Reviews? Suitable upgrade?

[chicagoandy]

I'm looking to upgrade my Avic Z130BT to CarPlay compatible headunit.

 

I'm confused by the number of NEX units.    There seem to be three different nex units with 7 inch screens.

 

As far as I can tell, only the 8201 comes with its own set of maps and nav.     Is there any point to this?   Isn't the point of CarPlay/Android Auto just to use the phone navigation?

 

 

So, here are my questions.

 

The biggest frustration I have right now with my Z130 is the poor BlueTooth connectivity.    How well does BlueTooth work on the NEX devices?

 

Does the Android Auto / CarPlay functions work well?   Or is it just an exercise in frustration?

 

I don't mind buying the high-end unit, but I do want to to make sure it works well.   Is the 8201 recommended?

 

 

Lastly, any other manufacturers I should be looking at?

 

Thank you,

 

 

Andy

 

[gggplaya]

The only difference between the 8200nex and the 8201nex is the backup camera comes packaged in the box with it.  If your car already has a backup camera, you wouldn't buy the 8201.  In fact, the head unit inside the box of an 8201 package is actually still labeled 8200nex.

 

Android auto and apple car play work just as well as a factory head unit with AA/carplay built it.  The speed of AA/carplay is actually dependant on your phone since the software runs on there, and the pioneer head unit is just an interface. 

 

I've never had a bluetooth issue with my 4200nex. 

 

The differences between the 4200nex, 5200nex, 6200nex, 7200nex and 8200nex are things like navigation built in without using AA/carplay, different button layouts, larger screens, capacitive vs resistive touch screens, and some only have carplay without android auto.