[five46]

Have been thinking of posting this review of my budget android player setup ever since I bought the player way back in June 2018. Thanks to my 9-9 job and baby sitting thereafter in the time left, I could never do it.

Fast Forward to Feb 2019.. And I made up my mind to complete this brief review. I clicked a few pics.. and that's that. I could not do anything more than that.

And now, finally on the task. I'll be breaking this concise review into 4 parts:

A. The setup.
B. Setup Cost
C. Pictures.
D. Comments on the output of the setup.

A. The Setup
1. Headunit: 2 Din Panlelo HU
2. Front Component Speakers - Blaupunkt
3. Rear Sony Speakers (Mega Bass XS-FB162E) - Bought from local dealer
4. Generic rear camera - bought from local dealer
5. OBD Adapter - WiFi
(clicking on the above will lead to the site of the merchant where I purchased them)


B. Setup Cost

[five46]

C. Pictures

The Player:



Its fit is slightly tilted towards the driver



View of the player on the dash



The tacky buttons



The settings screen



You can choose your boot logo from the player customisation



The Suzuki logo, in an attempt to make the player look OEM



About the player screen



The apps that I have installed



The stock radio app



The music player app I am currently using



The Torque app on the player



The multitask window



Speaking of multitasking, this is the RAM management screen



The firmware screen



Reverse camera view on the screen:



The Blaupunkt tweeter on the dash



This is how the audio sounds (headphones recommended) and how the video playback will look on the player

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luvo...ature=youtu.be

[five46]

D. Comments on the output of the player

Having a Android HU gives all the advantages of its versatility and gives the ability to pick apps at your will from the play store which can make your HU multi-functional.

The output of this budget setup is strictly par for the course. It will suffice the requirements of most average joes. The sound stage is decent. The Blaupaunkt components have very clean output. Even the tweeters are very laid back with no unnecessary aggressive highs (thank god!). The Sony speakers in the rear door are flat with no life (at best).

Bass lovers will be disappointed with this setup as it barely packs any punch. Bollywood dhinchaak will sound Okish.

To sum up, this setup will suffice most peoples requirements who are on a very tight budget of around 12 - 15k.

Am I satisfied with this setup?

Yes.. Out of force, and not by choice. I have a liking for good audio. Some members may have seen me on the erst-while se-nse forums fiddling around with Sony Ericsson W810 audio drivers. I will surely be upgrading stage-wise as and when Vitamin M is in surplus.

Closing notes

I have compiled this review in an hour only owing to time limitations. I sincerely apologize any shortcomings in the review and will be more than happy to answer any specific queries.

Thanks for the patient reading.

[blackwasp]

Super upgrade there! With Airbags and ABS coming standard in the base models of most cars these days, your report will help many others who want to fit a nice infotainment system in their base model cars.

Just a question, can you post pictures of the rear camera? I would like to know how it is mounted.

The visibility looks good and the Android system is much nicer than what showrooms offer!

[superbad]

Nicely put together unit. If it lasts for a couple of years (HU only; speakers easily last much longer) you have your money's worth. Which Android version is it running?

[deehunk]

Good job! My Dapic head unit lasted 3 years and was used on 3 cars. These HU's are not as bad as perceived and works well if you have good speakers.

[five46]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Just a question, can you post pictures of the rear camera? I would like to know how it is mounted.

Thanks for the appreciation.

Mounted above the number plate and not the usual placement in the middle of the rear bumper. Will post a pic on weekend as the car is in my hometown presently.

Originally Posted by superbad

Which Android version is it running?

6.0. It can be seen in one of the pics above.

Originally Posted by deehunk

These HU's are not as bad as perceived and works well if you have good speakers.

The default name of the Bluetooth was Nippon when I received the unit. I guess you get the drift.

Also, I find the touch response to be more snappy than the one in my Ignis (sold now) which came with the Bosch Smart play system.

Being an Android HU, you also can customise the UI with the help of third party launchers. One such example is below when I was using this very HU in my Eon. I will post more pics of it when I have the car with me.

[turbowhistle]

Originally Posted by deehunk

Good job! My Dapic head unit lasted 3 years and was used on 3 cars. These HU's are not as bad as perceived and works well if you have good speakers.

Totally agree to this! Interestingly we also had a touchscreen Dapic unit which did duty in 3 cars from 2012 (Xylo, Estilo and running in WagonR currently). Although its a very basic unit but well worth the money paid back in the day! And it sounds incredible if you throw in an amp and subwoofer!

[AmazeGuru]

Great job and this couldn't have come at a better time! I am currently planning on replacing my Pioneer ICE to an android-based unit - primarily due to availability of Maps and Apps. I was also searching for the 'compatible' head units on AliExpress.

Couple of questions:
1. I have heard some stories of AliExpress shipments from China causing issues with Customs where customers have ended paying customs duty to get their product. How did it go in your case?
2. How's the performance of the unit? I mean when using Maps or YouTube, did you see lag in response? Also how is the touch response?

[Abhinav_2502]

Great Upgrade! Just wanted to know if you had tried out the Android Auto app?

The launcher and overall integration of Google maps into it is well executed in Android Auto.

[Highh5]

Great upgrade. Even I was thinking to upgrade to a touchscreen media player which supports Android Auto and Apple Car play. And this one I think is of the most cost effective upgrade.
I only have one question, since this upgrade is done in Sigma Model of Baleno, will it support the steering mounted controls if installed in Delta model of Baleno.

[shankarbn]

Interesting and comes in at the right time as I am mulling an audio unit upgrade for my tucson. How does this connect to the internet? Are you using a sim card or mirrorlink?

[five46]

Thank you for the appreciation.

Originally Posted by AmazeGuru

Couple of questions:
1. I have heard some stories of AliExpress shipments from China causing issues with Customs where customers have ended paying customs duty to get their product. How did it go in your case?
2. How's the performance of the unit? I mean when using Maps or YouTube, did you see lag in response? Also how is the touch response?

1. Yes. Customs can be a hit or a miss. But, I have seen custom duty in the range of Rs.1000 - Rs.2000 being levied in case of electronic goods with invoice up to Rs.10000/- (or equivalent $s). In my case, it was sent by the seller as a "gift item". I was fortunate to have been billed nothing by customs.
2. Absolutely no lag with 7-8 apps running (none of these are heavy). The touch response is snappy except at the corners where it may need an occasional second tap.

Originally Posted by Abhinav_2502

Great Upgrade! Just wanted to know if you had tried out the Android Auto app?

The launcher and overall integration of Google maps into it is well executed in Android Auto.

Never felt the need for Android Auto as the unit itself runs on Android (Version 6 though, from June 2018). The OS comes with minimum bloatware. Google maps comes installed and works exactly as it does on any android handset.

Originally Posted by Highh5

I only have one question, since this upgrade is done in Sigma Model of Baleno, will it support the steering mounted controls if installed in Delta model of Baleno.

Possible by purchasing a compatible canbus which is sold separately.

Originally Posted by shankarbn

How does this connect to the internet? Are you using a sim card or mirrorlink?

I use the hotspot on my mobile phone for internet connectivity. Alternatively, a sim card dongle can also be connected through the secondary USB port.

[wr10forever]

Nice work there five46
Have you tried rooting on the HU? If you are able to root it, you might easily get around the problem of low bass levels by installing a DSP software such as Dolby Atmos or Viper4Android (which is my favourite, by the way).

[vnabhi]

Nice thread. I am curious to know how the unit gets internet data. Do you convert your phone into a hotspot?

Also, when there are players like Blaupunkt Monte Carlo 750 and Sony XAV 3000 that sell under 18 K, why did you not go for them?