Cardo has just announced the latest in its long line of state-of-the-art intercom units for motorcycle riders: the Cardo Packtalk Pro, the crowning feature being a super convenient built-in crash detection system, a huge first for intercoms from Cardo and perfect for motorcyclist safety going forward!

This crash detection chip will be able to detect if the worst were to happen, using a three-part system to detect if you are in an accident and alert a chosen favourite contact.

Elsewhere, the matte black unit features the same premium technology as the Packtalk Edge – the Pro including Bluetooth 5.2, 45mm JBL speakers, Dynamic Mesh Communication, the air mount system and more. More on these new features is found below!

We head over to Buckingham for a fitting and test ride of the Packtalk Pro, with Team Cardo on hand to answer our questions – and a group ride so Alex can test the Mesh Intercom system out with a group of friendly journalists.

With an expected arrival date of late June, availability of the Packtalk Pro is due to be slap bang in the middle of ‘riding season’ at select outlets and online at cardosystems.com.

Pricing of the Packtalk Pro is set as £405 for the UK market, though there will not be any duo-packs made available – these are set to be sold strictly as a single unit.

Building on the existing features of the Packtalk Edge as the 'base model', the Pro will add:

• Crash detection.
• Auto on-and-off, the device turning on and off when it detects you putting your helmet on.
• Larger 45mm JBL speakers.
• A sleek matte black finish.

Alongside the additional Pro features, other features (as seen with the Packtalk Edge) include:

• Sound by JBL audio system, but now with bigger 45mm speakers.
• Air Mount. Patented magnetic mount.
• 2nd Generation DMC. Easy grouping. Auto re-connect.
• Natural Voice Operation.
• IP67 Waterproof.
• Live Bluetooth Intercom. Wideband sound, auto re-connect
• Range of up to 1.6km/1 mi.
• Over-The-Air Software Updates. No cables, just the Cardo app.
• 3-year warranty.
• Seamlessly connects with any other major brand (like Sena).
• Fast charging with USB-C

Having used the Packtalk Edge extensively since it was launched, these are welcome updates to an already stellar product – particular favourites are the voice operation, solid air mount, mesh connection and a super easy installation process. Simply take out the inner lining, place the unit in the desired area of your helmet, fit the speaker in the ear holes and mic up front, stick it all back together and you’re away – after updating the system over-the-air with your smartphone app!

Certainly the star of the Pro show, this is a huge feature for the safety of motorcyclists - and getting help to you as soon as possible should the worst occur during a ride.

Cardo's Packtalk Pro unit comes fitted with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) chip sensor built in to detect any abnormalities whilst riding, and paired to your phone and the ‘Cardo Cloud’ can figure out (with continuous measurements and calculations based on acceleration and angular velocity) what you’re up to – and no, it doesn’t record this data.

If the system detects a crash, or your phone losing connection, it will first signal to you as the rider that an abnormality is detected. If you do not deactivate the triggered warning, the next step will be the Cardo Cloud recording your GPS location and sending a message to the trusted contact you added via the setup process in the dedicated Cardo App on your phone – at this stage only one contact is allowed (but can be changed), though expect this to increase over time.

This means that all of the warning triggers are linked to the Cardo Cloud, so if your phone is unable to connect to the internet or the intercom is damaged in a crash, the Cardo Cloud can still send out the message – unless you cancel the system in the event of a ‘false positive’ crash by pressing any button on the unit, saying “ignore” or cancelling the warning on your phone screen within 30 seconds.

Cardo has run extensive testing with a lifelike dummy and multiple crash scenarios to test the unit ahead of launch and also noted that the algorithm is always learning – much like the airbag deployment systems used in some top-spec jackets. It's also well worth noting that there is no ongoing subscription in order to use the Cardo service.

This safety system could be a real game-changer for those who enjoy a solo ride in the sun, particularly off-piste where other riders and road users may not be in the vicinity to alert help to your location. On that note, this crash detection system can be switched off in the app, and as of yet is not set to work off-road.

As part of our fitting and presentation of the unit, a group of around 6 of us all paired up our intercoms and set off for a quick blast in the countryside to test the capabilities of the Mesh unit, with around 1 mile of connectivity quoted. The setup took quite literally 30 seconds, where we all pressed the pair button for 5 seconds, and suddenly the voice of other journalists in the proximity filled my ears – happy days.

If you’re not aware of Dynamic Mesh Communication (DMC), it simply allows up to 15 riders to pair up their Cardo units and all have direct communications with one another. I found the clarity of voice to be top-notch, regardless of what helmet the rider was wearing and what they were riding – the speakers and microphone used are top of the line, and even wind noise through the helmets was entirely muted to other riders!

Naturally, there were some points on the ride where the rearmost rider was too far away and cut off from direct line of sight due to town buildings, though thanks to the Mesh setup they were instantly reconnected to the group. The ‘group max range’ is quoted at 5 miles, as the connection will feed through each rider over that extensive range.

So all in, the unit will happily work for large groups, and management of those groups is done easily within the app. You can even switch off your mic with a ‘hey Cardo mic off’, and happily you can still play your music without the music seeping through to your pal's ears.

Air mount returns, ensuring a solid and quick means of attaching the unit to your helmet – in my case the Shark Skwal i3.

USB-C fast charging features, with 13 hours of battery life quoted per charge.

Cross-brand connectivity is also noted, so you can pair up your Cardo unit with Sena (and other) units.

Everything you need to fit the unit to your helmet is found in the box – regardless of open-face, flip-front or full face helmet, with specific microphones and connections found within.

General usage, with a solid scroll wheel and defined buttons that even with gloved hands are easy to use – alongside the stellar voice activation feature. It’s so simple to interact with your phone for music and calls, even without it in touching distance.

You can pair the intercom to some GoPro and Insta360 units, syncing up your audio (and audio from your connected ride buddies) to the video recording - a very handy feature for our upcoming BikeMatters YouTube video reviews! 

After a day with the new Cardo Packtalk Pro, and a long ride home to enjoy the new JBL speakers with some favourite music on, this new unit continues on from the big steps made from the Packtalk Edge – which I thoroughly enjoy using.

New features in crash detection and auto on/off are big steps in the right direction, both in solo riding safety and general day-to-day use. As they are improvements to the Edge unit, they can only be a good thing.

So, is it worth the £405 retail price? I’d have to go with yes. It’s certainly an ultra-premium product at a premium price tag, but once you have a Cardo unit fitted to your favourite helmet, you’ll never look back.

More to come from this unit over the year as I get more use out of the unit! Big thanks to Cardo for having BikeMatters in attendance for the day.