Midland X-Talker T10 Review

In the sub-class of small radios, the X-Talker is quite well equipped. It has some water resistance and really strong battery life but lacks the range and ease of use that some of the larger radios possess. This radio is also one of the cheapest options available, so it offers pretty good value for your money.

Performance Comparison

Range and Clarity

We gave range and clarity 30% of the total score of the X-Talker. We gave more focus to each radio's capabilities when obstructions were present, rather than line of sight, so that our conclusions were most representative of real-world use. This option fell fairly far back in the lineup.

Throughout several weeks of testing, we confirmed that the X-Talker is best for distances under one mile between the pair. This may be perfectly adequate for many users, depending on the outdoors sport/settings. Even when we did have a clean line of sight, which can be rare in the outdoors, this radio really only handled about two miles.

Ease of Use

Changing channels and volume settings is never as easy with buttons as they are with knobs, but a lack of knobs makes for a sleeker design here. While the X-Taker has a good display screen, our testers found that its button-based menu system was harder to operate than it needed to be. You will quickly learn the ropes after reading the directions and become accustomed to how to change the settings you want to, but it could be easier with some twist knobs. The small size of this radio made it hard to operate with a gloved hand, but that is an obvious trade-off for its small overall size.

We appreciate that this model does come with 38 privacy codes, which can block out chatter on highly-trafficked radiowaves when everyone in your party utilizes the same privacy code. It's the only model in its price range with this feature. It also has a scan feature, can receive NOAA weather alerts, and has a keypad button lock. The keypad button lock is a handy feature when you want to keep your radio on but stuffed inside a pack or a tight pocket. It prevents inadvertent channel changes, which would put you out of reach from members of your party.

Weather Resistance and Durability

This radio is in the small group of those that came with a water resistance specification from the manufacturer. Its manual just say that it is water-resistant, but that its one year warranty does not cover water damage. It took a shower of water from a hose and our wet fall hikes with no problems. Its casing seemed up to the challenge of surviving the bumps and scrapes that come with a life in the outdoors.

We appreciate this protection in our investment, despite its price being low anyways. Communication becomes increasingly important as weather turns foul, and being confident that your radio won't peter out in moderate precipitation while you transmit a message to your partner(s) is a real benefit.

Battery Life

This is an area where the Midland X-Talker performed very well. It lasted over twenty-one hours total while sending one 10-second transmission every five minutes, putting it in the top group of finishers in that test. This model runs on non-rechargeable alkaline batteries (three AAA).

While the radio lasted a long time in our battery test, its battery indicator on the screen was very confusing. We were confused to see that the battery indicator showed full when standing by, but it showed the battery had lost charge when we pressed the transmit button. This discrepancy between battery indications continued throughout the test in various fashions. We did appreciate that as the radio was in its final minutes of function, it dimmed its screen to channel power into making more transmissions.

Weight and Size

At 3.9 ounces and 5.5 inches tall, the X-Talker is one of the more slight radios in our test. It fits nicely in jacket pockets, waist belt pockets of backpacks, and clipped to a strap. We could easily forget that we were carrying the radio until we needed it.

Clipped onto our shoulder strap, this model rides along just about as discrete as any model in our review of the top-rated walkie talkies. We like the clip but don't trust its sturdiness enough to keep it clipped outside of a pack or pocket when skiing or mountain biking downhill.

Should You Buy the Midland X-Talker T10?

As one of the cheapest radios we tested, the Midland X-Talker performed very well for the price. It has mediocre performance in some areas, but many will find this option to work well for close-proximity, casual use. If price is the priority and you need your radios to only communicate short distances, this is worthy of your consideration.

What Other Walkie Talkies Should You Consider?