It's a useless gimmick anyway
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12.1 Radio Obsolete already!
- Thread starter Txmade
- Start date
I dragged my feet on ordering a 2020 and now that the HUD has been introduced for 2021, I'm glad I did.
I'm just about to order a 2021 (with the 8.4") but I'm just now getting educated about the pending release of UConnect 5 and I'm thinking I probably should wait longer. But as has been stated earlier, if you keep waiting for the next greatest feature, you'll never buy a vehicle.
I'll probably take delivery and the next day, they'll announce the roll-out of UConnect 5.
I'm just about to order a 2021 (with the 8.4") but I'm just now getting educated about the pending release of UConnect 5 and I'm thinking I probably should wait longer. But as has been stated earlier, if you keep waiting for the next greatest feature, you'll never buy a vehicle.
I'll probably take delivery and the next day, they'll announce the roll-out of UConnect 5.
You hit the nail on the head. If you keep waiting for the “latest and greatest” you’ll never get a vehicle. It’s the same with phones, computers, and other electronics. There will always be something new or something that’s updated/upgraded.
As far as UConnect 5 is concerned, there has been no confirmed release date in the Rams. People are hearing through dealers it could be a mid-model year 2021 release, but it could also be a 2022 release. I wouldn’t bank on what the dealers are saying...in my experience with dealers, I’m usually the one schooling them on their own products.
Not saying there haven’t been mid-model year debuts in the past, but usually those options/features will be announced at the same time as others just with an asterisk saying “late availability” or the like.
In any event, I think the earliest UConnect 5 could be released would be early next year (as a mid-model year debut), but think it’s more likely to be a 2022 release.
securityguy
Legendary member
I would hold out until 2022 if you can. That's what I'm doing.
Marinevb1986
Active Member
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I’m late to the party here but this post sounds like, “I’m offended by this radio “, now I think I’ll go find my safe room and wait for my participation trophy.
I love my 12” radio. It’s far from perfect but I still think it’s amazing
I love my 12” radio. It’s far from perfect but I still think it’s amazing
securityguy
Legendary member
Not at all. The 12.1 lacks functionality that even the 8.4 has. I love my 12" screen but the new platform will be much better and will offer far more options. If I needed a truck now, would I wait? No. But my 2019 is perfect and waiting for all the new goodies to hit the 2022 is a reasonable thing to do based on your situation.
Yep. But if it were me, I’d wait for uconnect 5. It will be relevant much longer than the current gen.
Vehicle Health Reports. Not sure what else.
Also, higher resolution screen than the 12”.
reb0957
Active Member
I do miss the vehicle health reports from my 2016. While I love my split screen with WAZE, it does have less features that I used than my 2016.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
That’s it? Lol I would hardly say that’s much of a downgrade.. hell the resolution of the 12” isn’t a slouch it’s hard to picture a higher resolution out of a vehicle headunit.. I’m sure it’s possibly but at what point do you say good enough.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
It’s very noticeable, akin to the older iphone screen before they came out with the retina displays. If you don’t know better the 12 is fine, but if you jump into a truck with an 8” screen the difference in screen sharpness is very noticeable. Not being biased, my truck has the 12”...
Hmm now I’m curious next time my buddy is around I’ll take a look at his 8.4. I test drove another ram with the 8.4 before I bought my current one but can’t say I noticed a huge difference then again I wasn’t pay attention to it.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
So it’s not higher resolution on the 8.4”, of course, but pixel density you’re referring to. And that assessment doesn’t appear to be correct. The best info I can find shows the 8.4” 4C is a 1024x768 display (152 ppi), whereas the 12” offers 1920x1080 (183 ppi).
Maybe the UConnect UI is optimized for the lower resolution, resulting in a slightly blurred (interpolated) result on the 12”?
I did not have the tech specs. Net result is that the graphics are much sharper on the 8.4 than my 12”. A lot sharper, so it could be that as you’ve mentioned, that the res is not optimized for the 12”. I was really shocked as how much better the 8.4 looked on my buddy’s Laramie.
Given how little development and updating FCA has done for the 12” over the past 2+ years, despite it being the flagship UConnect system, this doesn’t surprise me.
The ability to run multiple “full-size” apps still equals a win for me—and my system has performed just about flawlessly—but it feels like FCA could’ve really hit a home run here if they had put in a little effort (without having to roll out yet another system).
Rossum
Active Member
I test-drove two trucks before ordering mine. I'm happy that one of them happened to have the 8.4. I had planned to order the 12, but after seeing and using both, I changed my mind. Not only did the 8.4 look sharper, but it and the rest of the controls in that area of the dash were far more intuitive and easier to use.
bill-e
Ram Guru
Cant vouch for the new 8.4 but I had one for 5 years in my '15. Having said that my 12" is nicer and I love the Sirius 360L. Could it use more features? sure, but it has plenty for the average person. I keep an OBDII reader in my port so even with the '15 I got about 3 total VHR's over the course of 5 years...mostly when I pulled it to go to the dealer.
