Blink and you’ll miss it: the Pavo Femto doesn’t just earn its “Femto” moniker, it practically defines it. BETAFPV’s latest whoop is so small that you could park it on a coffee mug and still have room for a donut. Sitting in the palm of your hand, the 75mm frame is almost laughable in scale compared to something like the DJI Avata or even its own older sibling, the Pavo Pico. Yet, what unfolds in this miniscule package is a feat of micro engineering, tightly wrapping up big-boy features in something featherweight enough to make the FAA look the other way. No registration, no complicated paperwork, no bureaucratic gatekeeping; it’s squarely under 250 grams, even after you strap on a battery and a high-def camera.
Tiny but mighty is the running theme here. The Pavo Femto is unapologetically digital, pairing with the DJI O4 Air Unit to serve up 4K/60fps footage while its competitors in the micro class are still fussing with analog snow. The whole package weighs in at about 35 grams dry, which is about the same as a slice of bread (for posterity, the AirPods 4 case weighs about 43.3 grams with the Airpods included). That’s wild, especially considering the thrust-to-weight ratio clocks in at 6.75:1. You get punchy acceleration and tight, reliable handling whether you’re threading the living room or taking it for a rip outside in breezy alleyways. It’s the kind of drone that shrugs off its size, flying like something twice its mass but never overstaying its welcome in the air.
Designer: BETAFPV
What’s fascinating here is how BETAFPV managed to cram serious video capability into something that’s essentially the size of a large cookie. We’re talking about a complete departure from the “tiny whoop equals potato quality” paradigm that dominated this category for years. The Femto represents a convergence point where miniaturization technology finally caught up with our expectations for image quality, and frankly, it’s about time.
The brain behind this is the DJI O4 Air Unit, a distinct module from DJI, not merely a camera sensor integrated onto the flight board. The O4 Air Unit is a fully fledged digital video transmission system, miniaturized and engineered to fit snugly within the Femto’s compact frame. BETAFPV designed the drone around this specific unit (which apparently you can buy too), ensuring optimal airflow and vibration isolation for the O4’s sensitive components. This dedicated integration means pilots get the full benefit of DJI’s cutting-edge transmission tech, delivering incredibly low latency video feed directly to their goggles, alongside that crisp 4K/60fps recording capability. It’s a significant leap for micro drones, pushing visual fidelity far beyond what was previously thought possible in such a small package.
Flying something this small with brushless motors feels like cheating physics. The LAVA 1102 14000KV motors deliver a thrust-to-weight ratio of 6.75:1, which translates to snappy acceleration and surprisingly robust outdoor performance for something that could fit in your shirt pocket. Compare this to DJI’s Mini series, which hovers around 4:1, and you start to understand why the Femto feels so alive in the air. The 40mm props might look comically small, but they’re perfectly matched to the motor characteristics, creating an efficiency sweet spot that delivers 4-5 minutes of flight time on a 2S 450mAh battery. That’s actually competitive with larger whoops that weigh twice as much.
BETAFPV learned from years of jello-plagued footage that you can’t just strap a camera to a tiny drone and expect cinematic results. The O4 Air Unit sits on shock-absorbing mounts that filter out the high-frequency vibrations that typically plague micro drones. Side-by-side comparisons with earlier whoops show dramatically cleaner footage, especially during aggressive maneuvers. The difference is immediately obvious to anyone who’s tried to edit shaky micro drone footage.
Previously, you chose between size and video quality. The Femto eliminates that compromise by building the entire platform around DJI’s digital video system from day one. The latency is virtually imperceptible, the range easily covers typical indoor and backyard flying, and the 4K recording quality genuinely rivals what you’d get from much larger platforms. This isn’t upscaled 1080p or heavily processed footage, it’s legitimate 4K that holds up on large displays.
Battery life remains the limiting factor, as it always does with micro platforms. Five minutes feels generous until you’re actually flying, then it feels like you just got warmed up when the low voltage alarm starts chirping. The 2S power system strikes a reasonable balance between performance and efficiency, though I suspect some pilots will wish for 3S capability for even more aggressive flying. The trade-off is weight and complexity, and BETAFPV clearly prioritized keeping things simple and light.
At under 250 grams, this thing opens up shooting opportunities that simply weren’t possible before without regulatory headaches. Indoor real estate tours, tight architectural details, following subjects through narrow spaces, all without the paperwork and restrictions that come with heavier platforms. The Pavo Femto costs around $125.99 for the basic kit, which positions it as serious value considering the video capabilities you’re getting in such a compact package.
For those who relish the satisfaction of a build, the Pavo Femto arrives as a Plug-N-Play kit, inviting you to put the finishing touches on this micro marvel yourself. It’s not a fully assembled, ready-to-fly drone you just unbox and launch; instead, BETAFPV provides the core airframe, motors, and flight controller, leaving the crucial DJI O4 Air Unit and your preferred receiver for you to install. This approach caters perfectly to the FPV enthusiast who enjoys the process of understanding their machine from the inside out, or who already possesses a DJI O4 unit from a previous build. You’ll spend a satisfying hour or so meticulously mounting the O4 camera, connecting its delicate wires, and slotting in the shock-absorbing grommets – a task that might test your patience but ultimately deepens your connection to the drone. This hands-on assembly ensures modularity, allowing for easier repairs and upgrades down the line, a true blessing in the often-crashed world of FPV.
Key Specifications: BETAFPV Pavo Femto Brushless Whoop Quadcopter
Price: $125.99 USD
Dry weight: approximately 35 grams (without battery or DJI O4 unit)
75mm wheelbase (ultra-compact micro whoop class)
LAVA 1102 14000KV brushless motors (4x)
40mm 3-blade propellers (Gemfan 1611 series)
2S LiPo battery support (recommended 450–550mAh, not included)
DJI O4 Air Unit compatibility (4K/60fps recording, ultra-low latency digital video)
BETAFPV F4 2-3S 20A AIO flight controller
Onboard Serial ELRS 2.4GHz receiver support (PNP kit, receiver not included)
Integrated shock-absorbing camera mount for vibration isolation
Ducted frame for propeller protection and efficiency boost
Hover time: about 4–6 minutes depending on battery size and flying style
No FAA registration required (well under 250g with battery and camera)
Modular Plug-N-Play kit (requires assembly and installation of receiver and camera)
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