they just come in a wide variety of tolerances.
I’d highly recommend you get the viFly 1S charger. With that you can charge 6 batteries at once and are even able to discharge them to storage voltage. You should also get more batteries, at least one more set of the LAVA II 580ies. In combination with the viFly charger and a USB power bank (or 3S+ battery) you can fly them back to back and keep them charging for proper long sessions.
I reviewed the LAVA batteries before - although those were v1. V2 seems to be at the same quality level though, just the form factor seems to differ slightly. So there no longer is a 500mAh one, but instead a 580mAh.
Flight footage
Pricing
BetaFPV lists the kit at $318.99 USD at the time of writing, which is $40 less than the Aquila20 kit. And for what you get, this is an amazing price point. This is less than you pay for just a goggle with other manufacturers, but here you get EVERYTHING to get you going.
Conclusion
Pros
- Everything you need in one box, bound and ready - just charge the batteries and rip it
- Spare frame and props included
- Runs Betaflight - I only changed the rates and disabled modes I don’t use
- Actually freestyle capable: nimble, and nothing like the schoolbus feeling of the Aquila20
- The frame takes a beating; a lot of crashing in my garage home spot and nothing broke
- Good batteries: the LAVA II 580mAh packs deliver properly, and the 18650s for the goggles are honestly rated
- The LiteRadio 4 SE hits the sweet spot design-wise, and the VR04 is a lot of digital goggle for the money with a great DVR
- $318.99 for all of it - less than what a goggle alone costs from other manufacturers
Cons
- Realistic flight time is around 3:30 - 4:00, not the quoted 5:30
- You notice the extra weight over the analog version. Propwash is more noticeable
- No official ELRS support on the radio, so you are stuck with BetaFPV’s own configurator - which is less than stellar on Linux and I passionately love to hate
- The radio battery is integrated, so you can not swap it in the field. Also it’s a LiPo - I would have preferred to see LiIon here too
- The VR04 fit does not work for me out of the box
- The included charger can not discharge to storage voltage
- The FC needs the separate adapter board to connect over USB-C
- No spare canopy
For me this is a no-brainer: if you are getting into FPV and whoops, and you have nothing, go with this kit. I don’t think that there is better value for money at this point. You get everything you need to get you going and you can do so in HD.
Sure, the goggle is not on par with any of the higher priced systems, but if you are on a budget and just want to fly and not win any style contests, I think you’ll be really happy with this kit. And you are open to upgrade down the line: different radio, different goggle - BetaFPV is now also offering VRX modules for your goggle’s module bay (obviously your goggle needs to support that).
Resources
Chris is a Vienna based software developer. In his spare time he enjoys reviewing tech gear, ripping quads of all sizes and making stuff.
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