Some thoughts on the X18 after a month

 (This article was originally published on June 14, 2022)

I've now had the X18 for about a month, and I'm a little surprised at my experience with it.

The TLDR version - I like it better than the X20

The longer version:

This will mostly be comparison between the X18 and the other two radios I own, the X20 and the Horus X12S, some Radiomaster TX16S and Spektrum iX12 comparison as well (I've owned both in the past)

The X18 is definitely built lighter than the X20, but it feels nicer in the hand due to improvements in the case shape, notably how it is rounded in the grip areas, some very slight differences in the grip/stick/switch layouts and most surprisingly, the slider implementation.

The X20's side sliders are IMHO a big improvement over the rear sliders on my X12S (I have yet to find a rear slider implementation I like, I hybrid pinch and neither the X12S nor the classic Spektrum rear sliders play well with that ergonomically). But they were still a little awkward to reach when pinching as they were too far down the sides.

The X18's sliders are similar in design to the shoulder sliders on the Jumper T16 and Radiomaster TX16S. I didn't get along with the TX16S's sliders due to orientation (they were just far enough off the natural arc of the finder to be a bit awkward and a little too far up, so I had to stretch), I was not expecting the X18's to be any different. But the orientation is just different enough and the reach is about perfect, so they work better than the TX16S sliders for me, and also better than the X20's as the X18's are naturally right under a finger tip.

The trims on the X18 are decidedly lower profile than the X20, which is a bit of an issue, however they're on-axis vs the off-axis X20 trims, which means they are exactly where you expect them to be. T5/T6 are well located and cannot be mistaken for other trims (unlike the X12S)

The flat switches are more what you'd expect on a radio vs the round ones on the X20. I use covers on the X20 to make the difference. Complete non-issue.

Sliders are reversed by default in terms of direction vs the X20. Since the slider's are wired in with the 2-pos shoulder switches on two separate plugs, if you swap shoulder switches you automatically reverse the sliders. Non-issue for me as a result.

Swapping shoulder switches is SUPER easy compared to the X20. The switch wiring is overall wildly better than the X20, with the 3-pos having connector jacks at the switch and the 2-pos being wired into the backboard with the sliders, rather than all switches and sliders being wired into the same plug on the mainboard. I did have to disconnect the 900MHz antenna to do this (note the 900MHZ connectors are mislabeled, INT and EXT is swapped, so don't disconnect the antenna wire going to the 900MHz external connector)

Also noted that the CR1220 RTC battery is directly accessed with the back removed, no partial removal of the RF module required to change that, unlike the X20.

The screen is the real letdown of the X18. It's lower contrast, dimmer and has visibly uneven backlighting(NB: My backlight was bad, X18's do not have uneven backlighting and my screen was replaced under warranty). However this is a cheaper transmitter than the X20 and the screen is still usable even in direct sunlight. I'd call it roughly comparable to the iX12 screen overall, if well behind the X12S and X20 screens. It's also a little cramped in layout and some of the on-screen buttons (back arrows most notably) are a little fiddly to touch, probably a legacy of using the Horus layout.

As a result, I'm mostly using the share feature of the ACCESS and TD receivers so I can program on the X20 and fly on the X18. I like the X18 better in the hand, but prefer programming and setup on the X20. I'm really hoping the upcoming X24 pays a lot of attention to the ergonomic improvements of the X18 and is not just a X12S case with new bits tacked on.