Customer Ratings & Reviews

One of the best so far i got is really good and nice and it doest the job right

If they’re looking straight down the road it registers full strength about a half mile out. K band will alert on any new gen car with rear crash detection. No tickets so far so no complaints

Radar detector works great. Does not give false alarms for new vehicle side, front, and rear anti collision or lane variations. Has excellent range. Good countermeasures says that the threat must be detected before the threat detects you.

When you buy a radar detector, you're assuming that you're going to experience false positives. However, for only <200$, you're getting a package that can read crash frequencies, cops, and more, at the range that's astounding to me. Perfect for long trips, or general cruising. In my opinion, there is little to no point in upgrading to a higher tier system past this, it's not going to eliminate false positives or increase range dramatically, unless you want light statistics, etc.

I installed the Cobra 480i on day one and noticed the difference on my first drive. Setup took less than 10 minutes. Mount feels secure. The display looks sharp and easy to read at a glance. Buttons make sense. No learning curve. Detection works great. • Picks up signals early so you have time to slow down • Fewer false alerts than older detectors I have owned • Voice alerts keep your eyes on the road • Long range on highway drives • Quiet and calm in the city The Bluetooth connection with the iRadar app adds a lot of value. • Live police and red light camera reports • Shared alerts from other drivers • Automatic updates • GPS lockouts for repeat false alerts After a week of commuting and a road trip, I trust the alerts. I feel more aware and less stressed while driving. The detector stays consistent and does not beep nonstop like cheap models. Build quality feels solid. Speaker sounds clear. Brightness adjusts well at night. If you drive daily or take long trips, this pays for itself fast. Great performance for the price. I would buy again without hesitation.

After spending a few weeks with the Cobra 480i radar detector, I can confidently say it’s one of the best driving tools I’ve ever added to my setup. Whether you’re a daily commuter or someone who enjoys spirited weekend drives, this little device delivers exactly what it promises — peace of mind and solid performance. Pros: ✔️ Excellent Detection Range: The 480i consistently picks up signals well before I even get close to the source. It gives me plenty of time to adjust my speed and stay in control. K and Ka band alerts are especially reliable — the Ka detection, in particular, feels like it punches way above its price range. ✔️ Low False Alert Rate: Let’s be real: nobody wants a detector that cries wolf every two minutes. With the 480i, false alerts are rare thanks to its advanced filtering and built-in GPS. It learns the local signal noise, so I’m not constantly getting pinged by automatic doors or motion sensors. ✔️ Bluetooth App Integration: Pairing it with the Drive Smarter app adds another layer of functionality. Real-time alerts from other users and updated red light/speed camera locations make it feel more like a connected community tool than just a radar detector. ✔️ Compact and Discreet: It doesn’t take up a lot of dash space, and the display is clean and easy to read without being a distraction. I can check the signal type and strength at a glance. ✔️ Build Quality: It feels premium and well put together. Buttons are tactile, and the magnetic mount is rock solid — even over rough pavement. Things to Know: While voice alerts are helpful, they can be a bit chatty on longer drives. I ended up adjusting the volume and alert settings to make it less intrusive. It doesn’t have the directional arrows that come with more expensive units like the Valentine One Gen2, but honestly, I haven’t missed them. Final Thoughts: The Cobra 480i strikes a perfect balance between performance, features, and price. If you're looking for a dependable radar detector without jumping into the ultra-premium price range, this is it. It’s smart, sleek, and genuinely helpful on the road. Would I recommend it? 100%. Whether you're driving across town or cross-country, this thing earns its keep. Want it tailored more toward daily commuters, car enthusiasts, or a more technical tone? I can tweak the review to fit your style.

Picked up cops super well and love it easy to step up

Exceptional product just upgraded from my cobra i300. Seems to be a lot more sensitive, and I love the digital screen which goes to sleep with a scrolling bar. The app allows you to customize the hardware to your personal preferences. Never travel without it on. The Drive Smarter app also provides an option to post alerts for the community of accidents, traffic delays, and the obvious lol. They have removed a few functions from the previous icobra app. Which I preferred however, it does its job. Stating the obvious as with all Devices made to alert you of pending expensive tickets. This device will only alert you if Superheterodyne or laser equipment is in use.

So far its been good. I haven't used cobra for a while now. So I wanted to give it a try, as it was easy-to-use and easy for me to just buy another for my other car. It's been frustrated moving my escort radar from one car to another. This cobra radar is doing it job so far. Be sure to down load the app it comes in handy. For a low budget this is a great purchase.

For the price, this has all of the essentials. It reads X, K, and Ka, and it's all packaged up into a nice little unit. I have no experience with the corresponding phone app, but I've heard from friends that have this radar that it isn't very good. It runs perfectly fine without it, though. Another hurdle I ran into was how short the power cable was, and I needed to get a 12v socket extension that ran from the center console to above the driver's footwell, so I could mount cleanly mount the radar to the top of my windshield. Other than that, no complaints.

At $150 you won’t find anything that has the range and features. It’s not perfect, you have to find the sensitivity to fit your drive. Will false alarm just like any detector, when app connected it provides a ton of information and was seamless to pair to my Galaxy S9. You’d spend more than double to get a better detector, not range wise but added features like directional indicators and better false alarm prevention. It’s VG2 invisible, has tons of range and nearly any feature you’d want on a radar detector. My only real complaint is the false alerts and difficulty balancing eliminating them and still picking up legitimate threats.

Overly sensitive. It picks up anything when there is nothing around for miles. I guess it’s detecting satellites on rural winding country roads. I don’t know, but I hit my breaks so much, I never get the chance to find out what the actual speed limit is. I’m sure the school buses behind me don’t mind.

Was in the market for a basic radar detector without having to spend lots of money and when it comes to these you get what you pay for. It's a decent radar detector for beginners and people that want to be cautious of the small things. It will definitely get laser and cops using radar. Only thing is, there are lots of false alerts. If you're looking for little to no false alerts, I recommend buying a higher priced detector. This will get the job done, but be aware that it will give off false alerts.

On certain day's I travel the BQE and notice more police parked along the S/B side, since using this detector I've been tagged with laser more then once. I travel the speed limit so it was of no concern until seeing cars stopped by the highway lane in front of the police , NOT GOOD! I've noticed more hits with laser on some roadways so I'm not traveling without it because traveling further there they are. It goes crazy until I get far away from the police cars. Not many false alerts as with my 4 year old cobra. The app is cool showing red light cameras. I'll tell you it's like walking in a dark room not knowing where they are hiding, this let's me have some idea what's going on.

Took me a long time to figure out what each frequency meant but this is highly worth it! SAVED ME several times from hiding cops and speed traps! 100% worth the money if you have a heavy foot (like me). Easily adjust volume and sensitivity of the radar and track everything! If you pay for the app you get a ton more features but still extremely functional without the app. Highlyyyyyy recommended!

It definitely a good product saved me a couple times

Wonderful to have in your vehicle. Simple setup and easy to understand instructions. Very useful app that comes with the device

Easy to use and lots of updated features like the cobra app that gives you a lot of useful information. Also the sound is clear and holds a perfect range.

Works very well!! Easy to set up. Can move from vehicle to vehicle simply

I've only had this a few weeks, but I will give my honest review. There are plenty of what seems to be false alerts, mostly K and X bands. I've never seen a police car when those bands hit. Usually X band seems to hit around department and grocery stores. KA band seems to be the most common for police, based on just a few weeks of using this. Every time I've seen a police car, it's been the KA band. I've not been hit with Laser yet, so I can't say anything about that. Seems to be great on the interstate and highways, but not so great for congested areas, that's where most false alerts seem to come from. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase, and I would recommend this product.