Skip to main content

Cobra CDR 855 BT review

Cobra’s latest dash cam packs high features into your low budget

Cobra Drive HD
Cobra CDR 855 BT
MSRP $149.99
“For most consumers, new to the dash camera market a device like the Cobra 855 BT is a fantastic place to start.”
Pros
  • Simple design and controls
  • Affordable pricing
  • 160 degree viewing angle
Cons
  • Requires iRadar app for GPS
  • Cobra 875 G offers more for only $30 extra

The dash camera market is being flooded with outside competitors offering more features for less money. To counter this, big name manufacturers are releasing a line of new products to try and stay ahead of the curve.

For the team at Cobra, they looked to build upon their great line of cameras, like the CDR 900 we reviewed last year. But can they reduce the price, improve the design, and stay ahead of the competition? We gave the Cobra 855 BT Dash Cam a whirl to find out.

Initial camera setup

The packaging includes the 855 BT camera unit, windshield mount, USB to Micro USB cable, 8GB MicroSD card, and 12-volt power cable. Because this is a budget device, the camera body is composed of light plastics that can feel rather unsubstantial. This isn’t to say that the camera will fall apart in your hands, but don’t expect a solid metal build like the stuff from some manufacturers like Vantrue. The design of the camera is thankfully more rounded than the “simple and square” style of last year’s CDR 900. For this updated design, Cobra has also improved the interface to incorporate four buttons under the display screen. This allows for easy access to common controls like the display on/off, mute/unmute, pause/record, and capture photo actions. Additionally, you find a button above the screen to capture and save an “Emergency Recording” so it cannot be overwritten.

On the right side of the unit is an HDMI output and Micro USB port. The left side has a slot for the MicroSD card and an “unused” accessory port (used to connect GPS on CDR 875G model). The camera will turn on and begin to record once plugged into a power source in your vehicle. A small battery can power the unit for around 30 minutes, but keeping it plugged in is recommended. The default setting records in the highest 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution at 30fps. At this quality, you will fill the standard 8GB memory card in around two and a half hours. The lower 1080 x 720 pixel resolution setting at both 60fps or 30fps will fill the memory card at around two and four hours, respectively.

Cobra iRadar application

For most consumers, new to the dash camera market a device like the Cobra 855 BT is a fantastic place to start.

Those who quickly glance at the product description of the 855 BT might assume GPS is built within the unit. Unfortunately, the system requires you use Bluetooth to pair a smartphone running the iRadar application in order to keep track of the video location. The application offers a nice interface and quickly connected our iPhone 6 to the Cobra 855 BT camera. Other benefits of the iRadar application include alerts for red-light cameras and speed traps as reported by the community using the app. The drawback of this GPS system is that you will need to remember to connect your phone each time you set off, and it’s a manual process each time. For those who regularly prefer something like the Waze application for road alerts, this may be inconvenient to have another background app running.

Video quality and features

With a 160-degree viewing angle, the Cobra camera really captures every detail of the road ahead of you. Out of the cameras we have tested, the Vantrue R1 Pro is the only one that outmatches the video quality and viewing angle for the price. At $150, the Cobra has great value for the quality of video and a fair amount of detail can be seen in the 1080p quality setting. In low light, the camera also does a good job adapting to street lights and you can make out the details for surrounding cars and signs. In fact, the quality at night is on par with the more expensive cameras like the BlackVue DR650GW.

Like most cameras, the Cobra 855 BT has a built in G-Sensor that will store recordings in the case of an accident. The system will also auto-detect when the vehicle is stationary — for five or 10 minutes dependent on the settings — and automatically activate Parking Mode. We found that in slow traffic, the G-Sensor would assume you were stopped even if crawling at around 15 mph and the camera would prompt, asking if you would like to switch to Parking Mode. Changes in the G-Sensor sensitivity helped with this, but it would also trigger an accident recording when going over some larger potholes on a couple occasions. The automatic Parking Mode can be completely disabled for those who don’t want to use the camera while stationary.

Conclusion

If you’re new to the dash camera market, a device like the Cobra 855 BT is a fantastic place to start. If you are open to using the iRadar application for road alerts and GPS location on your videos, then you will have very few problems with this camera. But for some people, the lack of built-in GPS may turn them off completely. For that buyer, the extra $30 for a Cobra 875 G that includes a GPS unit that attaches to the camera — and doesn’t require the iRadar app — may be a better decision. Whatever you decide, Cobra remains one of the better options for compact and affordable cameras in the market.

Nolan Browning
Nolan grew up in a space balanced between the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles' high-gloss exotics and the Mojave desert's…
The Apple Car was reportedly dubbed ‘the Bread Loaf’
A man checks his phone in an Apple retail store in Grand Central Terminal.

A 2020 prototype of the so-called "Apple Car" was dubbed "the Bread Loaf" for its looks, according to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday.

In a deep dive into the costly project, which Apple canceled last month, the report described the vehicle as “a white minivan with rounded sides, an all-glass roof, sliding doors, and whitewall tires [that] was designed to comfortably seat four people and inspired by the classic flower-power Volkswagen microbus.”

Read more
The Rivian R2 SUV is up for preorder for only $45,000
Rivian R2

You can now get a Rivian without spending more than $70,000. After months of rumors and leaks, Rivian has finally taken the wraps off of the Rivian R2, its newest SUV, and the first to be built on the new Rivian R2 platform. The R2 is built to be Rivian's "Model 3 moment," or its attempt to build a car that's more accessible to the general public and thus could be sold at a much higher volume than the R1S or R1T ever were.

The R2 certainly cuts some corners to achieve the lower price point, but it actually still has a lot going for it -- especially as an electric SUV in this price range. It goes up against the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Mustang Mach-E, and Kia EV6, but it's much more of an SUV than a crossover-sized car and should appeal to those who want something larger and with Rivian's design sensibility.

Read more
The R3 is Rivian’s surprise electric crossover
Rivian R3

Rivian didn't just announce the R2 platform at its latest launch event -- in a surprise twist, it also announced the R3 crossover. The R3 is Rivian's smallest car yet, offering a size much closer to the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 than the SUVs that came before it.

Of course, not only is the Rivian R3 smaller, but presumably, it's also cheaper. Rivian didn't reveal actual pricing for the car, but it did say that it would be less than the R2's $45,000 price. Also, it may be some time before we start seeing the R3 on the road -- the car will follow the R2, which isn't set to be available until the first half of 2026.

Read more