i just got my today i love that i can still use the original setting of the car plus i have apps also makes the car look great and up to date but your video is helpful too !
Hi David, Thanks for Sharing... like to know does the media video require to return back to the stock screen to set it as AUX setting before you are able to play the aftermarket screen video?? and how does video sound like? same as those aux plug-in with low quality sound or the audio sound perfectly like the MBs stock screen? - Craig
how do you find the brightness on yours? mine is very dim in the daytime. that is my main criticism. really I'm 95% satisfied with mine with the exception of the dim screen.
Great video man, appreciate the length. I think you was looking at this tablet the wrong way, in terms of looking at it as a android tablet. I think you were correct in that the android ones have more features. but i think this screen should be looked at as a monitor with an extension of features anything else and i think you wouldnt be happy with the purchase... Im getting mine in 3 weeks i think for roughly 370$ do you think that is a good price? also is thee any way to display album art while using bluetooth on this? that was one of my main points actually, coming from ntg 4.5. and also an installation guide??
iSmileFX $370 is an excellent price for this! And you’re right about it simply being an extension of features, I was literally just texting the seller to ask about an update and now he’s telling me that they’re probably not going to make any updates to these ever because they’re about to release a new one in a week. So hopefully everyone that purchased these can live with them as-is with no expectation of software fixes. As far as the album art is concerned, I pretty much only used pandora on my phone and connected via bt but it did not show the album art. I’m not sure about other platforms like Apple Music or Spotify. Mine did not come with instructions or an installation guide
was it hard to install? then or did you follow a video? thanks for the response, shame about the updates . but as it's android i suspect its moddable if the right community are there. i.e xda users
iSmileFX no, it’s not difficult to install at all, it’s just a little time consuming to take everything apart so whenever people ask I always give them a 2 hour estimate. I’ve taken my stereo and console apart so many times I could install this in 15 mins lol I would advise watching an installation video though if you’re not too comfortable.
get the Carplay adapter, literally all of your issues would be solved because your head-unit would be as fast and reliable as your iPhone is, because it would be running off your iPhone and not the ancient android hardware. Don't get me wrong, I agree with 85% of your issues, however I think some are SLK or 9" model related though as the google maps sounds and scroll wheel issue has not once occurred in the 3 months I've had my unit, (I'm on W212 with NTG4.0)
Ian Derzsi I’ll definitely check out the car play adapter! So it can be used in conjunction with the screen? Also, it’s a possibility that these are issues isolated to my specific unit I don’t have another one to test but wanted to give genuine feedback about my experience so far.
The carplay adapter plugs into the USB socket on the harness and you plug your phone into that, you then launch the carplay app and all of your phone apps show up on the screen, everything runs off your phone, the unit essentially becomes a touchscreen monitor. Carplay is not the same as the screen mirroring app, that thing is garbage. With carplay, all of the app become "car friendly" with giant buttons that are much easier to press while driving than the buttons on the standard android apps on the unit itself. Oh, and everything works and launches instantly because its all happening on your phone, not the unit.
Ian, can you explain abit more about this from a very basic view for an idiot :-) ? I only bought the car yesterday, and have no idea whats available, and the differences. I like the idea of this unit, but interested in anything that can be done - thanks
Hey Andy, look up “Apple CarPlay Dongle review”. A lot of helpful videos will come up. The screen has a USB port so we should be able to connect to this.
it is very helpful, just wondering why people dislike? are they the seller? We need honest people like you to give true feedback. Anyway, I will wait for the next version and order mine and let you know.
Tony Sam I’m pretty sure the dislikes are from the sellers or other people who made “review” videos. One of the popular TH-camrs that posted a lot of videos about this screen was subscribed to me but as soon as I posted this video he unsubscribed and then within an hour I had 6 dislikes lol I won’t say who it is because it doesn’t really matter, I just wanted to help others.
Totally agree with you, way over priced for the functionality. I've been following this unit for a while but I won't pull the trigger until there is an update. An update has been promised for some time now but nothing so far.
Gee B it’s a love/hate thing for me because on one hand it definitely does have its issues but on the other hand, after identifying them all I’ve realized that they’re all issues that I can live with which is why I’m keeping it for now. I wasn’t aware of any of these problems prior to purchasing or else I probably would’ve waited.
CKMCardesign I’m definitely curious to see the new units but it is really disappointing that these have basically become outdated in such a short time period, in addition to the fact that there has been now software update.
Agree totaly.. And damn expensive as well and now they want to raise the damn price. These are very Specific and not massproduced like other normal 2 din units are so more expensive to make though.And the only ones that truly integrates with the car system..It will be 2+32+android6. Android 7 is stopped by overseas google market somehow.. On the other hand most are happy with that old one anyway..
CKMCardesign overall, I am genuinely happy with the system overall, I just feel that it has some issues that need correcting. So will they be making any future updates to these units?
Hi, Just got one of these. Really disappointed. When I plugged in my iPhone it would start flashing on and off, there isn't enough power in the unit to charge the phone. So I wont be able to use the carplay dongle to activate CarPlay. I cant get it to pair with the radio on BT! The instructions were in Chinese, good for nothing. No clear explanation of what all the wires are for, so I didn't connect any, if they are not needed why are they there? There is an Aux lead, how the heck do you get into the armrest to plug it in?? I think its going back till something better comes out.. Great review David
Huw Long I completely understand your frustration!!! Have you tried contacting the seller for installation assistance? And as far as the aux cord, it has to be ran under the center console to the plug in the armrest. Inconvenient? Absolutely lol I was disappointed in this as well but what I will say is that though I’m disappointed, I still like it MUCH better than not having it at all. I’ve learned to live with all the stuff that irritates me about it. I would recommend that you get it all the way installed and give it a week and see how you feel.
Calmed down a bit now. Managed to get the Aux into the armrest :0) Still little quirks, the bluetooth phone didnt disconnect the radio and the radio was coming over the call! Audio is the main hiccup. I'm and apple man, never used Android so not that familiar with its workings. I managed to set up a Play account, and then it started to get interesting, I found the Tomtom app there, this is my preferred Nav app, then loaded Plex, Netflix and VLC, again the type of apps I find handy as I do a lot of travelling with lots of hanging about. To be honest the unit is a bit of fluff, no real advantage if the stock items are used, looks good but meh. It comes into its own when you install the apps an get it to work for you. I wanted an iPhone substitute in the car with a big screen. With dual platform apps this does to job. I was lucky and only paid £429+shipping still a bit pricey for a large satnav and media player :0)
Huw Long it definitely takes a little getting used to but as long as you can get past its limitations I still think it’s an improvement from the OEM unit. I’m an Apple guy too, if you look at my other video I actually had an AppleTv installed in here but I haven’t figured out how to run both because this doesn’t have HDMI inputs 😩
1. I don’t know Raymond 2. I’m not on his social media outside of TH-cam so I don’t know what you’re talking about with instagram. 3. Nothing in this was directed towards him at all, I actually really like his videos a lot. 4. This review was solely based off of MY experience with this unit that I purchased with MY money so I don’t know how you could say I “went behind his back”. 5. Idc about dislikes, I’m not trying to be a regular “TH-camr”. I only make these videos to share with people in the forums and Facebook groups that I’m in, I’m not concerned about growing as a TH-camr, I’m just trying giving feedback about products that I’ve purchased for my car.
Thanks David for this video, much appreciated
Hi David. This was needed - good report - thanks for sharing - Andy
Andy Mackinnon no problem! Thanks for the feedback 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
David - did you video the installation? How easy is it? Thanks Andy
Andy Mackinnon No, I didn’t record installation but it’s not too hard, it should take between 1-2 hours.
i just got my today i love that i can still use the original setting of the car plus i have apps also makes the car look great and up to date but your video is helpful too !
Hi David, Thanks for Sharing... like to know does the media video require to return back to the stock screen to set it as AUX setting before you are able to play the aftermarket screen video?? and how does video sound like? same as those aux plug-in with low quality sound or the audio sound perfectly like the MBs stock screen? - Craig
Thanks for a proper review!
how do you find the brightness on yours? mine is very dim in the daytime. that is my main criticism. really I'm 95% satisfied with mine with the exception of the dim screen.
Hi david.
I have a quastion for You....
when you open the car's roof, are there any problems with brightness? screen is visible like the original?
Great video man, appreciate the length. I think you was looking at this tablet the wrong way, in terms of looking at it as a android tablet. I think you were correct in that the android ones have more features. but i think this screen should be looked at as a monitor with an extension of features anything else and i think you wouldnt be happy with the purchase...
Im getting mine in 3 weeks i think for roughly 370$ do you think that is a good price? also is thee any way to display album art while using bluetooth on this? that was one of my main points actually, coming from ntg 4.5.
and also an installation guide??
iSmileFX $370 is an excellent price for this! And you’re right about it simply being an extension of features, I was literally just texting the seller to ask about an update and now he’s telling me that they’re probably not going to make any updates to these ever because they’re about to release a new one in a week. So hopefully everyone that purchased these can live with them as-is with no expectation of software fixes.
As far as the album art is concerned, I pretty much only used pandora on my phone and connected via bt but it did not show the album art. I’m not sure about other platforms like Apple Music or Spotify.
Mine did not come with instructions or an installation guide
was it hard to install? then or did you follow a video?
thanks for the response, shame about the updates . but as it's android i suspect its moddable if the right community are there. i.e xda users
iSmileFX no, it’s not difficult to install at all, it’s just a little time consuming to take everything apart so whenever people ask I always give them a 2 hour estimate. I’ve taken my stereo and console apart so many times I could install this in 15 mins lol I would advise watching an installation video though if you’re not too comfortable.
Dude link us where u got it at ..
Did you ever get a software update. Mine gets stuck sometimes and won’t power on. It’s very annoying.
Awesome video!
Nice review, thanks
An idiot in a racing car no problem! Thanks for the feedback 😊
I have the slk. In the multimedia what is you recomendation
get the Carplay adapter, literally all of your issues would be solved because your head-unit would be as fast and reliable as your iPhone is, because it would be running off your iPhone and not the ancient android hardware.
Don't get me wrong, I agree with 85% of your issues, however I think some are SLK or 9" model related though as the google maps sounds and scroll wheel issue has not once occurred in the 3 months I've had my unit, (I'm on W212 with NTG4.0)
Ian Derzsi I’ll definitely check out the car play adapter! So it can be used in conjunction with the screen? Also, it’s a possibility that these are issues isolated to my specific unit I don’t have another one to test but wanted to give genuine feedback about my experience so far.
The carplay adapter plugs into the USB socket on the harness and you plug your phone into that, you then launch the carplay app and all of your phone apps show up on the screen, everything runs off your phone, the unit essentially becomes a touchscreen monitor. Carplay is not the same as the screen mirroring app, that thing is garbage. With carplay, all of the app become "car friendly" with giant buttons that are much easier to press while driving than the buttons on the standard android apps on the unit itself. Oh, and everything works and launches instantly because its all happening on your phone, not the unit.
Ian Derzsi that definitely sounds like a step in the right direction. I’ll see if I can pick one up asap. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it!
Ian, can you explain abit more about this from a very basic view for an idiot :-) ? I only bought the car yesterday, and have no idea whats available, and the differences. I like the idea of this unit, but interested in anything that can be done - thanks
Hey Andy, look up “Apple CarPlay Dongle review”. A lot of helpful videos will come up. The screen has a USB port so we should be able to connect to this.
Thanks for the review
Tony Sam no problem! I hope it was helpful!
it is very helpful, just wondering why people dislike? are they the seller? We need honest people like you to give true feedback. Anyway, I will wait for the next version and order mine and let you know.
Tony Sam I’m pretty sure the dislikes are from the sellers or other people who made “review” videos. One of the popular TH-camrs that posted a lot of videos about this screen was subscribed to me but as soon as I posted this video he unsubscribed and then within an hour I had 6 dislikes lol I won’t say who it is because it doesn’t really matter, I just wanted to help others.
Car Ideas please keep us post on the new version when you install it in couples weeks
Totally agree with you, way over priced for the functionality. I've been following this unit for a while but I won't pull the trigger until there is an update. An update has been promised for some time now but nothing so far.
Gee B it’s a love/hate thing for me because on one hand it definitely does have its issues but on the other hand, after identifying them all I’ve realized that they’re all issues that I can live with which is why I’m keeping it for now. I wasn’t aware of any of these problems prior to purchasing or else I probably would’ve waited.
Does anyone know if the 2020 Android 11 for SLK incorporates the upgrade David suggested system needed?
New version in about 2 weeks with Android 6 and bigger HW. Very good review..
CKMCardesign so there will be a new version for sale or these units will be getting an update?
The old HW could not handle the Android 6 update plus there are other HW updates in the new unit that the SW is made for.
CKMCardesign I’m definitely curious to see the new units but it is really disappointing that these have basically become outdated in such a short time period, in addition to the fact that there has been now software update.
Agree totaly.. And damn expensive as well and now they want to raise the damn price. These are very Specific and not massproduced like other normal 2 din units are so more expensive to make though.And the only ones that truly integrates with the car system..It will be 2+32+android6. Android 7 is stopped by overseas google market somehow.. On the other hand most are happy with that old one anyway..
CKMCardesign overall, I am genuinely happy with the system overall, I just feel that it has some issues that need correcting.
So will they be making any future updates to these units?
What's the screen resolution?
1280 x 480
Thanks. I'm torn between the 9 inch screen and the 10.25 one.
FawkesMuldarr what car do you have?
W205 (2015 C300)
FawkesMuldarr I would order the one that works for your car because all of the mounting brackets are different.
Hi, Just got one of these. Really disappointed. When I plugged in my iPhone it would start flashing on and off, there isn't enough power in the unit to charge the phone. So I wont be able to use the carplay dongle to activate CarPlay. I cant get it to pair with the radio on BT! The instructions were in Chinese, good for nothing. No clear explanation of what all the wires are for, so I didn't connect any, if they are not needed why are they there? There is an Aux lead, how the heck do you get into the armrest to plug it in?? I think its going back till something better comes out.. Great review David
Huw Long I completely understand your frustration!!! Have you tried contacting the seller for installation assistance?
And as far as the aux cord, it has to be ran under the center console to the plug in the armrest. Inconvenient? Absolutely lol
I was disappointed in this as well but what I will say is that though I’m disappointed, I still like it MUCH better than not having it at all. I’ve learned to live with all the stuff that irritates me about it. I would recommend that you get it all the way installed and give it a week and see how you feel.
Calmed down a bit now. Managed to get the Aux into the armrest :0) Still little quirks, the bluetooth phone didnt disconnect the radio and the radio was coming over the call! Audio is the main hiccup. I'm and apple man, never used Android so not that familiar with its workings. I managed to set up a Play account, and then it started to get interesting, I found the Tomtom app there, this is my preferred Nav app, then loaded Plex, Netflix and VLC, again the type of apps I find handy as I do a lot of travelling with lots of hanging about.
To be honest the unit is a bit of fluff, no real advantage if the stock items are used, looks good but meh. It comes into its own when you install the apps an get it to work for you. I wanted an iPhone substitute in the car with a big screen. With dual platform apps this does to job. I was lucky and only paid £429+shipping still a bit pricey for a large satnav and media player :0)
Huw Long it definitely takes a little getting used to but as long as you can get past its limitations I still think it’s an improvement from the OEM unit. I’m an Apple guy too, if you look at my other video I actually had an AppleTv installed in here but I haven’t figured out how to run both because this doesn’t have HDMI inputs 😩
Damn bro, Raymond pumped you up on instagram and you gonna go behind his back?😒👎🏿
1. I don’t know Raymond
2. I’m not on his social media outside of TH-cam so I don’t know what you’re talking about with instagram.
3. Nothing in this was directed towards him at all, I actually really like his videos a lot.
4. This review was solely based off of MY experience with this unit that I purchased with MY money so I don’t know how you could say I “went behind his back”.
5. Idc about dislikes, I’m not trying to be a regular “TH-camr”. I only make these videos to share with people in the forums and Facebook groups that I’m in, I’m not concerned about growing as a TH-camr, I’m just trying giving feedback about products that I’ve purchased for my car.