Uniden R8 Review

With X, K, Ka, MRCT, MRCD, Laser, Gatso detection, a long-range, and a quick response, the Uniden R8 is sure to keep you safe from law enforcement on the road. The Highway, City, and Advanced modes are helpful, and the new Auto mode is customizable, giving you control over false alerts. Read on to see how the R8 measures up to the competition.

Performance Comparison

Features

The updated Uniden R8 comes equipped with the same features as its predecessor and more. The first two things you'll notice are the new port for Uniden's upcoming laser jammer and the bubble lens, which improves performance, but there's plenty more under the hood.

The R8 offers advanced, highway, and city modes, which are the same as the prior iteration. The auto mode, however, is new and helps keep your detector quiet by varying the sensitivity based on a speed you can set manually. If you are traveling faster than your chosen speed, the R8 automatically operates in highway mode (for increased sensitivity), and if you are traveling under that designated speed, your device will switch to city mode (for decreased sensitivity). This allows you to have additional control over how sensitively your detector reacts to various signals.

The R8, like its predecessor, can detect X, K, Ka, MRCT, MRCD, and Laser. It can also detect the new Gatso systems, RT3 and RT4, that you may encounter at a stoplight or a speed camera. Uniden also added a new laser ID so that you know what kind of laser the device is detecting.

The addition of Bluetooth provides connectivity to the Uniden app, which was not yet available at the time of this writing. There are also three different options for alert displays. The first and second displays both show you the signal strength and band type for your primary signal and a small abbreviated display of the secondary and tertiary signals in the top left-hand corner. The only difference between one and two is how the signal strength of the primary threat is displayed. One is a straight line, and the other is curved. The third, which is unique to the R8, displays the top two strongest signals split horizontally on the main screen and up to three lower strength signals on the top left-hand side for a total of five signals.

While more information is often helpful, the third display mode can make the primary signals appear somewhat small, making them difficult to read without taking your eyes off the road. It is also worth noting that the R8is not completely undetectable by radar detector detectors, although this isn't an issue in most places.

Accuracy

Most radar detectors have no issue alerting you when radars are present, but every radar detector has false alerts. There is no perfection in this metric, but there is a wide range of performance, and the R8 is at the top.

The upgraded platform for the R8 comes equipped with a new dual LNA design for better sensitivity and an upgraded condenser lens to improve accuracy. It is extremely responsive to Ka-band, one of the more frequently used bands. Some of the other detectors in our test suite alert the driver when various filters are on, but the R8 has a lighting-fast response time, even with filtering enabled.

The R8 does a great job of progressively ramping up signal strength in a very comprehendible way as you get closer to the source, and then it fades out nicely as you pass it. Blind spot monitor, or BSM, filtering is impressively quiet, although it can still be triggered by newer Acuras, Jeeps, and Chryslers. Two different K-block features help cut down on these false alerts, which block 24.199 +/-5 MHz and 24.168 +/-2 MHz signals. You can also mute weak K-band signals, which will further cut down on false alerts from BSM systems in neighboring vehicles. The traffic signal or TSF filtering, like the BSM filtering, works very well too, but in the event that it fails, the manual lockouts are easy to enable.

The MRCD detection is much better than it used to be, helping with photo trucks and red light cameras, which usually give off a low, flickering signal, although there is still a decent bit of MRCD and MCRT false alerts.

Unfortunately, the R8 suffers from similar auto lockout malfunctions as its predecessors. You can drive past the same grocery store or strip mall for months, and the automatic doors will continue triggering false alerts. This can be remedied with a quick manual lockout, but we'd prefer the auto lockouts to work. On that note, sometimes the auto lockout radius is shorter than the range. This means that your device will detect a signal and alert you before recognizing that the threat is a lockout location.

One more issue we've found with the R8 is that the directional arrows are not always accurate. Sometimes they don't flip as you pass the source of the alert, although this is not out of the ordinary as radars tend to bounce around, which can be confusing for the detectors.

Range

The upgraded platform with a new dual LNA design and the new condenser lens doesn't just make the R8 more accurate; they also contribute to its longer range. The R8 outperforms prior versions on various Ka-band frequencies, making it on par with other top performers in our test suite.

The range a detector offers can significantly diminish when the device is operating with heavy signal filtering, but the R8 does a good job of keeping its range high regardless of the filter situation. Enabling TSF does cut down a little on the range, but this is common for most detectors. The Auto feature actually improves the range when traveling above the manually set speed as it kicks the device into highway mode. The R8 also offers a much better range against MRCD than its predecessors.

Ease of Use

The first thing we noticed about the R8 is that Uniden moved the mute and mark buttons from the side of the detector to the front, which is a HUGE improvement. When the buttons were on the side, you had to reach further and blindly feel around for them, which can be very distracting while driving. The buttons also give great feedback and a satisfying click.

The R8 supports Uniden's control pad, which is sold separately. You can place it on the driver's side to control your device without having to lean over your dash. The new and improved BlendMount, is more compact, not affected by moisture, and it helps mitigate vibration better than previous mounts. It's compatible with some Uniden detectors, but not all of them.

The R8 face is a little tall, so mount placement is important. You can't mount it too high, or the buttons on top become inaccessible.

Should You Buy the Uniden R8?

The Uniden R8 is a very impressive radar detector. It offers a stellar range, an easy-to-navigate interface, and compatibility with other Uniden devices soon to be released, like the laser jammer. It is highly customizable, but you can plug and go if you don't feel like getting into the nitty gritty. It is also full of features that offer a quiet yet safe ride, and the multiple display modes allow you to alter your viewing experience. Unfortunately, with such a high performance, the R8 is very pricey. That said, if you are the kind of person who likes to have the newest and highest performers on the market and don't mind paying for them, we feel the R8 is well worth the cash.

What Other Radar Detectors Should You Consider?

Maybe the R8 sounds great in theory, but you're struggling with the idea of shoveling out such a large chunk of cash. If that's the case, you should check out the Uniden R7. The R7 is still very easy to use, aside from the mute button being on the side, and it offers a good range and comparable accuracy, with the exception of MRCD radars. If you are comfortable with the R8 price point but want something a little more automated, the Escort Redline 360c is an obvious choice.