There are tons of these devices on AliExpress and I was tempted to get one. After this video I think I'll pull the trigger. 😊 Thanks Lon, awesome as always!

@sirlesliechao

4 ай бұрын

I'd check out the ATOTO P8. It has a 7" QLED (allegedly) screen that's anti-glare. The power brick is kind of annoying, but overall, it's worked great for me. The light sensor (for dimming) sold me.

@MartinPaoloni

4 ай бұрын

@@sirlesliechaothank you. I'll definitely consider it!

Thanks for the in-depth review. I’ve always been curious about all these new functions. It looks alright after seeing your review.

That AV in is most likely for the parkin/backing up camera that a lot of these devices come optionally with

AV in is for cameras, you can plug a backup camera if you get one...i had one before on my old car.

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

Ahh.. that's it - yeah they had a version with a backup camera.

This is such a cool product! Thanks lon

I have something like this on my motorcycle. It’s amazing. Breathes new life into an old touring bike

@DeanOliver1964

4 ай бұрын

What unit are you using on your motorcycle?

@tylerwatt12

4 ай бұрын

@@DeanOliver1964 weuaste brand. It’s the rounder one. Not the one with squared corners

very cool. thank you for sharing

Thanks for covering this ! Can you please add some details on how phone calls work with this device if you use aux cable for audio ?

Hey Lon you can take those 3.5 mm audio cables to a car audio amp for more sound. You can install that in your dash with wires from it.

I got one of these types of things. I love it. Mine is all wired though I can use wireless I just prefer the free power with a wired connection. It sounds great and other than a dud unit has worked great. Just don’t leave it in the car when it’s hot I take mine out and store it in the house between drives. At $60 US a worthwhile purchase.

Definitely intrigued by this as retrofitting my 2015 Prius for AirPlay might still be a bit trivial and expensive. I just wonder if having this stuck on your dashboard is a theft risk in 2024. All the physical GPS units I had got stolen out of my car (a couple smashed windows too) in years past.

I like the idea of wireless airplay but does it take a huge hit on battery? Is it very reliable / laggy versus USB?

Last summer I purchased a 10.26" unit from Aliexpress and it works perfectly in my 2009 Honda CR-V. I run my audio through the aux connection and it sounds great. My unit has a built-in dashcam that works well and it also came with a backup camera that works perfectly. I am very pleased with the unit that I have as I didn't want to swap out my radio to get android auto functionality. The boot-up time is acceptable and mine came with a gel type sticky pad that holds it nicely in place and can be removed without any problems without causing damege or laeving residue behind. A nice product for the price.

@mycowsaysmeow

4 ай бұрын

got a name of device i want to get one

@JGLCSW

4 ай бұрын

Could you share a link please.

I mean if you don't have AA on your car cool, but where these things shine, are the Motorcycle versions that work with BT headsets like a Cardo or Sena, give me some great options. Unfortunately the moto ones don't have the cool touch sensitive screens like the Garmin motorcycle gps's , but I do have touch sensitive gloves so it's decently useful. The one I found has forward and rear camera connections and TPMS sensors . Unless you have large super complex motorcycles these are the best bet for now

I got one works great :) 80 CAD

Nice little device for unsupported cars at a reasonable price. Thanks

Does it have a built in microphone for calls Lon? Or does that have to happen via the mic on your phone?

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

Yes the mic will do the calls too and route back similar to how the siri request was made.

I got one for 35 euros here in Portugal, they're great and I highly recommend

How bright is the display? Any problems with glare? How is it on sunny days or in the dark? Thanks.

Can you use (wired) samsung dex instead of mirroirng

I have recently picked up one of these because I was having issues with my dash cam. Obviously I picked up one that has a dual purpose as a dash cam. Even though mine has additional hardware, I'm going to guess most weigh quite a bit. I don't think these "manufacturers" (I question if there's more than one) care about weight. Mine came with a suction cup thing, but I would not try it to hold the actual device. Luckily, the one I bought one that has its mounting point so it can be folded down to give the option to mount it on a bracket that adheres to the dash. I didn't like that option either because I didn't want the mounting point to potentially ruin the dashboard, so I just used some 3M command strips and it seems to be holding just fine. In hindsight, I probably should have used some of the clear strips because they wouldn't be as garish, but they are cheap enough I can do that whenever. One thing I have noticed with the device is that wireless car play and android auto seem to use Wi-Fi to connect to the phone. I presume OEM head units with wireless CP/AA work the same way, so I don't think this is a problem strictly with aftermarket solutions. I bring this up because I happen to have a cellular Wi-Fi hot spot in my car, but I cannot connect to both the head unit and hot spot. I know there probably aren't too many people out there that would use wireless CP/AA AND have Wi-Fi in their car, but I do think it's something to note and will do so if/when I write a review. I do intend to keep this because it's a decent dash cam that happens to also support CP/AA.

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

Yes I noticed that Wifi issue too! I thought I'd be able to keep the phone on Wifi but it disables it as soon as the connection is made. It makes sense as bluetooth isn't well suited for doing video streaming which I think is essentially what's happening here.

Be VERY aware that these units might break when baked in the hot summer sun. As in the solder joints might just get hot enough to literally melt.

@estusflask982

4 ай бұрын

They're so cheap, it doesn't really matter. Just buy another.

@Avantime

4 ай бұрын

@@estusflask982 And then you'll keep replacing it one after another. A strong warranty is needed with these products, especially from the retailer as these Chinese online sellers don't know a thing about tech support.

@estusflask982

4 ай бұрын

@@Avantime I've had mine for 6 months now, works flawlessly.

Thanks for doing this review Lon! I have been eyeing these for a while now. The one question I've not been able to see answered anywhere is if wifey and I shared a car, would we both be able to use a single unit in the car? Currently we use a Roav Bolt, but it only connects to one (my) phone. Been looking for a device we can both use.

@ncstrev

4 ай бұрын

The model I purchased on Amazon will support multiple phones. One of us has to turn off bluetooth if we're both in the car.

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

Yes they basically act as a "dumb terminal" for the phone so whoever's phone pairs with it will work. I was able to have both the iphone and android phone paired up although of course only one can work at a time.

Could the mystery port be for a reversing camera?

Congratulations. You received probably the worst example of one of these devices. Good content and presentation. I'm looking to use one of these in a classic car that fortunately has a bluetooth radio. Just looking for the right one.

I found a similar unit on AE which is suction cup mount style and includes a backup camera for less than $35. I ordered so we'll see how well it works.

@slipstream215

Күн бұрын

How was it?

@the_beefy1986

19 сағат бұрын

@@slipstream215 it's okay. I replaced the mounting system with one which slides into the CD player slot. The unit supposedly supports wireless Android Auto, but I found it was crashing the unit after only a few minutes, so I just use it wired. I sometimes get an audio hiccup here or there. The biggest issue for me is the inability to independently adjust the volume of music from the notification sounds. And the volume of the notifications is LOUD. I ended up turning them off in the OS of my phone (I don't generally use them anyway since I use a BT watch to get notifications). Overall I got my money's worth (that is to say, not as stable as a $400 unit from a major brand but also better than I would have thought for $35).

@slipstream215

19 сағат бұрын

@@the_beefy1986 35 is a steal. Thanks for being so elaborative on it and taking your precious time to let me know. I love you. Take care.

Wonder if there is a use case for these Android auto terminals to be used around the house like in the kitchen?

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

Definitely although Wifi doesn't work on either platform when the auto mode is engaged.

This looks nice but does it go through the phone connection for music? Does it allow for the Uber/Lyft app to work? I use my phone currently for everything but a big screen would be nice since my car is still on an older version of Ford VSync 😞😩

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

All of this explained in the video. Any app that supports carplay/android auto will work.

@ajwalker4416

4 ай бұрын

@@LonSeidman I did watch the video. I was only wondering for clarification in case most apps worked but not ALL apps which is why I asked. Thank you for clarifying.

Did you do a pixel 8 review? Or is that in the works

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

Not yet - I usually wait a few months for a few updates to come through as the initial wave of reviews makes it very hard for me to compete. They send out a lot of them!

Does anyone know whether the maps app would work without a phone paired to it. Maybe with built in GPS?

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

Yes was demonstrated with the Google example - Apple worked too.

@estusflask982

4 ай бұрын

Some of these have full Android installed on them. You don't need a phone at all.

Is that an Amazon Basics cable knit jumper? I’ve got the same one 😆

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

Guilty as charged :)

I am thinking what if we can install Home Assistant on here and use it as a Smart panel

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

So the only problem with that scenario is that Wifi gets disabled when the phone connects. So the source phone would need to have a cellular connection.

I will stick to the new GT media USB device I can record and play back when traveling.I can watch 3.0 live when vehicle is in motion.

I can tell you in my experience, these are hit or miss as far as quality. That being said, the major things to look for are support for wireless Carplay/AA so you don't have to connect via cable, and preferably the ability to bluetooth transmit to a bluetooth receiver so you can minimize your cables. Lastly, a BIG pain point for me is the lack of control from my steering wheel. Having to reach over to switch songs is very annoying, so if you can find one that has a separate remote that you can mount on your steering wheel is something to keep an eye out for too. All that being said, there are good ones out there, and they are great if you can't replace your stereo (like me and my Nissan Quest that has the DVD player, and replacing the stereo would lose that functionality), or just don't want the hassle.

On the ones that have a usb port, does an external DAC work with them? 'and yes, if you have a decent system, you will notice the difference.' 'edit- just ordered one for 60$ on amazon. Does everything here, AND has full android 13 as the lord intended, instead crap android manual that goes berserk if you touch it too much. Absolute game changer if the dac works'

@tatsumaru12345

3 ай бұрын

Update- that's likely going to be a no for most of these. The one I bought has full android 12, plus crapplay/androidmanual. So it detected my dacs. Even in Poweramp, it sees them. But because it isn't fm/Bluetooth/onboard aux, the built in software keeps it from working.

Only thing I wish my Car Play also had... using my Plexamp.

Does it have a built in mic for phone calls or handsfree siri support?

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

Yes as demonstrated in the video with Google

@alalonso89

4 ай бұрын

@@LonSeidman you’re right. I think I must have accidentally skipped that part of the video 😅

Did Lon say that maps navigation will not work at the same time as a music app?

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

When you're using the dual bluetooth connection

@russc788

4 ай бұрын

@@LonSeidman Ok that’s a relief, imagine a long road journey with either maps or music but not both!!

Hi Lon I have tested a handful of these over the pas year and they all have one thing in common which is not addressed in this video. I was always under the impression that the Android Auto function is pulled from the phone. If that is the case why are the map displays on these devices so archaic? None that I have tested do cool walk, maps are always 2d, no split screen off ramp stuff, no zoom as you approach an exit. Just generic Google Maps in what looks like from 10 years ago.

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

My guess is the bandwidth required to render those animations.

@rolig3518

4 ай бұрын

Did you find this to be the same on the unit you tested? Maybe I will try it with an iphone and see if it is different. Thanks for getting back to me. I've been a fan of your work for a long time.@@LonSeidman

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

@@rolig3518 Yes it works the same as any other android auto device. iPhone has a little more on animations on theirs. I suspect given the wide range of hardware that Android has to support they probably built it to a low spec.

please people - DO NOT attach your phones to rental cars infotainment systems !!!

I feel like these might become popular in the future when car makers remove android auto and charge for their own interface.

The early comment bots are so weird on KZread these days! 😂 Anyway, this looks tempting given the price point & ease of install but I’d be so worried about it getting stolen… 😅

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

OMG those comments are crazy.. I always try to get in after publishing and remove them.

I have one of these, AirPlay works alright; for it to work you need to connect to the WiFi network it broadcasts and then AirPlay as usual, Wireless CarPlay needs to be disabled though.

Did you check that no malware is installed on this device ? I wouldnt trust plugging my USB devices or phone over bluetooth into this untill somebody can confirm it is not nuked with malware.

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

There's really no mechanism for malware here that I can think of. Nothing gets installed on the phone and no data is stored on the display.

Nice but you mention that you need the cable for audio to car then later you said it can be Bluetooth. Please clarify.

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

Bluetooth from the phone to the screen, the screen does not do bluetooth out but there is a mode for the phone to go direct back to the car. However as noted that mode doesn't work well if running navigation along with music.

@BrianBurwell

4 ай бұрын

I think it will depend on which one you end up buying. I think the one I bought a few weeks ago has the option to connect to a vehicle's Bluetooth and act as a bridge between your phone and vehicle. My vehicle doesn't support A2DP, so I have no way to do that to tell you how that works. But that is not why I bought one. I wanted to get a new dash cam and many of these things include dash cams. In fact, many seem to support wired rear view cameras as well. I don't really want to deal with wiring the rear camera, so I doubt I'll use it and from limited searching the internet, I do not think there are any that support wireless "rear" cameras...yet. What was the question again? Oh, right! You should be able to find one that will send audio from the device to your car over Bluetooth. You just need to check the specifications to make sure the one you order can do that. Something you might want to do is see if you can connect to something like this for audio but connect to your car at the same time so you can take calls over your car's system directly, especially if you have controls for calls on the steering wheel.

@BrianBurwell

4 ай бұрын

@@LonSeidman I went with with a different head unit because like previous stated I was looking for a new dash cam that could also add wireless CP/AA to my vehicle. I went with something from Westods that has a high rating on Amazon. The manual indicates there is a Bluetooth transmitter in mine, which I do not have a good way to test because my vehicle doesn't support anything more than hands free calling. It might only work with car play and not android auto. (There's wording in the manual to have me believe that) Also while looking at the manual, I noticed that it said my unit supports wired android auto and actually recommends that method over wireless. I've only had this for a few weeks and don't drive too much, so I haven't spent a lot of time to see how a lot of it works. I've basically got the dash cam working and connected the aux cable to the car so I can listen to a podcast and have waze running to avoid traffic when I do drive. Maybe I should try using wired android auto before a trip I will be taking in a month. If I can connect using a USB cable and connect to the hot spot I have in my car, I would highly recommend the one I got...still with some reservations. Actually one of those reservations is how bright the screen is. It's so bright I wish I could mirror the screen so I could lay it flat on the dash and have the image reflect on the windshield. After all, it practically does that already, unfortunately upside down and backwards.

What's the point of a 7 inch model, barely bigger than most phones these days! Have a 10.25 one that can wirelessly connect and Bluetooth out. It isn't perfect as it regularly needs to reconnect to my phone via Bluetooth but at least I don't get FM drift from pirate stations ths the majority of cheaper ones only offer!

I would rather have wired Android Auto/CarPlay if it meant I could hook this up to the car via Bluetooth.

I had one chinese turbo-mega-super-doeseverything device that was essentially tiny android tablet without google apps and with some proprietary apps builtin. And some jail broken ones. It had android auto support that worked sometimes, and sometimes it didn’t. It cost about 200 euros. After 6 months it stopped working. Completely, black screen. Dead. The worst thing about it (apart from not working 😊) is the screen that is horrible to see (almost impossible) in daylight. I now have Pioneer DMH-A340DAB, and its much better, although now perfect. Android connectivity still does not work all the time, so you need to reconnect couple of times, or reboot you phone, etc. Although screen still kinda sucks on daylight. Take that into account when buying devices like that.

@estusflask982

4 ай бұрын

They are much better these days. Can get a good one for about $100.

👍 'Promosm'

I just use an Android tablet with a holder

Mounting this incorrectly could be a huge safety issue if you get into an accident. I’d hate to lose your teeth because the airbags sent it into your face.

Cars these days have Android Auto and Apple Carplay. This is pretty much useless as, by the time you have to put something in and take out each day, you just need a good phone holder and you can use Google Maps right on you phone.

@estusflask982

4 ай бұрын

Most people don't have recent cars

@russc788

4 ай бұрын

Also phone screens are a bit small.

Dude you couldn't be bothered to go to a location with signal?

@LonSeidman

4 ай бұрын

I did it works fine - it's not the one receiving the signal the phone is.

@russc788

4 ай бұрын

Lon, I think he is saying he wanted you to test it on location so to speak.

Nope, a phone holder and a fm transmitter does everything.