Solid unit for my 2002 Camry
This is the second aftermarket android head unit I put in this car. I had to cut wires and make connections for the first installation. This is in a 2002 Camry. I established the old connector was incompatible with this unit. I believe the only incompatibility was due to the power connections using larger pinouts for this unit.
Oh well, I had to undo the crimp connections from the first connector and remake them (again cutting wires from the new connector). I received no installation instructions. I checked the web site. No instructions there either. No matter. The wiring is well marked and I had the mapping of the car wires from the previous installation so I didn’t have any issues, but be warned that you are on your own for the installation.
I had installed a reverse camera for the previous installation and it was fine for what it was, so I reused it.
As with the previous aftermarket unit, I needed a bezel to make up the gap around the unit. It comes with one that wasn’t quite wide enough. Fortunately, the previous install had a bezel that I could add to the one this unit came with. The combination can best be described as “adequate”. I’m not particularly fussy. Again, I had lived with a different aftermarket unit so I knew what to expect.
I decided to make the change because the old unit was slow. Had a resistance touch screen. Booted slowly. Got confused if you drove somewhere and then put it in reverse. In those cases, it would not show the camera. Cycled between the home screen and the application list randomly as you drove along. Instantly “gets stupid” about the most recent Bluetooth connection when you turn the car off.
I had investigated a number of head units. My price threshold of pain was ~$300. I really wanted to get a 10.2-inch display but was hesitant to forgo a physical volume on/off switch. I read a bunch of reviews of the 10.2-inch units and it seemed that there were a substantial number of units with problems. I looked up Android version 10 7 inch units and found this unit listed alongside an identical-looking Pumpkin unit for 60ish dollars less. I guessed that it was a “private” label version of the same thing. I doubt it is any more reliable, but it comes with the current version of Android, 10, and the latest Rockchip, PX6 so I decided it was worth a shot. So far, so good.
Pros:
- Fast boot (I left it at the default “automatic” instead of timed. It comes up from dead cold in about 15 seconds. From warm boot it is 1-2 seconds). I left it overnight and it comes up as “warm boot”. Nice.
- Keeps the Bluetooth connection across restarts (hey, it’s new to me).
- Responsive screen.
- Snappy performance.
- Plenty of Memory (64 GB).
Cons
- I received it with no installation instructions. Not an issue in my case, but be warned.
- Didn’t pick up my 5.0 GHz WiFi band so its on 2.4 GHz. I haven’t bothered to see if it is a problem with me or it.
I would recommend this unit. It is a good value. Solid performer.
