Android head units
- Thread starter Peza01
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GunMentalGrey
Member
My experience with cheap Chinese unit service is that you get what you pay for. I’ve had 4 over the years I think. Only the latest is android however. I’ve had it a few years and it works OK, but often crashes in a variety of ways, the worst of which is completely freezing (but still playing radio station) and refusing to turn off.
I’ve found the cheap ones to be glitchy and slow and radios aren’t the best compared to a brand name head unit. However, the price is a lot lower.
I’ve found the cheap ones to be glitchy and slow and radios aren’t the best compared to a brand name head unit. However, the price is a lot lower.
Ive had a eonon unit about 10 months in a Spanish D40. Use the radio now and again, mainly use spotify. Run Sygic navigation on it, still working ( so far ).
edit : It came with bluetooth obd dongle, and you can get an android auto dongle for it.
edit : It came with bluetooth obd dongle, and you can get an android auto dongle for it.
I had a pair of Eonon DVD headrests - they were good until they were trashed (little hands got into places they shouldn't).
I have a Pumpkin head unit. I won't make that mistake again. It functions fine, it runs Android and many apps just fine, but they removed the BT audio function so you could send them a few extra bucks to buy their BT adapter.
I have a Pumpkin head unit. I won't make that mistake again. It functions fine, it runs Android and many apps just fine, but they removed the BT audio function so you could send them a few extra bucks to buy their BT adapter.
I take it those DVD headrests blocked your vision when you needed those eyes in the back of your head. (Fallen for a similar mistake with small feet) The BT function is a good trap, did you need an additional ISO adaptor as well Tony? I figure if I can get a few years out of a unit, technology may enforce an update anyway.
The Pumpkin unit required standard ISO adapters and I'd already purchased the Nissan -> ISO adapter for a previous head unit.
The headrests replaced the vehicle's headrests. I don't have the DVD units any more, they found their way into the garbage bin - more to stop a certain someone from destroying the zipper of its cover and disassembling the thing while we were driving along. They were only marginally larger than the stock so vision wasn't too bad ... except for seeing what he was up to!
The headrests replaced the vehicle's headrests. I don't have the DVD units any more, they found their way into the garbage bin - more to stop a certain someone from destroying the zipper of its cover and disassembling the thing while we were driving along. They were only marginally larger than the stock so vision wasn't too bad ... except for seeing what he was up to!
Never crashed yet and in settings I've got it so it doesn't reboot from start up, up and running couple of seconds after starting car. Can't remember the reboot time bothering me either, my android TV takes a lifetime in compaison. Reading the warranty says you have to post back to HK for repairs, the cost and bother of which makes it hardly worthwhile, and warranty isn't long, but that's what you're ( not ) paying for.
Slappy
Member
Have you found them to be pretty responsive mate? I've got one of the cheap and nasty eBay jobbies and its just so painfully slow. The higher end stuff doesn't seem to run an open Android base which isn't what I want. Android Auto is a plus but I want to have the flexibility to use Android to its absolutes.
My head unit does respond fairly quickly (relatively speaking, it's a few years old now and newer units are probably faster again). The lack of BT audio really annoys me though - I have BT for phone calls, but they've disabled the music function in order to make a few more bucks. I would have been happy to pay another $20 or so for them to just leave the function in! It is a full Android, put any app on it that you want, although those games where you have to tilt the device to steer are a little difficult to use.
I had a $90 Android unit from eBay in last car for about 2 years, the 1gb of ram was a ball breaker but apart from that it was fine.
From all the Android units I've have, they always have issues with FM radio and quality of sound. If you're not big on FM or radio in general they are fine.
You pay for what you get.
From all the Android units I've have, they always have issues with FM radio and quality of sound. If you're not big on FM or radio in general they are fine.
You pay for what you get.
Slappy
Member
Awesome to hear. I'm playing around with developing an app that helps monitor the 12v system with some smarter friends of mine - perfect world it would connect to the head unit and it all could be right there which would be awesome.
What will this monitor do?
Slappy
Member
I'm thinking something similar to what the Redvision system does, showing battery %, discharge rates, history etc.
Secondly I'd like to be able to use it to switch on lights and stuff that's wired into my 12v setup - again from my phone or the headunit
I have a Pumpkin unit, it hasn't let me down at all yet after around 3 years I guess. The Bluetooth on mine plays whatever I play on my phone. I had an Eonon unit before that and it started slowing down and always took ages to boot up so I bought the Pumpkin. Interestingly the rear of both units were identical so it switched over easily. I guess they come from the same factory
Agreed on the radio issue as Phunk said. It seems as though the antenna is a little weak
After a hard reset my Eonon was behaving fine again so I made myself a stereo unit for my bar out of it
Agreed on the radio issue as Phunk said. It seems as though the antenna is a little weak
After a hard reset my Eonon was behaving fine again so I made myself a stereo unit for my bar out of it
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Thanks for the feedback guys, I love these forums for the unbiased feedback and the abundant Navara specific knowledge. I ended up pulling the trigger on a Pumpkin head unit (8 g ram 64g memory) as well as JBL front speakers as both of mine had no sound from the factory radio. It's not the latest model and (apparently) has full bluetooth. I'll wait for it to arrive of Ebay and give it a couple of weeks to see how it performs then comeback. I am hoping the FM works a bit better now since I like to randomly catch the news here and there. Although the bar unit looks good, hopefully the new unit is worthy of staying in the Navara.
8gb of ram will be very noticeable in how smooth it is and how quick it repsonds.
When I was talking about the FM, it wasn't that it couldn't catch stations, it is that the audio quality seems to jump from a stereo to mono kind of sound clarity sporadically. Hard to explain.
In my old X-trail many many moons ago, I installed a similar head unit to the Pumpkin but it was running Windows CE.. Man was that thing a debacle.
Send us a link of which one you got, I'm contemplating upgrading my one in the D40
Sorry, that should have been 4g ram but still hopefully enough. Pumpkin Android 10.0 Double 2 DIN Car Stereo GPS Bluetooth USB BT DAB+ Head Unit | eBay.
Not much difference in final price if you chose to buy it with the camera but I'd prefer to choose my own. Got a DBO dongle from China for $5 which should make it by Christmas for the gimmick value.
Not much difference in final price if you chose to buy it with the camera but I'd prefer to choose my own. Got a DBO dongle from China for $5 which should make it by Christmas for the gimmick value.
GunMentalGrey
Member
Seems that’s not uncommon. Front speakers blow fairly often. I though my cheap head unit was just rubbish at Bluetooth when I couldn’t hear the other person on the phone after a week or so with a new head unit. Probably blew he speakers and the rears were making up the shortfall on radio but no Bluetooth because it was front channel only. Didn’t work it out until I was playing with the fader and the fronts weren’t putting much out.
New speakers and Bluetooth phone calls were possible again!
