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Recommend Android HU for my E90
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04-02-2022, 12:02 PM | #1 |
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Recommend Android HU for my E90
I bimmers,
Can you help me with Android HU from Aliexpress? Android 10/11 4/6 GB Ram 64 GB Rom+ Wireless Car play and android auto LTE support What brand of HU is recommend for feature support and updates? |
04-04-2022, 02:29 AM | #2 |
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04-05-2022, 12:15 PM | #4 |
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I hope you don't care about audio quality cause all Android head units use the aux for audio and it sounds like booty cheeks.
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04-06-2022, 08:11 PM | #5 | |
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05-06-2022, 02:51 PM | #6 |
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really happy with the unit I got from modernbimmers.com, none of the audio quality issues that the others suffer from and seems like they're based in the US
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05-06-2022, 11:16 PM | #7 | |
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The only way to get around this is to use a Digital Analog Converter, specifically made for BMW MOST interface. It will likely replace the CD drive's connection, but this way it ensures the highest possible audio quality. Can be bought for ~$85 USD on aliexpress although quality control seems to be a big issue on these units. For this I would suggest a name brand domestic company that you're comfortable with. Will likely cost almost double, but worth it if you don't want any trouble. |
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05-06-2022, 11:25 PM | #8 |
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People love the KSW software units, and there's a modding community specifically for these android radios. However these KSW units usually have lower specs than other units on the market.
I verified the specs of my Junsun V1 Pro (4G) and confirmed I have an 8 core snapdragon with 6GB ram and 128gb of storage. Runs very quick, and the stock interface looks similar to the official BMW ID6 interface. There's even a compatible ID6 launcher that runs on both KSW and my Junsun. Had to buy a separate wireless CarPlay activation code for my unit since it's a 4G model. Was $23. Works very well, much better than my $100 Carlinkit adapter (that I have now returned). I will note that my CarPlay phone call audio doesn't work, but I believe it's a setting that I need to change, but haven't found. This may not be your experience. Quality control isn't amazing on Aliexpress, but it's also not so bad that it's worth skipping out on. I have only started looking recently into fixing CarPlay phone calls. My microphone works, but I can't hear the incoming phone audio. I would rate my Junsun V1 Pro a 9/10 in terms of quality I expected. Usability is better than a EVO unit and at only a fraction of the price. Literally an entire Android system to play with on top of CarPlay and native CIC integration. Also extra comment on screen quality—I have gotten several compliments on screen quality from non car people. Some of these people have entertainment systems from Lexus and Infiniti. They all comment how the colors are vivid. IPS panel is great. Anti glare is okay. In direct sunlight I can see the screen fine, but it could be better. Nothing to compare it to except the OEM CIC screen, and basically anything would beat that. I couldn't see anything in sunlight on the OEM screen. One last thing, I had an andream MMI and it was subpar. Frequently my scroll wheel stopped working, and wouldn't resume working until car went fully to sleep and was restarted. Huge annoyance for a unit only controlled by the scroll wheel. For this reason, I would not trust andream's quality on a HU. |
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07-12-2022, 07:37 AM | #9 |
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Found this post to be closest to my question and I posted over at the F30 forum because they have a lengthy thread about Android 11. Would appreciate any E90 owners weighing in:
Summary: I have a 2010 E90 CIC BMW with standard radio, iDrive and NAV. The 2 humps. I also have an AUX and USB input in the armrest. (The USB may be broken-does anyone have a part number to replace?) and a USB in the glovebox. I also have the iphone cradle in the armrest. I believe its for iPhone 4. I need to replace the screen anyway due to the Alpine OEM blue anti-glare screen being discolored / scratched. That's why I'm most interested in the replacement touchscreen options vs an MMI solution. That brought me to researching SnapDragon 625 or 662 and Android 10 vs 11 and 4gb vs 6gb. along with the Avin, ModernBimmers, Waaka and Andream or XTrons solutions. Found some quick shipping from Amazon - Booyes I believe or XTrons. NOTE: I only have and use iPhone, Waze, Spotify and the AM/FM Radio, Bluetooth Phone, and the iDrive is important to me. That's it. Given that, would you recommend a Head Unit like the Waaka or Andream? Or would you recommend the Android 11 662 Units on AliExpress with 6GB/128? I'm LOST. Need help. PS: I'd prefer to NOT wire to my AUX plug in my armrest but from what I read- that is necessary with any touchscreen unit. ALSO - I need to purchase this for delivery by middle of AUG - so timing is important to me.
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07-30-2022, 05:46 PM | #10 | |
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Although for me personally, I haven't gone this route yet since it's hit or miss with aliexpress dac's and the name brand ones cost a lot. Best bet would be getting some from Amazon and returning them if they don't work. Aux is always an okay fall back in the meantime, so I would say go ahead and get the new touchscreen android unit, you'll love it! As for which spec to go for, I got the Junsun V1 Pro 4G with 8 cores, 6/128gb. It's very fast and wireless CarPlay works great. Although some people prefer the KSW units because of custom firmware being developed in the bmw community. These are lower spec units and I've been told wireless carplay is a little slower on them and some even resort to USB wireless CarPlay adapters. You can join the discord for quicker support for (mainly ksw, but kinda all) android head units here: https://discord.gg/qJ3JUffc
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Last edited by Luper52; 08-29-2022 at 06:34 PM.. |
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08-01-2022, 03:04 PM | #11 | ||
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The sound quality is probably as good as it can get for E9X platform (aftermarket route & source wise) as signal is kept digital all the way to OEM HU. However i have doubts in following: How bad or good is Android HU DAC (output to AUX) - has anyone tested this? It is known that our OEM HU AUX DAC is really bad. I could do the following experiment: Android HU -> MOST converter (Dension has AUX input) -> OEM HU I haven't seen anyone document this experiment and this could be answer to get actually decent SQ from Android screens (if Android outputs semi decent signal from AUX). However i'm not sure how the interfaces handle this since we want to see Android screen but also actively use CD Emulator in the background. Will the AUX pick noise as i route it to Dension? Probably will try this experiment and update here(if it is bad) or even create new thread if it is successful. Quote:
Preferred ones that use AUX pins at the back of car HU. For example my Andream unit was wired that way. Last edited by Captain Buumer; 08-01-2022 at 03:39 PM.. |
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08-06-2022, 08:04 AM | #12 | |
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And no it shouldn't pick up any noise if you route it with a E10K. Should sound amazing with the Dension also. |
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08-11-2022, 10:31 AM | #13 |
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Thanks for the advice. I purchased an Android HU and luckily - I ended up purchasing exactly what Luper52 recommended. I bought the 6GB + 128GB Android 11 version 8259. Install was a lot!
3 hiccups: 1. Super hard time finding a spot for the thick wiring harness. Actually had to cut some of the plastic frame to get it to fit on driver's side far left. 2. Once I put everything back together, I had no A/C just heat and no real airflow from front vents. Searched it up and after a lot of trial and error - I realized that I didn't seat the HVAC connection board properly. They looked like they were seated but they weren't. On my fourth try, they seated correctly and A/C was back! 3. Unit advertised as "Wireless" CarPlay. However, there was no wireless Carplay. Contacted Seller who said I had to enter the About with a code (8878) and enable AutoLink. He then provided me with an Autolink activation code. I now have Wireless CarPlay. Success! Have the 2 USB dongels hanging which is convenient for charging iPhone and even when plugged in... doesn't seem to interfere with Wireless CarPlay. 4. I swapped the fiber optic but am not currently using a DAC (as was suggested) so my sound is via the 3.5mm in the center console. Wished I could hide the cord better but I have an iphone cradle in console blocking me. Some observations: A) I've learned it's essentially a Junsun 8259 build and there's some info on the XDA forums on firmware but not a lot in terms of customizations or modifications. How does one use a custom boot logo? Seems complicated. B) It's a technical unit with a lot of options and no manual. Did I say there's no manual? C) Bluetooth Telephone is a little wonky for me. My phone is connected to the HU via bluetooth and wireless (for CarPlay). It's also connected to BMW OEM bluetooth. I thought I was using my OEM microphone (as I didn't install the one provided with the HU) and callers on the other end say it's not crystal clear. When I turn Wi-Fi off (and disconnect from CarPlay) and place call via phone itself... its clear. Weird! Also, when making calls, both the OEM telephone menu shows along with the Android? box on top that cut's off some of the OEM menu. D) Moving back and forth between CarPlay and the OEM Radio is not the smoothest. I use the iDrive wheel and Menu button sometimes. I actually prefer using the iDrive vs. touchscreen. Sometimes it works and other times it lags or I have to keep pushing Menu or Back on the iDrive. If I move back to CarPlay after radio and don't set it to CD or AUX first, the radio will continue to play if a call comes in or if I attempt to start Spotify or CarPlay sound etc. Really clunky. Not sure how to fix that. Still getting used to the Android 11 HU. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated. Thank you!
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08-19-2022, 10:42 PM | #14 | |
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For B), this thread is helpful, as is the Discord channel: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1699764. For C), consider getting a USB microphone and not using OEM BMW Bluetooth at the same time, which is probably leading to confusion. For D), that does not sound right. One of the best features of these on an E90 is that you can have CarPlay running and use the OEM radio at the same time (by using the radio and not aux). Switching between aux and OEM radio should be immediate using either one of the radio present buttons on the OEM radio or the button on the steering wheel. Having that convenience is one of the best features of the Android head unit on an E90 imo. On other cars you lose the OEM radio functionality entirely and have to change to the radio app on the head unit, which is clunky. |
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08-20-2022, 12:47 AM | #15 | |
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1.) Yes, I've found that the wiring harness can be tucked off to the right side by the center console/passenger footwell and it will not show. All other wires can be ran by the center console/driver's footwell. 2.) After taking off my trim 1000 times, I can assure you, it doesn't really get easier 3.) What dongles? 4.) I have actually come to realize that when I went to install my DAC a couple weekends ago... this android head unit actually runs audio directly through the wiring harness. At least on mine it does. I haven't done the coding to enable the rear combox AUX. All other android units seem to use AUX cables as audio out, and despite ours also having this output, it still appears to be routed by default through the wiring harness. I will need to do some more searching into this. That being said, audio does sound pretty clear to my non-audiophile ears. Bass bumps too. These units (6GB/128GB) are supposed to have an upgraded internal DAC. May be a pseudo effect but I think disconnecting the AUX actually improved audio. Hard to tell because I had also (days before removing the aux) tweaked the EQ and bass. Still think it sounds better now. A.) You need to gain root the head unit, of which I think is already rooted, but you still need to SSH into it, and run some code to replace the files in the directories. This is being very vague, I quickly lost interest because frankly I'm just happy it finally works and am currently dealing with other engine issues. If you're still interested then head over to xda and search 'Junsun V1 Pro' and find the main thread. It has been documented a couple times within the 40+ pages. Wish I had a link for you but it should be the first result. B.) I got a manual with mine. There are certain things that are not documented like the internal settings, which is pretty annoying but alas this is the nature of chinese head units. C.) There is a tiny internal microphone on the front of the unit, this is why call clarity is bad. I advise you to install the aftermarket microphone. You can even mount it inside the center roof lighting housing with the OEM microphone for a clean install. I've also heard of people converting the input of the OEM mic to 3.5mm, but I've been told the aftermarket mic sounds great, so I don't think it's worth the hassle. D.) This may actually be fixed with my discovery of the wiring harness audio input. So you have CIC and combox? CIC and no combox? If you have a combox (bluetooth music audio streaming as OEM option) then it should be default coded to rear aux. You could change it to front aux and it might fix that. Like I said I need to do more testing to confirm this, but big if true. |
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08-26-2022, 09:30 AM | #16 |
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I would love some advice here
I purchased a Chinese unit from ALIEXPRESS, and it worked fine for my needs, but the Screen was way too shiny and the passthrough for the CIC feed, seemed a little dark, so put both together, I could hardly see the screen so I removed it, and installed a Carplay MMI box instead, and refitted my original screen Problem is, my CIC in the 6.5inc version and while my current MMI setup is fine, I prefer the 8.8in screen and touch screen so do any of the recommended screens here, have good anti-glare sceens? TIA |
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08-28-2022, 05:00 PM | #17 | |
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I bought this (3t model) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005...21ef1802sHj3f5 And im assuming my audio is trash because of the aux u mention (and my stock speakers etc), but it sounded much better with the original bmw professional head unit. Im interested in this convertor you mention in hopes i can maybe improve my audio from the cheap head unit ?..... would that work |
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08-29-2022, 06:24 PM | #18 | |
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08-29-2022, 06:33 PM | #19 | |
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There are other DACs which use the fiber optic connections from the CD drive to play high quality audio but this solution is much more expensive. Before purchasing a DAC I suggest you test that your unit isn't just using the (front) AUX input from the CIC harness to patch through audio. This would make an external DAC useless because there's no way to bypass this input source without coding the (rear) AUX input to the combox. CCC units and CIC units without a combox will be using the front AUX by default. For a proper CIC retrofit you would have to route a combox aux cable to your center console for proper audio routing. However with my unit, the Junsun Pro V1, I have found that once you turn off all of the digital audio "Smart Bass" and audio "enhancements" turned on from stock, it sounds pretty good. The 8259L is supposed to have a high quality internal DAC, which I wasn't sure about for a while until I really got into the audio controls. I was just tweaking the EQ frequency android settings for a while and the bass was sounding flat or distorted. I ended up not using an external DAC on mine because of this realization. |
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09-03-2022, 06:10 PM | #20 | |
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Thank you |
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09-13-2022, 03:28 AM | #21 |
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I installed a device from these guys, so far for half a year the radio has been working fine, you can contact them
[IMG][/IMG] https://smarty-trend.com/bmw-3-serie...head-unit.html |
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11-10-2022, 11:11 AM | #22 |
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New option
I found out recently about this option which i'm considering. It is for e90 that has ccc or cic and comes with an adapter to mount it. Looks better and much more usable since the screen is not buried in the dashboard. I'm not sure about audio quality though but i think it connects like the rest of them to you car.
https://motivesupplies.nl/product/na...0-e91-e92-e93/ |
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