Spot have recently released the new SPOT Gen 4. It definitely looks the business with a sleek new design but has anything really changed underneath this slick new exterior? No, it’s about 90% the exact same product.

What’s Changed

• Design
  • Spot has moved away from the rubber casing and buttons to a hard case design.

• Spot Gen 4 has an IP68 waterproof rating as opposed to the Spot Gen 3 with only an IPX7
  • IP68 means the following:
    • 6 – denotes that this device is protected from contact with harmful dust. The previous Spot Gen3 had no dust rating, hence the X.
    • 8 – denotes that this device is protected from immersion in water with a depth of more than 1 meter.
  • Spot Gen 4 cannot be powered from an external 5V USB anymore. There’s literally no USB port, so this is likely how they got the improved waterproof rating.

What can the Spot Gen 4 do?

The Spot series devices are Satellite Communicators designed to keep you safe when you’re wandering off the grid. The Spot Gen 4 has SOS rescue capabilities, GPS tracking and messaging to any mobile/email in the world.

These features do require an active subscription, the subscription is organised directly with Spot via their activation page.

Is it worth upgrading?

No, unless your Spot Gen 3 is suffering significant problems.