Aftermarket Multimedia / Head unit for 2016 Mazda2?

[k_runarsson]

I have a 2016 Mazda with this type of crappy radio:

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What are the upgrading options?

Alpine and Pinoeer for example don't seem to fit since the display screws to the front of the device housing, the Mazda 2 needs the display to go on top of that housing.

So far the only specialised 3rd party Mazda 2 head unit upgrade I have found is this Chinese manufacturer: Belsee Best Aftermarket 10.25 inch IPS Touch Screen Android 10.0 Auto Head Unit Stereo Upgrade for Mazda 2 Demio CX-3 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Dash GPS Navigation Audio System Car Radio Replacement DSP Ram 4GB Rom 64GB CarPlay Multimedia Player

The issues I have with this otherwise nice looking product are:

(a) never heard of this company.
(b) this manufacturer is Chinese so they might get ban-hammered by the Americans i.e. no more Android for you.
(c) no idea what their software update record is since Google Android and Apple updates are bound to break the Apple/Android play connectivity.

The other option is buying one of the Mazda OEM units with the LCD touch screen from a salvaged vehicle and hopefully get the remote unit as well but I don't know if it is possible to retro-fit the incer OEM unit to a car that originally came with one of the crappy head units.

Any experiences/ideas ???

 

[theblooms]

You don't want that Chinese radio. It's pure trash, all of them are. QA/QC is a completely foreign concept to those people.

The problem is, that leaves you with absolutely nothing else you can go with. In your case, the best solution is probably to keep the factory stereo and add a DSP, amps, and speakers to get better sound. No, you won't have the fancy Android Auto/Apple CarPlay slick interface, but unfortunately there's not really anything you can do about it. It is what it is.

 

[k_runarsson]

You don't want that Chinese radio. It's pure trash, all of them are. QA/QC is a completely foreign concept to those people.

The problem is, that leaves you with absolutely nothing else you can go with. In your case, the best solution is probably to keep the factory stereo and add a DSP, amps, and speakers to get better sound. No, you won't have the fancy Android Auto/Apple CarPlay slick interface, but unfortunately there's not really anything you can do about it. It is what it is.

Well the Android/Apple connect was kind of what I was after along with a backing camera but unless you are dealing with Pioneer, Alpine or somebody similar the connect features will break every 2nd time they update iOS/Android, never mind the damn head unit UI crashing on you at regular intervals. Then again, (I've had the software constantly crashing issue with Alpine and Pioneer does not seem to acknowledge the existence of alphabets other than the English one. It's starting to look as if selling the car and buying one with a better head unit is actually easier, cheaper and less of a royal pain in the butt than upgrading the crappy head unit I currently have.

 

[theblooms]

I have Kenwood stereos in my cars, and I've never once had an issue with an Android Auto update. (I don't use CarPlay, so I can't speak to that). My 2013 CX-5 has a DDX8905S, my 2012 Mazda5 has a DDX8706S, and my 2004 Chevy Silverado has a DMX7705S. I also bought a DDX6706S for my son's 06 Nissan Maxima, but I haven't had a chance to install it yet. I'll get to it this week, and fingers crossed, it'll be every bit as good as the other three.

 

[k_runarsson]

I have Kenwood stereos in my cars, and I've never once had an issue with an Android Auto update. (I don't use CarPlay, so I can't speak to that). My 2013 CX-5 has a DDX8905S, my 2012 Mazda5 has a DDX8706S, and my 2004 Chevy Silverado has a DMX7705S. I also bought a DDX6706S for my son's 06 Nissan Maxima, but I haven't had a chance to install it yet. I'll get to it this week, and fingers crossed, it'll be every bit as good as the other three.

I don't doubt that Android auto update works, problem is that some manufacturers create 'custom', 'imporved' versions of Android to run on their head units and then push out updates 3-6 months after Android/iOS get their update so if the Android/iOS update broke something you end up with no phone connectivity in the interim.

 

[theblooms]

I don't doubt that Android auto update works, problem is that some manufacturers create 'custom', 'imporved' versions of Android to run on their head units and then push out updates 3-6 months after Android/iOS get their update so if the Android/iOS update broke something you end up with no phone connectivity in the interim.

Oh, yeah. that's done by those Chinese decks, and they never work right. I love the idea of them, so much so I tried three different ones in my Mazda3. But at the end of the day, I just couldn't stand it anymore, and went back to the stock Bose unit in that car. SO much happier.

You are wise to want to avoid those infernal things.

 

[k_runarsson]

Yup, some strongly worded customer reviews here:

belsee is rated "Bad" with 1.7 / 5 on Trustpilot

Do you agree with belsee's TrustScore? Voice your opinion today and hear what 33 customers have already said.

www.trustpilot.com

 

[k_runarsson]

I think I will explore a lead I got on a salvaged Mazda OEM unit with the more fancy LCD and entertainment system and see if I can install that. Failing that I'm going to see if I can get a wirelessly charging dash mount for an iPad mini and rely on Bluetooth for Audio. Works well enough with my iPhone and this $34 Xiaomi wireless cradle: Xiaomi Mi Car Charger : Amazon.de: Electronics & Photo