Uniden R4 Review – Best Single Antenna Radar Detector Yet
By: RadarBusters Staff, January 9th, 2022
Introduction
The Uniden R4 is Uniden’s successor to the wildly popular Uniden R3 and should be appealing to those accustomed to the high performance of the Uniden R3 but who wish to have even more sensitivity and features.
The Uniden R4 retails at $449.95 which puts it at $50 less than the original asking price of the R3 when it was first introduced.
Radar Sensitivity
Like the new Uniden R8, the Uniden R4 has incorporated two low noise amplifiers (LNAs) into its circuitry to raise sensitivity to radar by about 3 dBs or 4 dBs over its predecessor the Uniden R3. That amounts to a potential increase of 40% or mode of alerting range, given the right conditions. The R4 has also turned in some of the very best detections of X-band we have ever witnessed.
Chassis
The Uniden R4 has an improved case design which appears more upscale than the R3 with what Uniden calls a “stealth fighter-jet design.” The R4 now includes an Rj12 connector to allow connection to a future laser jamming system that is planned by Uniden.
Mult-Color Display
The R4 has and extremely bright OLED display and is far easier to read than every other detector with an OLED display or this approximate size.
MultaRadar & Gatso Detection
Detection of MultaRadar radars continues to be a strong point with Uniden and the R4 now has the ability to detect Sensys Gatso RT3/RT4 which is beginning to make its appearance in North America.
RDD Detectability
We tested the R4 and found it to be only detectable to SPECTRE RDDs at close distance, but it’s not completely invisible like the Escort Redline 360c, so caution is advised when driving with this radar detector in Virginia or certain provinces in Canada.
Laser Detection
The R4 appears to have better detection to laser and can identify either the make or model of the laser gun being used, the first of two detectors we are aware of that has the ability to do so, the other being the Uniden R8.
Power Cord
The power cord supports a USB connection to power smart phones and a new connector to support the daisy chaining of new Uniden accessories. Like the previous cords, the new ones provide a push button to mute and mark locations as well as a flashing LED.
Availability
RadarBusters received an early batch of R4s for those wishing to purchase one.
Veil has penned a Uniden R4 review which goes into more detail of the specifics of this extreme performance radar detector.
