CheckMag | Here's how an $80 Chinese Android car stereo holds up after 5 years
Car stereos, or head units (as they are often referred to), can be a costly investment when buying from a known brand like Kenwood, Pioneer, or Sony, but are a great way to add modern infotainment features such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to older vehicles.
A 7-inch Kenwood car stereo with a 6.8 inch screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and reversing camera support can run easily to $250 and only goes up from there. However, Amazon is flooded with cheap Chinese units for sub $100 prices, offering the same, if not more, features.
They generally ship with Android of some description, which gives you full access to the Play Store, something that no other mainstream brand offers. They come with bottom-of-the-barrel processors, between 2GB and 4GB RAM, 32GB to 64GB storage and various screen sizes. If you purchase from Amazon, you should get a 12-month warranty, but purchasing one is still a punt.
If you do decide to throw down on one, you do take a risk, but this is how one holds up after 5 years.
Display
At 720p the display on my 9-inch unit certainly wasn't crisp and sharp, but was serviceable. Touch input remains fine. However, after about 4 years of use, vertical lines started appearing. These tend to vary day to day as to how many there are. Sometimes there are five or six, sometimes there is only one green one.
They don't completely ruin the experience, and the stereo works as it should. They are a lot easier to live with knowing that this unit costs around $80, but it is something to watch out for.
Performance
My unit shipped with 4GB RAM and an unspecified processor, but they are usually Rockchip or Allwinner. It wasn't fast to begin with, but has only slowed down over time. Even with a lightweight launcher, Google Maps can take up to a minute to load, and even longer to enter an address and start navigation. Google Maps Go could be a solution to this, but doing anything on the device, such as getting app updates, is painfully slow. While you could install VLC and play media on this thing, I certainly wouldn't recommend it.
Thankfully, as all the processing is done on your phone, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay work very well. If these are all you are after, this unit still remains very serviceable. My unit requires an additional CarPlay dongle to work with iPhones, or Head-Unit Reloaded from Google Play to add wired and wireless Android Auto support.
Ports, Sound Quality and External Amplifiers
One thing that struck me when this unit (available on Amazon) arrived 5 years ago was how slim it was. This thing certainly isn't packed with high-quality MOSFETs. Unlike most named-brand head units, which take up a significant chunk of space in your dash, the Chinese units are only just over an inch thick.
Nevertheless, the sound quality offered by the stereo is just as good as the original stock unit. Likely down to the fact that this thing still powers the basic factory-fitted speakers. I can't say how this would cope with multiple high-wattage speakers, and you may want to consider passing the signal to an external amplifier. Thankfully, the wiring loom is equipped with multiple outputs for such a setup if that is something you want to add further down the line.
The extra USB ports are a welcome addition for adding CarPlay dongles and extra storage for music when you don't have your phone. WiFi and Bluetooth still work fine, and it is easy to tether the stereo to a hotspot for updating apps and using the painfully slow native version of Google Maps.
Reversing Camera
The reversing camera installed was the one provided with the unit. The steel bracket has started to rust over the years, staining the paintwork. Around 6 months after the unit was installed, the camera lens started separating from its housing and was at risk of falling out entirely. Weatherproof it certainly wasn't. Some electrical tape wrapped around the body of the unit kept everything together, but I was fully expecting to have to replace this after a few more months. Nevertheless, the tape held up, and it still produces a decent image.
The camera does not come with any infrared lights to assist with reversing in the dark, but enough light comes from the reversing lights to be able to see, and the low light sensitivity is certainly enough to prevent you from reversing into something (or someone).
Wrap Up
I must admit, I was hesitant to throw down even $80 on a head unit that might last a year if I was lucky, or be dead on arrival if not. There are certainly plenty of horror stories on Reddit about why these units should be avoided. Aside from the 12 months offered by Amazon, you can forget any sort of long-term warranty, after-sales support, software updates, and potentially even decent security when using one.
It's also worth keeping in mind that integrating something like this into any car carries risk. If you already have a reversing camera, multiple speakers, steering wheel controls or vehicle settings that integrate with the existing infotainment system, you could find yourself losing features (or even essential functionality) at the expense of gaining others.
However, if you are happy with the risk, and your existing setup is simple enough, the potential savings are high. For the money, you could buy 2 of these head units, lasting well over 10 years, and still save money over a branded one.
For me at least, the upgrade from a mid-2000 CD player was certainly worth it, and ultimately far exceeded my long-term expectations. If you have doubts about the longevity of these units, they can, and do last, but your mileage may vary.
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