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-   -   Carlinkit 4.0 | Wireless Carplay & Android Auto from the same adapter (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-entertainment/257077-carlinkit-4-0-wireless-carplay-android-auto-same-adapter-8.html)

Quick update. I used to have Samsung s20 phone which was getting hot when connected. However recently I upgraded to S23 ultra and it is only getting slightly warmer. May be it has to do with the processor. S20 had exynos processor which is notorious for heating.

Btw, the device is working very well and I'm enjoying the wireless life :)

Carlinkit Wireless CarPlay Adapter Mini SE 2025 Review

I recently purchased the Carlinkit Wireless CarPlay Adapter - Mini SE 2025 from Amazon for Rs 2399. Here is a quick review of using it in my Mahindra Thar.

The Good:

• Super small form factor, looks just like a pen drive (about 5cm long).
• It has dual USB A and USB C, one on either end with a cap to cover the side you are not using. Perfect to quickly remove and take with you to another car or when travelling. Also future proofed as all new cars today come with USB C.
• Plug and play, no nonsense setup. It worked straight away in seconds. Plug it in, go to CarPlay on your headunit, connect to the bluetooth device mentioned on screen and within seconds you are in CarPlay.
• The "Force Display" option is great as it forces the head unit to boot straight into CarPlay rather than having to select CarPlay manually from the media menu each time.
• Absolutely no lag, works super smooth, as good as when connected via cable. Zero disconnections even on long drives. Excellent audio quality.
• By the time I put my seatbelt on and turn up the AC, it is already booted up and in CarPlay.
• Easy backend UI to do a firmware upgrade, change GPS settings, display settings and audio delay. I reduced audio delay to the lowest setting (400ms) and it works even smoother.
• Cheap! Rs2300 for a Carlinkit product in India, shipped locally by Amazon is fantastic pricing! Cheaper than comparable unknown local brands.

The Not So Good:

• This particular model has Wireless CarPlay only and no Android Auto. There is a "Pro" version that has both, but that is not available on Amazon and needs to be ordered from Carlinkit's website for $35. However be prepared to pay import duties on it. Interestingly on this non-pro version, there is an option to upgrade the firmware to a "CarPlay and Android Auto" version, however I have not tried this as I only need CarPlay.
• While the form factor is very small (like a 2000's pen drive), there are much smaller ones available, but from unknown manufacturers. I wanted a reliable brand with solid specs hence chose this one instead. Also the deal on this Carlinkit product made it much cheaper than other local ones.

Pic from Amazon as I didn't take any pictures myself.

TLDR: I highly recommend the Carlinkit Mini SE 2025 as a cheap, no nonsense Wireless CarPlay adapter. It works perfectly in my 2023 Mahindra Thar.

Good review. These kind of posts bring awareness to lots of people who are in need of such devices, but not sure how to go about it. Super useful.

I'm using the same in my Seltos, and i worked for both iPhone and android (Samsung S23 Ultra). Though i never need to use it on my Samsung, i did tried it once when i had set it up, some 6 months back.

I had got this CarlinKit Mini SE Adapter in Jan ‘25 (for ₹3.1k) for my 2014 Fortuner which has an aftermarket Sony headunit which supports wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

In the initial months it worked perfectly and would boot up and display the CarPlay screen by the time I had worn my seatbelt.

Now I’ve started noticing that the Adapter becomes quite hot and randomly hangs after few hours of continuous usage.

Super thanks.

I was on the lookout for it for my car as it is cumbersome to connect via cable, as it keeps my phone always on charging, especially when we are driving on highways.

This will come in handy for those times, but the price on Amazon right now is 3399/- :(. But I have added it to my wish list and will keep an eye for the price drop.

There is a Rs1000 coupon available on the listing on Amazon. Select that and when you checkout the price is reduced to Rs2399.

Thanks for the information. There is one from Portronics also available on Amazon website. Has anyone tried that?

https://amzn.in/d/caR1mmm

Was looking for wireless connectivity and stumbled upon this forum post. I am looking for a device with both Android Auto and CarPlay and this seems to fit the bill. Amazon reviews are decent but looking for reviews from some actual users here ��.

https://youtu.be/mIaHhaUYM_8?si=btheNvqelN8hN1o-
Has anyone used atobility dongle type device for wireless android auto?

I too have been looking for reviews on this. It is from a semi established (Indian) brand. And looks compact enough! Also does both Car Play and Android Auto!

I bought the Carlinkit 2Air and I'm not happy with it to be honest.

I have a Kushaq and while the pairing and setup was decent, there are too many instances of random cutoffs. i.e. the song will play and then skip for a couple of seconds randomly. There is no pattern to this. This is my biggest complaint. I use an iPhone.

I'm also not happy with how the system connects and comes to life. While the kit boots up quickly, the time taken for the phone to connect and then for everything to get going is unpredictable. Sometimes it just works. Sometimes a prompt shows up on screen. There is also some confusion on what happens when two of you are traveling and one phone gets connected to the OEM system bluetooth and the other gets connected to the kit.

I've stashed it away and gone back to cable. Perhaps one small manual step but far more predictable overall.

I have used this in my Mahindra Thar with OnePlus 11. It was continuously getting disconnected and got irritated.

Then shifted to Carlinkit T box ambient. But the steering mounted controls are not compatible with T box.

Now using Ourunik Wireless adaptor bought from Amazon and its working perfectly fine without any disconnection issues in my Thar with oneplus 11.

I purchased the Portronics Tune car receiver so let me offer my review of it so far. I got it for my Jazz '18 which only had wired Android Auto/Carplay and as I'd drive around my phone would charge to 100% (albeit slowly) and then i'd try to take it out and lose connection, then switch to BT only etc - massive hassle. The situation is even worse on long drives because i would use it for maps as well.

Enter Portronics Tune - a godsend converter for wired headunits that inherently support Auto/Carplay. It was indeed plug-n-play as mentioned by the manufacturers. There's just a one-time setup that you need to do and the instructions come with in a little manual inside the box. It's quite straightforward so let me just reiterate from memory but don't quote me on this:

1. Switch on the car and plug in the stick - it's USB A only so be sure that your car's data port accepts that.
2. Connect to the device via BT and wifi and voila - your android auto/carplay should light up on the HU.

What i read about this is that it uses initial connection via BT and then switches over to WiFi for seamless data transfer although I'm not sure how much truth there is to that. I haven't used it very extensively yet but in the time that I have used it it's been quite seamless and quick. I'd definitely recommend getting it considering it's almost half the price of such similar devices and Portronics is a well known electronics brand. I must note though that there were some occasions on which my Android Auto connected without my BT and WiFi being on, I'm not sure what magic was happening under the hood or maybe I just imagined things. Anywho, final recommendation: BUY!:loveit

PS: I bought it from the portronics website where they have a spinner in the sidecar which will get you around 10-15% off per email that you place an order with. Shipping took about 8-10 days because they ship it from the North.