Connectivity is king these days, even while on the road. This is the reason almost every car manufacturer offers models with big screens and infotainment systems inside the cabin, sometimes more than one. Our appetite for big screens, apps, information, and entertainment continues to grow and sometimes even the factory solutions are not good enough for our needs.
Not every manufacturer’s infotainment system is created equal. The car industry was caught off guard when it came to connectivity and most of the infotainment systems in newer cars are either slow and unresponsive or don’t have the features we want or need. Only in the recent years we saw improvements, but we still haven’t seen an experience that is close to that of your smartphone or tablet.
There is a simple solution to this – changing the head unit or “infotainment” system in your car. Almost every car stereo manufacturer already has several models that can fit in your car’s interior and that improve the experience. A third party head unit can even improve on the sound quality, as most of them come with better amplifiers and looks as well – the best head units have much more tasteful graphics.
The most important thing to look for in a head unit is the ability to connect to your smartphone via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Some offer the MirrorShare function, but this is an older technology that doesn’t work as well as the other two and simply projects your smartphone screen to the larger one in the center console.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are developed by Google and Apple. Thanks to this, the user interface of this embedded software technologies is much easier to use on the go, while the performance is top notch. With them, you can use the navigation, voice recognition commands, music streaming service, send or read SMS, answer calls and even interact with some third-party apps on a user interface that is very easy to use and not distracting while driving.
We recommend choosing a head unit that has both technologies built-in. Sure, right now you may have an iPhone and don’t need the Android Auto functionality, but what if you change your smartphone in the future? You’ll need to change the head unit as well.
Other than improving on the infotainment experience in your new car, a new head unit can inject a new life in your older vehicle. If you only want a new car because it has better connectivity options inside the cabin, we would advise you to buy a high-quality head unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as it will be much, much cheaper than buying a new car.
One thing to note – most of the cars after the turn of the millennium have 2-DIN units, which are bigger and can accommodate a big screen inside. For cars with 1-DIN head units, there are solutions with a pop-out screen. Please check what kind of head unit your car has before buying (we’ll include 1DIN head units in our list as well).
With all that in mind, let’s have a look at the top 10 Head Units you can buy right now: