Database Users

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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$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.
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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?
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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...
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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

Erisin ES3015V or Eonon GA5153F?

Hello there
Last weekend I received my first Android HU, an Erisin ES3015V. I drive a 2013 Skoda Fabia RS, and the installation was very straight forward. Can bus built in to the unit meant it was just a matter of connecting the big "VW" type connector, the antennas and usb, and everything just worked. I was very impressed. After playing with it all evening, installing apps, tweaking the launcher (and killing my battery), I went to bed.
The next day I started having problems with boot loops (looping even before any logo appeared on screen). This kept getting worse until I had to spend like ten minutes trying to press and hold the power and / or reset buttons to get lucky and make it boot. Once it booted, everything seemed great until the next cold start. I also installed the MTCD malaysk rom, but it didn't help. I contacted the dealer and he asked me to send it back for replacement, as he reckons it's a hardware problem.
Now, he also sells the Eonon in the topic, so if I want to, I can get that instead. I understand that this is an older unit (MTCB I think?) and that it has a can bus box instead of built in can bus. The resolution is also lower, but it has the same amount of ram and same cpu. Eonon info page says Android 4.4.4 but the reseller says 5.1. With this unit I suppose I would be able to run a more matured rom. I'm also curious as to sound quality differences. I'd ideally like a unit that doesn't sound worse than the original Skoda Swing / VW RCD310 in the car. Would also need a dab+ usb thingy.
Please help me make up my mind!

I'd tell you to stick with any android head unit that has KitKat (4.4.4). Android 5.1, while nice and it does add a few new features, tends to be slower and the ROM is larger. Consider this video:
Android Lollipop 5.1 vs KitKat 4.4.4 - Performance Comparison (Nexus 5)
On the same hardware, things slow down with android 5.1, and you're not really going to be using a lot of the features of that OS on a car radio. If this was a cellphone, I'd say yes, go for android 5.1.
That said, I'd lean towards the Eonon. Both have the same RK3188 CPU and same resolution screen, which leads me to believe that they are the same exact unit with a different brand name on them.
As an example, here 's some stereos: http://www.autopumpkin.com/car-dvd-players/vw-car-dvd-player/vw-skoda-dvd-player
This is also for VW / Skoda. Notice how some look exactly the same as the other two. Simply stay away from any that offer Dual-core CPU's and you ought to be fine, but I simply show you for purposes of demonstration.
Having said that, here's one that is about the same price as your other two but slightly better specs: http://www.autopumpkin.com/car-dvd-...ii-3g-wifi-usb-sd-steering-wheel-control.html
This has a faster quad-core CPU plus higher resolution, so you may get equivalent performance to what you have selected above. It is Android 5.1, but with a faster CPU the performance will be about the same.
The choice is yours. Enjoy!

Thanks for your in-depth reply CaptShaft
CaptShaft said:
On the same hardware, things slow down with android 5.1, and you're not really going to be using a lot of the features of that OS on a car radio. If this was a cellphone, I'd say yes, go for android 5.1.
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My thoughts as well. After getting the Erisin I noticed that there's a lot more stuff going on for the MTCB unilts. I'm worried about the dab+ usb stick though. Seems they aren't fully supported? What about the 3g/4g stick?
CaptShaft said:
That said, I'd lean towards the Eonon. Both have the same RK3188 CPU and same resolution screen, which leads me to believe that they are the same exact unit with a different brand name on them.
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Click to collapse
Actually, the Erisin is 1024 while the Eonon is 800-something, however the rest looks to be more or less identical. The Erisin has can bus built in to the unit itself though, while the Eonon has a more traditional external can bus converter.
CaptShaft said:
The choice is yours. Enjoy!
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Thanks. I hope I will

My thoughts as well. After getting the Erisin I noticed that there's a lot more stuff going on for the MTCB units.
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Consider these threads where people discuss MTCB vs. MTCD:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/and...nt/mtcd-unit-preferred-mtcb-purchase-t3399173
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android-auto/android-auto-general/units-to-buy-mtcb-mtcd-t3389108
The most popular hardware gets the most development and most attention of the developers. If we use a smartphone analogy, that would be something like a Samsung phone vs. a off-brand Chinese knockoff. Everybody climbs into the biggest boat, and that is MTCB right now. That is currently the RK3188 processor (I believe) and maybe some of the CPU’s after that, like the PX3 CPU that was on the one pumpkin I showed you above. I can’t say for sure. This should bear some further investigation on your part before you make a final decision.
If you are looking for the ability to tinker with an aftermarket ROM like the Malaysk ROM’s, you probably don’t want to be on the bleeding edge of the latest hardware. That’s your call, however. There are custom ROMs for both MTCB and MTCD and both will allow you to tinker.
I'm worried about the dab+ usb stick though. Seems they aren't fully supported? What about the 3g/4g stick?
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To answer both at once, I will say it like this : I can’t comment on the DAB+ stick personally because I don’t use much in the way of radio. The Malaysk ROM’s come with an android PCRadio app built-in, which works a lot like Sirius satellite radio but does not require any subscription. It streams the “radio” music data over the Internet, and there are multiple Internet radio stations that are worldwide. My experience with the classical ones is that they are almost entirely free of commercials. This works well for my purpose, and since I personally don’t tolerate advertising of any variety, I’m happy with this. I also pack a lot of my own music and audiobooks onto a USB drive or SD card.
In my case I use my smart phone hotspot to feed the Internet to the stereo. I’m already paying for Internet connection through my smart phone, I felt I didn’t need to buy another mobile service line just for a car radio. I’ve heard a lot of consternation about the Internet USB sticks. At least over here in the US, people complain about poor reception and loss of signal. Reviews over at Amazon seem to bear this out. Your experience may vary.
Actually, the Erisin is 1024 while the Eonon is 800-something, however the rest looks to be more or less identical. The Erisin has can bus built in to the unit itself though, while the Eonon has a more traditional external can bus converter.
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At least both have the functionality, which is good. Again, however, I can’t comment on this too much because I don’t tinker with this, however it has piqued my curiosity. It seems like it is a one way functionality, namely the car sends information to the android radio only. This is good, and this allows the radio to receive certain information from the vehicle for diagnostic purposes. For security purposes, what you do not want is the radio to be sending signals back to the car. You really don’t want a virus to disable your brakes, or shut off your motor while on the highway, for example.
Again, look at that pumpkin unit that I had suggested earlier. Double check the specs on that, and see if that might not be more towards your liking, and maybe will meet your needs. Pumpkin does a fairly decent job, at least this is been my experience.

Most reliable brand?

I have been looking at these android car stereo units. A lot of them really do look the exact same, just with their own badging (logo) but probably from the same factory from China? I was just wondering if anyone has had any luck discovering any brands that are more reliable than others? I just hate to fork out the $250-$300 for one and have it crap out on me in 6 months.
I have specifically been looking at the Joying and Pumpkin units as it seems they are the most popular. But I am open to all the brands.

in my non-scientific study of forums, I found most people were happy with Joying, which is what I ended up getting, and I am very happy with it

Ownice is known for having lots of units with 2GB of ram and bringing things to market pretty fast like Android 6.0, but they are only ever available through Aliexpress and the newer units can get a bit pricey. Joying is known for having relatively solid support and a large product selection, as well as sometimes having custom apps for specific vehicles (ex. air conditioning control). As far as I can tell, they are a personal favorite of many on XDA. Some people also choose Eonon and Pumpkin, I'm not quite sure about them but I'd assume they are solid choices. I personally own a YINUO unit and I wouldn't recommend getting one, as they are expensive and they are always using a very slightly modified stock Hui-Fei ROM (basically the OEM rom), but still they somehow manage to make it crash when doing basic tasks. Albeit, I flashed it for a truly stock ROM and it works fine now.

Roadnavi.com also seems to be somewhat reliable and has decent support

Need more people to chime in here.

I had newsmy carpad and pumkin joying brand, i would go for newsmy because of how simple but powerful the machine is, tje joying and pumpkin brand are slow and reboot prety much everytime var turns off, any apps runing on the background will be closed. Newsmy has this option just like the phones when car is off radio goes into stanby mode screen off does not consume power when car is turned on it resumes like when turning on the screen of your phone any app runing on background will resume with no hesitation. And not to mention full steering wheel controls on any media app unlike the pumpkin and joying that need to download a app in order to make other media players work with steering wheel.

I would stay away from KGL (Kai Gei Lei or something?) units. I received a unit with a front panel that shouldn't have passed QC (rotated text on buttons etc). I was too trusting towards the Aliexpress seller since it was my first buy, so my objection period ran out. I tried to get a new panel through KGL customer service, even offered to pay if needed, sent some pictures along.
At first they responded quickly to the emails I sent afterwards they said "I see nothing wrong" and despite several reminders they just stopped responding.
So first off KGLs quality inspections are poor and their service is basically none existant. I advice to stay away from them.

I have an Erisin unit. It has a very good finish, very good construction, integrates perfectly with the CAN bus of my car, open doors and climatic all is shown correctly... I'm very happy with it. Perhaps sound quality could be improved and its support is quite poor, but I would buy another unit from them surely. Moreover, I think they have the same software than Joyin products, so perhaps their firmwares could be interchangeables.

What's the appeal of these units?

So I was reading the how can China manufacturer make you happy thread and mjdoom mentioned he'd like to see Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. That got me wondering, what's the appeal of these units? Why not just buy one of the many mainstream headunits on the market that have those features? Is it the price? OEM(ish) fitment? etc?
For me it was price and the ability to do multiple things (Dashcam/DVR is a plus).

dummptyhummpty said:
So I was reading the how can China manufacturer make you happy thread and mjdoom mentioned he'd like to see Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. That got me wondering, what's the appeal of these units? Why not just buy one of the many mainstream headunits on the market that have those features? Is it the price? OEM(ish) fitment? etc?
For me it was price and the ability to do multiple things (Dashcam/DVR is a plus).
Click to expand...
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Simple, the appeal is that if you have android running your radio, then you can actually use it to do things.
Unlike those mainstream junk boxes that do nothing at all.
Unfortunate downside of this is the extreme buggyness of the chinese units.

luciusfox said:
Simple, the appeal is that if you have android running your radio, then you can actually use it to do things.
Unlike those mainstream junk boxes that do nothing at all.
Unfortunate downside of this is the extreme buggyness of the chinese units.
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Click to collapse
For basic GPS maps and Streaming Music the unit I have works great out of the box. Far from what I would call "buggy". Most of the complaints or bugs I see here are with functionality that isn't even remotely possible on most head units. Bugs such as pairing an ODBII can be a pain, but it's not even possible to anything that isn't full android.
Just having google maps in the dash with a couple of real streaming music apps is a superior experience than anything a car manufacture is putting in their new cars. The big appeal for me is it is android and can be customized to do far more than most typical head units. It also helps that I am a very technical person and hacking with android is a hobby of mine.
We have 2 newer cars, a work truck with 'ford sync', and my wife just got a car with 'Nissan Connect' with GPS. A passenger can't even enter a destination in the units without the driver pulling over and stopping. She still ends up dash mounting her phone for google maps and just streaming music from it. Both are quite useless and overly restricted compared to a $300 Chinese head unit.
I prefer to drive my 6 year old car, just because the cheap Chinese head unit is far superior to anything shipping from the factory today in most cars.

gustden said:
For basic GPS maps and Streaming Music the unit I have works great out of the box. Far from what I would call "buggy". Most of the complaints or bugs I see here are with functionality that isn't even remotely possible on most head units. Bugs such as pairing an ODBII can be a pain, but it's not even possible to anything that isn't full android.
Just having google maps in the dash with a couple of real streaming music apps is a superior experience than anything a car manufacture is putting in their new cars. The big appeal for me is it is android and can be customized to do far more than most typical head units. It also helps that I am a very technical person and hacking with android is a hobby of mine.
We have 2 newer cars, a work truck with 'ford sync', and my wife just got a car with 'Nissan Connect' with GPS. A passenger can't even enter a destination in the units without the driver pulling over and stopping. She still ends up dash mounting her phone for google maps and just streaming music from it. Both are quite useless and overly restricted compared to a $300 Chinese head unit.
I prefer to drive my 6 year old car, just because the cheap Chinese head unit is far superior to anything shipping from the factory today in most cars.
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Yeah, because the "usually fails to connect the SCO stream" isn't a really important bug.

luciusfox said:
Yeah, because the "usually fails to connect the SCO stream" isn't a really important bug.
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I agree if basic BT functionality isn't working, that is a big problem. Guess I am lucky as I haven't seen that issue. BT really hasn't been much of an issue with my Joying, once I figured out how to pair my ODBII.

gustden said:
I agree if basic BT functionality isn't working, that is a big problem. Guess I am lucky as I haven't seen that issue. BT really hasn't been much of an issue with my Joying, once I figured out how to pair my ODBII.
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It usually works ok for a little while, then after some time stops working. So if you're only doing really short drives, then you might not notice it. If you're doing hour or longer drives, then you'll start to see it happen.

luciusfox said:
It usually works ok for a little while, then after some time stops working. So if you're only doing really short drives, then you might not notice it. If you're doing hour or longer drives, then you'll start to see it happen.
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I drove about 4 hours over the weekend with the headunit tethered to my phone via BT, and didn't have any issues. This is on the Sept 1 ROM. Perhaps the problem is heat related since it only happens on longer drives?

gustden said:
I drove about 4 hours over the weekend with the headunit tethered to my phone via BT, and didn't have any issues. This is on the Sept 1 ROM. Perhaps the problem is heat related since it only happens on longer drives?
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No, heat related would be impossible, heatsink and fan keeps it at a nice cool 40 degrees. Something mungs up in the software after a while -- turning the bluetooth off and then back on manually temporarily corrects the problem. Could be working for you because of a change in the sept build, everything earlier exhibits the problem. Two separate units in two cars. One running may, one running july, both with heatsink and fan.

I have a DPF in my car and I run the Torque app to show status so that I can extend it's life. I also have displays for battery condition, actual speed (not the speedo adjusted one), and engine temps. Things that help me look after the car and keep it running reliably.
The great thing is that I can customise to suit my needs or if there are more things to monitor.
Being able to play any format music without having to convert it to work in the car.
Better GPS navigation with a 8" screen, dedicated up to date maps with street speeds and speed camera locations, connection to the traffic network (no data plan needed).
The only downside would be I wish bluetooth A2DP streaming was better. For me the pros outweigh the cons of the 2" monochrome screen I had before.

I've only just bought my unit but the reasons for me are the price and the greater capabilities!

Newbie Is it worth getting a Android head unit? I been debating if it's better to go pioneer or try android

I been wanting to update my old head unit and tried looking in here for info but I can't find anything for my questions but my main question is the android units pretty mature that it's smooth and you don't have to really worry about it it just works ? I have no clue on what brands are pretty good I seen joy alot and are people here modding the head units and making them run better?

I am also interested in the feedback from the more experienced Here.
I want to install a large screen Android in our motorhome, but don’t want something that doesn’t work well.
Paul

I recently purchased Topway TS10 unit. My first Android HU, actually my first Android device also.
If I had to do it again I would look for a unit that can be rooted fully - otherwise you are at total mercy of Chinese vendor who may ignore you, give you wrong information or will simply not understand your question.
Based on my, rather limited, knowledge, 3GB RAM CC2 Plus from Alibaba would be on top of my list.

firstbob said:
I recently purchased Topway TS10 unit. My first Android HU, actually my first Android device also.
If I had to do it again I would look for a unit that can be rooted fully - otherwise you are at total mercy of Chinese vendor who may ignore you, give you wrong information or will simply not understand your question.
Based on my, rather limited, knowledge, 3GB RAM CC2 Plus from Alibaba would be on top of my list.
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Yah that's my main worry's is being at the mercy of a Chinese vendor and having to deal with a buggy OS with no updates and noone on xda having there own version that's better

Neogx said:
Yah that's my main worry's is being at the mercy of a Chinese vendor and having to deal with a buggy OS with no updates and noone on xda having there own version that's better
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Quite right.

marchnz said:
Quite right.
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I've had some personal experience with both options. Last year I purchased a top-of-the-line Pioneer HU (AVIC W8500NEX) and installed it in my Toyota Highlander. I had nothing but trouble with it. Random reboots and freeze-ups. Replaced the HU once and the CanBus adapter once but problems persisted. I finally gave up and recently purchased a Sygav PX6 android HU. The first HU died after one day. The second HU has been working well other than a few quirks that are well documented in this forum.
So, I don't think there is a clear answer here. I completely understand the concerns about purchasing an off-brand HU, but name brand HU's are not without problems as well.

I've been in this game quite a long time. Heck., I was in this game years ago when it was WinCE.
Functionality wise, the top brands have been playing catch up for years. In the case of some of them, they even went down the WinCE route, so as to provide a pathway to all the great software that was available (iGo Primo, for example).
Where the Chinese head units are playing catch-up, has always been the sound quality. Historically, Chinese Head Units have used very low quality amplifier IC's which give a very mediocre sound.
Then we got the generic Android Head Units and again, the big brand manufacturers were playing catch up, except it's not a level playing field. I doubt big brands would be allowed to ship an almost stock Android Head Unit as they are not 'actually safe' for cars. They are the kind of thing which would have to be sold with a 'Not Road Legal' label attached.
So you've got the CarPlay and Android Auto options coming out of the big brands and you've got the generic Android kit coming out of the Chinese brands. Except, the Chinese brands have now caught up with the sound quality. The PX5 units I had in my BMW and Audi had exceptional sound quality.
As for the quality and reliability. I've always had good luck with Chinese units until recently. My WinCE badgers never failed me. Two PX5's didn't fail either (6 months and 2 years).
So, I got a PX6 for my Jetta as a treat to myself. I was mezmerized by the speed but the first thing I noticed on day 1 is that it ran hot. The PX5 ran comparatively cool and the issue with electronics when they get hot is the lifespan shorten and as this thing ran hot seemingly all the time, it unfortunately didn't last a month, and was returned with an amp defect.
I'm now on a Xtrons MA series, which is basically a Junsun V1 Pro. Performance wise, it pales in comparison to the PX6 and tbh, it even feels a bit sluggish compared to the PX5. However.... it has an extremely good DSP which means the sound quality utterly blows away the PX6, which was already decent btw. It also has some other nice features like Android Assistant that is actually able to dial via your phone properly (it never worked on the PX5), CarPlay for your iPhone, Android Auto if you want it....
So the gap between what Pioneer are knocking out and these Chinese head units is actually massive at this point and it's in favour of the Chinese stuff. You can literally buy a Chinese head unit that offers the same functionality as the Pioneer (CarPlay etc), and more (Android 10) and similar sound quality.
Big manufacturers are on borrowed time. In-built stuff with new cars + these units for old cars are literally the death knell.

You are not comparing apples with apples - genuine units are Android Auto, Chinese origin greyboxes are a hacked Android and are NOT Android Auto. They have two very different use cases.
The problem with Chinese origin knock off Android head units is the lack of recourse, support and consumer protection.
The resellers stop communicating when bugs and problems get hard for them, leaving buyer stuck or out of pocket.

marchnz said:
You are not comparing apples with apples - genuine units are Android Auto, Chinese origin greyboxes are a hacked Android and are NOT Android Auto. They have two very different use cases.
The problem with Chinese origin knock off Android head units is the lack of recourse, support and consumer protection.
The resellers stop communicating when bugs and problems get hard for them, leaving buyer stuck or out of pocket.
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My Chinese unit also offers Android Auto and CarPlay via USB, hence my point that I am able to access numerous ecosystems here. Android, Android-Auto, CarPlay.
I think there is some truth to your statement with regards to lacking resource and consumer protection but your best bet is buying from one of the more legitimate UK based resellers. I've bought my last three from Xtrons and the one which failed, they took back in an instant and refunded the money. It's a gamble but it's hardly a risky gamble, we're talking a few hundred pounds here, and if you're sensible and buy through a protected platform like Amazon, you'll be fine.
In my experience, quality control issues usually manifest themselves within a very short period of time. In my case, it was less than a month. If your unit is still going strong after 3-4 then I'd say you're onto a winner. The bugs are usually bitty I find. My PX5 and PX6's were really smooth and powerful, but had irritating little 'misses' like Google Now couldn't make a call via Bluetooth, which is more like a missing feature than an actual bug. This new unit doesn't feel particularly buggy UI wise, but it's definitely not as powerful.... However, it offers some really clever features that the PX5 and PX6 didn't, such as calling via Google Now right out of the box and separated volume channels for different things. Higher clock speeds aren't everything. I've not made up my mind on it currently, but as it costs £260 inc delivery and brought a whole load of surprisingly useful extras the PX5/6 don't, I think I am OK with it.
One thing I would point out here:
Any aftermarket radio that offers apps or 'AppRadio-esque' functionality is at the mercy of manufacturer. The ecosystem they selling against is essentially a moving target. I think the big brands get let off so easily here.
AppRadio – Apps on Google Play
Turn your car into a connected car with Pioneer AppRadio
play.google.com
The Pioneer AppRadio app above has a wonderful 2 star rating on Google Play. Is it any wonder? A number of the early App Radios (1-4 definitely) are now dead if used with official software. The only alternative is AppRadio Unchained which is effectively a screen mirroring app and a right mess to get working. Let's not pretend that you're good for life if you get yourself a Pioneer or Sony. You are merely on a countdown and eventually they'll pull the plug.
In the case of a Chinese radio, it's usually however long it takes for the hardware to become obsolete and unusable, if the hardware itself doesn't fail. My PX5's were running the latest apps and my oldest was bought in 2018. I expect this current unit will keep going for a similar amount of time, albeit not as quick as I'd like. Tl:dr, I think it's naive to think we buy radios (including big brand) to last 5-10 years. At the price point they exist, we should be happy with 3 years. Not many people keep their cars much longer than that anyway.