Best current aftermarket head unit for 2016 Gen 4?

I know I'm going to get some heat for this but I just ordered one of those android headunits for my car. I had one on my previous car and it satisfied my needs. Supposedly the one I ordered retains all the oem features such as back up camera, factory mic, car info and settings adjustability as it has a canbus specific for our car.

It is a 6-core processor that runs smoother than the 8-core they offer. And 4gb of ram and 64gb storage. Running Android 10.0

It has a built in navigation but I plan to connect it to my phone Hotspot to run waze.

It has a 1280x720 resolution as opposed to the 1024x600 resolution that other headunits like this have.

I opted for wired Android auto and wireless carplay. Not that I need it but nice to have just in case I decide to use it.

Because it's and android, I can run other apps like pandora or Spotify, all from one place basically.

I'm not sure what your are looking for in a headunit but for me, this is something that fulfills my needs.

Here's a link to it. They offer differ variants but I went with the K3-PX6

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/4000561676303.html

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I asked them to send me one with no branding on the headunit itself. They actually agreed but said that it will delay my order a few days while they get one. As all the ones they had, had their logo. They said it would be 5-7 days to ship because of my request and then I'm guessing maybe another 2 weeks for deliver. I ordered yesterday morning.

This one includes all harnesses specific for this car and a canbus to keep some factory options such as steering control and system readouts. I had a similar one on my previous car and they are all pretty much built by one factory and some companies just throw their logo and a few tweeks. You can look up companies like Seicane, Dasaita, Joying (or something like that) and you'll see these come up for sale on Amazon and stuff like that.

I buy direct from Chinese companies on AliExpress so I don't pay the middleman cost. Amazon and other US vendors here all mark up these headunits by at least $100. The vendor I bought from, actually produce the unit itself and not just a reseller of a brand. I bought from Ownice themselves for and Ownice headunit. So it's the cheapest since they don't need to markup to "resell". Also, this specific vendor was great answering all my questions. Was actually going back and forth "chatting" for almost an hour while I inquired about all the variants they offered, the different options, etc. They actually advised me to order yesterday as AliExpress was doing a sale and I saved I think an extra $20 or so. Not sure. The couponing is weird on AliExpress.

People usually advise to stay away from these headunits as they are China made and of course most "cost-effectively" produced. It may have the occasional hiccup where the system will freeze or weird issues where it may not respond properly. Which granted, it did happen to me. But in a year of owning one, it happened maybe 3 times at most. But that could be said with even the factory unit where it would have a weird glitch here or there.

They have a bunch of different accessories for the headunits including front DVR camera, TPMS readout to the screen for each wheel, etc. One of their units actually supports 360 degree panoramic view of the car but you give up some other options that I wanted so I didn't go for those features.

All in all, I paid $420 shipped for the unit but that's because I spent $80 in options - I added the carplay ($30), the 8-channel DSP ($30), and a 720p rear camera ($20). So if I didn't opt for the options, I could have gotten the unit with the other features in my last post for $340 (mainly the 6-core processor, 1280x720 resolution, 4gb ram / 64gb storage) . Where else can you find a 9" headunit for $340 shipped to your door? And this actually makes it look like it came from the factory without it being a floating display or not following the factory cutout lines from the stock headunit.

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Here's a nice video showing how easy it is to install an android unit. It's nice to get one where they offer the harnesses specific for your car as opposed the universal ones. Took a while to find an option for the gen4, which I wanted.

Not a prius, but you get the gist of how it functions. The one I ordered is pretty much the exact one they have. The PX6. But mine is a 9" as that's the largest that can fit in the stock location without having to get a whole custom dash setup like the 11.6 screens.

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Any updates/complaints? Why did you order a reverse camera if it works with your existing one?

 

I have the same question. Also, did you keep your stock microphone? I'll ready to pull the trigger on this because my stock radio is awful and keeps disconnecting BT or reeboting. Been to the shop like 7 times! Toyota dealership is the worst.
[QUOTE="Thinkfire]Any updates/complaints? Why did you order a reverse camera if it works with your existing one?[/QUOTE]

 

The one from Ownice had issues where the screen would go to vertical and everything would be cutoff. I have another brand coming in soon where it has better specs (eight core, 6gb or ram and 128gb flash memory)

The reason I went with an aftermarket camera is because I wanted a cleaner, crisper image. Figured a 720p camera would be much better

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@jteran5 Does it retain hybrid monitor and the stock microphone?

 

No hybrid monitor. There was an option to go into factory settings but everything was grayed out and I couldn't make any changes, such as locking tones, camera brightness, etc). It doesn't retain the stock microphone but uses the mic on the headunit but I was using a different mic that plugs into it that should make the voice clearer

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Thanks jteran5
@FiremanNZ
Any luck with your setup?
Same boat as you:
1) Planning on buying the idatalink Maestro RR or RR2
2) iDatalink HRN-RR-TO2

Question:
I want to retain:
1) USB (front and the rear seat)
2) AUX
3) Steering control
4) Stock Microphone
5) Chime/Door controls etc. the vehicle setting
6) Backup camera
Spoke to Crutchfield and surprisingly came across someone who was not knowledgeable at all!

Ok giving up the Hybrid/Energy Monitor

Also, if I get the DMH-WC6600NEX 9 inch model(same dimensions as the stock radio). Would I be able to install it without the "metra bezel" and forgo the swivel?
Pioneer DMH-WC6600NEX Digital multimedia receiver (does not play CDs) — modular design for problem installations at Crutchfield

 

This is a high end camera I did. Picture doesn't do justice. I might take it back to the shop as I'm not too happy with the angle but it's SUPER clear. Like watching a movie lol. Sucks that the parking lines aren't that accurate.

This is with a bright reverse light bar. I thought it would blow out the image but I have no issues

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I ended up purchasing the K3-PX6 as well, and it's working great except for a few things...
1. It hasn't mapped the Call, Hang Up, and Siri buttons properly. Siri button mutes the system, others do nothing.
2. There's a constant fuzzy noise as if the amplifier is turned up super high, but the input from my phone is super low
3. Only Front L and Front R seem to work - Rear L and Rear R also seem to be coming from front, and rest of quality is very diminished
4. It's worth noting my car is Australian - driver side on the right. When a door is open, it's inverted left to right. They did convince me before I purchased that this wouldn't be an issue

The package was labeled 'Prius' all over it, and each component... except the wiring harness, which says 'Prado'. Sounds to me like they've made a mistake in packaging, but jteran5, can you confirm your model was the same, or had similar issues?

 

From the research I’ve done around, many of these Chinese headunit are very nice but are not Apple CarPlay compatible. Let me know if someone has a good one. But the ones from pioneer and kenwood are decent but them two are not that perfect. My pioneer I have is simple CarPlay with most features but does a random reboot once each month. I have it with idatalink maestro and maybe needs a firmware update. All wiring is soldered and all metal wiring taped up so not sure if it’s my install our not a great unit. I still like the unit, next time I would order a capacitative screen cause I prefer the look and a faster unit since I feel CarPlay processing of certain things are not as fast as I like. It really comes down to whether you are apple or Android and features that you require.

 

I recently installed the Pioneer AVH-W4500NEX to get wireless CarPlay and play discs in our 2018. It’s a refurb off EBay. Got all the installation items through Crutchfield (great service). Easy install. Used stock (base) speakers and camera. Sounds WAY better. Wireless CarPlay works very well.

BONUS: more gauges/info that what the stock unit gives.

 

2016 Prius 4 Touring with external JBL amplifier:

Here is a picture of the wiring fix needed for the Seicane harness if you buy it:


I bought a unit from Seicane for $400 based on this video:

You have to search YouTube for: Mr. Electric. - 2016 Prius CarPlay installation

I bought this unit:
Search Seicane for :

• 2016 Toyota Prius Android 10.0 9 inch GPS Navigation Radio Bluetooth AUX HD Touchscreen USB Carplay support TPMS DVR Digital TV Backup camera

He shows a 2016 with a built in AMP. The wiring harness is not correct for external JBL amplifier Prius 4 Touring.

The blue wire connecting the antenna to the CAN BUS needs to be cut and connected to power AND the blue wire from labelled AMP-CON need to be connected to the CAN-BUS.

It cost me $200 get this fixed. However, I am happy with the radio. Car play is wireless, and the back up camera works.

you will also need:

a USB retention adapter from Amazon - I can't post a link because I'm too new to the forum to use the center console USB for CarPlay - works better if you need to connect other folks phones

You will need to file down the tab to slot the radio in the dash as described in the video

My installer added these to hold the radio in place - not sure if identical - but I think its the same. You could also scavenge two of the right panel near the glove box. Two was enough to hold in in place.

Search "retainer clips Console Dash" on Amazon - I am unable to post links

Regrets:
My unit arrived with a broken mount clip - I was able to superglue it, but I had to take the dash apart >15 times to get the radio to work, so I broke it again and lost it. However, two clips with the above rubber retainers keep it secure.

There is not an adapter to use the stock GPS antenna with the unit. I was going to cut the Toyota wire and convert it to a mini Coax connection, but my installer added the aftermarket GPS antenna included in the unit. The install does not look bad, so I just kept it. If you are going to only use phone gps via CarPlay, you don't even need the antenna.

 

How did you get the unit to interface with the tire pressure information?

 

not sure about fotomoto's setup, but I'm highly assuming is similar to mine which uses the maestro RR to retrieve the bus communication and the head unit is compatible with idatalink to interface with the Maestro RR. idatalink and supported pioneers have the capability to read the car bus info to interpret it to TPMS.

 

Yeah, all that stuff!

Also if available, get a pre-wired harness from Crutchfield; it’s well worth the money and time savings.

 

Alpine Hero9 will be the best option if you have the budget.