Flex 6400M current draw vs my other rig.

My 6400M draws 23 amps at 100 watts. At 60 watts it draws only a little less, around 19 watts. I guess it is just more electronics versus the 7300, like the screen for example. The difference between my 19W and your 22W is probably only PSU meter calibration error.

You are making apples and oranges comparison. The flex uses a high current bias to place your signal in the linear portion of the amplifier operation. Your numbers are higher than in my 6700 case - 17-18A at 14V which is around 250W for both keeping the RX running while transmitting. In round figures half that power is final bias and half is your transmitted signal.

The 7300 is ICOM's low cost entry into the (as they call it) SDR world. I cannot speak to ICOM's cost engineering but am not surprised that the transmit final amp bias is set for a much lower power draw as less bias current requires lower power transistors and lower cost powering circuits; aka cost engineering. I expect flames.