Short review: If you are in the market for a quality radar detector at a reasonable price and don’t consider yourself to be a “chronic or heavy speeder” per-se, both the 480i and 700i are fine devices – especially when used in conjunction with Waze. For the everyday driver who is on a budget and looking for added protection, the 480i is an excellent choice for the money. For those who commute more than the average person, make frequent/long distance road trips or live in a city with lots of red light and speed cams, the more expensive 700i may be the better choice for an extra $100 or so given it has built in GPS and increased range. Both provide decent “threat” warning, and false alerts are very few compared to detectors of old – and even some newer, more expensive units today. The 480i and 700i are excellent devices that I use in my vehicles and highly recommend.If either one of these units saves you from just one ticket, the detector can potentially pay for itself vs. the fines, points and potential insurance increases a speeding violation could cost you, not to mention the possibility of having to go to court and/or endure an online driving class when you could be doing something else. My long review is below if you’re interested… Enjoy!Happy to give my recommendation for either the Cobra RAD 480i or 700i depending on your budget. I was in the market for a simple yet EFFECTIVE radar detector that didn’t break the bank. After doing a lot of research, I found either one of these units fits the bill. I personally opted for the 700i after running the 480i for a while simply because of its advanced range and GPS (the 700i was released in 2023 whereas the 480i has been around a bit longer), but have to say that I would have been happy keeping the 480i as well. It really comes down economics and what you are willing to spend.As someone who once got a ticket for going 3 MPH over the limit, I like to be aware of my surroundings. This is one of the reasons why I am a such a huge fan of Waze. The fact that both of these Cobra detectors can be used with Apple Car Play and Android Auto via the Cobra iRadar or Escort Drive Smarter app along with Waze is a huge bonus from the situational awareness standpoint.My last detector was a Uniden R4, widely considered to be one of the best detectors at the $350-ish price point. I used it extensively in Central New Jersey – Philadelphia area and in rural Upper Peninsula Michigan. I even took it on cross-county driving between the two areas. While the R4 did truly save me from a ticket, the false alarms and endless chirping cause me to return the unit. I probably could have adjusted a multitude of settings to reduce those, or perhaps just had a bad unit, but in the end, I just didn’t have the patience for it. For this reason, I decided to look for something “simpler yet still effective” to use that was also more cost-friendly – i.e., less expensive. This is not to knock Uniden; the R4 is a fine device that is customizable if you have the time and patience for it – along with the additional money to spend (it is on many best detectors lists).In the time I have been using the Cobra detectors in Central New Jersey – one of the last states where small-town cops may still use “X Band” radar guns, I have had very few false alerts and have picked up police radar guns far enough in advance to make sure that I was going the posted limit by the time I got there. Granted, I didn’t have to make much of a speed adjustment, so if you have a HEAVY lead foot, you may want to consider a detector on the higher end of the spectrum with directional signal arrows. For the money though given my day-to-day driving habits, the Cobras did an impressive job and do enough to boost my confidence that my ticket chances will remain low.UPDATE: I decided to keep the 480i for my second vehicle and had an opportunity to live test both detectors with a real “Ka Band” speed trap set up one pleasant (weather-wise) evening on a fairly straight, level and moderately wooded road that runs 1.65 miles long. Speed limit is 45 MPH for most of the road dropping to 25 MPH at one end of it where the cop was waiting in the dark. Both units were on the “High Sensitivity” setting. Driving towards the gun, both units alerted well in advance at the 0.2 and 0.4 mark for the 700i and 480i respectively, giving me more than a mile of warning. It’s perhaps worth noting that on the run with the 480i, I did have a vehicle in front of me whereas with the 700i, I was the only car on the road. After maneuvering to back-track (i.e., drive away from the radar gun), both detectors alerted immediately when I turned back onto the road with the 700i chirping for a little bit longer than the 480i the further away I got, about 0.7 and 0.4 miles respectively (approximately a half-mile behind me). Both detectors performed exceptionally well driving towards the threat in my opinion, but did not fair quite as well driving away (360-degree detection is touched on a little later).While settings in both models can be easily tweaked including sensitivity levels for city driving, highway and an automatic option based on your speed (I usually leave mine on “high”), the Cobra devices are essentially plug-and-go units with not a lot of extra frills included. Both provide heightened awareness and can be used with the “Drive Smarter” app which pulls real-time data from the Escort Radar user community. The app is a lot like Waze in that drivers are able to add alert notifications as they see them occur. While the 480i user manual may direct you to the Cobra “iRadar” app, also pulling user data from Escort, it can be used with either application. I personally prefer the Drive Smarter app which does have a navigation feature.NOTE: Cobra and Escort are both owned by Cedar Electronics, hence the data share. One thing I noticed in both apps is that the displayed speed limit on the app, which is displayed on the detector, can sometimes disagree with what is actually posted on the road – at least in my area. It is something to be aware of when using them – always go with what’s posted on the road.UPDATE: Although connecting to the app is NOT a requirement to use either detector, the disagreement between what the Driver Smarter app thinks the speed limit is vs. what is actually posted was pretty significant for a while. The app was always saying the speed limit is lower that what it truly is. If this happens to you often, try the highly technical world-famous app uninstall/reinstall trick. ASLO, connect your detector to your computer and reinstall the latest software update from Cobra. While there may still be the occasional disagreement between the posted road limit and what the app says, it isn’t nearly as bad as it was after updating everything again. Also, even though I live in a fairly populated area, there doesn’t seem to be many users contributing to the app compared to Waze. The Drive Smarter app is still a nice feature to have available especially if you can use it in conjunction with Waze. If you can only use one app at a time though, I’d go with Waze – it has more user interaction in my opinion.Both units have a screensaver mode where a single line or dot moves back-and-forth across the screen depending on if you are connected to the app or not (a long line represents connected, a short line means disconnected). This is something that can be disabled if you like. I believe the default setting is one minute without alert before going to the screensaver. The unit does light up again when it alerts, but will return to dark with the scanning bar if you don’t adjust the setting.Neither unit comes with a carry/travel case. I’m not sure that any Cobra detector includes one. Short of the cardboard box that they come in, if you don’t have something lying around your house that you can use to store the device in, you can purchase a generic case online for a just a few bucks.If you are upgrading from the 480i to the 700i, you will notice a visible difference in the screen display. Complaints about the 700i screen being too dim – especially during the day – are indeed true. While the white setting/display seems to be the best during day, it is still noticeably dimmer than the 480i where white is the only color you get. Cobra was said to be fixing this via a software update, but when I updated mine last, I didn’t notice a difference. I personally don’t think the display is too bad, but this could be a deal breaker for some with certain eyesight challenges. The display on the 480i is clear as a bell and easily seen. Both models have a bright, dim, dimmer and dark setting to choose from.Both units have a port for software updates that you can do with your computer although a cable is not included in the box. I believe it is a Micro B cord that you need – it is NOT Type C, the one that seems to be most common these days. I found an old Samsung cell phone charging cable that took care of the connection for me. Updating your detector periodically can help reduce false alerts and ensure optimum performance.A quick note on false alerts: Both models may chirp if you are right in front of the automatic doors at Walmart. This is to be expected with many radar detectors regardless of price – some are just better at filtering those signals out than others, that’s all.Something to be aware of on the 700i: The unit has an annoying “you’re going over the speed limit” notification – even if it’s 1 or 2 MPH over – that really isn’t discussed in the manual. This can be disabled by going to the GPS settings on the device itself (not through the app) and backing the “Speed Alert” setting from the default of 70 down OFF. A quick Google search will help you if you forget this wonderful review. This has not been an issue on the 480i.A common criticism about the 480i is that the mounting bracket is lacking – it is your basic two suction cup type that isn’t exactly the sturdiest and can pop off when disconnecting the detector from the bracket. I have my unit dash mounted, so this isn’t a big deal for me, but if it was, I’d probably just buy a better aftermarket mount for a few bucks. The 700i comes with the beefier magnetic mount, so you should be fine here if you go with this unit. The 480i and 700i mounts are NOT interchangeable – something to keep in mind if you decide to get a better mount or a replacement.A complaint for both units: The detector “chimes” when it connects to the app. At times, the units can disconnect from the app when driving with no audible notification and then automatically reconnect again resulting in another chime. This is annoying but cannot be disabled, so it is a quirk that you will have to live with. An option is to run the device without connecting to the app – it isn’t a requirement to use one on either detector. For me, the disconnect/reconnect cycle rarely happens, so…The power cord for both units is a straight-line cord (not coiled) and is power-only. There is no mute button or indicator light on the cord base like some other detectors, nor is one available. You can buy a coiled cord from Cobra if you like, but it will be power-only as well.UPDATE: Some Amazon comments mention the low battery voltage warning. At start-up, the unit will do a system check and advise if there is a battery concern – i.e., if battery voltage is below 11.9 volts as I understand it. If you get this warning beyond start-up, it could be either be a connection issue, a worn power cord or perhaps a larger issue with your battery or vehicle itself. Thankfully I have not experienced this problem in my vehicles.Both units have a rear-facing sensor and will pick up threats around you, but the 700i and 480i do not provide “absolute” 360-degree protection like some pricier detectors from other manufacturers. This is something to be cognizant of when using these devices – think cop coming up behind you. Threats to the rear and side may not be detected as quickly compared to units that do offer this specific feature. True 360 protection comes with a larger sticker price on higher end models from Escort, Uniden, Valentine etc. Given the price point of these Cobra detectors though, it is a tradeoff that I can live with.UPDATE: After putting more miles on the road, I must say that these detectors are great at sniffing out radar in front of you, but do leave something more to be desired with threats behind you (recall my live-fire testing comments earlier). It will pick them up, but your ability to respond could be limited. With these devices, keep in mind that when the unit alerts, the source of the it could be behind or to the side of you.The 700i boasts photo radar detection ability, improved false alert filtering, greater detection range and built in GPS. It also has the ability to “learn” where the false alerts are over time and lock them out automatically (false alerts on the 480i have to be manually locked out). There a lot of reviews out there that discuss these upgrades – the biggest one being the greater range of the 700i over the 480i. It really comes back down to economics though – if you have the extra money to spend for greater detection range and/or if you drive more daily that the average person, I would go with the 700i, but the 480i does just fine too as long as you are not a speed demon.Bottom line: Cobra radars have received a bad rap from those in the detector community for years, but both the 480i and 700i have changed that perception. They are solid units at a great price that will serve you well. Even the Cobra RAD 380, the true basic plug and go detector with zero frills, has received decent reviews for being a $100-ish unit. These detectors will provide an advanced layer of protection, but perhaps not quite as “early” as some of the higher-end, more expensive models. I’m of the mindset that if you need that much warning, you are probably the type who constantly drives well over the speed limit anyway and probably has a few speeding tickets under your belt. Cobra makes quality products and their newer radar detectors are competitive with many top names in the industry. While there will be disagreements on technical attributes, test parameters and brand quality among the critics, SOME warning is better than NO warning I always say.Lastly, if I splash my coffee over on one of these detectors and short it out or if I’m parked in somewhere in New York City and it gets ripped off in a smash-and-grab, I’m not going to be nearly as heartbroken as I would be if I had spent $400 to $700-plus on a more “elaborate” model. For the money, you can’t beat either one of these detectors that could save you from the stress and unneeded heartburn of a speeding ticket.Many recommendations for both the 480i and 700i exist from Forbes, Popular Mechanics and other independent sites that seem highly reputable – just go online and do a little research before you buy if you’re still skeptical. Happy trails and safe travels!~V10/09/2024