Uniden R4 vs R7

Longer Range or Directional Arrows?

If you’re trying to avoid speeding tickets and have an early warning of upcoming speed traps, these are two of the best radar detectors to do just that.  Uniden has done a great job of offering consumers two amazing options in the R3 and R7 models.  They’re similar and both widely popular.  It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally finished our Uniden R3 vs R7 comparison.  Before we talk about the differences between them in detail and tell you when you should buy one versus the other, let’s take a look at the stats for both Uniden radar detectors.

Uniden R4 vs R7 Review:

The Uniden R7 radar detector has been out for a few years now and is a proven performer.  It has great detection range and tons of high-end features most consumers hope to find in a radar detector.  It’s been one of Uniden’s most popular models in recent years.  However, with the release of the new Uniden R4 radar detector, it has everyone questioning which is better so we’ve decided to compar and contrast the two to help vet them out.

Similarities:   

Both of these radar detectors have 360-degree detection and cover all the standard radar bands (X, K, and Ka) as well as laser.  Auto GPS lockout started recently in the Uniden R7 and it’s been carried forward with their new R4 too.  Oddly enough, both options are nearly the same price at the time of this writing, with the R7 carrying just a slight premium to the R4, but nothing significant. 

In addition, both the R4 and R7 have similar, and great, false alert filtering, red light & speed cam alerts, and voice alerts.  They’re both great options or we wouldn’t even take the time to write about them.   

Differences: 

This is what we’ve all be waiting for.  It’s time to discuss what’s different about the Uniden R4 than the R7.  There are several things, and unlike most radar detector comparisons we’ve done here at Best Review Pros, this one is not a debate between one model with all the compelling features versus one that’s priced significantly lower.  In this case, the R4 and the R7 are on a pretty even playing field, but they do have a different feature set.  

R7 – Directional Arrows

You may have seen in our Uniden R3 vs R7 comparison where we discuss the cool, directional arrows the R7 has.  They give the driver a real-time indication which direction the radar source is coming from.  This info is great to have and provides a unique situational awareness that is unmatched in the R4 as it does not have this feature.

The directional arrows are typically only found in very high-end radar detectors and if they are a feature you’d like to have, then the R7 is probably the better choice for you.  We do agree, these are great to have, especially when it’s dark out or you just can’t seem to figure out where an officer or speed trap may be located.

R4 – Longer Range

Let’s start out by saying, the Uniden R7 has never appeared to be lacking in detection range and sensitivity.  As far as we can tell and all that we’ve read about it, the R7 is already amazing at detecting radar and laser from great distances.  So, you may be surprised to hear that the main performance enhancements the Uniden’s R4 has over their R7 model is a longer range and even greater sensitivity!

The R4 radar detector includes (2) LNA’s (low noise amplifiers) that help boost the sensitivity to extend its range beyond what we’ve seen in the previous R1/R3/R7 lineup.  This really shines when you’re driving in hilly or curvy areas and greater range might be necessary. 

R4 – Laser Gun Indicator

The R4 has another cool feature that the R7 doesn’t have.  It’s an indicator of what type of laser gun is being used.  Now, this doesn’t really serve an important purpose as far as we can tell, but it is a pretty neat thing that the R4 can do that the R7 cannot.  

R7 – Dual Antennas

As a counter-point, the R7 has two antennas, one for the front and one for the rear.  This double the amount of antennas that the R4 has (one).  This is primarily used for the directional arrow functionality mentioned above.  It seems in practice that this likely also improves the performance and sensitivity in when radar is being used from behind your vehicle.  

R4 – Speed-Based Muting

One last small feature that the R4 has but the R7 does not have, is speed-based muting.  This is called “Auto Mode” and it can be set to a specific speed in the city.  So, say you set it to 35 MPH, the radar detector will reduce its sensitivity at speeds below this (basically while you’re in the city and don’t need it) to curtail potential false alerts that may be annoying and distracting to drivers.

R4 – Other Features

There are a few, currently less effective in our opinion, features that the R4 has over the older R7 model.  First, there is a wired remote control that can be used if your radar detector is mounted too far away to easily reach the buttons.  This adds cost and we believe is unlikely to be used regularly enough to make this a deciding factor, unless it’s something you need in which, by all means, go with the R4 at this point.

In addition, Uniden is touting that the R4 has Bluetooth capabilities!  The only drawback is that they cannot be used at this point in time because there are no app or feature sets that make use of its Bluetooth capabilities, so it’s yet to be seen if this is a game-changer or not.  I guess it probably does help future-proof the radar detector of have the capability for when something does come out in the future. 

Conclusion: 

We hope our Uniden R4 vs R7 comparison has helped provide you some guidance in understanding the differences between these two great radar detectors.  Honestly, both are great choices.  Deciding which is better for you is a personal choice in what’s more important for you, directional arrows or a longer detection range.  

The Uniden R4 is the latest and greatest piece of radar detection technology.  It has a slightly longer range, proving you a little extra time to react.  It also has the ability to mute potential false alerts and even indicates which laser gun is being used.  If this is what you’re looking for, we recommend the R4.  It’s a great new device, and you’ll certainly be happy with it.  

On the other hand, if you feel the longer range is unnecessary for your needs, the dual antennas and directional arrows on the Uniden R7 are really nice to have.  The price difference is so small that if these features are more important to you, the R7 should be your choice.  As you can see in the video below, this is the opinion of our friends over at Vortex.