Five advanced car radios on Android

The brainchild of the Prology brand is an affordable version of the "two-din" radio on the Android OS. The head unit manufacturer itself immodestly calls the model named MPC-50 a multimedia navigation center. And there is a grain of truth in this.

The main trump card of the car radio is the operation under the control of the Android OS. Yes, by no means the latest version (4.4.4 KitKat), but it is still relevant and applications for this system periodically receive their own package of important updates. Programs are installed from the Google Play Market store into the internal memory of the device, the volume of which is 8 GB. To increase the capacity of the regular data storage, the user has the right to resort to using an SD drive or a USB flash drive - slots and connectors for this matter are on board the model.

The Prology MPC-50 combines advanced tap controls on a 7-inch 800x480 pixel touchscreen with keypad input. It is also possible to “command” the radio tape recorder at a distance - the remote control is to help. True, you can’t call control via the remote control responsive - the car radio reacts to the user’s actions decorously and slowly.

Out of the box, the model comes with pre-installed navigation software Navitel Navigator and a bunch of downloaded maps(over 37,000 settlements in total). Applications of a different nature can be downloaded from the Google store. The radio is equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules. The latter works in hands-free mode and deals with high-quality audio streaming. But the standard Bluetooth module does not see OBD adapters. However, you should not be upset about this, because this is the lot of diagnostic systems, and the car radio copes with its direct tasks for a solid "five".

At a new stage in the development of car radios, the screen sizes have been significantly increased and they have acquired a mass of additional functions that expose head units in the light of multimedia entertainment centers. In order not to be unfounded, let's take the Incar AHR-7680 model as an example.

The large display in the assets of the radio is stretched over almost the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe front panel of the device. Its diagonal dimensions are exactly 7 inches. The screen is based on an IPS type matrix with wide viewing angles on all fronts and natural color reproduction, and the image is displayed on it at a maximum resolution of 1024x600 pixels. To the left of the screen are lined up touch control buttons, which rest against the bottom of the SD card reader.

At the helm of the Incar AHR-7680 software platform is Android 7.0 Nougat with full support for Google Play Market services. Moreover, the main screen in the radio menu interface is made according to the best traditions of the Smart TV genre, where it is customary to collect the most necessary applications on the desktop in the form of a quick access panel.

The sound subsystem of the model is represented by a built-in 4x50 W amplifier and a 3-band equalizer along with 7 preset sound presets. The radio tape recorder does not surprise with the quality of the reproduced audio tracks, but it does not graze the rear ones either. As a bonus when buying a head unit, Navitel licensed software is often offered. However, if the soul lies in something else, nothing prevents you from installing your navigation programme. Incar AHR-7680 fulfills its cost in full, being one of the most attractive options among Android devices in terms of price / quality ratio.

The name of the Chinese brand Phantom is widely known among motorists. Under the sign of this brand, video recorders, reversing cameras and everything related to music for cars are produced. In particular, one of the best 2DIN receivers in terms of price / quality ratio is DVA-7601.

In terms of capabilities, the model is very close to the genus of Android tablets. Firstly, the car radio has a 7-inch diagonal of the display in common with them, and secondly, and most importantly, the head unit works under the control of the “green droid” version 6.0.1. The car radio user is provided with all the delights of the Android operating system, including the ability to install any compatible applications from the comprehensive Google Play Market.

The menu interface of the model is touch-sensitive. In order not to be distracted by switching tracks or radio stations while driving, the user has the right to bring control to the buttons on the steering wheel. For these purposes, you may need an additional adapter. You will need to acquire another adapter if the car's audio system has a standard amplifier. Also, the radio has a close relative in the face of Phantom DVA-7602 , in which the controls are represented by classic "twists" and buttons (they are easier to find blindly).

Under the hood, the media station has a sound amplifier on a TDA 7850 MOSFET chip (Hi-Fi class in terms of signal to noise ratio), a Philips FM receiver with 54 station memory, a GPS module for navigating the area and, of course, wireless Wi adapters -Fi and Bluetooth. Own memory on board the device has 16 GB(of which about 11 GB are available), operational - 1 GB. External devices are connected to the radio through one of the two cable "sprouts" with USB outputs at the end, and the model also has an SD card reader.

The already advanced functionality of the multimedia center can be expanded with external devices, for which the model's arsenal provides a variety of audio-video inputs and outputs. For example, on the screen of the radio it is possible to display a picture from the reversing camera or front DVR. Finally, the 9-band equalizer, which allows you to fine-tune the sound of the Phantom DVA-7601 for yourself, deserves special praise. In this price category, the head unit occupies one of the leading positions both in demand among car owners and in a wide range of functions provided.

Model AHR-9280 under the sign of the Incar brand stands out among the mass of competing solutions as a bright star and sets the pace for the development of the entire industry. It is customary to be equal to it and, by the way, not for nothing.

The radio has got a 7-inch display with anti-reflective coating, which displays a clearly structured menu. Icons of the most frequently used applications are placed on the main desktop: Navitel map navigation, radio, music and video player, as well as a handset icon (Bluetooth speakerphone). However, the user is free to place application icons to his taste - the Android 6.0 Marshmallow system is famous for the flexibility of customizing the interface.

As usual, everything interesting is hidden inside the radio case. First of all, this is a DSP sound processor that improves the overall sound quality and provides additional options for adjusting it (the standard equalizer has 15 bands). An 8-core central processor works in tandem with it, and 4 GB of RAM give the head unit a quick response. Not every modern smartphone can boast of such a “stuffing”, and even in the segment of car radios, a similar set of components is even less common.

A wide range of interface connectors provides support for connecting a DVR, a reversing camera, an external amplifier and a host of other external devices to the radio. In terms of the combination of characteristics, Incar AHR-9280 occupies a leading position in the upper strata of the society of car radios, holding its position with a "hedgehog" and also with a relatively acceptable price tag.

The head unit of the Pro level, called Redpower 31001, will serve as the center of attraction for the driver and passengers of the car. It can be used as an FM receiver, music and video player, TV or display screen.

The format of the model is not much different from colleagues in the Android workshop : its internal installation size is 178x102 mm, and the outside of the device is a 7-inch touch screen with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. The multimedia system is controlled from the buttons on the steering wheel or through the steering column joystick. Nobody canceled the buttons on the front panel either - here they are with RGB backlighting.

The productive “stuffing” consisting of a 4-core Allwinner T3 chip and 2 GB of RAM is “packed” in a beautiful wrapper. Also , in the bowels of the device case, there is an NXP 6686 radio module with a memory for 36 stations in the FM band and an amplifier TDA 7850 MOSFET (Hi-Fi) 4x45 W. The TOSLINK optical audio output, through which the signal is transmitted via the I2S bus, is added to the category of additional equipment of the model.

The Redpower 31001 provides video inputs for a rear view and front view camera, interfaces for connecting a TV tuner and, of course, a pair of USB outputs for flash drives or external 3G / LTE modems. The model costs, frankly, a lot, and for this money I would like to see more functions in it. Nevertheless, the radio tape recorder is in steady demand among the public and it would be foolish not to recommend it for purchase.