Android 4.4 Head Unit Review

[wombar]

I'd been pondering one of these units for a while, but after seeing RedGolfDom post his review, I decided to take the plunge. My MKV R32 deserved better than the utterly dire iPod integration that VW supplied from the factory.

Specs
Dual Core
1024x600 resolution
Android 4.4 Kit-Kat
Play Store
Looks good so far right? Lets take a closer look at the unit.

Sound Quality
This one is tough for me to test. I've got the upgraded sound pack which includes an amp under the passenger seat. However, there's plenty of customisation available via EQ apps etc, so I don't foresee any issues here. It's spec'd at 4x50w which should be ample, but there are also RCA outputs available should you need them.

Installation
The toughest part of installation was getting the trim off ;) It was a straight swap over which is very rare in my experience. Just plug in the various connections (harness, aerial, USB, GPS aerial) and you're good to go. No battery drain issues which is nice, and it looks pretty much stock in my car.

The only slight issue was the aerial connector. The HU manufacturer provided a single aerial connector, but my car has two aerial connectors. I've just plugged one into the radio and reception is absolutely fine. If you're so inclined you may need to get a dual fakra connector, but this isn't something you'll be pick up locally. Give eBay/Amazon a look.

Features / Connections
If there's one thing you get with this radio, it's connections. There's a separate loom for reverse camera, RCAs (for amps), front camera and two USB ports. Not sure what else you could possibly want, but there's plenty to keep you going. Other than that, there's a harness that handles speakers etc that was just a straight swap. There was plenty of room behind my head unit for cables which was a nice change.

There's an SD-Card slot on the front of the unit behind a flap and I've run a USB cable into the glove box in case I want to bring a USB stick into the car as well.

Performance
Boot time is around 30-40 seconds which is very acceptable. I've not run into any performance issues, and everything is nice and smooth as you move around Android. It's usually booted and ready to play music by the time I get to the end of the road.

Screen
Nice and bright, very responsive with multi-touch (i.e. pinch to zoom etc). My only gripe is with reflections. Catch it at the right angle, and it's like someone is shining a giant watch in your face ;) I'm going to pick up a matte screen protector from ebay.

Standard Apps
I'll be honest, the standard apps are rubbish. No, I really mean it!! But that's not the point of this radio. They work, but they ain't pretty and they don't really do much. Artist names, album artwork and other miscellaneous features are missing from the standard music player, but if you're determined to use them they'll get the job done.

I'd recommend installing your favourite apps from the Play store.

Car Specific Features
There's a very basic section in the options that relate to car related function such as toggling Video In Motion, reverse select (mute audio etc). I would have liked to see more options in here, but that's something that we'll deal with later.

GPS reception seems to be very good. I tend to use Waze / Google Maps and it's always got a good strong lock from my experience. The supplied iGo software is pretty rubbish, but it'll do in a pinch.

My steering wheel controls work just fine.

There's no information on my highline display which is a shame, but this seems to be an issue for most aftermarket radios on VW's.

The manufacturer states that digital climate control information can be displayed on the screen. Think I may need to have a Mk6 Golf and up to get this to appear.

Build Quality
Better than I thought it would be. It doesn't ooze quality, but it doesn't let itself down either. I'm a little concerned there's no fan on the back for cooling, but hopefully that won't cause any major issues. If it does, I'll be back to let you guys know. It's got a 2 year UK warranty so hopefully it'll last at least that long.

Tips
Install Twilight for use at night (Auto Dims Screen)
Install RK3066 Service from the Play Store to get the most out of this unit. Lets you customise the standard music app, etc. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.petrows.mtcservice&hl=en_GB
Buy from a UK seller to get a 2 year warranty.

Likes
Lots and lots of customisation options via the play store
Good selection of connections on the rear
Looks stock

Dislikes
Dire music app
Finger print magnet screen
VERY reflective screen
No auto dimmer based on light levels

Bottom Line
Accept the slight limitations, and the world is your oyster. This HU is ideal for someone who wants to do a bit of geeking out. You could use it as is, but where's the fun in that? Get a data connection (via tethering your phone, or a separate 3G dongle) and you've got something that will blow any/all other head units out of the water.

If I'm stuck in a traffic jam (stationary of course), I can stream TV/Movies, go on the internet and anything else you could do with a normal tablet. Would I buy it again? Absolutely yes.

Alternatives
There are lots of alternatives, but no perfect solution (IMO).

RNS-310 - Probably the easiest, cheap solution. Looks stock, and will do everything most people want from a radio.

RNS-510 - Stock, but EXPENSIVE, no bluetooth. May also need a gateway upgrade to prevent battery drain.

Dension Pro BT Gateway - Doesn't play well with certain headunits, but could potentially be a cheap solution

Kenwood DNX525 - Looks stock, but expensive.

Aftermarket Mainstream Radio - Pioneer, Alpine etc will all work. Most look ugly and ruin the stock look of the car though.

Questions / Answers
Does it work with highline displays? No. You'll get the radio frequency (i.e. 95.8hz etc), but no track names or any other information on your highline.
What music formats does it support? I've tried MP3, FLAC so far. Let me know if you want me to try anything else.
What's the manufacturers pass/pin code? 126 (so you can change boot pic if you want)
Where did you get yours? eBay, here's the Seller Profile http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/easyrising88 as eBay links tend to go out of date after a while
What was the seller like to deal with? Very good. Arrived next day, but definitely not UK based going by the language in their emails. Most likely drop shipped from somewhere near Heathrow

A couple of pics. Give me a shout if there's something particular you want to see.

[wombar]

Reserved in case I need to extend the review / add a FAQ :)

[Rossimac]

Great review and honest as well. How much did you pay in the end after postage?

[wombar]

Thanks 

I paid around £280 delivered.

Having lived with it for a month now, I'm still very happy. I tend to use waze for Sat nav which (for me) is excellent. It routed me around a massive traffic jam on Friday saving me about 30 minutes. It's also warned me about a few speed traps (not that I was speeding  )

Would still highly recommend one, you can do some clever stuff with it. 

[Ben!]

Thanks for doing this write up, very helpful. I've been tempted with a big screen aftermarket HU for a while now, just got to persuade myself to part with the money!

Did you get the darkened screen protector you mentioned? Did it improve the glare?

And do you have to pay much for the apps? Your satnav for example, or are they mostly free like on an android phone?

Ben

[Vwgtiking]

Subscribed.

I assume no iPod control/connection?

Is it wired up via the canbus or like other aftermarket HU you need to locate an ignition live and dimmer connection??

Wondering if it worth changing my pioneer HU.

[RedGolfDom]

Great review man 

Glad you decided to go android I still love mine! I agree with the reflections if it's on the right angle you can't see a thing. I need to get a matte protector still have you found a good one? Also have you get an obd adapper for the torque app? I always have mine on because it looks so cool and everyone always mentions it even though most don't know what the dials mean 

[AJP]

Good comprehensive review this.

And handy to learn a little about aftermarket options.

HU is not at the top of my list at the minute, but when it's a priority I'll look into these Android units as well as RNS510 etc.

Cheers for taking the time for this

[Bearings]

I'll chip in with a  few comments. I previosuly had an RCD300 with an aux input and was getting fed up with always having an MP3 player with a dead battery.

Also picked one of these 9045 units for around 280 quid and for the price, I'm rather pleased with it. Have only had it installed for a day so far, but a test drive yesterday revealed....

Reversing - I have the std Golf radar parking sensors. Putting the car into reverse kills the audio, but the screen goes black saying "No input" as I don't have reversing camera or the later optical parking sensors. Not sure if there is a workaround to keep the screen focused on the music player, but still stopping the main audio at the same time so the beeps can be heard?

Installation and Fitment - this could just be me, but the bottom of the unit sits slightly proud of the surround trim above the climate control however the top of the unit is flush with the air vents. It's not massive (only a mil or so) but it's noticeable if you stare at it. Everything else was just plug 'n' play. I'd say the extrusion is roughly the same as the pictures on this thread shows.

Reflections and sun wash-out - I get this as well. Reflections come from the near-side rear window when I'm driving but then the sun was very bright yesterday. Suspect this will be the case for any large-screen double-din unit.

Radio - I would say it's it's passable but not brilliant. I bought a dual fakra adaptor w/power but decided not to wire the booster into 12v switched. I may get this sorted out next time I have to take apart the surround for any reason. Not really a crisis as I mainly listen to the SD card or Sat Nav.

Sat Nav - iGo. For something that came pre-installed, it's actually not bad. I wouldn't say it's 100% intuitive in terms of menus, but when I got purposely lost yesterday - it got me home down some interesting single lane country roads (on purpose, as I did't want to travel home via main roads). May look at Sygic, etc in the future - but iGo certianly works for me at the moment.

GPS puck - this got installed inside the central diffuser vent just under the grill and on top of the vent arm. The GPS puck sits partially on the vent arm, allow great visability of satellites, is hidden under the grill and it was secured with some plain sellotape looped around the GPS puck and air vent arm (very ghetto!).

Steering wheel - I have a high-line computer and a multi-function wheel. Flip the high-line into audio mode, and the Star button mutes the audio (this might happen regardless of high-line mode) and the up/down arrow on the right hand side of the wheel lets you change music track without touching the stereo directly. Put the high-line back in to Car Computer mode (MPG, etc) and the Up/Down arrow controls the high-line again. The Up/Down and Star buttons didn't work with my old RCD300 so very pleased about this!

Contacts inside the Bluetooth app  - for some reason, all my phone book contacts are showing up as SurnameFirstname instead of Firstname Surname. Bit annoying but something to look at in the next few days. Guess it might just be a setting somewhere or I need to use another Bluetooth app but I've spent that much time sitting in my car staring at the stereo this weekend, my neighbours are going to think I'm a weirdo!
:-)



Would be very interested to know what apps people are putting on their units? I've got PowerAmp for Music and MX Player for video (not for driving but in case I'm at a loose end waiting for someone). Also have the RK3066 app installed which is great.

Any more info on that Twilight app? Got any Play store link handy?

[coolhandluke]

Could someone create an App that would allow the HU to connect to the Hi Line display to show all radio,sat nav read outs etc or is it not just as easy as that?

[wombar]

Sorry for the slow replies, I'm not getting notified when people reply.

Ben - I haven't put a matte screen protector on yet. I suspect I'll order a 8" generic one from ebay and trim it to fit. But for now I'm not overly bothered by the glare so that's a job for the future.

Vwgtiking - I haven't tried my iPod, but there is mention of iPod compatability. How well it works is anyones guess. Not very well would be mine ;)

There's no rewiring needed at all. Literally just unplugged the old factory fit unit and plugged this one in.

RedGolfDom - Haha, I've been meaning to pick up a bluetooth adapter, but it's not really essential at the mo. I like to have Waze running if I'm going any distance, so that'll be a purchase for when I want something to geek out with ;) Still loving the unit, so thanks for your original review that spurred me into buying it.

Bearings

Reversing - There are a few options using that RK3066 app I mentioned.

Fitment - Can't say I've noticed any major fitting issues. Will have a closer look next time I'm in the car.

Sat Nav - Personally I prefer to use Waze tethered to my phones data connection. You get real time traffic info, it'll route you around major jams if it saves you time, and you tend to get pretty reliable speed trap locations. It's not fool proof, but it's better than nothing.

Apps

Twilight - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid.lux

Plex - I run a plex server at home, so can watch films/TV if I'm stuck in a stationary jam / waiting somewhere etc. Needs a data connection, but this is pretty impressive.

Music - PowerAmp or Google Music. Not 100% convinced by either as it's fiddly to get to an album on the go. Would love to hear other suggestions that might be more car friendly.

Other than that, still very happy with the unit. It's good as standard, but really shines when paired with a data connection. Either tethering to your phone, or with a 3G dongle via USB. For those who don't know, you can upload 50,000 songs to Google for free, and then stream them for free. So, if you've got a large music collection, you have it everywhere you can get a data signal. Pretty cool :)

[Bearings]

Cheers @wombar - will eyeball that twilight app.

I'm happy with PowerAmp as my music player. I'm limited to 4Gb of tethering via Three Mobile so streaming could become a bit expensive if I started doing that for everything! Gave "Nokia Here" a go the other day, downloaded the UK map and it's not half bad actually. Had trouble seeing the Settings menu within the app but there will be a a workaround for that I'm sure. - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.here.app.maps. Just need to figure out to re-program the hard-coded NAVI button which brings up iGO. Think I've seen some coding on XDA which may help me do that.

Had a look at the RK3066 app this AM and couldn't see any settings there regarding the backup camera - Guess some more poking and prodding is needed on the unit! Had had a play with the main unit Settings menu and all Safety options are set to No where appropriate.


Fitment - had a look at my old RCD300 unit and I've noticed there are some metal guides screwed at the back of the unit. I wonder if these are transferable as they could lift up the upper back / bring in the lower front of the unit?

Like Wombar - I'm still very happy with it considering the minor limitations and the price I've paid. My biggest gripe? The boot up times could be a little better as I'm a 1/4 mile down the road before PowerAmp kicks in and starts playing!

@coolhandluke Sounds like a good idea, but I don't have the necessary programming skills to do that!

[danfalcon]

Im looking at getting this unit to put into my '09 scirocco and was wondering if anyone managed to get the nav button coding chagef so that it doesnt being up the standard app? I know its not a big thing but makes it all abit smoother! So much better value than the RNS510! The car had one in when i bought it but i think im going to swap it out!

[Martk19871]

Thanks for the write up mate, I am considering getting one. Just one question, does it come with everything needed to use the Bluetooth for calls? I would be interested if other people have bought this unit or one similar

[damien010685]

Nothing is required mic is built in pair your phone and boom!