Cobra Dualpro 360 Review
Speeding tickets are never fun. They’re costly, time-consuming to appeal, and easily avoidable; especially with the new and improved Cobra Dualpro 360. Four months of use and 3,500 miles later, I’m here to share my experience with what I believe to be the best radar detector ever designed and developed by Cobra (and I’ve used many of their RD’s over the years).
The Cobra Dualpro 360 has given me such a great experience that I’d go as far as to say that it’s the best ticket-preventing detector on the market (given the features, specs, and price).
First of all, I’d like to clear the air on a common misconception about Cobra about them not producing top-tier radar detectors.
Historically speaking, Cobra hasn’t ALWAYS been the best.
However, in recent years, they’ve reinvented themselves through innovating products by enhancing their underlying technology.
In these past few years, we’ve seen a plethora of visionary radar products released by Cobra, starting with their 2015 introduction of their first-ever digital radar detector (the Cobra DSP-9200BT). The DSP-9200BT marked the brand’s movement for innovation; it brought us to the modern-day, cutting-edge Dualpro 360 that the company word so tirelessly to develop.
The DualPro 360° is aimed at serious detector enthusiasts that prioritize high-reporting frequency and accuracy. Its purpose-driven technology is designed to help alert drivers of upcoming traffic enforcements so citations and costly tickets can be avoided. Red-light cameras, speed-clocking sensors, and roadside (cop) threads become easily avoidable with the Cobra DualPro 360°.
Though this is a modern-day, industry-leading radar detector, it’s capable of doing more than just tracking your speed.
For example, the DualPro 360° utilizes in-car technology to avoid alerting drivers of non-crucial information.
This way, if you drive by a store that uses radar technology for the opening/closing of their entrance doors the DualPro 360° will NOT alarm you (as it’s AI-smart technology can tell the difference).
Also, the DualPro 360° is compatible with GPS technology to enhance its accuracy of your readings over time. In the four months of my use I never once had an occasion where the DualPro 360° gave me an inaccurate reading or alert. I attribute this to the two internal yet separate antennas that deliver radar-accuracy that I’ve ever never witnessed before with another radar detector.
The dual-antenna configuration allowed Cobra to design a detector capable of 360° detection. While Cobra’s hardware is second-to-none in terms of design, quality, functionality, and performance, it’s most effective when paired with solid software. Find out how the DualPro 360° performed when I put it to the test.
Table of Contents
Features:
For $449, it’s one of the — you can add to your car. There a tremendous number of aspects I love about the Dualpro 360°. Here, I’m going to discuss the Dualpro 360°’s design/layout, its App support, radius detection power, available subscriptions, and user-friendly interface (all important components to consider before buying a Dualpro 360°).
Design & Layout
Aesthetically, the Cobra DualPro 360° is about 5 inches in length, 3.5 inches wide, and only has a 1.5-inch height. Weighing in at only 9 ounces, the Cobra DualPro 360° makes is incredibly light; it was very easy to maneuver and mount on my dash. It’s durably constructed yet lightweight enough to mount to nearly any mounting-compatible device. Its innovative slimmed-down design keeps it out of your way and doesn’t obstruct your view from the road (unlike some models).
When it comes to mounting the DualPro 360° in your vehicle I recommend using the EZ Mag windshield contraption as it comes bundled with a smart-cord which will be synced to the DualPro 360°’s USB charging port. This is how I installed mine and the entire process only took about 10 minutes.
Once you have the detector in place and the smart-cord attached you’re essentially done with the installation and are ready to put your DualPro 360° to the test.
Furthermore, the topside to the DualPro 360° is quite user-friendly. There, six easy-to-ready buttons are added which include a plus/minus button used for menu navigation. There’s also a power button, a mute button, and even a button that allows you to modify the sensor settings.
In my metropolitan city, it’s pretty normal to be driving through a TON of radar-dense areas which can cause the DualPro 360° (and any other radar) to start beeping unnecessarily. With the DualPro 360°, you can avoid this nuisance with the MUTE button which is one of my favorite buttons. However, with false-detection technology, you shouldn’t run into this issue too often.
App Support
One thing I’ve grown to love about the DualPro 360° is its app support.
When using a compatible app in sync with your DualPro 360° it’s important to understand how well they work together and how to make the most out of its technology. Thankfully, the app is user-friendly and easy to operate; it’s very straightforward. For example, when you navigate around the screen, it should seem quite familiar as it’s based on the Google Maps layout which by now nearly everyone is familiar with.
When your DualPro 360° is synced to your map it will highlight positions on the map where your radar previously detected radar activity. This is great as if cops are normally holding a speed trap in the SAME location then the DualPro 360° will help you to avoid a ticket by remembering the locations. This allows you to tell if a camera or speed trap is coming up; even without a radar signal.
Annually, about 100 million reports are submitted through iRadar on sensor/radar locations. This information is readable by Cobra and can be used to further secure your on-the-road driving.
Finally, configuring the Cobra DualPro 360° couldn’t be easier. There’s a settings window that offers a couple of options. There are standard options such as management tools for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and there are a plethora of other options such as audio/alert settings and a car-finder feature (extremely helpful).
Signal & Detection Power
It’s a radar detector which means that its technology is structured around a superheterodyne and a tune varactor VCO. This makes the DualPro 360° pretty powerful. Its compatible bands include the X-band at 10.525 GHz ± 25MHz. It also operates on the K-band at 24.150 GHz ± 100 MHz and the Ka-band as well at 34.700 ± 1300MHz.
As the DualPro 360° name implies, it handles the rendering of laser detection and signals as well at 33MHz bandwidth at 904nm. Also, the fact that it utilizes two cameras, one that fronts forwards and the other backward, makes it one of the most powerful and deadly accurate radar detectors on the market.
With DualPro 360°’s new dual-antenna configuration users now have truly unlimited access. These antennas, which provide 360-degree coverage, are lightning-fast at detecting radar signals. This is impartially made possible by Cobra’s use of DSP tech which helps the unit to discover potential threats more quickly and accurately.
Again, this is attributed to the dual-antenna configuration where the antennas work together to more accurately scan the area in front of you to better determine the distance, source, and direction of the incoming radar signal.
The fact that the DualPro 360° is so effective in reducing and limiting false radar signals which are made possible through the sensitivity management thresholds that can be adjusted according to the user’s desire (I left mine on the default settings).
However, if alerts become too pesky to you can always configure these settings to receive fewer alerts.
As I brought up earlier, Cobra reinvented itself with new radars and improved technology. This holds true for the DualPro 360° where the built-in sensors are capable of learning from the AutoLearn algorithm which has five levels of filters (allowing you to calibrate it to your driving needs).
This is made possible through the DualPro 360°’s compatibility with the iRadar app which increases your ability in accurately pinpointing upcoming threats (including police and red-light cameras).
Also, the iRadar app is cost-free to use and comes bundled with the DualPro 360° (so you can start using it immediately). If used, it’ll use Bluetooth technology to bring you crowd-sourced alerts. This means that if others are reporting a speed trap 8 miles ahead of you, the app will notify you of the speed trap way before it even becomes in range to detect the incoming radar signals.
Ultimately, this keeps me (and you) safer on the road and much less likely to get caught up in a speeding ticket (avoid these inconveniences with the DualPro 360°).
Available Subscriptions
To personalize your service even more Cobra offers an optional subscription service named the Defender Database. With this subscription enabled, your DualPro 360° will learn the locations frequently parked in by cops which the detector will work to learn the location of even before coming into range.
This is an extremely useful subscription that you won’t find with all radar brands. I cannot begin to tell you how many times this subscription has helped me to avoid a speed trap that I otherwise would’ve blown through in my Carrera at 30 over the speed limit.
If you happen to have a heavy foot like I do this subscription will easier cover its own cost by the tickets you won’t have to pay.
Also, the Defender Database is available at two different subscription levels. You can subscribe to either a one- or three-year service. Either way, it’s more-than-worth the cost. One-year subscribers will pay around $2 monthly while 3-year subscribers will pay around $1.50. Keep in mind that these subscriptions are predominantly available only to US residents.
User-friendly Design
I’m not going to lie. I don’t have the world’s best eyesight. In fact, it’s far worse than what any eye-doctor would consider being fair. This is why I’m in love with the easily-readable OLED display on the DualPro 360°; its vibrant easy-to-read display makes it incredibly easy for me to read. Because decided to splurge on a beautiful OLED screen (capable of brighter BRIGHTS and even darker DARKS).
Cobra went the extra mile with the display by also giving users 5 unique screen-brightness levels to choose from. There’s also a full-dark mode; useful/ideal for nighttime drives.
Cobra Dualpro 360 Review Conclusion
Overall, the Cobra DualPro 360° delivers impeccable performance, especially when compared to the Escort Max360. Very good BSM filtering, automatic GPS lockouts (which is a first for a Cobra detector) and a bright easy-to-read OLED display make navigation easier than ever.
William Johnson is the owner and founder of RatedRadarDetector.org. He writes about car accessories, with his passion stemming from a deep enthusiasm for all things automotive. His website, RRD, focuses on in-depth reviews of car accessories to help people find the best and latest products in the market.
