Top 10: Best displays for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in testing

With the Aoocci V30S, owners of older vehicles can retrofit Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The screen also provides a dashcam and rearview camera. Testing shows more.

As a software interface, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto bring smartphone functions directly into the vehicle’s infotainment system. For example, you can use Google Maps to navigate through Spotify or listen to music. But what should you do if the car doesn’t have an infotainment system at all or at least doesn’t support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto? Sometimes the costly and time-consuming option is to reinstall one. Monsieur (advice)But using car displays is very easy. It is attached to the dashboard like the navigation system and is connected to the car radio.

This falls in this category AOC V30SWith Coupon Code: techstage20 performance cost from manufacturer Only 149 eurosThis is a large 10 inch display. A dashcam is also integrated and a wired reversing camera is also included. This test shows how the car’s display performs.

The Aoocci V30S is reminiscent of a mix of a navigation device and a tablet in extremely widescreen format. The housing is made of plastic, does not look of particularly high quality and is easily processed. The diagonal of the touchscreen is 10.26 inches in 21:9 format. This makes the car monitor look quite heavy and take up a lot of space on the dashboard, especially in a small car. The monitor can display maps from Google Maps and playback from Spotify in parallel so that both can be seen clearly.

The display looks quite sharp even without individual pixels being visible to the eye. Automatic brightness adjustment is also possible. In bright sunlight, the display reflects quite strongly, making it not always easy to read.

To attach it, either a holder with a suction cup is used or a variant that can be affixed to the dashboard is used. In our opinion, the gripping arm with suction cup is more practical, as it can be easily removed again. When snapping it on, you should make sure that the display is secured in place on all four plugs so that it does not come loose while driving. Although the display wobbled a bit while driving, it held up reliably in testing. However, the stick-on version should hold more firmly, but then it may disturb the field of vision.

Power is supplied via a power supply with a USB-C plug on one side and a connection to a 12-volt socket in the car on the other. There is also a cable with two jack connections (3.5 mm) if you want to connect the display to the car radio via AUX. It also has a GPS module that can be stuck on the dashboard and connected to a 12-volt power supply via a cable. If you use the device with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, navigation takes place via your smartphone. However, the GPS module is helpful for some dashcam’s driving assistance systems, which we will discuss later.

A wired rear view camera is also included. However, we did not test these as assembly would be complex and would involve drilling holes in the body. A hardwire cable is also available for permanent power connection to the car battery. This is required if you want to use the dashcam’s parking space monitoring.

After installation, you start the vehicle ignition and the screen boots up quite quickly. Apart from Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the Aoocci V30S also supports Miracast and Apple AirPlay. Connection to Android smartphones for Android Auto and iPhones for Apple CarPlay is via Bluetooth. It works directly and reliably.

As soon as the connection is established, which may take about a minute the first time, the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay logos appear on the home screen. If you select the appropriate logo, the smartphone screen reflects important applications, shows calls or displays notifications, which can be read if desired. For Google Maps and Spotify, it is advisable to start them on your smartphone in advance.

A bit annoying: By default, the screen shows the image from the dashcam on about a third of the area – even in Android Auto or Apple CarPlay mode. For example, if you have Spotify and Google Maps open, there is very little space for both applications. It is possible to hide the dashcam image, but this feature is well hidden. To do this, you need to switch to the basic settings of the Aoocci V30S by pressing the camera symbol and then the gear. You can now disable split screen for dashcam under the video settings menu. To do this, the device must be rebooted.

There are three options to connect the display and the car radio: by cable via the AUX input, by radio wave via an FM transmitter or indirectly via a Bluetooth connection between the smartphone and the car radio. The screen is used only to control and display the playlist; Sound is transmitted between the cell phone and the radio.

If you have a car radio without Bluetooth or AUX input, you can use an FM transmitter. Here you select a frequency from the FM band. The display on it sends audio signals over short distances via radio. You need to look for this frequency in the car radio. However, this form of connection is sensitive to noise and interference.

We chose the cable version because it always takes a long time for the Bluetooth connection to be established between the smartphone and the car radio on our Opel Adam. However, it should be noted that titles cannot be changed using the steering wheel remote control. It only works with Bluetooth connection.

The disillusionment with the cable connection was initially great for other reasons: a very annoying noise consisting of hissing and crackling was heard, reminiscent of indigestion. we had a similar problem Carpuride W903 (Test Report)The solution is very simple: you have to insert an adapter with two jack inputs between the cable and the AUX input. You can get something like this on Aliexpress 2 eurosSimilar interference filters are available on Amazon from 8 eurosIt’s a shame the manufacturer itself isn’t involved.

There is a dashcam behind the display. It can be lifted over the fitting and tilted slightly on all sides for a better view. However, the range of motion of the lens is quite limited. So if you align the screen towards the driver, you’re not necessarily filming straight ahead. This was a better solution Carpuride W903 (Test Report)Where you can rapidly rotate the camera lens left or right. Unfortunately, the microSD card required for recording is missing and must be purchased separately. It must have at least a U3 classification. There’s also an app for connecting to local Wi-Fi and watching videos on your smartphone.

The maximum resolution of videos is very high at 4K. You can specify different video clip lengths in settings; We recommend the shortest option with a length of 60 seconds. There is no real loop function with only a few clips being continuously overwritten. The dashcam always creates new clips of the selected length and deletes the recording only when the microSD card is full. The exception is dangerous situations in which you brake hard. In this case, the built-in G-sensor detects the delay and then saves the video clip in the protected area.

The use of dashcams in Germany is still not clearly clarified. As long as the recording is recorded only for specific occasions, its use is not restricted. With a larger memory, you play a corresponding number of recordings that may violate the personal rights of other road users. We tell more about this topic Top 10: Best dash cams for cars in the test – Nextbase, Garmin, Viofo & Co.

Parking monitoring is also possible. Filming automatically as soon as the device’s G-sensor detects large vibrations on the vehicle. Then the recording also ends in the protected area. It requires a permanent power supply via the included hardwired cable. However, we do not recommend this, especially because taking photos of public parking spaces may cause data protection issues.

Some dashcam driver assistance systems are quite interesting. On the one hand, if desired, it shows guide lines and distances to other vehicles. ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) warning systems are also available. These warn the driver through voice announcements when the vehicle in front is moving, about a possible collision and when leaving the lane. However, in practice, the sound is annoying and we do not always understand its relevance. For ADAS, you should plug in the GPS module and stick it on the fitting where the device has visual contact with the sky.

Due to the excessive effort, we decided not to test the rear view camera. For installation, holes will need to be drilled in the bumper and body to attach the camera. You’ll also have to run a long cable from the display through the interior to the trunk. The camera is mounted on the rear bumper and connected to the taillights for power supply. This is very time consuming and if in doubt it should be done by a car workshop. One advantage of this solution is that it is difficult to assemble. The camera comes on as soon as reverse gear is engaged.

The Aoocci V30S is normally priced at around 179 euros. with code techstage20 the price falls accept it But 149 eurosThe V30 variant is slightly cheaper, but you can’t adjust the dash cam and it also has fewer driver assistance systems.

The Aoocci V30S is an affordable display that lets you quickly and easily retrofit Apple Carplay or Android Auto into even your older vehicles. The processing seems a bit simple, but it serves its purpose. Pairing with the smartphone via Bluetooth for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto works smoothly. This means the interface can be retrofitted even in older vehicles to use services like Google Maps or Spotify in the car.

Connection to the car radio is possible via FM transmitter or cable, alternatively, if possible you can connect a smartphone to the radio via Bluetooth for audio playback. The noise when connecting via cable was annoying. But you can fix this with a cheap adapter, which unfortunately you have to buy yourself.

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The dashcam again offers high resolution and some practical assistance systems. There is even a rear view camera included, but it is very complicated to install. Overall, Aoocci’s V30S is a recommended solution with a few minor quirks if you want to retrofit Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, although in our opinion you can do without the dashcam and reversing camera.