We were trying to update an older vehicle, but the options available were a bit overwhelming. There are so many car stereos to choose from on Amazon. We did know we wanted an android unit with carplay/android auto (mirroring), illuminated USB ports, and AM radio if possible.Many of the advertised android car stereos aren't really true android; instead they run WinCE. One of the dead giveaways to this is to check if the back of the unit has a GPS antenna connection. Car radios that advertise GPS but don't actually have a GPS antenna connection always run WinCE and are often called "MP5" units. They rely on mirroring from your cell phone to get GPS. These WinCE car stereos sometimes offer AM radio, which makes it seem like it's great choice, but in reality, you can't install any apps and have to have your phone running in mirrored mode to get GPS. Not great for anyone who needs to charge their phone in their car faster, since mirroring will eat into battery life.Also most of these radios only provide FM radio, which is a dead giveaway they were never intended for the US market. They are just domestic Chinese headunits reskinned with the English language and export for a cheap price; or they are export models that were never meant for the US consumer. That's not knock. We all like a good deal, but any true headunit specifically INTENDED for the US market WILL have AM radio.
Android 13 Single Din Car Stereo 10.1 Inch Rotatable Touch Screen Radio with Wireless
CPU: Quad 1.12GHz A7, GPU: Mali-450 MP, RAM: 4GB, Storage: 64GB, OS (as detected by CPUz): Android 13, API 33GeekBench 5.5.1 - Single: 64, Multi: 213Factory Settings Password: 8888Summary: Nice large icons. Hard to rotate and detach. Included double din mounting bracket for single din car radio. No mounting sleeve.
CAMECHO 4+64G Android 13 Single Din Car Stereo Support Carplay & Android Auto
CPU: Quad 2.0GHz A53, GPU: PowerVR GE8300, RAM: 4GB, Storage: 64GB, OS (as detected by CPUz) Android 12, API 31GeekBench 5.5.1 Single: 93, Multi:280Factory settings password: 1234Summary: Included single din mounting bracket and sleeve. Nice large icons and volume control knob. Height of GPS antenna is actually taller than single din space making it impossible to install with mounting sleeve. Hard to rotate and detach. Not much space between faceplate and screen.
10.1" Rotatable Touch Screen Car Stereo Single Din - Android 13, Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto Haudio
CPU: Quad 1.5GHz A53, GPU: Mali-T720, RAM: 2GB, Storage: 32GB, OS (as detected by CPUz): Android 13, API 33GeekBench 5.5.1 - Single: 110, Multi: 347Developer password (Year.month.date), format such as (2025.05.20) must include paratheses and periods.Summary: Decent performance and price point. It DOES HAVE AM RADIO. Short DIN housing and all ports in back makes it easier to install. No PD/USB charging ports is kind of a let down. The included USB cable can just do regular slow charging speed and is more meant for docking. Like all android headunits it gets really hot after a while. It would have been nice for them to put in a fan and or a heatsink to keep it cool.
[4+64G] Hikity Android 15 Car Stereo Single Din Wireless Carplay Android Auto
CPU: Quad 1.5GHz A35, GPU: Mali-G31, RAM: 4GB, Storage: 64GB, OS (as detected by CPUz): Android 11, API 30GeekBench 5.5.1 - Single: 78, Multi: 211Factory Settings password: 8888Summary: The flip out mechanism is all manual. No mechanized movement. Screen actually still stays on when hidden (you can see light bleeding from space). The illuminated charging port is nice.
[4G+64G] Single Din Android Car Stereo with Wireless Carplay & Android Auto, Hodozzy 7 Inch Flip Out Touchscreen GPS
CPU: Quad 1.5GHz A35, GPU: Mali-G31, RAM: 4GB, Storage: 64GB, OS (as detected by CPUz): Android 11, API 30GeekBench 5.5.1 - Single: 78, Multi: 220Factory Settings Password: 8888Summary: The flip out mechanism is all manual. No mechanized movement. Screen actually still stays on when hidden (you can see light bleeding from space). The illuminated charging port is nice, but is hidden behind a rubber cover that will probably fall off at some point.
Single 1 Din Car Stereo Android 13 Car Radio with Wireless/Wired Carplay Android Auto 6.9 Inch
CPU: Quad 1.5GHz A7, GPU: Mali-450 MP, RAM: 4GB, Storage: 64GB, OS (as detected by CPUz): Android 13, API 33GeekBench 5.5.1 - Single: 63, Multi: 206Summary: Kind of slow, but fits nicely into single din car radio. Illuminated USB ports are nice, with PD port. 6.9" is probably largest screen you can get without flip out or pivot point screen, but aspect ratio can be a little strange for those use to double din head units. Also a 6.9" screen means there is no removable bezel which makes this absolute pin to remove.In the end, we tried a bunch of car stereos but we really couldn't find a "perfect" car stereo that gave us everything we were ...
