Uniden produces some of the most useful and best-performing radar detectors on the market. Today we’ll take a look at the Uniden R4 vs R7 to describe the differences. If you are in the market for a full-featured radar detector that you can rely on every day, the Uniden R4 is the best bang for the buck. Let’s take a look at some features to show you why we think the R4 is the best (>>> Find how much it cost on Uniden.com).
Uniden R4 vs R7 Side by Side:
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Uniden R4 | Uniden R7 | |
| Range | Extreme Long | Insane Long Range |
| Built-in GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Display | Full-color OLED | Multi-color OLED |
| False Alert Filtering | Yes | Yes |
| Red Light & Speed Camera Alerts | Yes | No |
| Speed-based Auto Mute | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth connectivity | Yes | No |
| Price | Find on Uniden.com Find on Amazon | Find on Uniden.com Find on Amazon |
Both of these detectors have a similar appearance with a large OLED screen and angular black plastic construction. While they offer similar sounding features and functions, the R4 outperforms the R7 in almost every category.
Range and Sensitivity
Both of these devices are advertised as possessing extreme long range, but only the R4 backs it up in practice. Using dual Low-Noise Amplifiers, the R4 captures all radar signals from longer range, and is almost twice as sensitive at detecting K and Ka-band signals used most commonly by law enforcement.
Winner: Uniden R4
Advanced False Alert Filtering
The R4 and R7 offer K and Ka-band false filtering, but the technology is much better in the R4 than the R7. The R4 does a remarkable job of silencing alerts from advanced driver safety features like lane departure warnings. The R7 will capture some of these signals, but isn’t nearly as accurate or as fast as the R4.
Winner: Uniden R4
Appearance and Functions
The main feature buttons for both devices are on the top of the R4 and R7 bodies. This is where you’ll find power, volume, and settings buttons on both designs. The R7 places the mute and mark buttons on the driver’s side of the unit, while the R4 has these features on the front in a more convenient spot.
Winner: Uniden R4
Display
The OLED displays on the R4 and R7 are significantly different. Both are bright, but the R7 includes directional arrows and a larger amplitude display. The R7 is also more colorful and easier to view in bright light. The R7 also uses the built-in GPS to indicate the posted speed limit on the street you are driving when available.
Winner: Uniden R7
Uniden R4
The Uniden R4 takes advantage of all of the best features of the R3 and improves on them. It has some of the best range of any radar detector around and regularly beats out devices costing twice as much. With that being said, the omni-directional antenna doesn’t do as good of a job detecting threats from behind you, though this is not as important as it might seem. Radar isn’t used in mobile applications.
The display of the R4 is basic but gets the job done. If appearance is more important than performance, you might look elsewhere. Otherwise, the R4 has the features and functions you want. For our more in-depth review of this radar detector, click here.
Pros
- Excellent long range radar detection capabilities that are better than most comparable devices
- Above average false alert filtering functions
Cons
- No directional arrows to determine location of signal
- Display is smaller and not as easy to read a some options
Uniden R7
The R7 was introduced as the flagship model until the R8 came out. The R8 is a much better detector than the R7, making the R7 somewhat unnecessary in the product lineup. It has good range, but not as good as the R4 or R8 that replaces it.
It does a great job of getting the radar signal rapidly but the range isn’t up to par these days. Now that the R4 and the R8 have been released, the range of the R7 doesn’t make much sense given the price point midway between the two devices.
Pros
- Industry-leading range and rapid alert notification
- Excellent ability to quickly eliminate false signals from location-based sources
Cons
- Display is somewhat dated looking
- May require extensive adjustment of settings to get perfect results
Conclusion
The Uniden R4 offers the best of long range detection and false filtering that keeps your ride quiet until you need to know about a possible threat. It is fast enough to give you time to react and accurate enough to help you quickly determine the relevance of a signal.
When compared to the R7 from Uniden, it is no surprise why the R4 is so much more popular. Despite a better display and dual direction antennas, the R7 doesn’t do a better job of keeping you safe than the R4, so that’s why we think the Uniden R4 is a better choice (>>> Check on Amazon).