I'm not sure how much of the technology is new as the 9500ix has GPS capabilities as well and is still one of their best radar detectors. The Max 360 adds directional arrow technology after V1 patent came off, and bluetooth built in which allows you to connect to Android and iOS phones. Their award winning ****** Live app is pretty cool but it's basically Google map with ******'s reporting and database built in. If you are in an area where there are a lot of ****** Live users, then you will get the most information on speed cameras and Ka band reporting. I don't find it very useful in my area of CA as we don't have many speed cameras if any. There is one speed trap area listed in Santa Maria, CA which is the only thing reported on the entire central coast. The Live app also has a cool second Dashboard window you can display that has GPS speedo that is large and readable along with speed limit for that segment of road, and access to your music controls. Not something we really need with Sync 3. The digital speedo is pretty cool though and useful.
I run this app in the background so that I still receive voice alerts. I usually run Waze app in the foreground as I like it's mapping, and there are way more users in our area reporting police, accidents, slow traffic etc.. Waze also shows the actual speed of the traffic in slow traffic areas so you can plan your route better.
As far as the radar detector itself, I'm really impressed with it. I was driving through town last night and got a Ka hit on the frontage road. At first I thought it was a false signal because it was near a busy intersection and grocery stores and gas stations, but when I got up near the strong signal band, there were flashing lights and he /she had someone pulled over in town. The sensitivity was set on auto and I picked it up about a half mile away at a 90 degree setting. The police was on the other side of the interstate to my right. The arrows were right on through the whole interaction from front to side and then front again and then back as I left the scene. Then I drove a ways past and the police car pulled out and was behind me with radar still on. I pulled over on a side street and walla there were two of them working together. One was a Ford Explorer and the other a sedan. They followed each other through a small segment of town and then split up for a bit and then went around opposite sides of a big block. it was cool to track the signal with the Max 360.
After doing some research on this radar detector it looks like there were some recent firmware issues when Apple upgraded phones to iOS 11. It was causing BT connection issues and freezing issues. They got fixed a month ago but I'm sticking with my original firmware it came with and iOS 10 for now. It connects fast to bluetooth once the ****** Live app is started. The app gives you another meter display and the ability to mute the detector. It also reports any Ka activity or Laser activity to the Live community automatically. There is some concern with ****** collecting data on individuals driving behavior. I'm not sure how much of that is a concern and if they would ever use this info against you in the future ie. Facebook/ Google/ NSA collaboration. lol
To block X and K band signals from speed signs , stores etc. it uses it's built in GPS, memory bank , and auto learn feature or you can manually block them by pressing the mute button 3 times when the alarm goes off. Once these are in the memory, they will block these from being audible but they will show up on the display. It also uses priority settings to block these signals if another band is present at the same time. This happened last night as I was driving away from this officer , I ran through a K band speed sign zone as his signal was fading and it went to K band signal, then the radar detector switched back to Ka band once he pulled out and was behind me about 500 - 600 yards. You can also set it up to display multiple signals at one time with amplitudes for each signal and signal type. So really what this adds over the 9500 ix is bluetooth and directional arrows and a few new tweaks in the settings. The detection range is much longer as well. The arrows are worth the extra $$$ to me. I really like to know where the signal is coming from and if they are coming up behind me or sitting out in front of me.
The biggest advantages of this Max 360 over other detectors for me are the directional arrows, bluetooth integration with iphone and Live app, easy setup through the iphone / ****** Live app menus, powerful sticky suction mount included, and the ability to block unwanted signals by hitting the mute button 3 times are using auto learn built in technology.
The only cons I can see so far are that it is bulkier than the 9500 ix . It fits the Raptor style though. It's more expensive than most of the newer radar detectors out there. I was able to get one off Amazon for $509 on Black Friday. Although it doesn't need to be sent back to factory for firmware upgrades, the upgrade process is still a little quirky. It requires a USB to micro USB cord (not included) to a PC computer or Mac with Windows 7 or above. I'd like to see that switched to in car upgrades using the Live app software. There is a newer Max 360 c that has built in Wifi and can be upgraded via wifi signal. I don't see any other advantage of the built in wifi model.
Uniden R1 and R3
The Uniden R3 was out of stock last week, but it is back now and runs about $399. The R3 has no bluetooth and no directional arrows and all on board programming (no phone app integration). It is the number 1 rated detector by a few independent sources in the last few months due to it's superior detection range which blew away the Valentine 1 and ****** Redline in actual road tests. It is smaller than the Max 360 but the sounds are a little annoying to me. You can change the volume and the type of sound you want. The R3 can also learn to block unwanted signals as well manually. What ever they tell you about being able to block unwanted signals out of the box is a bunch of BS. Believe me, it will drive you nuts to have K and X band turned on without blocking every signal you find that is unwanted. I think that is the only drawback to a really sensitive radar detector, is the unwanted signals. I just turned them off here in CA because they are not used here by police in this area. If you do mostly highway driving this one might fit your needs. If you need K band detection in your area and you do mostly city driving then I'd stick with the Max 360. If you are into cool apps and want cool directional arrows then the Max 360 is for you.
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