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XTRONS headunit still the best budget option?

16K views 17 replies 7 participants last post by  rob.hollingsworth44  
#1 ·
Looking to upgrade to a wireless Apple Carplay headunit and before purchase, wanted to see if I could pick your brains:

1) Is consensus that the XTRONS is still the most "turn-key" solution available for a 2013 Fiat 500, since it seems to install easily and offers the advantage of reusing the factory vents (many designs seem to block them or severely restrict flow)? I hear that XTRONS is faking specs, and its only an Android 9 unit for example in reality, whereas many online guides indicate to try to stay above Android 10 at least.

2) There are 2GB and 4GB versions available, if the goal is to primarily use it in Apple Carplay wireless, without its own data connection, is there any value to the 4GB? I figure the phone is doing the "heavy lifting" when in Carplay.

3) I see there are two versions of this product now, but I'm confused as to which is the better option? The "new" version no longer has the 500 logo on the flip cover, so I'm wondering if the only real reason it even exists is perhaps because of Stellantis copyright laws in some markets? I only see it available in 2GB format, for $215 shipped, but one difference is that on the new physical buttons you can choose whatever color you want for the backlight. Which would you recommend?
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#2 ·
I bought this one this week on amazon, it came in a couple of days. I didn't like the screen on the Xtron unit, so I went this route, it has a bigger screen and is more modern looking. Display is sharp and bright and sound is good, now that I know you have to connect the blue wires to power the amp (instructions do not say so). It's a great unit, install was Easy and I 3d printed my own air duct "diverters" so that air wasn't blowing freely in the dash. I have attached the file if anyone wants to use it. Overall, super happy now that everything works.

I had a humming noise at low volume which was corrected by accident, I had to replace the usb / aux port in the glovebox because someone broke the USB port, so I ordered the OEM part and replaced it, thankfully and unexpectedly, it solved the hum.

Link for the radio/nav

Link for my Vent Redirect:

Really can't beat the price for the specs and it starts up quick, nav looks sharp with google maps (I tether to my iPhone so that google maps can show live traffic on the display). Ill take some photos and post them when I have a chance ;)

Hope this helps you ;)
 
#3 ·
Thank you!

Of course now I'm even more confused lol! A wesome sharing that 3D print to divert the air, quick questions:

1) The vents still seem quite pinched by virtue of it being a bigger screen, about how much is airflow impacted? Its over 100oF and 100% humidity in Texas for much of the year here. We have rather extreme heat.

2) With the XTRONS did you just not like how small the screen was, or you actually ordered it and the quality was poop?

3) A reviewer mentioned: "I have two major issues with this. Odometer flashing and volume adjustment.
There is no setting in the UI to fix the odometer flashing like some other units have. That's unfortunate and now I need to figure out a way to have that resolved. The other problem is that the volume is too high at low settings. My car has the Beats Audio system. Vol 1 is quiet, Vol 2 is almost too loud for conversation. I wish there was a setting that would allow us to fix that as well. It's impossible to set the volume to a comfortable level as it is."
Sounds like you solved these issues?

4) I see a couple reviewers mentioning modification was needed. Are you USA based? Wondering if it has to do with slight variations in different markets? For example two said something similar to: "You have to delete two tabs or it won't slide in. You can simply unscrew the top plate. Depending on your antenna adapter, you must also make a slot in the radio slide. Use an adapter that is as thin as possible."

5) A UK and German reviewer said that their battery would die prematurely after installing the radio. Is this install error?

6) I'm so confused on the specs, when I google this I see it listed and from quad-core with 2GB ram and 32GB all the way up to eight-core with 8GB and 128GB... hmmm. Were you able to run a Android app that verifies what the specs are for the unit you received? I know they often spoof showing a newer version of android or other specs different from what is actually installed.
 
#4 ·
I live in Palm Springs California so I know about the heat, it's been in the high 80's low 90's lately. The flow is impeded, no question about it, but the redistribute vents I designed allow the air flow to be pushed through the little vents on the bigger screen rather than just blowing anywhere behind the dash, so it noticeably helps! I still would go this route over the Xtrons. I ordered the Xtrons first and it didn't seem as well put together as the one I bought (and the one that 500 madness sells). I like the screen on the one I got better and the performance has been **** good for an inexpensive all in one solution. There are no issues with battery drain, that reviewer must have another issue OR didn't connect it correctly, I was worried about that too.

Odometer may flash at first, but you go into the system setup and tell the unit that the can bus is for a 20XX Fiat 500e or whatever your model is, then click save, turn car off, then back on and the odometer DOES NOT flash. It really works on all fronts. It's an 8GB and 128GB, which should be all one needs. This thing is fast, it goes between screens without delay and boots near immediately, faster than the factory radio when it would say "Fiat" on the display.

You don't delete anything when installing it, even leave the original slide in place. The only thing that comes out are the vents and the original radio. Then you install the vent redirect, if you want to, I designed them and posted them for free while others are charging for it. See my printables page on the link above if you have a 3D printer, there are other items I made for the Fiat 500 too, like the arm rest removal plug etc...

The volume works perfectly, even with speed compensation. You rarely need to go above volume 10 to have good loud sound without any issues. The volume graduates like a normal radio so that may have been on an earlier model.

Sure hope this helps!

ALSO, if you buy it, this is from the manufacturer (in China) and it is important. Hook everything up as normal, RCA's to In and Out respectively and then connect the Blue wires as:
As for the blue wires, APM-CONT and AMP-C are for amplifier control, AUTO-ATN is for Automatic antenna control. Please connect the two blue wires AMP-C to the blue wire AUTO-ATN together.
If any question, please contact us in time. We provide one year warranty.
Best regards!

Ill attach some photos

Sure hope this helps, I really really love the radio, it was quite an upgrade for little money. I was expecting to spend 2k on an Alpine head unit but this does the job without breaking the bank.

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#5 ·
Thanks so much for the detailed reply, so very helpful as it can be confusing sight-unseen with so many options!

Your interior looks just like mine, but its strange seeing the manual transmission replaced with simple push buttons, heh! Bet that makes it way easier to lower and raise both windows at the same time with one hand.

So the 8GB Ram / 128GB ROM version from Amazon at least doesn't appear to be prime or have return protection, so I'm going to downgrade to the 4GB / 32GB ROM one for $230: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYC8WTRX

Although I'm wondering if there is any difference if I go with Ebay instead, from all I can tell this unit appears to be identical and only $180 with free returns hmmm: For Fiat 500 2007-15 9" Android12 Carplay Car Stereo Radio Android Auto BT 8Core | eBay

🙌
 
#6 ·
Ah, for those curious, so I just figured out doing some research, the one you bought is the Hizpo S8 vs the cheaper version I linked is the Hizpo S2. All specifications seem identical with the exception of the below, with the cheaper S2 clocked at 0.2ghz slower processor and half the memory and a quarter the ROM storage at a $100 cheaper selling price:

  • Series:S8 Series
  • CPU: ARM Coretex UIS 7862A 8 Core(8x2.0GHz)
  • RAM: 8GB
  • ROM: 128GB
  • Operation System: Android 12

vs

  • Series:S2 Series
  • CPU: ARM Coretex UIS 7862A 8 Core(8x1.8GHz)
  • RAM: 4GB
  • ROM: 32GB
  • Operation System: Android 12
 
#7 ·
I would be scared to buy it off of eBay because the sellers support on Amazon was actually pretty great. They’re already going cheap by buying one of these units, get the one that gives you the best support. I bought the one that was $230 and I love it, it’s very fast, and perform a nice car stereo. It’s not quite as nice as the one on my jeep grand Cherokee 4xE but it works and sounds just fine and the navigation works superb using Google Maps
 
#8 ·
True, Prime does offer the most protection.

If you got the one for $230 though, that would have been the 4+32GB S2 version, at least as of the option the seller has as of 4/29/24. According to fakespot price tracker,its just the 4GB version that has been $230 at least as far back as Feb 1st. BTW, Fakespot is a great chrome plugin for Amazon, has been a real life saver for me. :)
 
#10 ·
That's what I've read as well, anything over 2GB should be plenty of memory, and more than that would just allow more multitasking. I bet even 2GB would be fine for most, especially if you're just doing carplay most of the time, because then the phone is doing the heavy lifting and the android unit just has to run the carplay interface which is a single task.

4GB is nice peace of mind and future proofing, and 8GB is probably overkill for most of us. Can't wait for it to arrive! Will run CPU-Z on arrival and see what the specs show too, just in case. Thanks again. (y)
 
#11 ·
A little late to the discussion but I've installed XTRONS units in both my wife's '18 500 Pop and my '17 500X Pop.

The advantage to buying the XTRONS unit is that they've made it as plug-and-play as possible by including all of the necessary cables/adapters (including the CANBUS module) and that it has the bezel needed so the unit fits in the factory opening with zero physical modifications needed.

The downside is that they include ZERO (and I mean ZERO) installation instructions so if you're not experienced with basic head unit installation or how to disassemble the dash to get the head units in/out, you won't have any idea what to do. I actually made YouTube videos of both installs, simply to provide folks with the needed info to get them installed.

For what you can buy them for over at the "big jungle online store" they're a good deal. Wife loves the unit in her 500, the one in my 500x doesn't sound all that great so I'll be adding an external amp soon.
 
#13 ·
I ordered a unit and was installing it when I noticed that the unit doesnt fir with the stock cage for the radio due to the radio cable being too long and hitting the cage. Is there a way to fix this without tearing apart the cage?
So I'll paste this translated German reviewer that mentions that:
Amazon Reviewer on European Fiat 500 said:
First of all, the radio fulfills all my wishes 100% and the customer service also deserves 5 stars 🌟
BUT I drive a Fiat 500 C built in 2014 and unfortunately the radio didn't fit into the metal bracket of the original frame.
Unfortunately, the antenna plug and the GPS antenna were too long and so the radio didn't go in from the height.
I then removed the frame and had a piece of it removed with a flex, then it fit perfectly. (See photos)

The radio arrived well and safely packaged. Instructions were included.
Connecting it was super easy with Plug&Play and connecting via Bluetooth, WLAN and threat ringing was also quick and easy.
It has a super nice, large color display that also fits the car perfectly.

You can customize it individually with different layouts and colors and the quick accesses can also be assigned individually.

Everything works quickly and easily.
The sound is great when making calls (I connected the external microphone), the radio and music sound great, the navigation system works smoothly and reliably.
There are many options for adjusting the settings.
The steering wheel controls work without any problems (except for voice commands, but that's what Fiat intended), the mileage doesn't show, and all of the car's functions are transmitted to the radio.
The voice assistant can be purchased additionally, but it also works with Google Assistant, for example, so you don't necessarily need this one button on the steering wheel.

You can dim the brightness perfectly for the dark (night mode) so that nothing blinds you.

Thanks to the quick access options, you can have everything you want with just one tap: radio, navigation system, USB, Bluetooth music, etc.

This radio really does everything I wanted and even exceeded my expectations. I'm super happy and satisfied with it and am looking forward to many hours in my car with the great radio.
So for anyone who has the technical skills to be able to adapt the radio (if necessary), I can really only recommend it!!
Although Modcre8tor was lucky and it appears didn't have to modify anything, or perhaps used a smaller adapter? See below:
You don't delete anything when installing it, even leave the original slide in place. The only thing that comes out are the vents and the original radio.
Here are pictures from the Amazon review and attached operating manual for the device.
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Also attached are
 

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#14 ·
Hi there! New here. Got a 13” Abarth recently. Thank you Modcre8tor for tips the 3d goodies 🤩 I bought the same screeen from Amazon and connected everything correctly apparently. But for some reason I’ve been getting a static white noise type of sound whenever I turn the AMP on. It’s not crazy loud but it’s there. Is that the same one you mentioned? My glovebox usb is working, so I’m not sure if it’s the issue. Ive been touch with the support people but they are a little unsure of the issue and I’m running out of options. Anyone here had a similar problem and knows how to fix it? Thank you in Advance!