"CHINESE MADE STEREOS and ANDROID STEREOS: We are now seeing a plethora of Chinese made car stereo products showing up in the marketplace. The Eonon is one of a couple of Android-based options for BMW E46 owners. I've evaluated these options myself to eliminate the "Business CD" radio in my own E46, and what I find in my research is that users tend to have many issues with them.
Now, I really like the factory appearance of these units, and that they are specifically designed to look right in the E46 dash. That is a very attractive element, no doubt. But, these radios start at over $400 and go to the $900 range, and even still, I see many guys complaining about all sorts of technical issues with them on this forum.
So, to help others here make sense of what these Android radios are all about, I want to discuss these Chinese-made stereos with Android operating systems, so you understand them better.
Android-based radios may seem really cool to have, but may be more trouble than they are worth. Most offer Bluetooth, DVD and CD playback, flash memory playback, as well as your AM/FM. However, in general, you may be giving up other areas such as: build quality, technology, sound quality, features, technical support, compatible accessories, incompatibility with your phone, confusing menus, inconsistent volume control, no HD radio reception, no provision for XM Sat tuner connection, lack of proper inputs or outputs, lack of internal crossovers or decent equalization controls, and poor shielding that leads to alternator whine and electrical noise problems. Some models even show Chinese characters in your settings menus!
In addition to the many problems listed above, these Android-based stereos have other problems to consider. Basically, these are nothing more than an Android tablet in the window dressing of a car stereo housing.
Being Android-based sounds great at first, but that also translates into LONGGGG startup times. Most Android radios take at least 30 seconds to boot up EVERY time you start the car. So, that means for 30 seconds after you crank up, you won't see your backup camera image, you won't hear any music, you'll just be waiting while the Android boot screen sits there and spins. If you don't think 30 seconds is a long time, try living with that EVERY time you start the car! Even if you manage to root the operating system, you might only decrease the start time to 20 seconds. By comparison, most major manufacturer's car stereo head units boot up in 2 to 5 seconds!
Having wi-fi connectivity and being able to run apps sounds like a cool thing, but it's not without its problems. First, your cellular provider will want to dip their fingers into your wallet every month for the privilege of sending data to your car. And, you'll need a lot of data, because you'll be streaming EVERYTHING through your wi-fi connection. Do you ever drive in areas on the highway or out in the country where you have flaky cell service? Yeah, you'll be getting long periods of dropouts on your music listening too while you drive.
And, few if any Android radios have any provision for XM sat radio, much less a proper Gen 3 round connector on the back to plug in an XM tuner module. So, if you like your XM, you'll have to stream that through your cell provider too, and be paying for more data every month.
And, as mentioned above, you won't be getting any HD radio broadcasts either, because none of these units offer that feature. HD radio is becoming more and more prevalent in larger markets, and is vastly improved over FM radio with CD quality sound, album art and artist info displayed on your screen, iTunes tagging, and many other cool features.
Also, Android-based apps may seem like a neat thing to have in your dashboard, but most of these apps are not designed for an automotive environment (i.e. with large button surfaces, simplified controls, or other means to reduce driving distraction). They usually have settings and features buried in menus with tiny letters that are hard to see while driving, and fussy to use when you're trying to dodge 18 wheelers on the highway! Distracted driving is a HUGE problem for drivers these days, and a good aftermarket head unit is designed for the car environment to reduce driving distraction and give you ONLY the features you need while driving with easy to see controls.
Another huge issue for Android devices is operating system updates and bug fixes! Many of these cheap Android products are only running older versions of Android such as Ice Cream Sandwich or Kit Kat. And, their manufacturers tend to be somewhat "fly-by-night", and may or may not be around very long in the future. Many seem like big companies, but are actually nothing more than back-alley shops where their tech support only speaks broken English at best. So, don't look for a great customer support experience, or prompt attention to your technical issues! And, don't look for fast bug-fixes when their stuff doesn't work!
The other problem with some (not all) Chinese gear is a very obvious lack of quality control, fit and finish, and durability. Many have horrible internal shielding, so you are picking up buzzing and whining from electrical components in the car, and RF or radio frequency fields being generated. So this can really hurt your listening experience.
SUMMARY
After reviewing all this, I have decided to go with a double-din head unit from one of the major manufacturers, and install it with an inexpensive E46 dash kit ($20 or so). For the same or less money as an Eonon, I'll have a head unit that does what the Eonon doesn't offer - fast startup time, XM sat radio through the touchscreen with a compatible tuner, better smartphone integration, and literally every other feature the Eonon offers.
I feel it's far better to go with a major manufacturer such as Pioneer, JVC, Alpine, Kenwood, etc. These companies have a strong support network, are staffed by people who were BORN ON THIS CONTINENT, speak ENGLISH, and provide quality products that are built for the automotive environment from the ground up.
Sure, it's not as "elegant" or OEM looking as the Eonon, but I won't have to wait 30 seconds for the damned thing to boot up every time I start the car, and my XM sat will work great too.
The old saying, "You get what you pay for" has never been more true than in the world of car stereo components, and never more so than this day and time. I'm not saying ALL of this gear is bad, but some of it has issues that you won't realize until you've unboxed it, wired it up, and bolted it down into your dashboard.
I'm sure many might disagree with my ideas here, and that's okay. I'm just putting them forth to help others if possible."
- Random BMW Forum User
