What head unit to choose? Android?

What head unit to choose? Android?
   
   How to choose the best Android car head unit?  If you are planning to buy an Android car multimedia unit, then this article is for you! We would tell you what points you need to pay attention to have good emotions of using your head unit.

Do you know what functions a new head unit must perform? If you need only basic features such as music, radio, navigation and camera, then you may consider car multimedia unit based on WinCE operating system. Such car stereo has a low price, stable operating system and performing all basic functions. But we wouldn't stop on these car stereos because our shop specializes in head units running on Android - SMARTY Trend. If you are a fan of new technologies, prefer the car stereos with the latest features and the latest hardware, then you are on the right road! Today Android SMARTY Trend head units are the leaders of the market. It is so popular because Android operation system is open source, has many applications with high Internet integration, and it is supported factory systems of a vehicle.

What points do you need to pay attention when you are choosing your Android SMARTY Trend head unit?

• Display. Firstly Android head units must have a bright, high-quality screen. In a sunny day, you wouldn’t see a thing on the dark screen. A cheap multimedia units often use the old type of matrix; they have low brightness and poor viewing angles. The mid and high price head units have new screens with LED backlighting. These displays are quite brighter, and you can see everything on it almost in any weather. Buying the head unit please specify which type of LCD panel has installed there. A few words about the display resolution. Quite a large number of head units have display resolution 800 * 480 px. But some manufacturers of in-dash car stereos has installed in its head units display with a resolution 1024 * 600 px. We are looking at the screen of a head unit from a remote distance from the eyes of approximately 0.5-1m. At this distance, the difference between these permissions is hardly noticeable. So, it would be wrong to compare the display of a car head unit, with the screen of a smartphone. Of course, if you will look a little closer on the display of the unit, you will see that the screen with resolution 800 * 480px has more image graininess than the screen with resolution 1024 * 600px. It is also worth to noting the size of the screen. It will be difficult to distinguish the difference between two that resolutions in the 7-inch display from a driver or passenger seat. In the 8-inch display, the difference is also not significant. The image graininess on it will bу almost not noticeable. On bigger display diagonals, image graininess becomes more noticeable. If the size of the display is 9 or 10 inches, then we recommend choosing the display with a resolution 1024 * 600px. Also, it is worth to know, that display with a diagonal of 6.2 and 6.95 inches is made only with resolution 800 * 480px.

• Capacitive Touch Screen. As you know, head units use two types of touch screen: resistive and capacitive. The resistive screen is reliable; it is triggered by pressing on the surface. The sensitivity and the accuracy of such touch screen are not high. After prolonged use, it is gets scratched. These screens are not using anymore in the production of the head units. The resistive screen has been replaced by the capacitive type of touch screen. It is trigger thanks to a capacitance between the finger and the screen. That allow us to achieve good accuracy and sensitivity. Be sure to choose Android head union with the capacitive screen, as in SMARTY Trend!

• Hardware. The indicators of processor and RAM are nearly the same for all producers. The processor clock speed ranges from 1GHz to 1.6 GHz. Most head units have a dual-core processor, but some models equipped with four-core 1.6 GHz processor or more. RAM is mainly 1 GB, but some models have 2 GB onboard. Considered that the higher characteristics - the better, but here an important role is playing by Android as a stable and well-functioning operating system.

• Google Android operating system. First head units were work on Android 2.2 / 2.3. Today it is working on Android 4.4.2 / 4.4.4. The next generations of car multimedia will work on Android 5.1 and Android Auto. There is no notable difference between the same version of Android, but each manufacturer is trying to do their Android faster, more convenient and beautiful. Buying Android head unit, it is important to understand how stable it is. Some manufacturers do not even try to make software component of head units more stable. That is why some buyers can find not satisfactorily reviews on Android multimedia units. We can say one fact for sure, as the specialists in this matter: you could find manufacturers who finished developing their operating system and its work quickly and smoothly. But also you could find different manufacturers which OS is not response all over the time and has a number other problems. We would like to note that it would be difficult to know from a manager the reliable information about work of Android OS on a particular head unit. We can say only for ourselves. In our online store, SMARTY Trend Android head units selected according to strict criteria. Only after examining and testing head units they approved for sale in our store, and then in the stores of our partners.

• Compatibility with the factory functions of the car. Many vehicle manufacturers install a head unit, which performs not only the media but also other functions such as display and adjustment of climate control, parking system, comfort features, lighting control, etc. Certain models of Android car multimedia unit support various factory functions. But there are many such head units that not compatible with the functionality of the car. It is a pity, but many buyers would know about that only after installation of the device. If your car has such factory function, clarify the support of them before buying a new head unit! Asking the manager about different features of your vehicle and their compatibility with the Android head unit, you can easily understand how much the seller is competent in these matters. If the professional manager couldn't answer your questions immediately, he will be able to clarify them from the experts of the plant manufacturer.

• Warranty. Often we are buying some product just because the price of it is small. But we forget about such critical moment as the guarantee. Be sure to ask the seller about the warranty and its compliance with all rules and laws. Buying the head unit on popular Chinese websites, you need to be prepared to solve breakdown problems on your own. Only the country of manufacturer could support the warranty. That means that you will need to pay for device delivery. Shipping to another country for warranty repair is unprofitable in most cases. It is rare when the local seller is following to all norms of warranty support. That is why we advise you to clarify before buying what will happen with the head unit in a case of guarantee. Besides, a seller must issue a warranty card and (or) another document that proofs your purchase. Our shop SMARTY Trend offers the best service of support and installation of car head units! We support the warranty on all equipment that we are selling. Our warranty support is complying with all the laws. So you can be sure of the quality and subsequent warranty support of in-dash head units SMARTY Trend!

We wish you to make a successful purchase of car head unit, and always have a good mood of using it! SMARTY Trend Company.