Saphe Drive Pro – the awesome driving gadget we didn’t know we wanted
We recently took delivery of the saphe drive PRO, which is essentially a traffic camera alarm, and were keen to check it out and see why people are starting to rave about it. So we wrote what we think is a fair and independent review of this new driving gadget.
So let’s start with who Saphe is, and where they have come from
Saphe is a leading Danish technology company, founded in 2015, who’ve experienced considerable growth in a short time. That success is illustrated by the fact that approx 20% of cars in Denmark carry a Saphe traffic alarm. That is amazing!
In fact, it is the best-selling traffic alarm product in Europe, and excitingly is now available for us folk in the UK. Great news. Saphe currently has a choice of traffic alarms, led by the saphe drive PRO, currently available to buy on Amazon – also available with FREE DELIVERY through Prime. Even better, with this link, and using discount code ‘MYCARH15’ you can get 15% off.
To help, we’ve broken our review to highlight what will be important to drivers.
SETUP
What is quite apparent is how short and simple it is to setup. Not only is everything clear and well presented, the actual process was simple and speedy. Just turn it on, download the app (Play Store or App Store) – which requires you to simply create a non intrusive profile – and then sync the two, was all it required. Easy Peasy!
QUALITY
The quality of the products, and the packaging – which we find is quite important and gives you the first impression – is actually quite impressive, and distills confidence. The Saphe Drive PRO comes with a helpful LED display, with further premium quality materials used throughout.
The noise quality was highly important here. Too loud and it’ll get annoying and you’d be put off and hate it. The alarm was loud enough to raise attention over music (if not blaring), but subtle and short enough to nudge you without disrupting your driving. It’s obvious Saphe has gone through rigorous user testing to get to this stage, which is very impressive.
ACCURACY
I’ve driven around for a few days, hastily seeking out speed cameras – said nobody ever before!!
We wanted to test how far in advance the alarm triggered prior to reaching the camera, and the alarm alerted approx 200m prior, when driving on slower roads, and approx 400 metres when travelling on the motorways / dual carriageways. This might seem a small feature, but is very smart, making it adjust to the different speeds to ensure all drivers are given proportionate time to react and prepare.
BATTERY
The packaging boasts of a rechargeable battery, which takes 8 hours to fully charge, but lasting up to 6 months – which is brilliant, if only our smartphones were like this. What creates this longevity is that the alarm turns on and off automatically once you depart the car, optimising its juice. Smart.
PRICE
As listed above, the Saphe Drive PRO currently retails at £69.99, but can be yours for just £59.49 with the discount code ‘MYCARH15‘. Given the coverage, longevity and build quality, this seems rather good value to us.
PRODUCT OBJECTIVE
Let’s skin it back to the ultimate objective – what is it designed to do? Well, its task is to increase traffic safety, avoid accidents and speeding fines. The Saphe Drive PRO simply delivers, without being overly intrusive on your driving experience. It delivered on all fronts, giving sufficient warning of impending accidents and traffic or speed cameras. Marrying this with the simplicity of setup and use, plus the fact you don’t need to use your phone whilst driving, we give the Saphe Drive PRO a huge thumbs up and would happily recommend this to become a permanent fixture in your vehicle.
Summary
We had great fun playing with this tiny new gadget. Although not an essential accessory, it increases road safety, reducing the risk of collision, and helps you avoid driving fines. The alarm is resilient, feels premium and offers you the drivers, simplicity. We love it!
It’s a pity it doesn’t pick up mobile speed cameras
Hi Dave,
Have you reached out to the manufacturer?
Just bought a saphe pro but finding it is not picking up all static cameras, instruction with unit very poor, still don’t know wether it auto updates or not