Buying an Android Head Unit

It can be really tricky wading through the massive amount of Android Head Units available for your car. There are so many options from a vast array of different manufacturers, some of which you've never heard of before. Are the big brands worth it? Or should you consider one of the cheaper Chinese brands that seem to be packed full of features?

Having purchased and installed 3 android head units over the years I will share what I look for when I'm purchasing a new android head unit.

Android Auto vs Android

A large number of manufacturers advertise having support for Android Auto or Apple CarPlay which enables connecting your mobile device to your Head Unit using the processor and internet connection in your phone with your head unit and its great for navigation or playing your favourite music using apps on your mobile phone such as Spotify. It's primarily the way I use my Head Unit most of the time.

Most of the big name brands such as Kenwood, Alpine, Pioneer, JVC, etc offer units with Android Auto and CarPlay. However these are not Android Head Units. They run their own proprietary operating system and offer Android Auto or CarPlay connections. These can be great if you want to use CarPlay or Android Auto but they don't offer the levels of customisation available in true Android head units. They are usually also quite expensive.

So what's an Android Head unit then? An Android head unit runs the same or similar Google Android software as what you would find on a typical android mobile phone. Many of these units have their own GPS and internet connection and like your phone they can connect to googles app store Google Play and additional apps can be installed offering many options for customisation.

Most Android units also offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Android Head units are mostly the domain of Chinese brands and at the time of writing I am not aware of any of the big name brands offering an Android head unit. Many of these Android head units offer excellent value for money and are packed with features however, like most things there are also many traps and that's I will be covering here.

What Brands to look for

There is a plethora of options available if you search Android head unit on AliExpress however, I would suggest avoiding these. There are some Chinese brands that have built a reputation over several years for their quality.

Brands such as Atoto, Joying, Teyes and Eonon are some of the popular brands that have established themselves in the market and have built a reputation for having good quality control and support. I would suggest sticking with one of these. Usually you will be able to find YouTube reviews for the flagship models of each of these brands.

I would avoid the no name or (unknown name) brands available on places like AliExpress. While some people have had success with these units often the quality control and support is just not there so its a bit of a lottery.

What specifications to look for

Realistically I would not recommend purchasing an Android head unit with less than 4GB of RAM and and 8 core CPU. These units are running the same operating system and applications as your android phone and like your phone if they are lacking in CPU or Memory you will notice it with sluggish performance and the inability to open multiple applications at once.

Another factor to consider is the Flash memory (similar to hard drive size in a computer) size which is where your applications, music, etc are stored. Generally the units with decent CPU and Memory also seem to come with more Flash Memory as well. A minimum of 32GB is a good rule of thumb here.

Will it fit in my Vehicle?

Some of the brands mentioned above offer kits to suit specific vehicle brands and models. This is a good option if you are lucky enough to have a vehicle covered in their range and often comes with mounting hardware and wiring kits.

One thing to consider with these premade kits is that if you live outside of the US then your vehicle may be different, especially the wiring. An example of this is my Hyundai IX35 which in Australia doesn't have the built in Amplifier and Sub Woofer like it does in other parts of the world which changes the wiring significantly.

If there is not a kit available for your vehicle or you don't live in the USA you can put together your own kit. Often the kits have a premium attached so it can be cheaper to take the DIY route. AliExpress has mounting kits for most of the head units that have double din mounting. These usually come with a specific moulding to suit a specific vehicle models dashboard and fit most standard sizes of Android head units.

The wiring is the complicated part, however this should not deter you from having an Android head unit. Most Android head units have an ISO connector.

You can purchase the matching male ISO plugs with leads attached and also the sockets to suit your cars original wiring as it connects to the factory head unit. Then its just a matter of figuring out the connections between these two connectors which can be done using wiring diagrams, and testing some of the connections match (for example the steering wheel controls on some cars can be measured with a multi meter). It sounds daunting but its definitely possible and a future post will cover how to create your own custom lead this way.