Android-based Radios - Experiences & Knowledge

[UofAZCats]

I am hoping this thread will be useful for anyone looking into getting an Android-based Radio upgrade for their Silverado and that others will post about their experiences/knowledge as well.  The Android-based systems provide a lot of flexibility but remind me of early Windows computers where there were many PC builders with lots of options but troubleshooting was part of the choice.  The Android-based radios will do many things but there is no standard template/user interface.  Each radio builder/programmer seems to have different names for the same settings and the user interface is all over the place.

 

Below is my write up in the "What have you doen to your K2 today?" forum for the2014-2019 Silverados:

 

Finally pulled the trigger on getting a new radio.  My 2015 does not have Android Auto/Apple Carplay and I had always wanted to add that.  The cost of upgrading to a new stock radio with the required programming costs associated with it kep me from going that route.  After seeing the Ram T-Rex screen I have wanted the bigger screen, which for our trucks requires going with an android based radio.  Alpine had an 11 inch screen but like the new stock it was damn expensive.

 

This last Prime Day in July I picked up this 13" radio for $550.  I decided agains the 14" or larger screens because of their price (~$1,000) and because they replace the stock A/C controls with non-stock looking buttons on the side instead of bottom.  This screen fills the space between the 2 A/C vents and keeps the stock A/C unit and seat heater controls.  This unit has 12 cores  with 8 GB /128 GB and the screen resolution is fantastic.  I have a Bose system so a I had to buy and install fiber optic box (~$200).  The installation went pretty well because I watched several videos from other installs of android radios similar to mine before even buying the radio.  The instructions that with the radio are actually for a different but similar model.  Having watched many videos helped translation issues or gaps.

 

The biggest difference between these Android units and the stock is the User Interface.  The Android can do a lot more than the stock radio but the user interface on the stock is much smoother initially.  The interfaces that came with the radio (this version had 6-7 different options for the interface style) were ok but I finally settled on using Vivid Launcher which I got from the Google Playstore.

 

Getting the settings right has taken awhile.  The customer service has been pretty dang good.  Given the number of settings and lack of documentation for those settings the customer service needed to be good otherwise I would have sent this thing back in a heartbeat.    I have enjoyed the trial and error and search through the settings doing problem solving.  They did have to send me updates due to an issue with getting the Android Auto working wirelessly but the got it to me within 12 hours of notifying them of the issue.  The time change between FLA and China was the primary delay.

 

Below are pictures of the radio.  One picture is of the stock back up camera active with the truck in reverse.  I did not use the provided back up camera though the resolution was supposed to be better.  The camera would not fit in the tailgate which was a non-starter for me.  It also would have required running a new wire from the rear to the cab because the wiring integral to the stock camera apparently does not support a higher resolution camera.  I love and am used to the view from the stock camera location.  On my 2005 Suburban I have an aftermarket back up camera on the license plate and hate the angle.  The higher location in the tailgate is better to me.
 

 

Edited September 15, 2024 by UofAZCats
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