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Top 5 Best New Baofeng Radios In 2024

After extensive research, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 new Baofeng radios today.

We rated them according to value for money, audio clarity, ease of use and features.

Since one size doesn’t fit all in the world of amateur radio, we categorize the various Baofeng radios in 5 Main categories:

First we will begin with the new Best Baofeng Analog Ham Radio. This one is a fresh and upgraded take on the classic UV-5R, boasting a new look and enhanced features. This one’s not just about looks; it’s got the performance to back it up. We’ll walk you through its user-friendly design, impressive screen, IP54 rating, and innovative features like the Wireless Frequency Copy.

Then, we’ll shift gears to our top pick for the new best DMR radio from Baofeng. This model stands out for its reliable performance and feature-rich design, all while keeping your budget in mind.

For those who prefer GMRS radios, we’ve got a robust and fully waterproof Baofeng radio. It’s a standout for its durability and overall build quality, making it perfect for outdoor adventures.

Next up, we’ll cover a compact and efficient FRS radio. It’s easy enough for kids to use but packed with features that more experienced users will appreciate.

And last but not least, for all the beginners out there, we introduce a Baofeng radio that is specially designed to be FCC compliant and user-friendly, making it an ideal starter radio for those new to the hobby.

Best Analog Baofeng Ham Radio – Baofeng UV-21R

Baofeng UV-21R sits amongst the newer models from the company that have received a cosmetic and performance facelift. The company makes it a point to mention that this is an upgraded version of the UV-5R. And it certainly fits that description.

The HT is a bit bigger than the UV-5R and fits nicely in the hand. Though it has a good size, it doesn’t seem to have the heft to accompany it. If you prefer your HT to be lightweight, this is pretty good. Personally I like some heft, so it felt a bit out of place.

Improvements continue with the screen, which is larger, better, and more advanced than previous Baofeng models of the UV-5R series. The TFT display is crisp and has color. It’s quite delightful actually, but can struggle in direct sunlight.

The radio also takes steps for better protection and is rated IP54. This means it’s dustproof and splashproof against water. It can withstand some light rain, but heavy rain or being submerged in water can damage the radio.

Some interesting changes show up to accommodate this IP rating. The rubber flap on the side that covers the connector is now more robust, heavy duty, and feels tougher. Similarly, the battery has to be screwed-in so that it stays in place.

While we’re on that topic, the battery and charging are amongst the most attractive points of this dual-band handheld ham radio. The battery has a USB-C port for quicker and more convenient charging. However, should you choose to go the old-fashioned way, Baofeng also makes available the classic cradle charger.

The approach of offering two options continues with the antenna. Inside the package are two whip antennas, with the longer, 15.35-inch antenna added for occasions that might require better performance and range. That said, neither of the antennas offer exceptional performance. Yet, they’re way better than the rubber ducky antennas budget radios tend to use.

A novel feature worth noting is the “Wireless Frequency Copy”. Baofeng is adding this feature to many of the newer models, including UV-17R, and the GMRS radio UV-5G Plus. The idea of frequency copy is for friends to quickly set up a shared frequency and tones so that communication is easier.

When in frequency copy mode, the HT looks for a signal that’s strongest and closes (for example, from a friend’s HT close to you). Once the signal is available, the frequency and code are displayed on the screen, making it easy to copy and connect.

Other notable features here include VOX, roger beep, 999 memory channels, commercial FM radio reception, NOAA weather channels reception, 50 CTCSS codes and 21 DCS codes.

Overall, Baofeng UV-21R is a well-built dual-band ham radio that works decently well on 2m and 70cm bands. Given its cost and ease of use it’s decent for beginners, intermediate, and advanced users alike.

Best DMR Baofeng Radio – Baofeng DM-1701

Baofeng DM-1701 is our choice for the brand’s best DMR. It has the most consistent performance and availability amongst Baofeng’s DMR offerings.

The company has made other forays into the DMR segment, with the Baofeng UV-5R themed DM-5R, but that was unsuccessful. The newer iteration to this line, Baofeng RD-5R has input from Radioddity as well and looks promising. However, there are still a few kinks to work out there.

All that brings us back to the Baofeng DM-1701, which has been fairly reliable and stable.

If you look at the TFT color display, the menus, and the features, Baofeng DM-1701 seems very similar to the TYT MD-UV380. The Baofeng radio has a significantly larger form factor and a different design.

Besides, even though there are similarities between the menus and the programming software for both radios, they don’t appear to be cross-compatible. For example, you wouldn’t be able to use a codeplug from the MD-UV380 and move it seamlessly to the Baofeng DM-1701.

The similarity of interfaces probably comes down to the fact that the DM-1701 is sold by Radioddity, which also maintains its software. Radioddity was also involved with the MD-UV380.

One of the effects of this overly-complicated family tree is that the Baofeng DM-1701 is compatible with Open GD77. If you prefer this approach to DMR, the 1701 is a good companion.

Even though it’s squarely in the budget DMR category, the radio has quite a few features. It’s quick and easy to program the radio through the included programming cable. Usually, it is better to use a programming cable since the radio has room for 3,000 channels, 10,000 digital talk groups and 120,000 contacts.

A bigger contact memory is desirable to have the ever-growing contact list for DMR, but the available option is good enough and can handle the popular options. Users can also add to the list manually, or even program the radio directly from the panel.

The radio allows manual programming and is full panel programmable.

As a DMR device, it is compatible with Tier I and Tier II making it very capable at communication. It switches between analog and digital modes easily. When in conventional analog mode, the radio works on the 2m and 70cm bands (136-174 MHz and 400-470 MHz).

Its RF output is at 1W, 2W, and 5W. That’s good enough and allows a good range of communication, assuming there’s a DMR repeater within range. Power comes from a 2200 mAh Li-ion battery, which is more than sufficient to allow a decent use time for the radio.

Overall, Baofeng DM-1701 is a decent DMR radio, with good features and an attractive price tag.

Best GMRS Baofeng Radio – Baofeng UV-9G

Baofeng UV-9G is a solid GMRS radio, and one of the better built Baofeng radios in general. This is a fully waterproof radio, rated at IP67 so it can survive being submerged in water.

Waterproofing is a wonderful quality when you want to take the radio outdoors. And since this is a handheld unit, it’s not a leap to imagine that it will find use outdoors. So, whether it’s exposed to heavy rain or even an accidental drop in the water, there’s a good chance the radio is going to come out unscathed.

Additionally, the general build quality of the casing is pretty good. The reason I’m fixated on the build quality and waterproofing here is because this is a cost-efficient radio. This is one of those radios that you like not just for the affordable price tag, but for the actual features on offer.

On that note, there has been a general trend of improvement in their offerings from Baofeng. Product manuals for Baofeng radios have generally been criticized for being barely readable. That is changing too.

The manual with the Baofeng UV-9G is fairly helpful, easily understandable, and they even include screenshots to make things easier. Someone could still hunt for grammatical errors there, but that’s really not the point.

The build quality is pretty good for use outdoors, including camping and hiking. It’s also easy to operate and has good audio quality.

Baofeng UV-9G GMRS radio comes pre-programmed with the frequencies and channels needed. In the earlier versions of the radio, GMRS channels were set to narrowband and had pre-assigned CTCSS tones.

One of the (unintended) consequences of this approach was that users would have poor Tx and Rx experience. Additionally, the radios would only work with the same model (or radios with same tones) out of the box.

Baofeng has now fixed this issue. The CTCSS tones and narrowband are no longer pre-programmed. To be clear, it was always possible to change these manually through the programming software. Yet, it’s undeniably troublesome and time-consuming. With these issues gone, the radio is pretty much good to go right out of the box.

Speaking of programming, Baofeng includes the cable in the box. That’s a very useful move since buying the cable separately is often troublesome. The cable goes to the right side of the radio, connecting at the same port as the headset.

This port is protected by a cover attached with a screw to maintain waterproofing.

UV-9G is programmable through the company’s own software available on their website, but that works only for Windows. Thankfully, it’s also programmable through CHIRP.

Notable features include split tones, VOX, easy RF power switching (max 5W), GMRS repeater capable, FM radio (receive), 11 NOAA weather channels receive, and NOAA weather alerts.

Power comes from a 1500 mAh Li-ion battery.

Overall, Baofeng UV-9G is a feature-rich GMRS radio with good build quality and great value for money.

Best FRS Baofeng Radio – BAOFENG 88ST Pro

Baofeng 88ST Pro is a package that puts together good performance, build quality, features, and attractive pricing. And those amazing qualities are a reason that the HT finds itself on our list.

This is a tiny and compact radio, measuring just about 7-inches in length, including the antenna. The antenna is stiff and fixed. This is to be expected since the FCC no longer allows removable antennas on FRS radios. This also means that while the antenna performance is average at best, you’re stuck with it.

Baofeng has also found room to include a small display on this HT. While it’s not big or high-resolution, it has room enough to show important information like channel, tones and codes, battery level, weather alerts, and more.

The display is an improvement in comparison to the lower-priced model, the Baofeng 88ST. Other notable improvements in the Pro include better battery management and dual scan better handling of NOAA weather alerts, Oddly enough, it is the Baofeng 88ST that gets a bigger 1500 mAh battery with USB-C charging, while the 88ST Pro depends on the cradle for charging.

Both these models are an improvement on the Baofeng 888S, which has a very limited feature-set. Besides, the 888S struggles with FCC-legality due to the presence of a removable antenna, and the risk of transmitting over non-FRS frequencies.

Baofeng 88ST Pro is powered by a 1200 mAh lithium-ion battery that can last for about eight hours of normal use. I feel a more powerful battery would have been better.

Yet, for a radio with a maximum RF power output at 2W, this relatively small battery works well. Charging the HT happens through a cradle. The cradle design is slightly different, not USB-based and non-compatible with older models like the BF-888S.

The device offers 22 FRS channels, 50 CTCSS codes, and 105 DCS codes. That’s quite a lot of combinations for finding the right channel for your communication, although that’s rarely a problem with FRS unless you’re in a very small, very crowded area with lots of FRS users.

Additionally, this radio comes pre-programmed with frequency and private codes, so there is no need for programming it before use. On the downside, this pre-programming might cause the radio to have trouble when communicating with FRS radios from other brands. If such a problem does come up, programming the HT with Baofeng’s software should help resolve it.

Overall, Baofeng 88ST Pro is a well-built FRS radio with decent performance and features. It’s suitable for anyone who wants an FRS walkie talkie and can even be used by kids.

Best Baofeng Radio For Beginners – Baofeng GT-5R

Baofeng GT-5R is the company’s attempt to create a ham radio that’s absolutely compliant with FCC requirements. And these attempts have resulted in a slightly higher cost but better performance when compared to the UV-5R, although the form factor and appearance of both radios are the same.

In making the radios compliant with FCC requirements, Baofeng has ensured that the GT-5R remains solidly within the VHF/UHF ham radio frequencies.

Additionally, they’ve worked to remove the spurious emissions at the antenna terminal.

There also appears to be greater attention to quality control, so the radio feels like it’s made better and has a more decent performance. Even so, the casing, buttons, and other aspects of the GT-5R are pretty much the same as the UV-5R.

To be clear, Baofeng GT-5R is intended to be legal and within FCC requirements and essentially, there is no effort to improve quality. The perceived improvement in performance likely comes from these attempts at staying legal.

Other than those changes, this radio is pretty much the Baofeng UV-5R. It supports CHIRP and is programmable through the same settings as the UV-5R, a Kenwood-style two pin programming cable is included in the box for this purpose.

And it’s a nice touch, considering many transceivers, including more expensive ones, skip the programming cable, making it necessary for the buyer to source one separately. The included earpieces, as you might guess, are not very useful.

The rubber ducky antenna does its job, but those who want better performance might consider replacing it with a better quality aftermarket antenna.

GT-5R draws power from an 1800 mAh Li-ion battery. It is also compatible with UV-5R battery accessories, including the 3800 mAh BL-5 Li-ion battery. The highest RF output power for the radio is 5W and the lowest is 1W. Good management here would allow the battery to last a fairly long time.

If you’re new to the hobby, using Baofeng UV-5R tutorials could work as easily for the Baofeng GT-5R. While Baofeng provides a good and detailed manual with the HT, the UV-5R is more popular and has been around longer as such, there’s a good volume of tutorials and troubleshooting guides for the UV-5R on the internet.

Overall, Baofeng GT-5R is a decent starter radio and takes away much of the headache for those new to amateur radio. It’s priced low and is specifically designed to stay within the constraints of legal requirements. So, new users don’t mistakenly end up on the wrong side of the FCC. Besides, this radio is basically the well-known Baofeng UV-5R, so there’s plenty of documentation and help available for new users.