Expert Review Excellent entry-level thermal binoculars - RIX Aurora A3 Thermal Imaging Binoculars

The Rix Aurora A3 Thermal Binoculars come with an excellent blend of functionality, ergonomics, and intuitive controls. The sensor's resolution is a respectable 384x288, which pairs very well with the large 2.7" OLED display. Together, the pair result in very clear imagery, with up to 16x magnification. You'll definitely want a longer range to sample when zooming in to the max setting, as everything starts looking like a blur if you're viewing objects within 100 yards. The added soft touch coating, along with the textured design of the plastic inserts on the top of the binoculars make these excellent for use in humid or wet conditions. You have plenty of grip, and a comfortable hold on the surprisingly lightweight unit. The controls are very easy to find while looking through the unit, and the software is very intuitive to use. There are very basic settings and options, including to save and store photos and videos on the included 32GB of storage. You have four different thermal imagery settings for various conditions. These include:
1. White hot spot
2. Black hot spot
3. Red hot spot
4. Full Color hot spot
The battery life has proven to be excellent. With the combination of (8) AA batteries, along with the internal 3800mAh rechargeable one, you are able to get through a full 24-hour runtime. In my testing, I was able to run them for just under 23 hours, but under the 4th brightness setting. Keeping the brightness at level 2 or 1 should allow for the full 24 hour run time.
The included carry bag is high quality and very comfortable to bring on longer hikes. It can also carry additional batteries, cables, or other small accessories you may need when hunting for long hours.
Overall, these are an adequate set of thermal binoculars for hunters or observers alike. They have solid performance and battery life, and they include no-nonsense controls that anyone can figure out within minutes of testing. At an MSRP of $2499, they leave only a few things left to be desired; namely, a higher resolution sensor. At near or under $2k, though, I feel these are a better value for the rapidly growing thermal market.