Tesla Android Style Stereos Units for the 200- Combined (7 Viewers)

[ekolpack]

I suggested the Tesla screen models with a 7862 chip to EKIY and they got back to me saying they're already making them! Unfortunately they're not yet available with the 200 series dash kits, the closest one is for Prado 120. Unfortunately, there's no info about the size or type of screen (IPS? QLED?) I've asked them about this. Resolution is only 1024x768, so it can't be that big, unless it's super low PPI. Res on the PX6 IPS screens is 1920x1080.

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[greynolds]

Man, I suggested the Tesla screen models with a 7862 chip to EKIY and they got back to me saying they're already making them! Unfortunately they're not yet available with the 200 series dash kits, the closest one is for Prado 120. Unfortunately, there's no info about the size or type of screen (IPS? QLED?) I've asked them about this. Resolution is only 1024x768, so it can't be that big, unless it's super low PPI. Res on the PX6 IPS screens is 1920x1080.

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Unfortunately for those of us with newer LC200's, quite a few of the options that ARE available are only compatible up till about the 2015 model year. I imagine more options will pop up for newer models over time. In the interim, the EC Offroad unit works pretty well overall - the biggest issue with it is that you get stuck with the low resolution factory display.

 

[TeCKis300]

How's the current Tesla style IPA screens? Are they bright enough during the day? Blacks good enough at night? Is there too much extraneous light at night?

 

[ekolpack]

Do you have any links to the specific products you recommend? A quick Google search for something like "EKIY TS7 Land Cruiser" wasn't very promising... Do these units provide access to the factory touchscreen HVAC controls? What about the factory backup camera? To me, integration with those 2 things are must haves. I really don't want to deal with running a cable for a replacement backup camera. The EC Offroad unit is pretty good overall and provides complete access to all factory infotainment, HVAC controls, and the factory backup camera (including automatically switching to and from the camera when needed). I suspect most people considering any of these options won't be willing to lose access to any of the factory HVAC controls and want something as close to plug and play as possible, for (I think) obvious reasons (easier to install with less ongoing tinckering required).

Just checked guide, there is a pic showing how to hookup this unit with the vehicles original rear camera. I wouldn't be surprised if some vehicles don't cooperate, but again, if it worked with the PX6 units, I don't see why it wouldn't work with these newer units: 999.0US $ |EKIY T7 Multimedia User Guide in listing description details.| | - AliExpress - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001939536181.html?spm=a2g0s.imconversation.0.0.4d573e5fbuTZXM

 

[ekolpack]

They got back to me. Screen size for the "Tesla style" is 9.7". Lame...actually smaller than the 10.1" on the T7 I got.

 

[ekolpack]

How's the current Tesla style IPA screens? Are they bright enough during the day? Blacks good enough at night? Is there too much extraneous light at night?

I don't have any experience with the IPS screens on these HU's directly, but they should be similar to any other mid-tier tablet or phone screen from 5-6 years ago. A few years ago, screens started moving to OLED or QLED, which are similar technologies (with OLED looking better but more likely to have issues long term). So if you want a close approximation of the difference, go bust out an old tablet or phone with an IPS screen and compare it to a newer device (which is probably going to have an OLED screen). Again, the OLED will probably look better than the QLED, but it'll be close.

I have a feeling this tablet uses the exact same 10.1" QLED screen as these 7862 FYT HU's

 

[ekolpack]

How's the current Tesla style IPA screens? Are they bright enough during the day? Blacks good enough at night? Is there too much extraneous light at night?

Skip to 3m on this video. Again, I'm guessing this QLED is the exact same display as on the 7862 FYT HU....the IPS screen on the other unit in this comparison is probably very similar (if not the same) as the IPS screen in the older PX6 HU's

 

[Mago]

Just checked guide, there is a pic showing how to hookup this unit with the vehicles original rear camera. I wouldn't be surprised if some vehicles don't cooperate, but again, if it worked with the PX6 units, I don't see why it wouldn't work with these newer units: 999.0US $ |EKIY T7 Multimedia User Guide in listing description details.| | - AliExpress - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001939536181.html?spm=a2g0s.imconversation.0.0.4d573e5fbuTZXM

View attachment 2874057

Lc camera output to original Hu is digital not analog. This looks like it won't work.

Just checked guide, there is a pic showing how to hookup this unit with the vehicles original rear camera. I wouldn't be surprised if some vehicles don't cooperate, but again, if it worked with the PX6 units, I don't see why it wouldn't work with these newer units: 999.0US $ |EKIY T7 Multimedia User Guide in listing description details.| | - AliExpress - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001939536181.html?spm=a2g0s.imconversation.0.0.4d573e5fbuTZXM

View attachment 2874057

Lc camera output is digital. You need a digital to analog converter if your camera input is Rca like the picture above. Otherwise you will need to tap into the parking ECU and pickup the analog signal coming in from the camera and send a signal from the reverse to excite he camera. But then you won't have the parking assist guidelines which are overlaid by the ECU.

 

[lx200inAR]

Anyone with one of these know if they have a day/night setting that is controlled by the dash sensor? It would be a deal breaker for me, with any system that couldn’t go into a night mode.droid 10.0 Screen GPS Navi Audio Stereo Radio Recorder Head Unit https

These newer units are very interesting. I checked their store, but doesn’t look like they have anything for the LX.

I’m less interested in the giant Tesla screens than just having a modern OEM (maybe OEM+) sized screen with better picture quality and touchscreen. I’ve mostly shied away since it seems most currently available systems run on Android 8 or 9. Seems crazy to buy something with an OS that is already years old when you hope to keep whatever you install for multiple years.

Form factor wise, this is the one I like. Replaces the stock buttons with stockish control panel. But is clearly a PX6 model, and quite expensive for a 5 yr old tablet. Anyone happen to know if anyone sells this unit with the new SoC?

 

[grinchy]

Anyone with one of these know if they have a day/night setting that is controlled by the dash sensor? It would be a deal breaker for me, with any system that couldn’t go into a night mode.

These newer units are very interesting. I checked their store, but doesn’t look like they have anything for the LX.

I’m less interested in the giant Tesla screens than just having a modern OEM (maybe OEM+) sized screen with better picture quality and touchscreen. I’ve mostly shied away since it seems most currently available systems run on Android 8 or 9. Seems crazy to buy something with an OS that is already years old when you hope to keep whatever you install for multiple years.

Form factor wise, this is the one I like. Replaces the stock buttons with stockish control panel. But is clearly a PX6 model, and quite expensive for a 5 yr old tablet. Anyone happen to know if anyone sells this unit with the new SoC?

View attachment 2874608

Can’t you just have an android app installed to control the brightness based on sunrise/sundown?

 

[lx200inAR]

Can’t you just have an android app installed to control the brightness based on sunrise/sundown?

Well, typically the night mode inverts colors as well. I suspect an app can do an inversion as well, but I don’t know if night mode is a simple inversion or something fancier than that.

Edit: A quick google shows that Android 10 has a native dark mode. That might be enough. I shouldn’t have implied that I needed it to function off the photo sensor. I just remember when I bought my LX and had the interior dimmer set to max, which caused the main screen to not flip into night mode. I really didn’t like driving it like that.

 

[ekolpack]

Anyone with one of these know if they have a day/night setting that is controlled by the dash sensor? It would be a deal breaker for me, with any system that couldn’t go into a night mode.

These newer units are very interesting. I checked their store, but doesn’t look like they have anything for the LX.

I’m less interested in the giant Tesla screens than just having a modern OEM (maybe OEM+) sized screen with better picture quality and touchscreen. I’ve mostly shied away since it seems most currently available systems run on Android 8 or 9. Seems crazy to buy something with an OS that is already years old when you hope to keep whatever you install for multiple years.

Form factor wise, this is the one I like. Replaces the stock buttons with stockish control panel. But is clearly a PX6 model, and quite expensive for a 5 yr old tablet. Anyone happen to know if anyone sells this unit with the new SoC?

View attachment 2874608

I'd check with the guys at the XDA Developers forum. They're not gunna know about your vehicle specifically, but they're experts on these head units. I believe there's a section of the forum dedicated to Android HU's. Aloha!

 

[TeCKis300]

This wouldn't be my first HU upgrade of this type. For a car, it can be futile to chase technology and upgrades like we do cell phones and tablets. What I'm primarily looking for is functionality without any major deal breakers in bugs and usability. Odd resets, unreliability, usability, and needing constant tinkering after setup would be some of those for me. OLED/OLED would be nice, but a good quality IPS with enough brightness and black levels would be fine too as I'm not using this display for critical viewing. As it is, any of these will be light years ahead of the existing OEM HU/display, which is the upgrade I'm looking for.

Outside of the core stuff like A/C, audio, camera, if there's good mirroring or android auto functionality, then I can lean on my cell phone for further functionality upgrades.

 

[lx200inAR]

This wouldn't be my first HU upgrade of this type. For a car, it can be futile to chase technology and upgrades like we do cell phones and tablets. What I'm primarily looking for is functionality without any major deal breakers in bugs and usability. Odd resets, unreliability, usability, and needing constant tinkering after setup would be some of those for me. OLED/OLED would be nice, but a good quality IPS with enough brightness and black levels would be fine too as I'm not using this display for critical viewing. As it is, any of these will be light years ahead of the existing OEM HU/display, which is the upgrade I'm looking for.

Outside of the core stuff like A/C, audio, camera, if there's good mirroring or android auto functionality, then I can lean on my cell phone for further functionality upgrades.

I agree with this in principle, but I feel like once you make the jump to an Android based system, inevitably some function is going to stop being supported unless you upgrade. I think this is the beauty and curse of programmability. Hopefully the CarPlay/Android Auto “portal” won’t require upgrades for quite a while to continue to support later generations of phones.

It would be nice if someone clwould design a system in a way where the parts were more modular.

 

[TeCKis300]

I agree with this in principle, but I feel like once you make the jump to an Android based system, inevitably some function is going to stop being supported unless you upgrade. I think this is the beauty and curse of programmability. Hopefully the CarPlay/Android Auto “portal” won’t require upgrades for quite a while to continue to support later generations of phones.

It would be nice if someone clwould design a system in a way where the parts were more modular.

Yes, it's true. There's a good chance in time that the software upgrades will no longer support older builds and chipsets. It's inevitable really and is why I'm looking for strong portal android auto and bluetooth audio support.

Some more subtle reasons is I don't necessarily prefer running apps natively on what is an independent smart device/tablet. Perhaps just a couple key map or audio apps. The way these devices cache credentials and passwords can be suspect. I also don't want to be managing/updating apps on this separate device. Prefer most of that to be handled and managed in my own smartphone. And just use the larger display as a portal. Some of this is because I have multiple cars, and already see the disadvantages of trying to constantly play between the devices. Whereas running it off my smartphone keeps the usability more consistent and updated.

 

[greynolds]

Yes, it's true. There's a good chance in time that the software upgrades will no longer support older builds and chipsets. It's inevitable really and is why I'm looking for strong portal android auto and bluetooth audio support.

Some more subtle reasons is I don't necessarily prefer running apps natively on what is an independent smart device/tablet. Perhaps just a couple key map or audio apps. The way these devices cache credentials and passwords can be suspect. I also don't want to be managing/updating apps on this separate device. Prefer most of that to be handled and managed in my own smartphone. And just use the larger display as a portal. Some of this is because I have multiple cars, and already see the disadvantages of trying to constantly play between the devices. Whereas running it off my smartphone keeps the usability more consistent and updated.

Another issue with running apps natively is that most of them, including navigation apps, don't have driving friendly user interfaces. But the CarPlay / Android Auto interfaces OTOH are designed for use while driving. The same thing applies to the HVAC controls - when going with one of the Tesla style units, it's super important to know exactly how the HVAC controls have been integrated into the unit - you don't want to get into an accident because you were trying to find the menu to bump the heat up or down. That's one of the nice things about the EC Offroad type options that don't remove the factory infotainment unit as all factory functionality remains. I've found that a mix of native Android apps and CarPlay has worked pretty well as there are some things that just aren't available in CarPlay. CarPlay is great for just about everything else and does provide the consistency you note when moving between different cars.

 

[Mago]

Well any Android is going to provide you with far more functionality than any of the previous LC 200 stock unit, regardless of its version. (as long as it works).
HVAC controls are stable. You have the basic radio, phone, navigation, music, and video, backup camera, and parking sensors. Those are a no Brainer.

Yes, there are some quirks like if you put in reverse too soon before the unit is fully up (a few seconds) the camera might not work until later. Sometimes you need to hard reset the unit (had to do it like 5 times in a few months).

But for me, having on/ off-road navigation of your choice with a bigger screen, music apps, TV/video apps for kids, etc. Is worth the quirks IMHO..

Night mode is manual through the top bar, though..

 

[ekolpack]

Lc camera output to original Hu is digital not analog. This looks like it won't work.

Lc camera output is digital. You need a digital to analog converter if your camera input is Rca like the picture above. Otherwise you will need to tap into the parking ECU and pickup the analog signal coming in from the camera and send a signal from the reverse to excite he camera. But then you won't have the parking assist guidelines which are overlaid by the ECU.

Well any Android is going to provide you with far more functionality than any of the previous LC 200 stock unit, regardless of its version. (as long as it works).
HVAC controls are stable. You have the basic radio, phone, navigation, music, and video, backup camera, and parking sensors. Those are a no Brainer.

Yes, there are some quirks like if you put in reverse too soon before the unit is fully up (a few seconds) the camera might not work until later. Sometimes you need to hard reset the unit (had to do it like 5 times in a few months).

But for me, having on/ off-road navigation of your choice with a bigger screen, music apps, TV/video apps for kids, etc. Is worth the quirks IMHO..

Night mode is manual through the top bar, though..

View attachment 2874849

My thoughts exactly, even the limited function older Android units will give you far more functionality and updatability, and customizability than any stock LC200 HU. Didn't they only add Android Auto and Carplay like a couple years ago? Just crazy!

Also, very good points about making sure Android Auto and/or Carplay is present and reliable in order to effectively bypass inevitable future obsolescence of native platform. That's something I hadn't considered, but a very good point. All the more reason to get a newer unit though. You'll get more updates for longer, maybe you'll end up with a newer version of Android Auto or Carplay that will continue to work with newer phones for longer.

Also, I agree I like the compromise between a big beautiful screen and a somewhat stock look + retention of many physical buttons. I was 110% sold on the big gorgeous 16" Tesla style screen when I first saw it, but honestly, even if it were available in 7862 form, I think I'd still go with a modest 10-11" sized screen, a more stock look, and keep more physical buttons. I really think these new HU's are a winner and I'd highly suggest EKIY (at least at this point). I'll be actually installing the unit soon, and will report back either way.

 

[greynolds]

My thoughts exactly, even the limited function older Android units will give you far more functionality and updatability, and customizability than any stock LC200 HU. Didn't they only add Android Auto and Carplay like a couple years ago? Just crazy!

Not sure if this is what you meant, but Toyota never added CarPlay to the 200 series, so the 2021's still don't have it without aftermarket solutions. I'm sure that they would have gotten around to it if the 300 series wasn't coming out now, but they clearly decided it wasn't worth it so late in the product lifecycle, though it's a bit odd they added it to the 4Runner that's also getting a major platform upgrade soon (higher sales volume surely enters into the equation though).

Also, I agree I like the compromise between a big beautiful screen and a somewhat stock look + retention of many physical buttons. I was 110% sold on the big gorgeous 16" Tesla style screen when I first saw it, but honestly, even if it were available in 7862 form, I think I'd still go with a modest 10-11" sized screen, a more stock look, and keep more physical buttons. I really think these new HU's are a winner and I'd highly suggest EKIY (at least at this point). I'll be actually installing the unit soon, and will report back either way.

Yeah, the big screen with no buttons vs smaller screen with a bunch of buttons definitely has arguments that can be made either way.

While I agree that going with a brand that seems to be better supported, like EKIY, is the way to go, those of us with newer 2018+ 200's have much more limited options, so we're pretty much stuck with going with what's available. I have zero interest going with a solution where I have to cobble together cables and end up with something where some of the factory touchscreen HVAC controls are flaky or no longer available, the backup camera doesn't work correctly, etc. It's not worth losing those features to get a better Android unit when there are options available that don't come with any of those compromises, even if ongoing software upgrades are less available.

Regarding upgrades for newer versions of CarPlay and Android Auto, the best insurance there is probably to go with one of the Android units that uses an external USB device to add those features. Then the only catch is being able to run a new enough version of Android to work with a newer USB device.

 

[ekolpack]

Not sure if this is what you meant, but Toyota never added CarPlay to the 200 series, so the 2021's still don't have it without aftermarket solutions.

Ah, yep, that's what I was thinking. I know they were super, super late to the party. I thought they slipped it into the last couple model years of LC200, but apparently not.

I'm sure that they would have gotten around to it if the 300 series wasn't coming out now, but they clearly decided it wasn't worth it so late in the product lifecycle, though it's a bit odd they added it to the 4Runner that's also getting a major platform upgrade soon (higher sales volume surely enters into the equation though).


Yeah, the big screen with no buttons vs smaller screen with a bunch of buttons definitely has arguments that can be made either way.

While I agree that going with a brand that seems to be better supported, like EKIY, is the way to go, those of us with newer 2018+ 200's have much more limited options, so we're pretty much stuck with going with what's available. I have zero interest going with a solution where I have to cobble together cables and end up with something where some of the factory touchscreen HVAC controls are flaky or no longer available, the backup camera doesn't work correctly, etc. It's not worth losing those features to get a better Android unit when there are options available that don't come with any of those compromises, even if ongoing software upgrades are less available.

Regarding upgrades for newer versions of CarPlay and Android Auto, the best insurance there is probably to go with one of the Android units that uses an external USB device to add those features. Then the only catch is being able to run a new enough version of Android to work with a newer USB device.

Good point re USB. Now that you mention it, I may need to add a USB hub to this thing. I'm hoping to have the follow devices connected:

1. USB OBDLink Dongle
2. TPMS receiver
3. Connection to DAC for HEC and software control
4. One dedicated to Android Auto
5. Ideally an aux USB for any other random stuff

I'll check on XDA forum and with manufacturer if this is realistic. The HU itself only has 2 USB connections as stock. If a hub, or a couple splits isn't a good idea, I could use a bluetooth OBD dongle. Then use one USB for the TPMS sensor and the other on an aux dash connector for both Android Auto and misc.

*EDIT: According to the guys @ XDA Dev, you can not only use standard bus-powered USB hubs to get more i/o, but you can wire up 12v powered hubs to get higher wattage charging ports as well. Very cool!