Database Users

Digging in ... do any head units currently support these items?

I'm (hopefully tomorrow) replacing my dying Jeep. Likely candidates are a 2014 Rav4 or a 2012 Town and Country. Both seem to have good double-din slots without having a lot of vehicle subsystems tied to the factory HU. So ... I am beginning to investigate putting in an Android HU.
I'd like a recommendation on the best HU -for me- ... I know it isn't going to be the same for everyone. What I'm looking for, in no particular order, and not all of these are must-haves:
* community-supported ROMs
* 2GB RAM is highly desired.
* video input for the factory-equipped backup camera
* steering wheel controls (I'm assuming I need an adapter specific for whichever car I buy, probably not included with the HU but I want the HU to be able to accept them if possible)
* Decent sound quality output
* Good radio reception (does the US have an equivalent to DAB?) ... I'm willing to use an external FM module if that ends up being the highest quality option. App support is included in the word "good" here. And as likely figured out, I'm in the U.S.
* Some SIMPLE form of external storage (SD card is fine, USB HD is fine, I even have a spare 60GB SSD with built-in USB port since I just rebuilt my PC)
* Ability to tether to my WiFi hotspot (currently it would be a Nexus 5 phone) OR Bluetooth data connection (but I've found BT data sharing to be less well supported).
* Lollipop? I realize from searching there aren't any out there yet (pfft @ Parrot for nixing the aftermarket version of the RNB6) ... I'm not in a big rush to do the upgrade RIGHT NOW, if I can wait a few months to get a 5.x HU I will do that. Just need to know if such a model is known to be in the works?
I might go with a tablet-in-dash alternative, but would rather have a full HU. I've looked at various applink/mirrorlink solutions and found them all wanting.

>community-supported ROMs
Yes, most of us are using the custom ROMs made by Malaysk.
>2GB RAM is highly desired.
They are all 1GB devices and use nearly the same integrated CPU/RAM chipsets right now. I am pretty sure that we will see 2GB devices eventually but all of them right now are 1GB. But frankly for everything you need to do on these units 1GB is fine, just like it is for most android tablets. And the quad core devices are very responsive and snappy, going from dual core to quad core makes more of a performance difference in experience.
>* video input for the factory-equipped backup camera
Pretty much every unit has a standard composite input dedicated for backup cameras which are activated with 12v on the backup signal line. They are all also able to show the backup camera before the system is fully booted, so you turn the car on, put it in reverse and you can see the backup camera while the android continues to boot in the background (15-30secs).
>* steering wheel controls (I'm assuming I need an adapter specific for whichever car I buy, probably not included with the HU but I want the HU to be able to accept them if possible)
A standard feature, and most cars are based on the same standard.
>* Decent sound quality output
I have found they have good sound output. Especially for playing MP3's. They also extensive audio controls and EQ capabilities so you can really tune the sound compared to most factory units of "Bass/Treble".
>* Good radio reception (does the US have an equivalent to DAB?) ... I'm willing to use an external FM module if that ends up being the highest quality option. App support is included in the word "good" here. And as likely figured out, I'm in the U.S.
Some say the AM/FM is more sensitive than their factory radio was. I find it to be about equal in my case.
>* Some SIMPLE form of external storage (SD card is fine, USB HD is fine, I even have a spare 60GB SSD with built-in USB port since I just rebuilt my PC)
Most units have a couple of SD card slots that can use whatever SD card size you want. I have a 32GB and a 64GB in mine. They also support whatever USB sticks you want to use on their USB ports. They maybe do not work with USB hard drives from what I have read, you would beed to research further.
>* Ability to tether to my WiFi hotspot (currently it would be a Nexus 5 phone) OR Bluetooth data connection (but I've found BT data sharing to be less well supported).
Most all support wifi tethering, but they do not support bluetooth tethering because the bluetooth is actually handled by a dedicated bluetooth card designed for audio/phone control.
>* Lollipop? I realize from searching there aren't any out there yet (pfft @ Parrot for nixing the aftermarket version of the RNB6) ... I'm not in a big rush to do the upgrade RIGHT NOW, if I can wait a few months to get a 5.x HU I will do that. Just need to know if such a model is known to be in the works?
Its a nice to have, but there are more 4.x devices in the world than their are 5.x and it will be supported for quite awhile. I am not sure what all it buys us anyway because 4.x is stable and 5.x new features really only apply to phones.
Basically, most all the current android head units are based on the same internal hardware designs, the and main differences are in the physical front panel layout of what buttons, or knobs, or if you want a dvd slot or not etc.. my recommendation is that you get one with the best options available right now which are a) quad core, b) 1024x600 screen res, c) 16GB internal flash storage. Other than those specs its all down to the physical design of the units front panel for the most part.
I chose the carjoying unit shown in this topic because I thought it was the best choice of front panel design(no dvd slot to waste screen space, at least one knob and not all touch(yuck), etc)... to fit in my standard double din auto.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/and...oying-rk3188-rk3066-2-din-head-units-t3193170

nixfu said:
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Click to collapse
Thank you for the response

nixfu said:
>community-supported ROMs
Yes, most of us are using the custom ROMs made by Malaysk.
>2GB RAM is highly desired.
They are all 1GB devices and use nearly the same integrated CPU/RAM chipsets right now. I am pretty sure that we will see 2GB devices eventually but all of them right now are 1GB. But frankly for everything you need to do on these units 1GB is fine, just like it is for most android tablets. And the quad core devices are very responsive and snappy, going from dual core to quad core makes more of a performance difference in experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Newsmy units (NU3001, NU5002, etc) have 2GB of RAM and we were able to get the source for one of the ROM versions and developed a custom ROM from the source
http://forum.xda-developers.com/and...4-4-2-kitkat-head-unit-newsmy-carpad-t2865525

Are there any units that have two camera inputs for rear and front camera?

So I finally found a car ... ended up buying a 2006 Toyota Sienna Limited with less than 50K miules (insert long rant about flying across country to pick up a 2013 Rav4 only to find the dealer mis-advertised and accepted payment for the wrong trim level).
After a lot of contemplation, and realizing I want to be able to do a mirrored set up in my camper-van (a giant E350 diesel) ... I've changed gears and am sifting through how-to's on doing a 7" tablet with a plain amp, joyconn controller for the steering wheel controls, and magnetic mounts so that I can swap my tablet from 1 vehicle to another.
But thanks for all of the input on my newbie questions.
I think I'm actually taking on a significantly harder project if I'm really going to do it right ... but being able to take my tablet with me and put it in 2 different vehicles (maybe 3 if my wife decides to let me do the same rigging to her Rogue) along with keeping up with latest versions of Android will keep me happier in the long run.
HOWEVER, this is the spot I could still be convinced on ... does anyone know of a hot-swappable double din system? If I could yank the whole thing out I might go back to a full headend and just not worry about carrying it around outside of those 2 vehicles. I did some searching but I'm guessing due to the added size required for rail hardware this probably doesn't exist.

Great questions and fantastic answers. Thank you!

Advice on what to buy

Hello all,
I'm after a new head unit for my truck, I use the truck for a lot of off roading and for this I use an android based maping software!
So I'm after a single din android head unit with a flip up screen, the ability to transmit to other screens (thinking about a sunvisor screen) it would be nice if I could have a camera input or two, and the ability to connect my phone for handfree phone calls! Also due to the mapping software GPS capabilities, optinal it would be nice to plug a hddd or memory stick with into it for music input
Does anyone have any advice on what would fit my needs?
Thenskae505

My only issue is ruggedness. Sounds like you may want to look at a tablet worth a holder.
Sent from my SM-N930P using Tapatalk

I currently use a tablet, problem I have with it is the tablets I have used 7inch and 10 inch are very bulky, I like the idea of a headunit because it can retract, if I was to mount a tablet it would cover some of my other dials/controls! Also I use the truck for work every day and having a tablet on display wouldn't be a good idea
Is an android headunit really less rugged then the cd player I currently have??

what vehicle is it?

If you are comparing to a name brand unit like Kenwood or pioneer. I would have to say yes
Sent from my SM-N930P using Tapatalk

It's a mitsubishi pajero,
I don't think ruggedNess would be a problem buts it's a risk I'm going to take!

do they make a vehicle specific unit? that would be the best for less bumping around

CadillacMike said:
do they make a vehicle specific unit? that would be the best for less bumping around
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately not, it's just an old school single din head unit slot!

thesnake505 said:
Hello all,
I'm after a new head unit for my truck, I use the truck for a lot of off roading and for this I use an android based maping software!
So I'm after a single din android head unit with a flip up screen, the ability to transmit to other screens (thinking about a sunvisor screen) it would be nice if I could have a camera input or two, and the ability to connect my phone for handfree phone calls! Also due to the mapping software GPS capabilities, optinal it would be nice to plug a hddd or memory stick with into it for music input
Does anyone have any advice on what would fit my needs?
Thenskae505
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thesnake505 said:
It's a mitsubishi pajero,
I don't think ruggedNess would be a problem buts it's a risk I'm going to take!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A single din head unit with the flip out display will sooner than later break or wear out the motorized gear assembly or ribbon cable. This is especially true with any of the android head units available today and even more so when any of these units are used off road. That said, you can still listen to music on the android single din head units with the display retracted. Although, not being able to use the display while off road defeats the purpose of having it for gps or cameras etc.. To clarify a little more, I had a single din android hu in my 3rd gen montero limited (same as the larger size pajero or shogun, but not the sport), and the display was no where near strong enough to handle all the bouncing around while off road. In turn, I relocated the heater - ac controls to the wallet pocket in the upper center console and installed a double din joying hu. This may or not be an option for you too, depending on how your specific pajero dash, heater - ac controls, center console, and wallet pocket align.
As to the ability to transmit to other displays, I'm not aware of any decent android hu options for that except for maybe the Newsmy Carpad units that use hdmi out on a separate android box to feed its double din display. Please note that most android units will only display a dvd to another screen, and the dvd's only transmitted through the micro controller unit and not through the android system. Nonetheless, there may be a couple of different units out now that may be able to push what's on the main display to other displays, but again I'm not aware of any myself. Hopefully someone here will be able to chime in with some good suggestions for that.
In regard to hands free phone calls via bt to the hu, that's possible, although the voice quality and volume level can be sub par on many units without a hardware mod and a decent quality external mic.
For cameras, I set up a waterproof front camera just below the front bumper license plate frame that runs through the AV-in input. It's used as a front parking and off road camera. I also installed a rear waterproof back up camera with on-off switches, so it can be viewed at any time or turned off completely. Please note that neither of these cameras have dvr capabilities, so I installed a thinkware 750 front and rear camera kit plus three more 1080p dvr type cameras to help cover and record the front, rear, and side views.
With regard to using a hard drive or memory stick, both should work, but neither has been needed here. This is due to the joying hu having two micro sd card slots, and I've had no problem running fat32 formatted 64GB and 128GB sdxc cards packed with music, vids, pics, etc..
Bottom line is that you'll most likely regret a flip out hu unless you do not mind fixing or replacing it sooner than later. Plus, IMHO, most if not all aftermarket flip up displays are too slow, annoying, and clunky.
Best of luck,
R

So having read and took on board what yoy have said, what double din unit would be recommended? ?

Hello from Michigan

i'm new to the forum but have been lurking and reading up for quite a while on these android head units.
I need to replace the head unit in my 2009 Subaru Forester. I kind of a gadget freak, so these android units caught my eye. I was interested in the DSP units from androidautoshop.com but they warned me away from them and recommended their FX8 units (though they didn't really say why except that they were better quality).
The option I was looking at before the DSP unit was a new XTRONS unit which I could get from amazon. They seem to be well regarded from what I've read and the sound quality sounds like it's pretty good with the new amp chips they are using. Now just the other day I ran across a Dasaita unit on amazon that is specific fit for my vehicle so it wouldn't need an installation kit and BONUS has a 9" screen!
Does anyone have any insight on these units? If I go with an android unit it's going to be to satisfy my tech geek so I'm going to want to be able to customize it.
I need it to have good sound. Doesn't have to be audiophile quality, but good.
Decent to good FM reception.
good connection for Bluetooth (i've heard in particular that some of these units have both connection and sound quality issues with bluetooth)
ability to connect to an ODBII sensor for my car. One that I choose, not dictated to me by the head unit company prefereably.
ability to connect to an aftermarket rear view camera.
able to use Waze and Google maps. preferably with audible directions. also offline mapping for those occasions when I don't have a cell connection.
Ideally I would be connecting these direct to speakers, with the possiblity of adding external amplification down the road.
AndroidAutoShop.com FX8 - I have concerns about them and they don't really say much about why this unit is the best.
XTRONS - seems to be popular from what i've read, though i'm not sure about the bluetooth
Dasaita - love the look of the 9" screen with no ugly install kit. Quite a bit more expensive but possibly worth it? I just can't find much info about these. I think I read somewhere on this site that they were pretty good, but I don't know where and it wasn't about this specific unit.
I'm not allowed to post links to the 3 units above yet, but the first one is on androidautoshop and the last 2 are readily available on Amazon.
Are any of these a good choice for me? or possibly a different recommendation? or should I just forget it and go with a higher end Kenwood or Pioneer head unit with Android Auto and use an HDMI for any video needs? I'm not against tinkering and these seem like a really cool option (possibly saving money over traditional head untis as well) but I don't want to get a giant headache that just never works right.
any help from you guys is greatly appreciated.

Guidance for Android Head Unit

I currently have a Kenwood KVT614 head unit that I hate with a passion. I can't stand the useless screen (without apps it really serves no purpose), the navigation software and about everything.
As a result I am considering switching the head unit out and I love the idea of something running android.
My car is an electric car and it only has a single DIN slot, so I am somewhat constrained in my choices.
Ideally I am looking for an android head unit that covers the following:
- Can run android apps, e.g. navigation (both offline and online via the phone)
- Tethering - I read that some headunits have issues with Bluetooth tethering which is obviously much better for phone battery
- Having an electric car, I actually want the headunit to turn OFF (not sleep) when the car is off
- Screen size: not too big - probably 6-7 inches or I saw some "very wide" widescreens at 8.8 inches that would fit well
- I also like the idea of screen mirroring or android auto (and carplay) working but I would very much prefer for this to work via wireless (not some stupid cable)
- power consumption would ideally be as little as possible with this being in an electric car ...
Does anyone have any recommendations?
I have been looking at some of Joying units, since they seem to be the most modern android head units with 4GB RAM, 32 or 64GB storage and running Android 8.0 or 8.1 …
Would love to get some feedback.

And how do I determine whether a head unit is a MTCB or MTCD, or whatever?
Is there a database or list somewhere? Does this no longer apply to new headunits?

It's too bad there is no sticky or wiki with recommendations and some guides.
Once you know your board (MTCx) there is some decent info, but for someone looking for a single DIN headunit there current forum setup is pretty useless.

No one helps here much.

The new joying intel based units have a new dsp chip that will blow everything out of the water in android platforms. I ordered on last week. Will be doing a review on it by next weekend hopefully

My Wish List vs ATOTO / Xtrons / Dasaita

Hey guys,
Hoping to hear your thoughts and opinions, the good/bad/ugly.
I'm about to buy my first Android Head Unit but have been trying to get something like this going for a long time.
Here's the "Wish List" I've made to weed out the unit I want.
Unit:
Universal
Double/2 Din
PX6
4GB RAM
64GB ROM
Screen:
10"+ HD IPS (unless there's an OLED out there)
Lowest Profile available (distance been back of screen and dash)
No need to pan, but adjusting up and down and tilt are a plus
No branding
Preferably little or no buttons
No visible ports
OS:
Android 9.0, hopefully, upgradable to 10
Extensions:
Bluetooth -> Support for 2x Paired Phones at once able to receive calls or stream music would be great!
Wireless Apple Car Play
Android Auto
MicroSD card support of 256GB or higher
DPS
Dual-Band WiFi
1+ Video Input NOT back up cam (Plan on attaching a Nintendo Switch as an input device. I haven't seen anything higher resolution on input than just CVBS, but if one existed that would help? Or the support of USB 3 Video Dongle (USB to HDMI)
Right now, this has led me to this one
Dasaita HA2156A-MAX6
There's so much "noise" in this space with the hundreds of resellers/OEMs and scammers that I think I'm just going to pull the trigger on this and see what happens.
But before I do, if anyone has any better options, or thoughts/words of wisdom, please pass them along!
Thanks in advance!
I also really like the ATOTO A6Y1021PR but it's spec'd so low compared to the others and is running Kitkat (what the hell???)
I also really like some of the Xtrons, but couldn't get the specs. If I go wth a PX5 then they have tons of options, but couldn't find a 10+ screen with PX6

I'm interested in this too, I've been looking for a while at Android head units and while my wallet says go a basic double din 6-7" screen, the rest of me says go for that PX6 with the 10" screen.
I'm looking at getting the single DIN so that I can keep the little storage place below it, the only storage in my entire car (75 Series Land Cruiser Ute). If anyone knows of any reason not to, feel free to chime in, but otherwise I'm going to go the same route as you '82. The Maxx6 looks like the only PX6 with a massive screen from a reputable brand

My experience is that some of the specs are best described as "rubbery". Some of the good value units include marketing graphics which are copy-pasted to assist sales and are not wholly accurate.
Ideally one would like to see a pic the summary screen.
Casual research indicates ATOTO delivers the goods!-IMHO

There is not one single (cheap) Chinese brand supporting to pair 2 phones at once.
Only a few of the latest PX6 models support dual-band wifi. Most only support 2.4GHz.
Support for Apple Car Play and Android Auto can be tricky. Especially if your phone is on android 9. Support for android 10 (released today on 3 September 2019!) might take quite some time.
1+ Video Input: Haven't seen that yet.
Dasaita is a very good choice but does not support the above mentioned wishes either.
and what is DPS? or do you mean DSP?

You can get lower profile by "burying" the double din instead of flushmounting it to dash/adapter bracket

I've been enjoying my admittedly under-powered ATOTO A6 Pro for months now, and while I don't have experience with other Android Head Units, I've gained some perspective. Mainly, we're not really talking about buying an Android tablet here!
Android tablets are obsolete after a year or three, but my lexus is 20 years old and (with certain updates) I still love it. I've realized that although I wish I didn't have to put up with quite so much lag while interacting with certain android apps running on the ATOTO (Google Maps responsiveness is painfully slow), I'm really glad about the ways that the A6 Pro behaves like a car stereo head unit should: It has a great display that's easy to see in all lighting; It's on instantly after the car's ignition (with minimal battery drain while the car is parked); great bluetooth aptX audio streaming and call handling; the backup camera view is instantaneous after shifting to reverse (with optional volume reduction while in reverse), it can drive 4 speakers (6 if you count the component tweeters surprisingly well at 29W RMS each without an external amp (while supplying my powered subwoofer with a clean line output), etc, etc.
So with the A6 Pro one learns to keep most apps on the adjacent SmartPhone (even if you're not choosing to use Android Auto or CarPlay which mostly run apps on the phone), and mostly run media apps that are easily handled on the head unit. I've never been bothered that my car stereo is running marshmallow or whatever instead of Android 10.
My phone is running Android 10 and is distracting enough as a responsive/powerful android device. And while it would be cool if it were faster, my car's head unit is more about good music and phone integration while driving (or while parked and listening to/watching media .