Jerry-FB20 vs. Jerry-FB: What’s Changed? Part 1 – Design, Hardware & Exterior Details

To keep this comparison focused and easy to read, we’ve split it into two parts. In this first article, we’ll take a closer look at the physical differences between the Jerry-FB20 and Jerry-FB, including their size, weight, housing, controls, optics, connectors, and other design details. If you’re more interested in how the two devices actually perform in use—including night vision image quality, thermal fusion, algorithms, controls, and the overall viewing experience—you can skip straight to Part 2: Jerry-FB20 vs. Jerry-FB – Real-World Performance & User Experience.

What We’ll Cover

1. Packaging

2. Accessories

3. Weight, Size & Overall Form Factor

4. Housing, Color & Construction Details

5. Controls & Button Layout

6. Power Cable, Connectors & Mounting Interface

7. Optics: Objective Lenses, Eyepieces & Thermal Focus 

A quick note before we get into the details: throughout the comparison photos in this article, the Jerry-FB is the black unit, while the Jerry-FB20 is the tan one. Unless otherwise noted, you can tell the two apart by color.

A good thermal fusion device is all about getting three things right: night vision performance, thermal imaging, and the software that brings the two together. As InfiRay’s first-generation binocular thermal fusion device, the Jerry-FB combined a 12 μm 640 × 512 thermal detector with a highly integrated design, while keeping the weight to around 575 g for the goggles alone. Since its launch, it has built a solid reputation among users in the consumer market. Four years after the Jerry-FB was introduced in 2022, InfiRay launched its next-generation thermal fusion device, the Jerry-FB 20, in mid-2026. As the upgraded model, the FB20 brings improvements across the board, including hardware, image-processing algorithms, controls, and overall user experience.

In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at the physical differences between the FB20 and the original FB, from their packaging and overall design to the controls, connectors, and optics.

Starting with the packaging, the Jerry-FB20 now comes in a black hard-plastic protective case, replacing the rigid cardboard box used for the FB. This makes the FB20 safer and more convenient to store and carry when traveling.

Both the FB20 and FB come with a pouch for everyday carrying. There is no change to the pouch itself. If you have used InfiRay binocular devices such as the Jerry-31 or Jerry-31S, you will probably be very familiar with it. It is a thick, sturdy, and practical nylon protective pouch.

The accessory package does change in a few other ways. The FB20 no longer comes with the Bluetooth remote supplied with the FB, but it does include an additional tool kit for basic adjustments and routine maintenance. This change actually makes sense for a couple of reasons. Bluetooth can potentially increase the risk of giving away the operator’s presence, and the FB20 has also improved its user interface and overall controls, making the device easier to operate directly. So in practice, the lack of a Bluetooth remote doesn’t feel like a major loss.

Weight is another area where the FB20 has been trimmed down. It tips the scales at 540.5 g, about 26 g less than the FB at 566.6 g. Both figures include the image intensifier tubes but exclude accessories such as the objective lens caps and eyecups.

The size difference is fairly small on paper. The FB measures 107 × 115 × 85 mm, while the FB20 comes in at 105 × 110 × 87 mm. But once you have both units in hand, the difference is easier to notice. With slimmer optical housings and a shorter bridge, the FB20 feels more compact, and the overall design looks more streamlined and less bulky.

The visual changes continue with the housing. The FB20 uses the same tan-colored housing as the Jerry-C Pro, giving it a noticeably different look from the FB. Black and gray versions are also expected to follow later.

Looking at the smaller hardware details, the J-FB mainly uses Phillips screws, while the J-FB20 primarily uses Torx screws. Torx screws typically cost a little more, but they also provide a more secure fit and are less prone to slipping or stripping, which helps with assembly and long-term durability.

Moving on to the controls, this is where some of the most noticeable changes between the FB and FB20 start to show.

On the FB, the main function buttons are split between the two sides of the bridge. To the left of the central control knob is the Thermal Function Button, which is mainly used to turn the thermal imaging system on or off and switch between thermal display modes. On the right is the Intensifier Function Button, which controls the image intensifier tubes, refreshes the thermal image, and handles functions related to the IR illuminator.

This gives the FB a clear “left-side, right-side” control layout, but it can also take some time to get used to, especially when you need to remember which button controls which function.

The FB20 keeps the same basic three-button setup, but completely reworks the layout and control logic. Instead of spreading the function buttons across both sides of the bridge, the main controls are grouped together on the front-left side. The result is a simpler, more intuitive layout that feels easier to operate in actual use.

The redesigned controls go a step further with a dedicated IR Illuminator Switch and a separate Control Button (M). The IR button supports both momentary activation and locked-on operation, making it much easier to use the illuminator for IR signaling. On the FB, by comparison, turning on the IR illuminator requires three presses of the right-side function button, so it is much less convenient for this kind of use.

That redesign extends to the front of the device as well. On the FB, the IR illuminator and ambient light sensor sit on opposite sides of the main control knob. On the FB20, both are grouped together on the right side of the knob, giving the front of the device a simpler, more organized layout.

Moving away from the controls, there’s another small but practical update: the power cable. The FB20’s cable is longer than the FB’s, and the connector is easier to unplug as well.

The connection itself is a little different, too. On the J-FB, the power cable is non-directional, so either end can be plugged into the NVG or the battery. The FB20 takes a different approach: one end is marked “NVG” and the other “Battery,” and each end only fits its corresponding port. That’s because, while the FB20, FB, and Jerry-31 all use 7-pin connectors, the connector design on the FB20 is slightly different from the one used on the FB.

For mounting, there’s no major change here. The FB20 uses the same Wilcox-compatible dovetail interface as the FB.

The optics are where the differences become a little more noticeable. Both the night vision objective lenses and the thermal imaging lens on the FB20 are larger than those on the FB, and the coatings on the night vision objective lenses also have a more noticeable blue tint (How much difference these optical changes make in actual viewing is something we’ll look at in Part 2). In actual night vision viewing, the FB20 also shows less distortion and reduced chromatic aberration.

The eyepieces, however, remain largely unchanged. Both the FB and FB20 offer 25 mm of eye relief, keeping the long eye-relief design that many users already appreciate.

On the thermal side, the FB20 adds manual focus, a feature that was not available on the FB. This lets you fine-tune the thermal image for targets at different distances, making it easier to get a sharper, clearer view.

There’s one more interesting detail in the FB20’s thermal module design. Judging by the way the module is built, it appears that the thermal imaging unit could potentially be designed as a removable module in the future.

Want to see how these optical changes actually translate into image quality and real-world viewing performance? Stay tuned — Part 2 is coming soon. We’ll take a closer look at the differences in image quality, thermal fusion, controls, and overall user experience.

After looking at the exterior design, hardware layout, optics, controls, and other physical changes, the next question is simple: How much difference do these upgrades actually make when you use the FB20? That’s what we’ll cover in Part 2: Jerry-FB20 vs. Jerry-FB – Real-World Performance & User Experience, where we compare the two devices in actual operation, including night vision imaging, thermal fusion performance, software algorithms, and the overall user experience. Read Part 2.