In-Car Android 'TV'!

This is my car's stock HU (headunit aka car player), a very common FM radio come with CD player by Clarion. Been using it for 3 years plus and I'd decided to change it after fiddling around my friend's Android HU!

TADAAA~

Friend helped me to purchase this from TaoBao. The total price inclusive shipping from China to Malaysia is RM750 nett! It can be purchased locally but the cheapest I can find here is also around RM900 and it is in Malacca! If I will to spend to go to Malacca to have it installed, then it will definitely cost me more than RM1k after factoring the petrol and toll expenses.

WHAT IT COMES WITH

No pictures of it as I was too excited to get it installed. The box is just a plain box with all these components inside.

1. Android HU Console w/ Panel
2. PnP (Plug n Play) Wiring Socket
3. 2 USB ports Extension Socket
4. Wifi Antenna
5. GPS Antenna

SPECIFICATIONS

HARDWARE
CPU: Allwinner T3 Quad-Core, 1.6GHZ
MEMORY: 1GB DDR3 RAM w/ 16GB Internal ROM
DISPLAY: 10.2" @ 1024 x 600
FEATURES: FM, Wifi + GPS

FIRMWARE
OS: Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow)
MCU: T5.3.19-145-10-C06101-170413
SYSTEM: V8.2.1_20170410.135936_JP1

THE INSTALLATION

I saved around RM100+ for the installation fee as I do it together with my friend. It is very easy. For my car (Proton Inspira/Mitsubishi Lancer/Evo X/Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback 2.4), there's only 2 screws to be removed at the side panel under the blower vent. Then, the center console can be removed by applying some pulling force as it is all held by clips. Wiring for this Android HU is all PnP (Plug n Play).

Remove screws, remove the center panel and console together with the wiring, plug in the new player wiring, chuck the new player console in and put the panel back in place and screw everything back. Voila~ Mission Accomplish! Took us around 45 minutes.

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Design wise, this is probably one of the nicest car stereo designs I've seen. Normally when we heard of "China Android Device", we tend to think that the quality really sucks and it is not worthwhile to buy even though it is cheap. This Android HU from China makes me think otherwise. It is not laggy, screen response is superb and smooth. Even friends that tested it also mentioned that it doesn't "feel" like China made!

USAGE REVIEW

• Startup time
  Took about 30 seconds to boot.
• Responsiveness
  Touch screen and capacitive touch buttons at the bottom of the bezel are very responsive.
• Display Quality
  Screen is super clear and bright, like I said my friend also mentioned it doesn't look like China made pixelated display. Brightness and panel lights can be automatic based on the pilot lamp. Will auto dim once pilot lamp is on.
• Audio Quality
  Exactly same as my stock HU
• GPS
  I'm impressed that the GPS lock after only a few seconds, confirm faster than my smartphone! Can support Waze/Google Map

THE DOWNSIDE

1. Because this unit is designed for the LHS (left hand side) drive, the panel buttons are position to the left side of the console which is not convenient for our local RHS (right hand side) car. Not a big issue as there is the Volume Up/Down and Previous/Next buttons on my steering. Other than that I only use the Power Off button on the panel.
2. During daytime, the screen surface reflection makes it hard to see. Not a big deal too as it is dangerous to see the screen and drive unless I need the GPS running on the HU. Normally I still use my smartphone to Waze
3. Noticed that when I used FM while running on GPS, my GPS location tends to lose signal and can't detect my location accurately. Perhaps because of the disturbance of frequency wave? Forced to listen to music from other source instead of FM when using GPS, not really a big issue though.

SAMPLE VIDEOS

Comparison of my 10" iPad Air 2 and 10.2" Android HU Size

Testing Waze with the Android HU

MY CONCLUSION TO YOU

I think new coming up cars will come together with Android infotainment HU. If you are looking for one to replace your current HU, I will advise that you try out the available models out there first before purchasing. As you know some models are still very "China-made" quality. You know what I mean. Like what I did, I tested out my friend's unit on his car only I purchase.

Also, this is a very good entertainment for my daughter during road trip. It has fully replaced my smartphone/iPad's YouTube entertainment for her.

All I can say is It gives a lot of convenience. I standby 'offline' musics and videos on 2 separate thumbdrives each. Can 'online' and get musics from Spotify and videos from YouTube.

This is why I will say this is the most worthwhile upgrade! No regret! Well done China! For the first time I'm really impressed with China's brand stuff!

My Customized Wallpaper!