Baofeng UV-7B vs Retevis A3

The UV-7B is the clear winner here.

The single most important differentiator is price combined with owner satisfaction. The UV-7B costs $27 versus $108 for the A3, yet owners report notably higher satisfaction with the UV-7B at 4.4 stars from 98 reviews compared to 3.6 stars from just 31 reviews. Both radios share identical feature sets: no DMR, APRS, or GPS, and neither has a published IP rating. We don't have TX power figures for either radio, so you'll need to verify that elsewhere if it matters for your use case. Weight is nearly identical at 260g versus 286g.

The UV-7B's CHIRP compatibility is a practical advantage for programming multiple channels. The A3 lacks this, making manual setup more tedious.

The UV-7B is the obvious choice for budget-conscious operators or anyone testing the hobby without major investment. The A3 doesn't justify its four-fold price premium given that owners report preferring the cheaper alternative and both radios offer the same core features.

Buy the UV-7B unless you have a specific need for the A3's feature set that we haven't listed. For most users, the Baofeng offers better value and higher owner satisfaction at a fraction of the cost.