Update 11.4.2015:
Due to unrelated issues with my S6E, I switched to Apple and am now using CarPlay. Here's my takeaways:
- Overall reliability when connected is far superior than either Android phone I've used. It connects within seconds of being plugged in and music streaming has no buffering that I experienced on Google Play. Siri is pretty good at getting music requests right as well.
- Apple maps sucks compared to Google Maps. Why the default color palette is made so dark so you can't use it during daytime is beyond me. It's great at night but next to useless if you are driving in the sun. Not to mention it also struggles to find places by name, but given the street address finds them fine. I also notice it doesn't learn as well if you take a faster route than it wanted to take - Just his past Saturday it started off with the worst route to the golf course I've been to 5 times. Nokia Here would even be better than this.
- Apps are good but coming slower than Android I think, plus I had to find a different Podcast app since Joyride isn't on iOS
I like the look of Android Auto better, but CarPlay is much more polished (other than maps)
Update 9.8.2015:
I switched back to a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge this past weekend as I needed the camera for an event, and can still attest to the functionality of this unit. I have noticed a few less skips or buffering issues on Google Play Music, while still getting the same smooth performance from screen to screen. Everyone is always impressed how accurate the voice commands work, no matter who is talking, as long as only one person is talking.
Let me start off by saying I was going to get a Pioneer unit and load that into my on Infiniti; Infiniti had no dash kits and when I tested the lowest-end Pioneer with an S6 Edge it was so slow, so I moved in a different direction and had this installed professionally by Access 1 Alarm and Audio in my 2015 Tacoma. Because my truck is so new it took them a few tries to get the wiring right, but everything is working great. The audio quality is much better over the stock head unit, its very clean and neat with all buttons underneath and the hidden CD player is an awesome touch. The factory hookups for USB and Aux In don't work anymore, but they ran USB and HDMI out of the back through the glovebox, and everything works, including its own new microphone and GPS antenna. I use Android Auto with my Xperia Z2 and could not be happier. Voice recognition is beyond any other car I've used, and just retested an iPhone today and CarPlay fired up instantly. Free updated maps/navigation and Google Music is fantastic. I have had a handful of times the navigation just stop working, but I attribute that to my phone which I have customized (rooted) and running tasker automation 24/7. Steering wheel controls work great, minus one thing (see comments later in review) and they were able to line up the factory backup camera successfully - has both stock lines plus a full set of ones from the kenwood you can customize to help when backing up. I chose this one of the 9702s for two reasons:
- 7 channel EQ vs 5, which is awesome - every input can be assigned its own preset.
- AptX BT Audio support - calls and music come through very clear
Only two issues do I have:
- Max Screen brightness is not enough sometimes when the sun is on the screen, can be very hard to see no matter what you are trying to see
- To switch presets, I have not found a way to do it without hitting the one you want from the list. This goes for both on-screen and on-steering wheel controls, which can be a tad inconvenient. When using Android Auto or a CD, I can hit up/down on the steering wheel and it switches to the next track; I probably just haven't found the right screen to be on.
I have had this almost a month now and can't dream of going back to the stock unit that came with my Tacoma.
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Great user interface and CarPlay!
Just installed this in a 2009 Toyota 2009 Rav4 Limited with JBL because I wanted CarPlay/video unit. Because I knew I wanted Apple Carplay, and on the advice of the folks at Showtime Audio in Chicago I waited for the Kenwood carplay solution to come out, as I needed something easy to use and was advised that Pioneer can be more complex. So when the Kenwood started shipping in June, I immediately ordered it and just had it installed yesterday. Here's the setup:- idatalink Maestro RR for the steering wheel controls. Went with this because it was imperative to retain the steering wheel functionality. Happy to report that all the buttons on the steering wheel work as intended - even the on-hook/off-hook buttons and the push to talk button (the push to talk becomes your siri button when Carplay is activated, and a voice dial button if not). Volume up/down works, and you can scroll through tracks or presets with the arrow up/down button. Additionally, Mode will change inputs such as XM, HD radio, etc. They did have to install a separate bluetooth mic and XM antenna, but I was OK with that as long as it worked. So far no issues with voice quality or XM reception. The GPS antenna and XM antenna are mounted in a corner of the passenger side dash.- PAC TATO JBL interface. Sounds great so far and no issues to report.- Metra dash kit. I went with this solely because the Scosche didn't arrive on time so I had to pick up what they had at Best Buy. I'm happy with the Metra though - color matches closely and good fit. No visible gaps are misalignment. This is probably more a result of professional installation, however.Overall very happy with the unit. It's pretty user friendly - I've not gotten an angry call from my wife yet because she can't figure something out at least. The HD radio sounds awesome and I like the additional information like track name, album art, etc. The XM is easy to use and sounds great. I also like the user interface and the ease of switching modes. Carplay is about as great as advertised so far - super easy to use, maps works great with the additional GPS antenna that augments your iphone's antenna, and I like being able to stream Spotify natively.Finally, I decided to have the unit professionally installed because I wanted to make sure everything worked the way its supposed to and quite frankly I didn't want to mess something up that I wouldn't be able to fix. Glad I did!
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2015
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