Database Users

Head unit recommendations/comparison?

Maybe you guys can help me out, as I am not new to android but I am new to the idea of android head units. I've done some research but what I'm finding is somewhat limited and I have no hands on experience with any units out there.
I'm looking into purchasing a head unit for my vehicle and am wondering which unit fits my needs best. I'd like something with a 7" touch screen, ability to retain steering wheel controls, backup camera, A/V in and out, support both wifi and bluetooth, and a remote signal out for an aftermarket amplifier. I'd really like to have one with the newest OS available, which to my knowledge points me in the direction of the Ownice C500... Being able to root would definitely be a plus.
I'll continue my research but wanted to reach out here for input as well, thanks!
really leaning towards this unit:
http://www.ownice.com/Pro_Auto DVD GPS Navigation for 2din Universal_405.html

I'm also kind of curious on real performance of these units, as I'm aware an advertised processor speed is not a tell-tale sign of how it will perform, and at this point that is just about all I have to go from.

@bill12690 What did you end up getting?

I ended up getting one of the 7" octacore X-Trons units
edit:
http://xtrons.com/tb706apl-7-hd-dig...ereo-with-screen-mirroring-function-obd2.html

bill12690 said:
I ended up getting one of the 7" octacore X-Trons units
edit:
http://xtrons.com/tb706apl-7-hd-dig...ereo-with-screen-mirroring-function-obd2.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Octa core is great feature. Does it allow you to use steering wheel buttons? Is it 'learning type' SWC?

Also got a xtrons octacore unit and really really like it, I have a BMW so the canbus automatically sends steering wheel controls to the unit. So not sure about your specific car

Single Din Android for an R129 SL

Hello
I have a 1991 R129 500SL that has a single din radio slot, so I'm looking for a single din android unit, 2 Din isn't possible in this car without lots of cutting and modifications, which is something I'm not willing to venture into.
I'm looking for a single din android unit with preferably the latest possible OS, iPod control or the ability to connect to a 2.5 external HDD. iPod control is very important to me as my entire music library is on my iPod classic. My second option would be to connect an external hard disk to the unit.
I would like to have a unit that has most of the slots on the rear end with a clean front interface with the option to change button colors to match my ambient lighting.
I've trying to some pictures of my current setup and what my center console looks like, doesn't seem to be an option to post pictures from my phone.
Anyways, any help is really appreciated guys.
Thank you

No one has an idea about single din android units that can control an iPod classic?
Any aftermarket apps perhaps to make this work?

Merc129 said:
No one has an idea about single din android units that can control an iPod classic?
Any aftermarket apps perhaps to make this work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.amazon.com/PIONEER-AVH-X7800BT-1Din-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B017LKVMAS/
Probably your bet bet is something like this.
There's about 0 market for Single-DIN android, the entire market is double-DIN now.
As for that unit there, it isn't android but the Pioneer units are decent. I've used 2 of them in the past, but double-DIN.
Personally, I have no interest in the motorized fold-out screens. So here's a Joying Sofia unit which is single-Din mount, but with a double-DIN screen.
https://www.amazon.com/Autoradio-Bluetooth-Navigation-Aftermarket-Multimedia/dp/B01M8JHSP3/
I hope your vents aren't in the way!

Thanks for your reply.
I did buy the Pioneer 7800BT unit but I returned it the next day, as it tends to stall quite often when playing songs from my iPod and takes a long time to switch between tracks.
Also the Appradio mode is very impracticable, I need to keep my phone connected via usb which means no iPod. Also I need to install a specific Pioneer keyboard on my S7 edge otherwise the keyboard won't show up on the head unit for any input. This means I have to keep switching keyboards in my phone whenever I enter or exit the car. Also you can't really use google maps or anything like that as Appradio One is not true mirroring, I can only see a map with no nav options or turn by turn guidance.
You can use waze but there is a problem with the screen formatting, a lot of prompts are off-screen. It's not properly configured for this head unit.
All in all, it was a very poor effort by Pioneer so I returned it. I saw the joying units but they won't fit my console as you can see from the pics below, and they don't support iPod, and neither do Pumpkin head units.

Which Android Head Unit? How to choose?

Hello everyone
I want to have an Android 2DIN head unit in my car, but I'm having a really tough time finding out which one I actually want. As we all know there are dozens of different brand names, looks etc. and who knows how many combinations of what's underneath - how do you choose from such a mess?
For example, what I'm looking for:
- a generic 2DIN Head Unit (nobody seems to make one fitting my Lexus IS200 directly so I will just use Metra frame)
- something modern, fast, capable and with good support (manufacturer and/or community) - I reckon I need MTCD/E PX5, right? Is 4GB RAM worth it? Android 8.0, 8.1? Plus there seem to be PX6 on the horizon, should I wait?
- physical buttons and I'd love a volume knob (no steering wheel controls for me)
- stuff like 3G/4G, GPS, wifi, BT, camera etc. seems to be the same so shouldn't be a factor, right?
So, given those parameters, how do I decide which unit to buy? Is the software interchangeable on all PX5 units? Are there any OS differences out of the box?
What about sound quality - is it the same (I see outputs of 4x45W, 48W, 50W - do they actually have different amplifiers?)? Any particular brand names to look for/avoid at all cost?
I've managed to google one useful link [cut] - is this site credible? (unfortunately I'm not allowed to post urls it seems, google "best android head unit" and click the one with wiki.ezvid)
Thanks for all your help!

Can Anyone ID this E46 Unit?

*picture removed - its a Chinese "OEM" looking unit with a purple IR dot bottom right*
Bought an M3 last week and it had this unit in it.
I've not really got a clue how to use it to It's strength though.
I've currently got my phone hotspot turned on 24/7 as I can't see a way of having it come on when it connects to the car.
The launcher in that picture is a pain as the radio app is junk. I can't tune any FM stations other than Radio 2 and 4. Is there an app that can tune actual FM radio rather than Internet radio that's fit for a car?
I've been playing around with a launcher called Agama tonight which allows me to control what apps open from the touch screen, if I can get a proper FM tuner, can it be mapped to the hard button?
I'm sure I'll have more questions so get used to the sight of me and sorry in advance.
Edit: can't post the picture until I've got 10 posts. Hoping some of you more familiar with these types of head units can help.

Without a picture, it's really hard to say what unit it is, but it is possibly one of the Eonon or Xtrons units, take a look at their websites and see if you can ID the unit. Also, take a look in Settings->About Machine and tell us what info is in there, including the firmware version and MCU type/version, which will help in id-ing the unit and giving advice on how to progress.
If it's not too old, then you may be able to install a custom ROM to get it up to date (easy to do). There are other Radio apps that you can use, but setting them as the default can be a pain, I'm not 100% sure but I think you will need a custom ROM to be able to achieve this.

I reckon you might have it with Xtrons based on the button pattern.
Top left down is Navi, Band, Menu, Mode
Some in Google images have different buttons such as home (which the menu seems to do in mine)
I couldn't tell anything of use from the settings but I recall it has android 9 so it can't be that old. It's in better condition that the rest of the interior that's for sure.
I have two female USB's sticking out from under the steering column. What might they be for?
Can anyone recommend a proper tuner app for the radio that uses actual FM radio rather than the Internet?
Thanks for looking.

Another question, do these Chinese units have a sub output?
I don't have HK in the car so looking for a little extra bass.

So I went the medieval route to identifying the unit - I pulled it out and had a look.
The only markings to give it away was a huge "hizpo" sticker on the side. Google/ebay search found this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-DAB-An...071044?hash=item5b72aea104:g:R4sAAOSwxMFemRw5
Although that is Android 10 and mine is 9
Looks like a piece of junk tbh. Is it worse junk than it's simular Eonon and Xtron counterparts?
I've been left with the bare minimum wiring at the back. None of the audio/visual in/outputs are there. The GPS antenna is just a stubby on the back of the unit, there's nothing for DAB.
What do we think, junk it and replace it or try and get the right ancillaries?
I was thinking of a small sub and amp and a reverse camera and would like DAB which are all out at the moment..

Hi Matt,
most do not come with DAB+ but you get a usb dongle and install an app, DAB-Z is very good,
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/3031914365...SWq6_GyD1IyftEY8s3tRj4-ntcgqxfuxoCnX4QAvD_BwE
some of these units are poor, so can be very good. Little hard to tell without the full details of your unit, and if you dont have all the wiring for your sub etc, then its down to you if you replace it or not

RossMacgill said:
Hi Matt,
most do not come with DAB+ but you get a usb dongle and install an app, DAB-Z is very good,
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/3031914365...SWq6_GyD1IyftEY8s3tRj4-ntcgqxfuxoCnX4QAvD_BwE
some of these units are poor, so can be very good. Little hard to tell without the full details of your unit, and if you dont have all the wiring for your sub etc, then its down to you if you replace it or not
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are the wiring harnesses the same across the units that all look the same?
I ask that with a small hope I could buy just the harness but I can't find Eonon or Xtrons sell them on their own.
If you were to recommend the better units, what ones would you say? Has to be from the OEM look selection. Don't like naff looking screens sticking out of the dash.
I keep looking back to the Avin Avant 4 which is much closer to the OEM look with the button layout and has a lot of extra's, one of which is the ibus interface. You seem to be able to access the cars computers like NCS and do basic coding, show the PDC radar and potentially show navigations cues on the binnacle,.
That appears to be a 3rd party gadget I could add to this unit if I wanted to but not sure this one is worth it.
I will say I found an option in the equaliser "loud" that has made a vast improvement to the audio. but it still feels like it needs a sub.

Matt_Android said:
Are the wiring harnesses the same across the units that all look the same?
I ask that with a small hope I could buy just the harness but I can't find Eonon or Xtrons sell them on their own.
If you were to recommend the better units, what ones would you say? Has to be from the OEM look selection. Don't like naff looking screens sticking out of the dash.
I keep looking back to the Avin Avant 4 which is much closer to the OEM look with the button layout and has a lot of extra's, one of which is the ibus interface. You seem to be able to access the cars computers like NCS and do basic coding, show the PDC radar and potentially show navigations cues on the binnacle,.
That appears to be a 3rd party gadget I could add to this unit if I wanted to but not sure this one is worth it.
I will say I found an option in the equaliser "loud" that has made a vast improvement to the audio. but it still feels like it needs a sub.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the wiring is different on them, so your better off replacing the unit. Eonon and Xtrons have a good following and also dev's playing around with bits, so it would be a good route to go down, but dont hold me to that if it goes wrong haha, also PX6 should be good units, so another safer bet

Sorry, I am a complete noob here and have noticed this in the various different sites selling them - PX6? What is that, is it just the chip in the same vein as a snapdragon for instance?
Th Avant one comes in either PX30 or PX6 - other than the RAM and the storage, what's the benefit of the PX6? Process/bootup speed?

Matt_Android said:
Sorry, I am a complete noob here and have noticed this in the various different sites selling them - PX6? What is that, is it just the chip in the same vein as a snapdragon for instance?
Th Avant one comes in either PX30 or PX6 - other than the RAM and the storage, what's the benefit of the PX6? Process/bootup speed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rockchip is a manufacturer of SoCs (Systems on a chip), they make a range of general-purpose SoCs (eg RK3399). The PX6 is a SoC based on their RK3399 specifically tailored towards android head units. PX6 is the latest, it is a 6 core processor. The PX5 (based on RK3368) is the previous version, it is an 8 core processor. I don't know much about PX30, I believe it is older than PX5. PX6 is faster in most benchmarks despite having fewer processor cores. For the small-screen in-dash units, you probably want to look at Xtrons or Avin, they both have relatively good reputations
I have one of the 9" screen units in my E39 (very similar dash to the E46) and to my eyes, it just looks like it is meant to be there. It's not a perfect fit, but it is very close. But the extra screen real estate makes it more than worth the trade-off imho.

I only noticed today (because I was watching a YouTube video of one being installed) the Avant 4 has no disc drive at all. I rarely use discs, granted, but not sure I'm ready to sacrifice the option altogether.

Head Unit Recommendation for Car Dash Board

I have a generic 9" Android Head Unit (K6_11_OH??) running Realdash app as a car dash board.
It works quite well using both of the USB ports for serial data (UART) and GPS input. Basically nothing else is required other than wifi to install head unit app
Main issue I have is the head unit re-assigns the USB COM ports each time it powers off and back on. This is annoying as I need to re-assign the dash app inputs every time I turn it of and back on.
Can anyone recommend a generic 9" head unit and chipset combo for the following: ??
- Easy to root
- Easy to customise ROM to strip unwanted apps and bloat
- Easy to customise Launcher / UI to remove (Dash app auto launches but not good if radio also tries to auto launch)
- USB ports enabled and easy to assign and access
- GPS
- Wifi
- 2GB RAM is sufficient
- No need for any other features that add cost such as high end music features (So relatively inexpensive)

markze said:
I have a generic 9" Android Head Unit running Realdash app as a car dash board.
It works quite well using both of the USB ports for serial data (UART) and GPS input. Basically nothing else is required other than wifi to install head unit app
Main issue I have is the head unit re-assigns the USB COM ports each time it powers off and back on. This is annoying as I need to re-assign the dash app inputs every time I turn it of and back on.
Can anyone recommend a generic 9" head unit and chipset combo for the following: ??
- Easy to root
- Easy to customise ROM to strip unwanted apps and bloat
- Easy to customise Launcher / UI to remove (Dash app auto launches but not good if radio also tries to auto launch)
- USB ports enabled and easy to assign and access
- GPS
- Wifi
- 2GB RAM is sufficient
- No need for any other features that add cost such as high end music features (So relatively inexpensive)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From forums, which units have you considered

marchnz said:
From forums, which units have you considered
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There seems to be so many options, I don't want to make the same mistake and buy another one that is not well supported, which is why I asked here.
The one I have now has firmware with K6_11_OH and the last updates I could find was 28/06/2019 and it seems they we never very widely supported.
I had a head unit for my Mazda which is nice. I got it from Bestycar which has an SC7862 chipset which is great for normal music player but more advanced and does not seem as easy to customise and simplify like I want for the basic dashboard specific use for my project car.
So I assume one of the MTC units like a PX5 or PX6 chipset might be the best way to go now?

The dash has been built using a 9" unit this exact shape and I would rather keep this the same.

markze said:
There seems to be so many options, I don't want to make the same mistake and buy another one that is not well supported, which is why I asked here.
The one I have now has firmware with K6_11_OH and the last updates I could find was 28/06/2019 and it seems they we never very widely supported.
I had a head unit for my Mazda which is nice. I got it from Bestycar which has an SC7862 chipset which is great for normal music player but more advanced and does not seem as easy to customise and simplify like I want for the basic dashboard specific use for my project car.
So I assume one of the MTC units like a PX5 or PX6 chipset might be the best way to go now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don´t get your point...
You are searching for a good supported and quality head unit, right?
In this case you really should dive in at Joying for FYT units ( https://forum.xda-developers.com/f/fyt-android-head-units.12445/ ) or may be Klyde for CSN2/CSM4 units which are supported in this forum part.
At least you need to search for a unit specially for your car, or you need to search for a universal one with 2-DIN. Don´t ever buy a 1-DIN unit, as they all have severe issues with overheating if they are based on 6- or 8-core chipsets.
But by the way... the points you mentioned in your first posting... Sorry, but what do you expect to get?

I was expecting someone might say something like "UIS7862 head units seem to be the easiest to root hack and customise".
I don't actually want an expensive unit with heaps of great audio features as it is just a screen with 1 app and serial data feeds.
If I could get an Android tablet for 12V car use, with 2 x USB ports and completely raw Android ROM I'd be happy.