The Escort Passport 9500ix and the Beltronics GX65 are the top two windshield mount radar detectors currently available on the market today. They both have a GPS lockout feature that distinguishes them from the rest of the GPS radar detectors out there. This unique feature allows these units to lock out any radar signal based on GPS location and radar frequency so your detector will not alert to the same radar frequency next time you pass the same location. There are no other windshield mount detectors available from any other company that contain this feature, making these two units the most desirable GPS radar detectors out there. KHI Escorts
So, which one is best for you? Well, first off, these radar detectors are extremely similar in performance and features. In fact, they are both based on the same radar detection platform (the M4). Other than the Escort 9500ci (a unit that costs more than three times the price of the Beltronics GX65), these are the top performing GPS units out there in terms of sensitivity. In the long run, you won't get the top of the line range with these units, but they are definitely capable enough to warn you far ahead of time.
There are two key differences between the GX65 and the Passport 9500ix. The biggest difference is the Escort Passport 9500ix's ability to automatically lock out false alarms when you drive past one three times. The GX65 doesn't have this ability and locations can only be locked out manually. With the GX65, when you encounter a false alert, you need to press a button to lock it out. While the automatic learning functionality might be nice, we don't consider this a must have feature as we consider ourselves capable of locking out the signals we want. This actually could be considered desirable as certain locations may be locked out automatically if the same patrol car is in the same spot three times in a row.
The second difference is the multiple radar source display screen. The Passport 9500ix can display four X-band, two K-band and 2 Ka-band signals along with their strength on one single screen. The GX65 can only display one X-band, one K-band and one Ka-band signal on it's screen at one time. Again, we don't think this is a necessary feature, although it could help out in some situations where there may be multiple police officers using the same band.
Overall, both the Escort Passport 9500ix and the Beltronics GX65 are highly capable GPS radar detectors and either one will be able to protect you very well. The GX65 is a bit cheaper than then 9500ix, so if you are looking for a bargain, you should definitely look into the Beltronics unit. If you are someone who likes to have the latest and most advanced features, you should probably look into the 9500ix.
