The Uniden R9 is the top dog when it comes to customer installed systems and is the top performing system we’ve ever driven with, not just in its performance with police radar, but police laser, as well. We don’t have any hesitation in continuing to take it on our long trips or recommending it to others.

I'm all for improvements and while impressive, I think a 13 mile detection is in the realm of too much advance notice. Anything beyond 2 miles ahead is a little unnecessary unless you're cruising at 150MPH+, which you really shouldn't be doing on public roads anyways. This is a new feature which was made a part of the firmware recently. Uniden has not given any confirmation as to how this function will be integrated with apps that can take advantage of bluetooth. The radar also comes with an auto-dimming feature which adjusts the light emitted by the display based on the ambient light in the cabin. This is a very nifty feature and allows for more covert driving in the evening.

But if you’re in the market for a new radar detector, you might be overwhelmed when presented with so many options. If you are looking for the most sensitive, the most responsive to instant-on radar, and the ability to detect many of the exotic speed and photo radars out there, look no further than the Uniden R8. Laser: this is often used by higher law enforcement. If you receive this kind of alert, take it seriously.

In any event, the Uniden R8 builds upon the already extreme performance of the Uniden R7 and provides its driver with as much sensitivity one could ever desire. The R8 is going to be your high end flagship version for people who want the best. I prefer the R8 for the improved performance and additional false alert filtering features, plus I really like the front facing mute button. Down the line we’ll also get Bluetooth functionality. I don’t know if Uniden plans on adding Auto mode to the R7 or if that’ll stay exclusive to the R8 (and R4). When overtaking in the same direction of travel, we would occasionally get alerted just as we were beginning to pass the vehicle with the R8, again on either side of the vehicle. Unlike the 360c’s and the Valentine Gen2’s of the world, the Uniden R8 is just a more well-rounded option that makes the least compromises when it comes to features. Should you upgrade if you already have the R7? Only if you want the best!

The fact the somewhat more capable Uniden R8 has since made its appearance, in no way takes away from the greatness of the Uniden R7 even to this day. The Uniden R7 is no slouch either when it comes to display. Its screen size is much smaller compared to that of the R8, however it still provides adequate data points and menu control options. The Uniden R8 is infused with dual LNAs (low noise amplifiers to maximize performance and reduce its detectability to Spectre RDDs) and increased processing power. Even so, most other top-end radar detectors incorporate GPS, photo enforcement databases, have the ability to detect exotic speed radars, utilize multi-color displays, and can indicate radar frequency (important for determining what kind of radar you are encountering–important things both Valentine eschews.