Pixfra Mile 3: A Closer Look at the New Thermal Monocular Range
Pixfra has just released the Mile 3 series, and it's a genuine step up from the outgoing Mile 2 range rather than a modest refresh. The line-up spans four models: M325, M335, M625 and M625 LRF, built around the same core platform but tuned with different sensors, lenses and (on the flagship) an integrated laser rangefinder. Here's what's actually new, and how to work out which one suits your kit bag.
The Sensor: 15mK NETD Across the Board
Every Mile 3 model shares a vanadium oxide uncooled detector rated at ≤15mK NETD, a genuinely strong sensitivity figure that translates into finer thermal contrast, particularly useful when you're trying to pick a stationary animal out of a cluttered, textured background like hedgerow or bracken. The range splits into two resolutions: the M325 and M335 run a 384×288 sensor, while the M625 and M625 LRF step up to 640×512. Frame rate is 50Hz throughout, so motion stays smooth rather than juddery.
PIPS 3.0 Pro Image Processing
Sitting behind the sensor is Pixfra's new PIPS 3.0 Pro image-processing engine, which the company says sharpens fine detail, reduces noise and improves detector responsiveness in cold conditions, a detail worth noting for anyone glassing at dawn in a UK winter, when sensor performance in low temperatures genuinely matters.
A 90-Inch Cinema Screen in Your Pocket
The viewing experience gets a meaningful upgrade too. Each Mile 3 uses a 0.49-inch, 1920×1080 OLED display viewed through a 20x eyepiece, Pixfra likens the effect to watching a 90-inch screen from 3 metres away. The six familiar colour palettes carry over from the Mile 2 (White Hot, Black Hot, Iron Red, Alarm, Green Hot and Sepia), but Sepia and Green Hot have been retuned to render targets in red for a more three-dimensional, easier-to-read image.
The Headline Feature: A 3-in-1 E-Wheel
The standout ergonomic change is what Pixfra calls the 3-in-1 Integrated E-Wheel, a single control that handles electronic focus, digital zoom and menu navigation together. In practice, that means one dial rather than juggling separate buttons, which matters when you're operating one-handed in the dark, holding a rifle, working from a vehicle, or wearing thick winter gloves. It's a small mechanical idea, but it's the kind of thing that changes how usable a device feels in the field rather than on a spec sheet.
Genuinely Pocket-Sized
Weight has clearly been a design priority. Without batteries, the M625 comes in at around 290g, the M325 at 300g, and the M335 and M625 LRF at 310g, all of them small and light enough to sit in a coat pocket rather than hang off a chest rig. Pixfra has paired that with an IP67 rating, a magnesium-alloy body, an inward-rotating diopter ring and anti-slip silicone texturing, so the compact size hasn't come at the expense of a durable, grippy housing.
Power, Storage and Connectivity
Runtime is rated at up to 11 hours total, drawn from two interchangeable, rechargeable 18650 batteries. One pre-installed and one spare, this makes your battery swap in the field takes seconds rather than requiring you to head back to the vehicle. Storage has been bumped to a built-in 64GB, enough for roughly 25 hours of video or around 150,000 photos on the M625, according to Pixfra's figures. A built-in Wi-Fi hotspot lets you stream and share footage live to up to four phones at once via the Pixfra Outdoor app, which is a genuinely handy feature if you're out with a second person or training someone up.
The Flagship: Flush-Fit Laser Rangefinding
The M625 LRF carries everything the standard M625 offers, plus an integrated rangefinder built into the body itself rather than bolted on as an external module. Pixfra is calling it an industry-first flush-fit LRF, and the numbers back up the "complete package" positioning: 1,000m range with ±1m accuracy, plus both straight-line and true horizontal distance readings, useful for compensating bullet drop on steep terrain while staying confidently within legal shooting limits.
Which PIXFRA Mile 3 Model Fits Your Needs?
| Model | Sensor | Lens | NETD | Magnification | FOV @100m | Display | Battery | LRF | Detection Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M325 | 384×288 | 25mm | 15 mK | 1.8×–14.4× (8×) |
19.3 × 14.3m | 0.49 inch OLED |
Two Batteries 11h |
— | 1,300m |
| M335 | 384×288 | 35mm | 15 mK | 2.5×–20.0× (8×) |
13.6 × 10.3m | 0.49 inch OLED |
Two Batteries 11h |
— | 1,800m |
| M625 | 640×512 | 25mm | 15 mK | 1.2×–9.6× (8×) |
30.6 × 24.4m | 0.49 inch OLED |
Two Batteries 10h |
— | 1,300m |
| M625 LRF | 640×512 | 25mm | 15 mK | 1.2×–9.6× (8×) |
30.6 × 24.4m | 0.49 inch OLED |
Two Batteries 10h |
1,000m | 1,300m |
M325 - The Balanced All-Rounder
A wide-enough field of view for hedgerows, woodland edges and mixed ground, without giving up too much reach. A sensible default if you're not sure which you need.
M335 - The Long-Range Specialist
The narrower field of view is the trade-off for the longest quoted detection range (1,800m) in the range, so it suits open hill, moorland and estate work where targets sit further out.
Same field-of-view philosophy as the M325 but with a much sharper 640×512 image and a considerably wider view, so you can scan more ground per glance while still resolving fine detail.
M625 LRF - The Complete Package
The M625's image quality plus instant ranging in one handheld unit, aimed at anyone who currently carries a thermal and a separate rangefinder and would rather not.
The Bottom Line
None of the four Mile 3 models is objectively "the best". Pixfra has clearly engineered each sensor/lens pairing for a different way of working rather than just tiering the range by price. What ties the whole line together is the shared platform: the 15mK sensor, PIPS 3.0 Pro processing, the OLED display, the E-Wheel control, 64GB storage and all-day battery life are standard from the entry model upward. That's arguably the more interesting story here, a genuinely pocket-sized thermal monocular that doesn't ask you to compromise on core image quality to get the smaller size.