The display screen will show you alerts according to your desired “detail mode.” In More Detail mode, the RAD 480i displays the detected band, signal strength, and frequency (pulse rate for lasers). You can change the brightness settings via the DIM button on top of the unit based on your preferences (Bright, Dim, and Dimmer). The OLED display screen is one of our favorite things about the RAD 480i, especially when driving at night. Unlike other radar detectors, the RAD 480i does not have a color display, opting instead for a black-and-white combo that is softer on the eyes. Most likely, there is a patrol car waiting on the other side. Be mindful if this happens, especially if the intensity increases as you climb the hill or cross the bridge. You may find the RAD 480i will issue a slow alert as you approach a hill or bridge. The tones will become faster for X, K, and Ka bands as you approach the source, whereas a laser alert will be more sudden and direct by contrast. The Cobra RAD 480i issues a specific alert tone for each type of radar band. The RAD 480i is also VG-2 capable, meaning it can identify the infamous “radar detector detector.” If you receive a VG-2 alert after switching it on in the settings menu, it will be of a similar intensity to that of a laser threat. Cobra’s proprietary LaserEye technology (located on the top left-hand side of the unit) means the RAD 480i can detect signals from both the front and rear. The Cobra RAD 480i will alert you to X, K, and Ka radar bands and laser (LiDAR) guns. Unfortunately, the RAD 480i does not come with a carrying case. I prefer the windshield mount as the hook-and-loop fastener makes it impossible to adjust the angle of the RAD 480i. The Cobra RAD 480i comes with a 12V power cord, suction cup windshield mount, a hook-and-loop fastener for dashboard mounting, and a quick reference guide. After covering the features and specs, I will suggest a few other units if you are thinking about purchasing the RAD 480i. In this article, I will run through the RAD 480i “spec sheet” and summarize our three-week drive as I go along. Although it offers a good array of features for the money, our overall opinion is still mixed after three weeks of driving with the 480i through Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.Īs of this writing, the RAD 480i is available for $150 on Cobra’s website. Automoblog is a member of the Radar Detector and Countermeasures Forum to ensure truth and accountability when covering radar detectors.įront and rear laser detection, different sensitivity modes, and real-time alerts via the iRadar app are just some of the features that make the Cobra RAD 480i portable radar and laser detector a near-steal at about $150. The RAD 380 in this review was supplied to Automoblog by Cobra Electronics. If you want most of the benefits of a GPS radar detector but you don't want to pay for it, the iRAD is the better option.Affiliate Disclosure: Automoblog and its partners may be compensated when you purchase the items featured here. It also provides spatial awareness to the alerts you receive, telling you approximately how far away an alert is and where it's coming from. That said, it provides alerts to red-light and speed camera locations. The community sharing aspect of the app is a great idea, but there aren't enough users to make it very effective. The biggest difference between the RAD 450 and the iRAD is the Bluetooth, which connects the iRAD to your smartphone and allows you to make use of the community sharing app, Cobra iRadar. It provided just enough alerts to remind me that I was using a radar detector.īest car GPS 2023: Sat Navs for automobilesīest backup cameras 2022: Reverse your car, RV and camper with confidenceīest radar detectors 2022: Avoid any unwanted speed camera surprises With the RAD 450, it seemed to err on the quiet side. The best city performances keep your awareness up, forcing you to keep your speed in check, but without becoming a nuisance. These tests took me around Ogden and used the Goldilocks method to find detectors that weren't too loud and weren't too quiet. The performance was nearly identical to the Cobra iRAD. In the city tests, the RAD 450 earned a B grade. Still, if you're not speeding too badly, you should have plenty of time to adjust your speed and avoid a ticket. It' was the other scenarios where the range fell off the edge, such as the perpendicular test where the range was just 0.35 miles. In straight ahead scenarios where the radar gun was aimed down the road and not at any angles and with no obstructions, the range was two-miles, which is common with most radar detectors. The only detector that had a shorter range was the Whistler CR93. It posted the same range in each test as the Cobra iRAD, which is almost identical in both performance and appearance. In a highway tests, the Cobra RAD 450 earned a C+ grade.
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