7" Freestyle/Long Range
Here you'll find links to the best performing products for 7" long range drones based on my testing over on AOS Labs and my own experience and research. Some of these links are affiliate links (affiliate policy).
Motors
AOS Supernova 2807
More torque, more power, and better efficiency. The Supernova 2807 is the first 7" Motor optimised using over 20,000 electromagnetic finite element simulations built on data from real world testing of over 100+ FPV motors . This is the new performance benchmark for 7" FPV designed by AOS and built by RCinPower.
EMAX ECO II 2807 1300KV
The EMAX Motor has great performance across the board. The only downside is that it's a heavy motor and that reduces it's weight normalised performance. If you're not too worried about weight this motor is a great value choice.
Flyfish Flash 2806.5 1350KV
A good balance of performance with excellent responsiveness.
RCinPower Smoox 2806.5 1350KV
A motor that is a little heavier and provides a little more performance whilst still maintaining a great balance of performance to weight.
T-Motor F90 2806.5 Motor - 1300KV/1500KV/1950KV
For a 7" long range quad using lighter pitch tri blade or biblade props the F90 has plenty of performance at a lighter weight than the 2808s which gives longer flight time. 1300KV on 6S is my recommendation.
Electronics Stack
TBS Lucid H7 Flight Controller
A microSD card equipped flight controller with a rapid STM32 H743 processor that supports Betaflight, iNav and Ardupilot. Although expensive this board is NDAA compliant for commercial applications. A dual ICM42688 gyros support the latest features of BF4.6. 7x UARTs, 2x I2C Bus, 1x CAN Bus makes this board perfect for more sophisticated drones with a lot of peripherals.
BrainFPV Radix 2 H7 Flight Controller - Analog
One of very few flight controllers that natively supports up to 8S input voltage and is designed for use with up to 12S batteries (with external voltage regulator) the Radix 2 H7 Analog is ideal for larger analog drones and supports X8 motors. It uses the BMI270 gyro (probably the most reliable IMU available today) and has two switchable camera inputs, a custom graphical OSD chip, as well as support for I2C and CAN sensors. Made in the USA, NDAA compliant.
DYS F7 Stack - F722 FC + 65A 2-8S AM_32 4-in-1 ESC - ICM42688P - 30x30
This is a great value stack from DYS that runs AM32 and supports up to 8S battery voltage. A 12V/3A BEC can be used to power VTXs that don't support 8S. This is a really impressive stack for the price.
T-Motor F55A PRO III 55A 3-8S BLHeli_32 4-in-1 ESC - 30x30
Funny story, T-Motor released this as a 6S ESC. Turns out it was so overengineered it supports 8S no problem! Now, T-Motor are marketing it as an 8S ESC. This a great option for up to 8" drones on 8S. Requires a flight controller that can handle 8S input voltage.
T-Motor F7 PRO Flight Controller w/ WiFi + Bluetooth
A solid 8S capable flight controller that can direcly plug into the Cine55A 8in1 ESC for an X8 solution. Supports Wifi and Bluetooth connection to Speedybee app for firmware flashing, configuration, and blackbox analysis. Very useful for tuning large drones in the field where the USB port is not easily accessible. 10V/2A BEC to provide power for a VTX that's not 8S compatible.
T-Motor Cine 55A BLHeli_32 3-8S 8-In-1 ESC - 30X30
A simple solution for an 8" X8 like the AOS Cine80. This 8in1 ESC is designed to plug directly into the T Motor F7 PRO Flight controller as an integrated solution.
BrainFPV Radix 2 H7 Flight Controller - HD
One of very few flight controllers that natively supports up to 8S input voltage and is designed for use with up to 12S batteries (with external voltage regulator) the Radix 2 H7 HD is ideal for larger digital drones and supports X8 motors. It uses the BMI270 gyro (probably the most reliable IMU available today) and has an SD card for logging/debug as well as support for I2C and CAN sensors. Made in the USA, NDAA compliant.
T-Motor Velox F7 SE 50A Stack
An F7 flight controller with Bluetooth connectivity, plugs for everything as well as pads for direct soldering and 8 motor outputs. The ESC is rated for 50A and runs BLHeli_32. And it's made by T-motor so the quality should be good. Great value at $90 USD.
SpeedyBee F405 V4 Stack - F4 V4 FC + 55A BLHeli_S ESC - 30x30
A great budget stack for a larger 6-7" quad. For 5" I have moved to 20x20 M3 stacks as they have plenty of capability in a smaller and lighter form factor. Don't get upsold to an F7 or BLHeli_32 ESC I have yet to find anyone who can tell the difference even when tuned to the limit.
SkyStars Fly Stack - F722 HD Pro 4 FC + AM60 60A AM_32 ESC - 30x30
The big brother of the Skystars F722 Mini. This is overkill for a 5" quad but perfect for a larger 6 - 8" build. The 60A AM_32 ESC will put anything else to shame. I've torture tested it's little brother the KM55A and found it incredibly durable. For a high power 6 - 8" build this is what I would buy today.
Skystars Fly Stack - H743 Dual Gyro HD FC + KM60 60A BLHeli_32 4-in-1 ESC - 30x30
An H7 processor is total overkill for flight controllers today. It has far more performance than Betaflight needs even running everything at an 8K loop rate. That said some pilots have their heart set on H7 and this offering from Skystars is a good value option with an ESC suitable for 7" drones.
T-Motor F7 Stack - F7 FC, F55A PRO II 3-6S 4-in-1 ESC Combo
T-motor have the best reputation for quality and durability in FPV. This is a fully featured F7 stack with a bulletproof 55A ESC. Overkill for 5" quads but 6-7" builds will benefit from the higher current rating.
VTX
DJI O4 Air Unit
This lightweight air unit supports up to 4K/60FPS onboard recording in a lightweight form factor. The recording quality is a huge step forward for micro quads which cannot carry a Naked GoPro. The voltage range (2-3S) is quite limiting if you don't use a flight controller with an onboard BEC to provide power although there are even some 1S FCs now that include a step up voltage regulator for O4! This is the first time a DJI has released a compelling VTX for toothpick and micro drones and in many ways that makes this more important than the O4 Pro for sub250g pilots.
DJI O4 Pro Air Unit Pro
DJI latest Air unit supports onboard recording up to 4K/120fps at 100 MBps a 155 degree FOV and a large 1/1.3" sensor for even better fidelity and visual quality. As with all DJI Air units the price point is quite high but the overall user experience is very good. The camera has a strange mounting pattern which does not fit all FPV frames, make sure you check out the V5 versions of AOS frames which support DJI O4 Pro. If the quality of the onboard recording is critical for you this will be a worthwhile upgrade over O3. If not then you may want to stick with the O3 system for now.
iFlight Blitz 1.6W VTX
1.6W of output power in a compact package makes this analog VTX suitable for 5"+ drones. At maximum output you can get excellent range with a quality omnidirectional antenna on the drone and high gain antennas on goggles/ground station
Blitz Whoop 5.8G 2.5W Analog VTX
Don't let the name fool you this VTX is not for whoops! With a maximum output power of 2.5W this VTX will give you solid analog video out to extreme range when paired with a quality omni antenna on the drone and high gain receiving antennas on goggles or a ground station. The integrated fan helps prevent the VTX overheating before takeoff.
Avatar GT VTX
The Avatar GT VTX delivers a ridiculous 2W of EIRP output power across 2 antennas. This is the most powerful Avatar VTX to date and is perfect if you're looking to fly long range or need a VTX with the power to punch through obstructions to give you clear video.
Walksnail Moonlight Kit 4K Avatar VTX Kit
The top of the line Walksnail Avatar VTX. Onboard 4k60 recording and 1080p60 or 720p100 video in the goggles. The image quality is not as good as DJI O3 but the price is much more reasonable and this camera does better in low light.
HDZero Race V3 VTX
If you're a racer then HDZero is the HD system for you and this VTX is designed for 3" and 5" racing quads. Make sure to use a flight controller with at least a 5V 1.5A / 9V 1A /12V 1A BEC. This VTX cannot be powered from battery voltages above 2S.
Foxeer HDZero Race VTX
Foxeer made a HDZero Race VTX! I actually prefer the specs of this VTX to the HDZero one because it can be powered from up to 6S LiPo voltage! Everything else is the same as the HDZero Race V3.
HDZero Freestyle V2 VTX
True 1W output power for the HDZero system just got better. The smaller 30x30x14 mm form factor and 20mm M2 mounting pattern make this VTX perfect for 3" - 5" Freestyle drones and pilots who want the lowest possible latency of any FPV system available today. De-cased the VTX can be used on Lightweight 3" builds.
Avatar V2 VTX
The full size Avatar V2 VTX comes in two versions: 8GB and 32GB of onboard storage. You can also choose between the Standard camera (best for daytime flying) or the Pro camera (best for lowlight flying). With better image quality and features than the Caddx Vista at a lower price, this is a solid recommendation.
Rush Tank Ultimate Plus 5.8GHz VTX
A solid choice for Analog with a high transmit power and good reputation for reliability.
DJI O3
The DJI O3 system pushes digital FPV in a new direction. Here the focus is onboard recording and image quality at the expense of latency. It is a great looking system, some pilots are reporting issues with vibration sensitivity of the IMU used for electronic image stabilisation, hopefully this will be resolved in a future firmware update.
Receiver
RadioMaster XR3 Nano Multi-Frequency ELRS
This is a quality ELRS receiver from Radiomaster that supports full Diversity across 2x Antennas. There are versions with 900MHz, 2.4GHz or Dual-band (2.4Ghz + 900MHz) antennas. 2.4GHz is ideal for smaller builds and racing. 900MHz is perfect for larger long range builds. 2.4GHz + 900Mhz gives the option to use either band but be aware this receiver doesn't support Gemini Xband for concurrent dual band use.
RadioMaster XR4 Gemini Xrossband ELRS
This is a quality ELRS receiver from Radiomaster that supports Gemini for two concurrent radio links 2.4GHz and 900MHz. This gives the most secure link whether you're racing close range or flying long range. You can choose between 2.4GHz + 2.4GHz (ideal for racing) / 900MHz + 900Mhz (ideal for long range) / 2.4GHz + 900Mhz (maximum reliability if there is a risk of interference). Make sure you have a TX module that supports Gemini to get the full benefit.
BetaFPV SuperX Gemini Xross Receiver
This is a low cost ELRS receiver that supports Gemini for two concurrent radio links 2.4GHz and 900MHz. This gives the most secure link whether you're racing close range or flying long range. You can choose between 2.4GHz + 2.4GHz (ideal for racing) / 900MHz + 900Mhz (ideal for long range) / 2.4GHz + 900Mhz (maximum reliability if there is a risk of interference). Make sure you have a TX module that supports Gemini to get the full benefit.
ES900 DUAL RX ELRS Diversity Receiver
If you're flying Long Range alone or with only a couple of others 900MHz ELRS provides the ultimate in range and penetration. This true diversity (not just antenna diversity) receiver from Happymodel gives you two antennas and two opportunities to receive each packet sent from the radio. Two opportunities means half the chance the quad falls out of the sky!
RadioMaster RP4TD ELRS 2.4G True Diversity Receiver
Radiomaster is a reliable manufacturer of ELRS equipment and this true diversity 2.4GHz receiver (not just 2 antennas but two full receivers working together) is a great choice when you're looking for a very strong and reliable link over medium to long range.
Happymodel ExpressLRS ES900RX Receiver
If you're flying Long Range alone or with only a couple of others 900MHz ELRS provides the ultimate in range and penetration. I would recommend 2.4 GHz for everything except extreme long range as the antennas are smaller and it copes much better with multiple users in close proximity.
MATEKSYS ExpressLRS 2.4GHz Receiver - ELRS R24 TD
I've made my mind up. I'm only recommending ELRS moving forward. At this point it does everything better than any other radio link. LoRa for range and penetration, yes. 1000Hz update rate for crazy low latency, yes. Loads of manufacturers are making receivers for ELRS and I think this diversity offering from Matek (antenna diversity only) is certainly among the best performing and most reliable.
Happymodel ExpressLRS Nano 2.4GHz EP1 RX
Happymodel were the first to bring out ELRS hardware and their EP1 and EP2 receivers closely follow the developers reference design and are incredibly tiny. I lean towards the EP1 as the UFL antenna is much higher performing than the ceramic antenna on the EP2.
Props
Gemfan Cinelifter 7035
Gemfan produce this 7x3.5x3 prop that performed extremely well in my thrust testing. It's another great choice for 7" quads and Cinelifters alike.
Gemfan LR 7035 2-blade Propeller
For long range light weight and efficiency is paramount. This 7035 biblade delivers excellent efficiency at the cost of top-end thrust. It's lower torque requirement means that it can be run on smaller 2506 size motors to further reduce weight.
HQProp DP 7x3-5x3-v1s
I've tested nearly every 7" prop out there and this prop stood out as the best all rounder. Light weight, low vibration, top end thrust, this prop has it all.