Database Users

[Q] Is there an android head unit out there?

Did some googleing and didn't find much except for some maybes and some oddities that i'm not too sure about so I thought I might come to the experts. I would love to have a small 7" double din head unit in my car running gingerbread or better android on it and tether it to my phone. That way I could add pandora/youtube/siriusxm/navigation/market/fruitslice whatever...
Anyone know of anything out there?

There's a couple on the market I've seen. Many are out there as concepts. In the Barnes &Noble nook forums there is guy who did a write up on how he installed a nook in the dash of his jeep. It's a 7 inch screen and fits with a little Modding. I'm surprised you didn't find any on your search.
- this sig is just so I don't have to write 10char when on my phone -

Shinare said:
Did some googleing and didn't find much except for some maybes and some oddities that i'm not too sure about so I thought I might come to the experts. I would love to have a small 7" double din head unit in my car running gingerbread or better android on it and tether it to my phone. That way I could add pandora/youtube/siriusxm/navigation/market/fruitslice whatever...
Anyone know of anything out there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dynavin
Ca-fi
Bybyte
Those are the main ones people have been "keeping an eye on" since last year.
After talking with some friends that are in to car audio, I've deemed them all to be subpar for my needs so i just got a 32gb sammy tab plus, 64gb microsd card, and a $30 dash kit that i will mod for mounting. I think the three key things that a real head unit has over mounting a tablet are: 1) easy back up camera solution 2) satellite radio 3) built in bluetooth handsfree. 1 and 3 are possible, just not the easiest, and i have no use for number 2 since i dont subscribe.
*edit* - just realized i had subscribed to the thread boborone is referencing Nook Color in Jeep Wrangler

There is also the more mainstream AppRadio from Pioneer. Search it since I can't post links yet.

I have the Erisin 777A for the past 4 months, generally quite happy about it but wants better sound quality.
Clarion has announced an android head unit, the mirage, http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/28/clarions-android-running-mirage-ivi/
This one has potential, maybe upgrade is in the works for me.

I have been search and I have decided on mounting a tablet as well I just wish there were companies who make custom mounts to make it look OEM

gpmg762 said:
I have the Erisin 777A for the past 4 months, generally quite happy about it but wants better sound quality.
Clarion has announced an android head unit, the mirage, http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/28/clarions-android-running-mirage-ivi/
This one has potential, maybe upgrade is in the works for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice. That's what I want. Too bad its release is in q4. :-(
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA

Has anyone tried any of these or know if they would be any good hardware wise?
How about the possibility of custom roms or even rooting them?
This one seems the better choice in the fact it's a removable tablet. Not because I want a tablet but because it would be easier to bring into the house for flashing purposes. Never heard of it's CPU mind?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321013490466
This one is quite a nice looking one with non removable screen. Has a Cortex A8 which I've heard of at least
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121016519547
So what's your views and opinions?

So no comments then? I'm really hankering for an Android unit in the car. Will beat the socks off the crappy 2din wince unit i have. The software on that is so cumbersome and doesn't match throughout the different modes.

Ok just found this Parrot Asteroid 2DIN. Looks very good but not available yet.
http://www.slashgear.com/parrot-asteroid-in-car-nav-entertainment-systems-revealed-09207612/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH3-VAfqjEw
Also after watching some video's of the unit with pad I posted previously it seems that most of the main functions are handled by an internal process in the unit (maybe wince?) which then outputs video and control via the tablet. This has kind of put me off a little bit.
So after watching some other video's of the Ca-Fi I think I am going to go with one of these. The new one is upgraded to 2.3 Android, capacitive touchscreen and a 1ghz processor. So saving my pennies now!!!!!
http://ca-fi.com/en/archives/1027

Okay all this talk of android double din, well I have a double din unit in my car, all self fitted, it has 2 sd slots, 1 for GPS and the other for sd card for media, but was wondering if any of these slots can be used to "install" new os onto the unit.
How does the Os get installed onto these, there must be a way.

CueballUK said:
Ok just found this Parrot Asteroid 2DIN. Looks very good but not available yet.
Also after watching some video's of the unit with pad I posted previously it seems that most of the main functions are handled by an internal process in the unit (maybe wince?) which then outputs video and control via the tablet. This has kind of put me off a little bit.
So after watching some other video's of the Ca-Fi I think I am going to go with one of these. The new one is upgraded to 2.3 Android, capacitive touchscreen and a 1ghz processor. So saving my pennies now!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Componentality Celebrity, it might be what you need. Do you need 2-DIN?

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2015...VD-player-GPS-Stereo-Wifi-3G/32297415686.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...al-dual-system-carpad/1422130_2034998210.html
any good?

m.r.davies said:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2015...VD-player-GPS-Stereo-Wifi-3G/32297415686.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...al-dual-system-carpad/1422130_2034998210.html
any good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a whole thread about the Newsmy CarPad2 here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2865525

Hey guys,
There's a bunch of Android-based devices out there in the market. I'm looking for the best one that's available - are you able to recommend some unit?
I was hoping to buy the Parrot RNB6, but it seems it's an abandoned project.

Has anyone ever seen any specs on pre out voltage on any of these units? Or even better a digital out? They seem to be all about software on the specs minus the 55w x 4 channel spec, the biggest gripe I have the with main manufacturers of hu out there right now is you either get a nice ui and imo poor pre out voltage or a really terrible ui that is almost unbearable but high voltage, which in turn leads to higher volume and clearer audio. This is what I have found at my price range anyways and am not really willing to drop $2k on a head unit at this point. Anyways i am trying to look through all the links on this page but any help would be appreciated
Edit: guess it's 2/2 pages and not 22 pages haha, guess I did check them all
Sent from my SM-N910W8 using XDA Free mobile app

Also depends on what car you have.
Erisin have a whole range of Android units with good reviews.
I have this one for Audi A3
http://www.erisin.com/erisin-es9783...-sat-nav-1080p-autoradio-audi-a3-s3_p517.html
Or one with a removeable Pad
http://www.erisin.com/erisin-es8035a-2-in-1-car-pad-unit-android-tablet-gps-3g-wifi_p389.html
Plus a whole lot of posts on similar.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2660662&page=1101
Baz

I have Audi S6 C5 and just need a regular 2DIN unit - it will fit. However, the chinese stuff I'm looking at other threads in this forum seem very crappy and of low quality.
Is there something that can be really reliable, working fast and with good audio quality?

headunit 4.4.4 quad core 3188
I have had mine for more than 6 months
Sound is great ram is only 1gb so app installs stop after pandora and waze, and one or 2 other items
I use a wifi hotspot, on tmobile, $10/month no limits.
pandora now works no matter who drives car, and NAV youtube etc
Not sure newer version of android would help, more ram would help more

Need help picking a head unit!

Hello XDA'ers.
Just got burned buying a crappy no-name Windows headunit on Amazon and was wondering if you could help me pick a different one. I'm looking for an Android-based HU that can support Bluetooth, GPS and a backup camera. HD Radio support is a plus.
Thanks!

I am also researching for one and come across with eonon brand. You can check it out.
Sent from my D6616 using Tapatalk

Do you have a link to purchasing it?

Actually, that one looks just like the piece of junk that I purchased. I'm hoping for a headunit that I can purchase and can flash with a custom from here.

DJRepresent said:
Actually, that one looks just like the piece of junk that I purchased. I'm hoping for a headunit that I can purchase and can flash with a custom from here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For "Cheap Chinese" HUs, Newsmy type are the most popular here, followed by the older Huefei HUs.
I personally would (and did, but with a NEED for Android Auto) spend the extra $200-300 for a Pioneer 4100NEX with Android Auto and many other features, including US HD Radio. On EBay now for $500 shipped for refurb, or IMO better at $570 shipped brand new.
But if you need "full regular Android" to run any app, most "normal" HUs don't provide this, but maybe we'll get a ROM with full Android. Some Pioneer devices run Android under the covers and are getting a ROM now, in part to get Android Auto on devices like the older 4000NEX. I think that 4100NEX will get a ROM too, once it provides a good option for getting more than stock functionality.
The best "Cheap Chinese" HUs are stuck on Android 4.4 Kitkat at best and I doubt Newsmy/Huefei will ever get Lollipop.
These cheap HUs are also full of compromises and unless you understand and accept them, I think it's likely you'll regret getting one within 1-12 months, as you already regret what you have.

mikereidis said:
For "Cheap Chinese" HUs, Newsmy type are the most popular here, followed by the older Huefei HUs.
I personally would (and did, but with a NEED for Android Auto) spend the extra $200-300 for a Pioneer 4100NEX with Android Auto and many other features, including US HD Radio. On EBay now for $500 shipped for refurb, or IMO better at $570 shipped brand new.
But if you need "full regular Android" to run any app, most "normal" HUs don't provide this, but maybe we'll get a ROM with full Android. Some Pioneer devices run Android under the covers and are getting a ROM now, in part to get Android Auto on devices like the older 4000NEX. I think that 4100NEX will get a ROM too, once it provides a good option for getting more than stock functionality.
The best "Cheap Chinese" HUs are stuck on Android 4.4 Kitkat at best and I doubt Newsmy/Huefei will ever get Lollipop.
These cheap HUs are also full of compromises and unless you understand and accept them, I think it's likely you'll regret getting one within 1-12 months, as you already regret what you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read an Amazon.com review of one of the Chinese HUs where the guy said that the stock ROM on it was "OK," but once he flashed a custom ROM, everything worked great. He didn't provide a link to the ROM but he did say he downloaded it from XDA. So was wondering if there might be a decent head unit that I can purchase and flash and have it working well.

mikereidis said:
For "Cheap Chinese" HUs, Newsmy type are the most popular here, followed by the older Huefei HUs.
These cheap HUs are also full of compromises and unless you understand and accept them, I think it's likely you'll regret getting one within 1-12 months, as you already regret what you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are much better than you make them sound. Honestly they are very impressive for what you get for $100-$250 or so, you get a full android rooted system you can pretty much do anything with. And the quad core devices are very snappy and responsive, and the screens on the 1024x600 7" models are very clear and look great.
For the price, they are well worth it to me. The only real problem has been that the bluetooth design is not the best, and lots of people are just connecting a mic cable directly to the mic and ground pins on the bluetooth board to get around the poor internal mic issue. Other than that there is no real outstanding problem with them.

nixfu said:
They are much better than you make them sound. Honestly they are very impressive for what you get for $100-$250 or so, you get a full android rooted system you can pretty much do anything with. And the quad core devices are very snappy and responsive, and the screens on the 1024x600 7" models are very clear and look great.
For the price, they are well worth it to me. The only real problem has been that the bluetooth design is not the best, and lots of people are just connecting a mic cable directly to the mic and ground pins on the bluetooth board to get around the poor internal mic issue. Other than that there is no real outstanding problem with them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which unit should I purchase then? Please post a link.
Thanks!

nixfu said:
They are much better than you make them sound. Honestly they are very impressive for what you get for $100-$250 or so, you get a full android rooted system you can pretty much do anything with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$100 ?
I thought the decent units, like Newsmy, started around $300 or so, and prices get higher when you need a non-generic, car-specific model.
To each their own, but I am still not a particular fan of Mediatek/Chinese chipsets. AFAIK, Mediatek still regularly violates GPL and keep more secrets than Qualcomm does, making it harder for kernel & ROM devs. Still true or no ?
Anyway, since I don't own one of the Chinese HUs, the opinions of people who own one may be more important than mine.
IMO anyone buying one should read the main threads for them for at least a few pages to get better informed.
For those who need "real Android" running on the HU, I'm recalling that the AppRadio Unchained Reloaded app seems a decent option for phone mirroring to Pioneer HUs.
I must sound like a paid Pioneer rep sometimes, LOL, but reality is that my best interests are in people running my Headunit app on tablets than buy an HU. But I only recommend that if it seems the best option for them.

I'm torn between the carjoying RK3188 and the NU3001 Carpad. Anyone have experience with both can provide a recommendation? I was reading some of the posts regarding the carjoying unit and am concerned that I need to modify the internal to get a decent microphone quality. Not sure if this needs to also happen to the newsmy unit? I have also heard that the joking crew provides great support, which is important and like the fact that they have taken the time to create lots of tutorial videos. On the nu3001 - I like that the android unit is in a separate box. I seriously can't decide...lots of pros on both units.
DJRepresent - did you make your decision yet?

Honestly. I've been both a newsmy & huifei owner... I'm not a happy camper with the newsmy and their support.
My radio was working great then started to develop random screen flickers & after a firmware update it died. Ordered a replacement Android box (as the head unit & Android box is separate on the newsmy, had to fight to order it as I didn't order my radio directly from newsmy but from a reseller... Only managed to get it as a fellow xda member was a reseller and he placed the replacement order for me) and my radio now only half works. My physical buttons on my radio (as it's a Volkswagen specific unit) no longer work.
Newsmy has left me high and dry with the issue with zero support on the issue. I've spent about 700-800canadian on this unit and I have now a half working unit...
I'm starting to think about selling off and getting a joying/huifei unit. As the one I use to own before the newsmy is now in my dad's car and it's working perfectly fine. I only got the newsmy as at the time it was the only 1024x600 unit with 2 gigs of ram...
I believe now the joying & even the winlink units have 2gig ram models with the 1024 screen.
The winlink seems to be less popular but also seems to have a representative from the company participating in the forum activity. Newsmy use to have that... seems they are no longer focused on the carpad2 more their unreleased carpad3. Not sure if joying/huifei has a representative participating but seems to have a lot more overall owners participating with the development.
One downfall I had with my huifei that the newsmy doesn't have is the canbus. The canbus didn't fully work with my car or my dad's car (my car being a 09 vw jetta my dad's being a '12 vw jetta)on the huifei I had random issues with it. I ended up replacing their canbus with another manufacture and the issues resolved.
Newsmy also seemed more focused on eye candy vs actually developing the radio more... It still has no rds support.
Also the newsmy has no sub preputs.
Hmm other then that... I think that's the end of my feedback rant. Maybe a joying user can chime in?

kwalsh24 said:
I believe now the joying & even the winlink units have 2gig ram models with the 1024 screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like my unit from carjoying.com, the prices are pretty good, and the support is actually better than I expected. But NO NONE of the more popular units(Klyde, Roadmaster, Hot Audio, Joying, etc) which are all based on the same HueFui design, all use the same RK3066/RK3166 Chipsets, and they all have 1GB Ram. The memory and cpu are all using the same plug in daughter boards that plug in to the various main boards.
Frankly I don't see the 1GB being a limitation, or that 2GB would help all that much. The quad core is what seems to be a big difference and makes the units very snappy. I know my unit I normally have Torque loggings engine stats, iGO GPS doing navigation, MediaMonkey playing MP3's, and DailyRoads recording the front camera all constantly going at the same time with zero noticeable slowdown, and the unit remains very snappy and responsive. I am not sure what else you would want to have simultaneously happening that would be better than what you can already do with the current units.
The best models you can get are quad core, 1GB ram, 16GB onboard flash, and 1024 screens. I would just make sure you get one with these specs and you will pretty much have the best currently available.

nixfu said:
I like my unit from carjoying.com, the prices are pretty good, and the support is actually better than I expected. But NO NONE of the more popular units(Klyde, Roadmaster, Hot Audio, Joying, etc) which are all based on the same HueFui design, all use the same RK3066/RK3166 Chipsets, and they all have 1GB Ram. The memory and cpu are all using the same plug in daughter boards that plug in to the various main boards.
Frankly I don't see the 1GB being a limitation, or that 2GB would help all that much. The quad core is what seems to be a big difference and makes the units very snappy. I know my unit I normally have Torque loggings engine stats, iGO GPS doing navigation, MediaMonkey playing MP3's, and DailyRoads recording the front camera all constantly going at the same time with zero noticeable slowdown, and the unit remains very snappy and responsive. I am not sure what else you would want to have simultaneously happening that would be better than what you can already do with the current units.
The best models you can get are quad core, 1GB ram, 16GB onboard flash, and 1024 screens. I would just make sure you get one with these specs and you will pretty much have the best currently available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply! I read from a post you started a while ago regarding the carjoying unit you modified internally to address the microphone poor quality. How bad is it out the box (without modifying the internals) or is this mod a must do before installing? Is this mod to address just the integrated mic or does this also impact the external mic input? Wondering if i wire up a quality external mic if that would keep from having to modify the internals. Your usage list above looks like similar apps I would be running in addition to an occasional hands free phone call. Thanks!
---------- Post added at 06:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:46 AM ----------
kwalsh24 said:
Honestly. I've been both a newsmy & huifei owner... I'm not a happy camper with the newsmy and their support.
My radio was working great then started to develop random screen flickers & after a firmware update it died. Ordered a replacement Android box (as the head unit & Android box is separate on the newsmy, had to fight to order it as I didn't order my radio directly from newsmy but from a reseller... Only managed to get it as a fellow xda member was a reseller and he placed the replacement order for me) and my radio now only half works. My physical buttons on my radio (as it's a Volkswagen specific unit) no longer work.
Newsmy has left me high and dry with the issue with zero support on the issue. I've spent about 700-800canadian on this unit and I have now a half working unit...
I'm starting to think about selling off and getting a joying/huifei unit. As the one I use to own before the newsmy is now in my dad's car and it's working perfectly fine. I only got the newsmy as at the time it was the only 1024x600 unit with 2 gigs of ram...
I believe now the joying & even the winlink units have 2gig ram models with the 1024 screen.
The winlink seems to be less popular but also seems to have a representative from the company participating in the forum activity. Newsmy use to have that... seems they are no longer focused on the carpad2 more their unreleased carpad3. Not sure if joying/huifei has a representative participating but seems to have a lot more overall owners participating with the development.
One downfall I had with my huifei that the newsmy doesn't have is the canbus. The canbus didn't fully work with my car or my dad's car (my car being a 09 vw jetta my dad's being a '12 vw jetta)on the huifei I had random issues with it. I ended up replacing their canbus with another manufacture and the issues resolved.
Newsmy also seemed more focused on eye candy vs actually developing the radio more... It still has no rds support.
Also the newsmy has no sub preputs.
Hmm other then that... I think that's the end of my feedback rant. Maybe a joying user can chime in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply! This is great info. I am truly sorry for your troubles. Hope you get your issue resolved. Support/customer service is something I highly value. Now that u mentioned it...I do remember seeing newsmy frequent presence in the large dedicated nu3001 thread early on, but they phased out as I skimmed though the posts. Thanks again for providing your experiences/feedback! +2 for carjoying

Honestly I just checked out newsmy's website and they have removed most of their headunits they once sold. So I would 100% rule out newsmy.
Joying in the lead but maybe check out winlink/ownice unit. As it's the quad core with 2 gigs of ram... I myself am 100% torn
I'm slightly shocked that there hasn't been anything new on the market. Faster cpu & more ram? Kinda sad that the joying unit doesn't have 2 gigs of ram. If it did I'd be jumping ship 12 hours ago as they have a nice looking vw unit that's all touch. Including the malfunctioning buttons that my unit has...

kwalsh24 said:
Honestly I just checked out newsmy's website and they have removed most of their headunits they once sold. So I would 100% rule out newsmy.
Joying in the lead but maybe check out winlink/ownice unit. As it's the quad core with 2 gigs of ram... I myself am 100% torn
I'm slightly shocked that there hasn't been anything new on the market. Faster cpu & more ram? Kinda sad that the joying unit doesn't have 2 gigs of ram. If it did I'd be jumping ship 12 hours ago as they have a nice looking vw unit that's all touch. Including the malfunctioning buttons that my unit has...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a little shocked also, but from the feedback 1 gb should be good enough. I figure the units are somewhat inexpensive and don't mind replacing it a few years down the road if it becomes an issue. I finally pulled the trigger and purchased the carjoying unit. The crew has been in frequent communication with me since I purchased it making sure everything is right with my car configuration before shipping it. I'm pleased so far with the support and do not have the unit yet Hope my positive experiences continue after I receive it. Not looking forward to doing the mic mod though

Don't know why a DIY solution isn't readily searchable yet.. ROCK64 Head Unit?

So idk if you know about this SBC, called rock64, basically made to a cheap, yet powerful and versatile HTPC, just check out their site, have basic andriod laptops for $100, just google pine64
My issue is that everyone, or everything I read on most of these cheaper Android head units, is that the DACs suck. Not to mention more specifically in my 97 M3 sedan, I'm limited to a single din solution unless I wanted to do A LOT of chopping (Heater core is right there, and would require way too much effort). So basically my only choice is the joying, and looking at what I get for the price, it just seems not worth it at all. I currently have an older pre 09-10ish Sony Xplod single din that was 50x4. I run all amped speakers/sub anyway, and have just been using RCA to aux for audio input. This is getting extremely dated, and I keep going through these rca-3.5mm cables damaging them in various ways. So what I plan on doing is recessing my existing single din, or in anyonelses case, using a cheap 50 single din as a base. and just creating a pivot point that sticks out of my dash, to attatch a 7-9" (Depending on what you want to go with) HDMI touchscreen display, 7" for Capacitive, or anything else resistive touch from buy display ; and running any custom auto orientated Android rom. End result would be ghetto rigged single din joying. Anythoughts on this? Or should I spread my cheeks for joying?
TL;DR : I'm bad at english, want to build onto an existing headunit with a cheap touchscreen and SBC that has Andriod preinstalled

DefinitelyRice said:
So idk if you know about this SBC, called rock64, basically made to a cheap, yet powerful and versatile HTPC, just check out their site, have basic andriod laptops for $100, just google pine64
My issue is that everyone, or everything I read on most of these cheaper Android head units, is that the DACs suck. Not to mention more specifically in my 97 M3 sedan, I'm limited to a single din solution unless I wanted to do A LOT of chopping (Heater core is right there, and would require way too much effort). So basically my only choice is the joying, and looking at what I get for the price, it just seems not worth it at all. I currently have an older pre 09-10ish Sony Xplod single din that was 50x4. I run all amped speakers/sub anyway, and have just been using RCA to aux for audio input. This is getting extremely dated, and I keep going through these rca-3.5mm cables damaging them in various ways. So what I plan on doing is recessing my existing single din, or in anyonelses case, using a cheap 50 single din as a base. and just creating a pivot point that sticks out of my dash, to attatch a 7-9" (Depending on what you want to go with) HDMI touchscreen display, 7" for Capacitive, or anything else resistive touch from buy display ; and running any custom auto orientated Android rom. End result would be ghetto rigged single din joying. Anythoughts on this? Or should I spread my cheeks for joying?
TL;DR : I'm bad at english, want to build onto an existing headunit with a cheap touchscreen and SBC that has Andriod preinstalled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you try to use an SBC, you need an AMP chip, you need a radio chip, you need a (USB) GPS solution.
Then you need to somehow modify the Android kernel, or some system app, that controls the android part versus the hardware part (amp and radio).
It's a big challenge.
Search this forum. There are more people who did this. Also have a look at the Carjoying forum where a developer is doing this for a HiKey960 board which is, from his point of view, much more suitable for this than any other SBC. Note that it is an extremely long thread also dealing with modifying partitions, custom rooting the Joying Sofia 3GR unit, etc.
There are also "intermediate" solutions connecting a tablet via usb/bluetooth to a "simple" radio.

Advice needed on first Android head unit

I have a 2007 GMC Yukon XL Denali with the premium BOSE system, factory NAV, XM, and rear flip down screen. What is most important to me is retaining BOSE, being able to use the factory backup cam, and being able to utilize the rear screen so my son can watch a DVD or video files I load on a USB/SD card. I believe with a couple of adapters, it can work if the unit supports it.
I have scoured the internet for weeks now trying to learn what I can about the cheap Chinese units. I understand there are just a few producers and 100's of resellers but all this stuff is still new and confusing . I am considering the Hizpo 7.1 unit(Android 7.1 Lollipop OS, CPU: Rockchip PX3 Cortex A9 Quad Core 1.6GHz, Nand Memory: 16GB, RAM: DDR3 2GB), amazon number B077SBX8CG. I believe these are MTCD_GS units. I want to be able to get the most out of this thing and am not afraid of using custom roms. What I don't want to do is get one that no one is modding. Is there much aftermarket support for this unit?
The hardest things to find out for me have been:
1. Can my son watch a video in the back while I have navigation running on the front screen? I think use of the RSE requires Metra GMRSAV adapter but not sure.
2. Can the unit feed my factory backup cam? I think it would require the Metra BackupCam adapter.
I would appreciate any thoughts you guys do have. I have no Android preference, just want something that runs smooth, and can be tweaked. Thanks

Anyone?

Anyone have any thoughts?

Krmnnghia said:
I have a 2007 GMC Yukon XL Denali with the premium BOSE system, factory NAV, XM, and rear flip down screen. What is most important to me is retaining BOSE, being able to use the factory backup cam, and being able to utilize the rear screen so my son can watch a DVD or video files I load on a USB/SD card. I believe with a couple of adapters, it can work if the unit supports it.
I have scoured the internet for weeks now trying to learn what I can about the cheap Chinese units. I understand there are just a few producers and 100's of resellers but all this stuff is still new and confusing . I am considering the Hizpo 7.1 unit(Android 7.1 Lollipop OS, CPU: Rockchip PX3 Cortex A9 Quad Core 1.6GHz, Nand Memory: 16GB, RAM: DDR3 2GB), amazon number B077SBX8CG. I believe these are MTCD_GS units. I want to be able to get the most out of this thing and am not afraid of using custom roms. What I don't want to do is get one that no one is modding. Is there much aftermarket support for this unit?
The hardest things to find out for me have been:
1. Can my son watch a video in the back while I have navigation running on the front screen? I think use of the RSE requires Metra GMRSAV adapter but not sure.
2. Can the unit feed my factory backup cam? I think it would require the Metra BackupCam adapter.
I would appreciate any thoughts you guys do have. I have no Android preference, just want something that runs smooth, and can be tweaked. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same SUV. My HU is my own from a business venture where I went to China, met ODMs, and had a nice plan that simply didn't work out. The problems I get frustrated with are:
(a) Bluetooth voice quality. There is no comparison to Parrot although Xtrons new 8.0 units use (company acquired by Motorola but I forget the name). So make sure you ask WHO makes the BT. (Note: external microphones never are an improvement from my testing)
(b) Boot time. More apps = more waiting.
(c) Brightness at night is something I constantly have to manually adjust...auto is not auto.
(d) External amps are a waste - will not be worth it. The DAC sucks in these chipsets. Internal amp sound will be sufficient.
(e) Rockchip is better than Allwinner - and the old Intel Sofia units have the most customization from what I can gather.
So if I were to buy another unit I'd look at Xtrons, Pumpkin, Eonon, Joying, Ownice, and maybe LinksWell when they come out with a compatible or generic HU (they are the only one on this list with a US office.)
Also, you will need to customize a dash install kit - easy to find but I had to Dremel mine down to fit nicely. These units are slightly larger than Japanese standard size.

esounds said:
I have the same SUV. My HU is my own from a business venture where I went to China, met ODMs, and had a nice plan that simply didn't work out. The problems I get frustrated with are:
(a) Bluetooth voice quality. There is no comparison to Parrot although Xtrons new 8.0 units use (company acquired by Motorola but I forget the name). So make sure you ask WHO makes the BT. (Note: external microphones never are an improvement from my testing)
(b) Boot time. More apps = more waiting.
(c) Brightness at night is something I constantly have to manually adjust...auto is not auto.
(d) External amps are a waste - will not be worth it. The DAC sucks in these chipsets. Internal amp sound will be sufficient.
(e) Rockchip is better than Allwinner - and the old Intel Sofia units have the most customization from what I can gather.
So if I were to buy another unit I'd look at Xtrons, Pumpkin, Eonon, Joying, Ownice, and maybe LinksWell when they come out with a compatible or generic HU (they are the only one on this list with a US office.)
Also, you will need to customize a dash install kit - easy to find but I had to Dremel mine down to fit nicely. These units are slightly larger than Japanese standard size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the insight! I believe these are GS units so exactly the same as the Xtrons. Hard to get details on the web but will know everything when it arrives on Saturday. I bought with Amazon Prime so if anything is not to my liking, back it goes for a free return!
Lets hope its one that folks have modded before. Since I have yet to find a video of this unit in my vehicle addressing my specific camera and screen questions, I will try and do a solid review of the unit and post it here for folks.
Thanks

Krmnnghia said:
Thanks for the insight! I believe these are GS units so exactly the same as the Xtrons. Hard to get details on the web but will know everything when it arrives on Saturday. I bought with Amazon Prime so if anything is not to my liking, back it goes for a free return!
Lets hope its one that folks have modded before. Since I have yet to find a video of this unit in my vehicle addressing my specific camera and screen questions, I will try and do a solid review of the unit and post it here for folks.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That should have a Ralink BC8 for bluetooth 3.0 (maybe 4.0) in which case your handsfree should be fine. They have 1.5-3.0V output on RCAs which is terrible but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you as this is standard output power for any Chinese Android HU.

esounds said:
That should have a Ralink BC8 for bluetooth 3.0 (maybe 4.0) in which case your handsfree should be fine. They have 1.5-3.0V output on RCAs which is terrible but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you as this is standard output power for any Chinese Android HU.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know! I don’t plan on running any external amps. My loud music days are over so I guess not too concerned about the RCA’s ?

Looks like it is a PX3, 7.1.2, MTCE_XRC_V2.75_1
Hooked it up after a lot of guess work because you know...no instructions. I have a low level hiss which is annoying, each turn of the volume knob gives a audible "thump" even when there is no audio playing, the unit doesn't fit in my vehicle unless the wifi antenna is NOT plugged in, and I can't seem to get BT audio to play.
I didn't have a ton of time to play today but I will tomorrow. Not sure if I have some interference with the wires in the back or if this is just par for the course and I need to return it and re-order a different unit until I get one that works the way I want it to.

Which of these head units don't suck?

I am no stranger to Android in a car, I have done custom tablet installs in cars, (back in 2012 with Timur's custom cyanogenmod rom), custom car computers (roadrunner, centrafuse), etc.
Last year, I decided to give one of these neat looking Chinese head units a shot, I went with the Eonon double-din model with the PX5 processor, 4gb ram, 32gb rom with DSP audio chip. Out of the box and installing, the software wasn't terrible but borderline silly. The DSP audio control app was new to these units so I forgave some of the funky terminology and adjustments that were available in there, it was a far cry from adjustments one would find on a cheaper dedicated DSP unit. The performance was okay until summer rolled around and I had to tear the head unit apart and install my own heatsink and fan to the processing module board, this resolved that. The cheap mmc memory was a limiting factor of its performance in heavier apps like Google Maps, otherwise. Wifi performance was borderline trash. The extremely cheap and laughable wifi chipset barely handled 1.5-2Mbps of data transfer when downloading a Spotify library to the SD card. I even attempted to unsolder and replace the cheap antenna with my own higher end antenna but this was no solution to the very cheap and barely functional wireless module. Digging into the rom to find out that it's only been compiled for two equally bad wireless adapters, I gave up trying to make the wifi work any better. My unit also always produced processor noise out of the speakers when it was quiet in the car, sounded like onboard audio from cheap PC motherboards; this happened out of the amplified speaker outputs and the RCA outputs. I have since sold that car, I have a new car and would love to try again if it's even worth it.
I am not here to bash on these head units, I really WANT to see them improve. I would love to get my hands on one with more premium hardware, better working networking, worked out bugs, smarter display dimming control (maybe even a few extra cents of an ambient light sensor), audio DSP controls that are actually awesome, proper heatsink for included processor, etc. Do these exist? It's hard to find them in the sea of different brand names and Engrish website listings.
Any input on this would be so helpful to myself and many others.

I think you’ll find that they all suck in one way or another. If they were to be of total quality they would be $1500 or more. Think about the use case though, NO ONE else is making custom canbus integrated units that fit inside modern cars which no longer conform to single/double DIN form factors. I don’t think at the price points most of these units are that quality and functionality will be improved.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've been using Android head units since around 2013 or so, when they had resistive touchscreens lol. While they still have a lot to improve on, I must say that they've come a long, long way. There's only really three features that I want to see, and one of those the 2013 ones all had:
1) For the love of God, there was no need to take away iPod support. Some of us still have an iPod. It's great to have in a car to play your music. Much better than putting it on SD cards, because I like the playlists. Bring it back!
2) Resolution. 800x480 is roughly as best at it gets for these guys. Although I'm greedy and want 4k, at least give me 1080p!
3) Blu-ray support. Come on already, it's been out for 14 years!

I am also interested in this question, I had the atoto a6 pro before I sold the car. For a quad core it felt slow.
Is there any unit out there besides joying with proper lte support? Joying does not support att/Rogers/Fido lte frequencies. Except band 7.
I've seen on the forums that the xtrons won't even take a 4g dongle and work in mobile connection mode and also they have an underpowered USB port, 250mA or something . Where standard is 500mA.
Anything out there with North American frequencies?

Zap! said:
I've been using Android head units since around 2013 or so, when they had resistive touchscreens lol. While they still have a lot to improve on, I must say that they've come a long, long way. There's only really three features that I want to see, and one of those the 2013 ones all had:
1) For the love of God, there was no need to take away iPod support. Some of us still have an iPod. It's great to have in a car to play your music. Much better than putting it on SD cards, because I like the playlists. Bring it back!
2) Resolution. 800x480 is roughly as best at it gets for these guys. Although I'm greedy and want 4k, at least give me 1080p!
3) Blu-ray support. Come on already, it's been out for 14 years!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first point...fine I get it..
second point 4K???????
third point..ok you are trolling..

I appreciate the few replies here.
I for one am hoping for the most subtle and cost effective improvements that make the experience of one of these in the dash feel like a better product. Top changes I'd like to see:
Display with high NITS, defeat the bright sunlight. Ability to see the content REALLY WELL comes before ultra-high resolution. As long as I can't count the pixels from the driver seat, I'm not going to knock on the resolution.
Clean audio output, some of these produce noise like crazy when listening at quiet volumes, you can hear internal processes coming through the speakers like onboard audio of cheap PC motherboards.
DSP controls that make sense- timing controls that conform to other DSP audio controls of all other typical DSP audio products, the interface is goofy although the chip being used is quite powerful but I don't believe the writers of the software interface completely understand what it should be doing.
Automatic dimming displays. A tiny ambient light value sensor hidden in the glass or plastic fascia and android's own built in software solutions will allow automatic brightness control of the display so that when you're sitting in your car at night without the headlights turned on, the screen doesn't bake your eyeballs out or when your car has automatic headlights and they turn on early before the sun goes down and your screen goes so dark you can't see it. This is a simple solution and I hope they resolve it.
Custom fully integrated units such as the one we put in our 2013 Mini Cooper Countryman S model needs to be worked on more before shoving them out the door. $600 gets us a head unit that looks nice in the dash but the integration of retained door chimes/warning sounds/blinker signal indicator sounds is the most absolute rubbish thing, ever. Would gladly spend closer to $1000 US for something that is more refined.
A home screen that doesn't suck. Solid integration with FM tuner controls, common media player apps, etc in the home screen would be great to see. A home screen that works good enough to the point that we don't have to fish the play store to make it better would be killer.

It’s been a short while, anyone got any updates on android head units that don’t suck?

ojuniour said:
first point...fine I get it..
second point 4K????
third point..ok you are trolling..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Thanks! There has to be a way to hack it back.
2) I was joking about 4k, but I want 1080p
3) Not trolling, I have quite a few Blu-ray disks and would like to be able to view them in the car.