The Android Head-Unit buying guide

amritpal2489 · 14th July 2019, 12:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa

Great Thread! I just posted my experience of upgrading my Honda City to a 10.1 inch 4G LTE Support Android based Unit called Foxfire.
Report Published here >

Looks fabulous.. Can you quote the price ?

bsdbsd · 15th July 2019, 11:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadrasTurbo

I agree, but none of the Sony/Pioneer units support CANBUS decoding..... Do read my recent post (My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur) on my thread about my experience with an Android HU.

OH Okay. Thats a neat point. I wasnt aware of this feature. I am sure there are tons of positives with Android HU, but my intention was not to get locked into to one particular ecosystem. I would never be able to use the Android HU with my office issued iPhone.

The canbus limitation of Pioneer/Sonly can be overcome with a cheap OBD II bluetooth adapter. With new iOS13 (this fall), you can see both screens simultaneously (OBD app readings, and CarPlay screen on HU).

I will go through your post on Captur. Thanks.

shobhit.shri · 15th July 2019, 16:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedmunster

Before and after pics of the HU upgrade in my Honda City. The android HU is from a company called Seicane and I bought it directly from aliexpress. The best part is that the wiring was a direct plug-n-play and the steering controls work like a factory unit itself. Also, the screen dims itself when the headlights are turned on.

I have the same car, 3rd generation Honda city, and I am also exploring the Android upgrade. Can you please tell more about your Android unit and your experience of the upgrade?

vsrivatsa · 15th July 2019, 22:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by amritpal2489

Looks fabulous.. Can you quote the price ?

The price varies as per the City/Region - Please message Sunny Gupta (9555011134) on WhatsApp for the price by quoting your City details. Also mention that you got the details via Team-BHP.

speedmunster · 16th July 2019, 11:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by shobhit.shri

I have the same car, 3rd generation Honda city, and I am also exploring the Android upgrade. Can you please tell more about your Android unit and your experience of the upgrade?

Installation: The installation process was as simple as can be. Just remove the oe panel along with the head unit and fix the android head unit in its place. The wiring connectors were a direct fit with no cutting and splicing.

Functionality: Excellent. The apps work well. I have faced a bit of lag while using waze maps and google maps. But that is something I can live with since I mostly use my phone for navigation. Installing sound activated wallpapers is also glitchy so sticking to regular wallpapers for now. This probably is due to the head unit having 1 gb of ram. Everything else, starting from the music apps to Torque pro work flawlessly.

Sound Quality: Improved. The OE setup in the City sounds pretty decent in itself and the new head unit has only improved matters. I am still using the stock speakers.

Looks: Wow. The general reaction from everyone that has sat in the car was 'wow'. The screen is a 10.1 inch capacitative screen and it definitely improves the overall look of the dash. Looks modern.

Tech_Driver · 19th July 2019, 15:01

Thanks for the thread. I am also looking to upgrade HU of my Honda Jazz. Have gone through various models available in ali express but was bit worried on the reliability of those Head unit's and on the other hand Pioneer HU with decent android auto being bit expensive side.

sam_sant2005 · 20th July 2019, 07:26

Thanks to the Thread owner for starting this. I wanted to share my bit for sometime. I bought a Blaupunkt Costa Mesa 900 Android Headunit for my car 4 months back (24k) and got literally screwed. But no one else to blame other than myself due to following reasons :-

1) I fell for the brand and did not seriously look in to the Ram which is 1GB only
2) Unit is agonisingly slow, takes its own sweet time to load and each click sometimes takes upto 30 sec to respond

So my warning to all of you out here, watch out for RAM! Most important. I was so stupid to go for a 1GB unit in this era where even phones have upto 12GB RAM.

shahadav · 21st July 2019, 13:44

Android based Head Units have huge potential. But what they lack often is a reliable and quality hardware support.

I would like to share some findings on the subject. There is a brand called Joying. They don't seem to be popular in Indian Market. Based on my research, they are one of the few innovative companies in this field. They have a direct after sales support team that actually works, Frequently issues software patches and updates. They recently introduced Intel airmont based (as opposed to PX/PX6) Head Units with Digital Audio Output (COAX). Pair it with a Rockford Fosgate DSR1 DSP likes with digital COAX input, a Power AMP and a quality source, you get the cleanest possible audio out from your drivers. Plus there's enough room to play with the bands as per your liking. Digital is the way to go.

I was on the verge of ordering one from them, then had to drop the plan due to some other reasons.

::CMS:: · 21st July 2019, 14:15

All features are fine except audio quality, almost all units available in the market fails there. Also most screens are non HD. Since there is no unit with good audio in the market I made a unit myself on an android dev board ~5-6yrs back that supports a usb external DAC that can play high Resolution audio from 1TB HDD with native HD lcd panel. I dont see any improvement in the units which were available at that time except the android version.

For somebody who needs a good audio can get a unit with android auto so that you get the best of both worlds else DIY is the only option

simpleman · 21st July 2019, 14:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by ::CMS::

All features are fine except audio quality, almost all units available in the market fails there. Also most screens are non HD. Since there is no unit with good audio in the market I made a unit myself on an android dev board ~5-6yrs back that supports a usb external DAC that can play high Resolution audio from 1TB HDD with native HD lcd panel. I dont see any improvement in the units which were available at that time except the android version.

For somebody who needs a good audio can get a unit with android auto so that you get the best of both worlds else DIY is the only option

Since these android unit essentially function like a phone, is it not possible to connect an external DAC to these unit using the given USB ports?

::CMS:: · 21st July 2019, 14:42

Most boards wont support that or the drivers wont be there. I havent tried it in the newer units. Earlier I had to build a custom rom.

driverace · 25th July 2019, 21:26

Posting on behalf of a friend-

What will be the function of Canbus in a car without inbuilt Navigation and display?
E.g. in Hyundai i20 Sportz 2016 model, which is equipped with a normal radio unit, what added benefit will a canbus decoder provide?
Will it be able to show which door is actually open, like it shows for a top variant, instead of a generic warning?

Thanks,

Ace.

ms001 · 27th August 2019, 12:10

I have installed this Android head unit in my duster RXZ AMT 2017 model .

https://kwidcarsolution.in/product/7...aptur-2gb32gb/

It is a direct plug and play ,OE rear cam , OE steering remote buttons work directly with the system.

Existing GPS antenna can be connected and used google maps/other , the unit also came with a GPS antenna , in case the car variant does not have 1 built in.

Bunch of apps , skins , launchers are available from play store as well.

Overall pretty much satisfied with the install .

Anyone looking to try out android for their Duster/Kwid can surely go for it.

iamitp · 14th October 2019, 16:12

Hi!

My father got the same HU installed. I'm wondering if it's possible to connect the phone thru USB Cable and if the HU accepts voice commands?

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedmunster

Before and after pics of the HU upgrade in my Honda City. The android HU is from a company called Seicane and I bought it directly from aliexpress. The best part is that the wiring was a direct plug-n-play and the steering controls work like a factory unit itself. Also, the screen dims itself when the headlights are turned on.

RoadGlide · 18th October 2019, 13:10

I am considering to get an android HU as well for our Ertiga (2014 model). I would like to know some details on which model and specs I should be looking at. Also, will I need a DSP or not? I have upgraded to components in the car.

19th July 2019, 15:01	#21
Tech_Driver Newbie Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Bangalore Posts: 9 Thanked: 3 Times	Re: The Android Head-Unit buying guide Thanks for the thread. I am also looking to upgrade HU of my Honda Jazz. Have gone through various models available in ali express but was bit worried on the reliability of those Head unit's and on the other hand Pioneer HU with decent android auto being bit expensive side.
	() Thanks

20th July 2019, 07:26	#22
sam_sant2005 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 537 Thanked: 287 Times	Re: The Android Head-Unit buying guide Thanks to the Thread owner for starting this. I wanted to share my bit for sometime. I bought a Blaupunkt Costa Mesa 900 Android Headunit for my car 4 months back (24k) and got literally screwed. But no one else to blame other than myself due to following reasons :- 1) I fell for the brand and did not seriously look in to the Ram which is 1GB only 2) Unit is agonisingly slow, takes its own sweet time to load and each click sometimes takes upto 30 sec to respond So my warning to all of you out here, watch out for RAM! Most important. I was so stupid to go for a 1GB unit in this era where even phones have upto 12GB RAM. Last edited by sam_sant2005 : 20th July 2019 at 07:32.
	(6) Thanks

21st July 2019, 13:44	#23
shahadav Newbie Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Doha Posts: 13 Thanked: 54 Times	Re: The Android Head-Unit buying guide Android based Head Units have huge potential. But what they lack often is a reliable and quality hardware support. I would like to share some findings on the subject. There is a brand called Joying. They don't seem to be popular in Indian Market. Based on my research, they are one of the few innovative companies in this field. They have a direct after sales support team that actually works, Frequently issues software patches and updates. They recently introduced Intel airmont based (as opposed to PX/PX6) Head Units with Digital Audio Output (COAX). Pair it with a Rockford Fosgate DSR1 DSP likes with digital COAX input, a Power AMP and a quality source, you get the cleanest possible audio out from your drivers. Plus there's enough room to play with the bands as per your liking. Digital is the way to go. I was on the verge of ordering one from them, then had to drop the plan due to some other reasons.
	(4) Thanks

21st July 2019, 14:15	#24
::CMS:: BHPian Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Bangalore Posts: 602 Thanked: 582 Times	Re: The Android Head-Unit buying guide All features are fine except audio quality, almost all units available in the market fails there. Also most screens are non HD. Since there is no unit with good audio in the market I made a unit myself on an android dev board ~5-6yrs back that supports a usb external DAC that can play high Resolution audio from 1TB HDD with native HD lcd panel. I dont see any improvement in the units which were available at that time except the android version. For somebody who needs a good audio can get a unit with android auto so that you get the best of both worlds else DIY is the only option Last edited by ::CMS:: : 21st July 2019 at 14:18.
	(4) Thanks

21st July 2019, 14:42	#26
::CMS:: BHPian Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Bangalore Posts: 602 Thanked: 582 Times	Re: The Android Head-Unit buying guide Most boards wont support that or the drivers wont be there. I havent tried it in the newer units. Earlier I had to build a custom rom.
	(1) Thanks

25th July 2019, 21:26	#27
driverace BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Pune Posts: 413 Thanked: 173 Times	Re: The Android Head-Unit buying guide Posting on behalf of a friend- What will be the function of Canbus in a car without inbuilt Navigation and display? E.g. in Hyundai i20 Sportz 2016 model, which is equipped with a normal radio unit, what added benefit will a canbus decoder provide? Will it be able to show which door is actually open, like it shows for a top variant, instead of a generic warning? Thanks, Ace.
	(1) Thanks

27th August 2019, 12:10	#28
ms001 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,031 Thanked: 305 Times	Re: The Android Head-Unit buying guide I have installed this Android head unit in my duster RXZ AMT 2017 model . https://kwidcarsolution.in/product/7...aptur-2gb32gb/ It is a direct plug and play ,OE rear cam , OE steering remote buttons work directly with the system. Existing GPS antenna can be connected and used google maps/other , the unit also came with a GPS antenna , in case the car variant does not have 1 built in. Bunch of apps , skins , launchers are available from play store as well. Overall pretty much satisfied with the install . Anyone looking to try out android for their Duster/Kwid can surely go for it.
	(1) Thanks

18th October 2019, 13:10	#30
RoadGlide BHPian Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 73 Thanked: 445 Times	Re: The Android Head-Unit buying guide I am considering to get an android HU as well for our Ertiga (2014 model). I would like to know some details on which model and specs I should be looking at. Also, will I need a DSP or not? I have upgraded to components in the car.
	() Thanks