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Aftermarket 13.6" Display Radio

Carlos.33193

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A fellow member on Facebook said this doesn't work and you have to do a radio swap to get this to work. I'm guessing although it shows in the radio, it doesn't actually work? I'm curious also. Mine gets delivered on 1/4
I'm not sure if it did what it was meant to do or not. I got a Flashing Parking Brake light on my dash when I turned it on but I don't think I heard the parking brake retracting if it's supposed to do that. Also with the flashing P on the dash the parking break doesn't engage when I pull up on the switch. It went away after a few minutes.. maybe it's working?
 
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terrywarfield

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Nov 23, 2021
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**DAY 2 UPDATE**

*1ST UPDATE AFTER INSTALL** Got my Phoenix 13.6" radio yesterday, and honestly for the price, my expectations aren't that high (It was $760). Shipping took about 10 days from date of order from their website). Initial feelings tho, I am feeling a tad disappointed, and not sure (so far) if I am keeping it. I have the base 8.4 which sucks, but works. Since there is a lack of information on this thing, and real world use, I am going to try to provide some. If any of you own this radio, and can help, chime in.
A few things.
1. Install was easy. All you have to do is follow the tutorial on Phoenix's YouTube. You will need to move your vents and module at bottom near HVAC over to the new radio. Pretty straightforward. The most difficult part was getting the freakin cigarette lighter out the dash (thankfully found a youtube video)
2. I knew the backup camera quality wasn't too hot. Well, no surprise there, it isn't. Especially at night. Even going into the dev options (code 3368), and choosing the higher quality mode, it still sucks. Potential deal breaker!
3. FM quality is DEPLORABLE. My antenna is plugged in. The pin is straight and not bent. There is so much static. I switched the FM ALWAYS ON setting to "ON" in the dev settings. You would think you were in the middle of nowhere. The reception is TERRIBLE in places I listen to FM radio all the time WITH THE FACTORY RADIO. Another potential deal breaker for me.
4. My subwoofer will not work with this radio. It doesn't even receive power. I use a Pacsub Audio interface (APSUB-CH41), that is connected to the radio thru a harness. Works perfect with factory radio. The interface just blinks with this radio and doesn't negotiate a signal. I thought maybe I pulled a remote wire or something by mistake, so I plugged up the old radio, and the amp/sub fired right up. After re-connecting the factory radio, I can them uplug it while the vehicle still has power, then plug up the Phoenix, and in THAT case, the interface still pushes the "on" signal to the amp/sub. However, once the truck is restarted, it's back to not sending a signal to the sub. I have no clue where to even start to fix this. I went thru the settings on the radio to turn on "amplifier", but it does nothing. Could I pull the interface, and just tap the rear speakers? Sure. But, alot of us with systems prefer to use Pac Interfaces because it avoids splicing, and it sends such a clean signal. THIS IS A MAJOR DEALBREAKER FOR ME
4. I was under the assumption from reading that Apple CarPlay works fine. Yeah well. Not the case. I know this is an Android radio, and I know ideally you want to use an Android phone. Now, I didnt buy any of the extra dongles because from other users comments, it wasn't necessary. Wireless Car Play connects when it wants (it uses some dinky android connect app) When it connects, it works great wirelessly. However, it's not reliable enough to trust. You can use Carplay or Android Auto with the included USB cable without issue.
5. Be sure to remove BOTH screen protectors. The display looks DISGUSTING until you do. Once you remove the second matte screen protector, the screen lights up like a christmas tree and has amazing contrast
6. I was not sold on this radio providing "better sound" than the factory system upon initial install. In fact, it sounded AWFUL. The audio was noisy, the speakers clipped super easy, and no EQ settings helped (Stock uconnect with an alpine sounds amazing in comparison). I found however, when connecting thru the "Bluetooth" app, that the audio sucked. Carplay sounds AMAZING (EVEN WIRELESS), and yes, once I got Carplay dialed in with EQ, this radio def rocks the factory speakers.
7. All of the factory stuff works fine. All of the steering controls, HVAC, etc. No issues there. Even Auto HVAC (my truck was already equipped with it)
8. It's def an Android Radio. Don't buy this radio expecting it to be an amazing out of the box experience. It takes some tweaking to get it to a fun, useable state. For sure get car launcher pro, because the default launcher is UGLY and it sucks. It's relatively smooth. There are some glitches here and there.
9. My truck was not equipped with GPS, so my GPS comes from Carplay. I cant comment on how accurate real GPS is with this radio.
10. To be fair, I love the way the radio looks. My friend has the factory 12" screen in his ram, and honestly once the screen protector is removed, it looks every bit as OEM as the real OEM 12" radios. The bezels they make are really nice and on par with the construction of the Uconnect 12" bezels. I felt the screen looked cheap and washed out, until the second screen protector was removed. The brightness is decent also.
All in all. For $750, we cant be TOO critical of it. But there are def some dealbreakers for me, mainly FM radio quality (I use FM alot still, and remember satellite radio is not an option on the Phoenix), and the biggest one, the fact that this radio doesn't jive with my subwoofer interface. I am hoping someone has a solution for this. The fact that the radio will hold the signal until the power turns off when the factory radio is connected, tells me, there's some type of incompatibility, or some dev setting that needs to be changed. I hope this write up is helpful!
By the way, this is the 6GB/128GB SSD variant. I chose silver trim, black knobs. I have not installed any media on the unit yet, and you can of course install any app that you would be able to install on an android tablet, on this radio. You just need an internet connection. So you can install the spotify app, YouTube app, etc., and they will all run native as long as you have a data sim card in, or have hotspot from your phone 324296663_3238539953065607_1659961429506672212_n-2.jpg 324021003_1240637126533559_7071611587553412576_n.jpg 324445133_740465661046127_152676739722655922_n.jpg 324292679_732001474718178_4565496442374074300_n.jpg 324296663_3238539953065607_1659961429506672212_n.jpg
 

theblet

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**DAY 2 UPDATE**

*1ST UPDATE AFTER INSTALL** Got my Phoenix 13.6" radio yesterday, and honestly for the price, my expectations aren't that high (It was $760). Shipping took about 10 days from date of order from their website). Initial feelings tho, I am feeling a tad disappointed, and not sure (so far) if I am keeping it. I have the base 8.4 which sucks, but works. Since there is a lack of information on this thing, and real world use, I am going to try to provide some. If any of you own this radio, and can help, chime in.
A few things.
1. Install was easy. All you have to do is follow the tutorial on Phoenix's YouTube. You will need to move your vents and module at bottom near HVAC over to the new radio. Pretty straightforward. The most difficult part was getting the freakin cigarette lighter out the dash (thankfully found a youtube video)
2. I knew the backup camera quality wasn't too hot. Well, no surprise there, it isn't. Especially at night. Even going into the dev options (code 3368), and choosing the higher quality mode, it still sucks. Potential deal breaker!
3. FM quality is DEPLORABLE. My antenna is plugged in. The pin is straight and not bent. There is so much static. I switched the FM ALWAYS ON setting to "ON" in the dev settings. You would think you were in the middle of nowhere. The reception is TERRIBLE in places I listen to FM radio all the time WITH THE FACTORY RADIO. Another potential deal breaker for me.
4. My subwoofer will not work with this radio. It doesn't even receive power. I use a Pacsub Audio interface (APSUB-CH41), that is connected to the radio thru a harness. Works perfect with factory radio. The interface just blinks with this radio and doesn't negotiate a signal. I thought maybe I pulled a remote wire or something by mistake, so I plugged up the old radio, and the amp/sub fired right up. After re-connecting the factory radio, I can them uplug it while the vehicle still has power, then plug up the Phoenix, and in THAT case, the interface still pushes the "on" signal to the amp/sub. However, once the truck is restarted, it's back to not sending a signal to the sub. I have no clue where to even start to fix this. I went thru the settings on the radio to turn on "amplifier", but it does nothing. Could I pull the interface, and just tap the rear speakers? Sure. But, alot of us with systems prefer to use Pac Interfaces because it avoids splicing, and it sends such a clean signal. THIS IS A MAJOR DEALBREAKER FOR ME
4. I was under the assumption from reading that Apple CarPlay works fine. Yeah well. Not the case. I know this is an Android radio, and I know ideally you want to use an Android phone. Now, I didnt buy any of the extra dongles because from other users comments, it wasn't necessary. Wireless Car Play connects when it wants (it uses some dinky android connect app) When it connects, it works great wirelessly. However, it's not reliable enough to trust. You can use Carplay or Android Auto with the included USB cable without issue.
5. Be sure to remove BOTH screen protectors. The display looks DISGUSTING until you do. Once you remove the second matte screen protector, the screen lights up like a christmas tree and has amazing contrast
6. I was not sold on this radio providing "better sound" than the factory system upon initial install. In fact, it sounded AWFUL. The audio was noisy, the speakers clipped super easy, and no EQ settings helped (Stock uconnect with an alpine sounds amazing in comparison). I found however, when connecting thru the "Bluetooth" app, that the audio sucked. Carplay sounds AMAZING (EVEN WIRELESS), and yes, once I got Carplay dialed in with EQ, this radio def rocks the factory speakers.
7. All of the factory stuff works fine. All of the steering controls, HVAC, etc. No issues there. Even Auto HVAC (my truck was already equipped with it)
8. It's def an Android Radio. Don't buy this radio expecting it to be an amazing out of the box experience. It takes some tweaking to get it to a fun, useable state. For sure get car launcher pro, because the default launcher is UGLY and it sucks. It's relatively smooth. There are some glitches here and there.
9. My truck was not equipped with GPS, so my GPS comes from Carplay. I cant comment on how accurate real GPS is with this radio.
10. To be fair, I love the way the radio looks. My friend has the factory 12" screen in his ram, and honestly once the screen protector is removed, it looks every bit as OEM as the real OEM 12" radios. The bezels they make are really nice and on par with the construction of the Uconnect 12" bezels. I felt the screen looked cheap and washed out, until the second screen protector was removed. The brightness is decent also.
All in all. For $750, we cant be TOO critical of it. But there are def some dealbreakers for me, mainly FM radio quality (I use FM alot still, and remember satellite radio is not an option on the Phoenix), and the biggest one, the fact that this radio doesn't jive with my subwoofer interface. I am hoping someone has a solution for this. The fact that the radio will hold the signal until the power turns off when the factory radio is connected, tells me, there's some type of incompatibility, or some dev setting that needs to be changed. I hope this write up is helpful!
By the way, this is the 6GB/128GB SSD variant. I chose silver trim, black knobs. I have not installed any media on the unit yet, and you can of course install any app that you would be able to install on an android tablet, on this radio. You just need an internet connection. So you can install the spotify app, YouTube app, etc., and they will all run native as long as you have a data sim card in, or have hotspot from your phone View attachment 147969 View attachment 147970 View attachment 147971 View attachment 147972 View attachment 147973
It definitely looks nice. I don't think its worth the money for me personally.
 

hemi lover

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Dec 21, 2022
Messages
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**DAY 2 UPDATE**

*1ST UPDATE AFTER INSTALL** Got my Phoenix 13.6" radio yesterday, and honestly for the price, my expectations aren't that high (It was $760). Shipping took about 10 days from date of order from their website). Initial feelings tho, I am feeling a tad disappointed, and not sure (so far) if I am keeping it. I have the base 8.4 which sucks, but works. Since there is a lack of information on this thing, and real world use, I am going to try to provide some. If any of you own this radio, and can help, chime in.
A few things.
1. Install was easy. All you have to do is follow the tutorial on Phoenix's YouTube. You will need to move your vents and module at bottom near HVAC over to the new radio. Pretty straightforward. The most difficult part was getting the freakin cigarette lighter out the dash (thankfully found a youtube video)
2. I knew the backup camera quality wasn't too hot. Well, no surprise there, it isn't. Especially at night. Even going into the dev options (code 3368), and choosing the higher quality mode, it still sucks. Potential deal breaker!
3. FM quality is DEPLORABLE. My antenna is plugged in. The pin is straight and not bent. There is so much static. I switched the FM ALWAYS ON setting to "ON" in the dev settings. You would think you were in the middle of nowhere. The reception is TERRIBLE in places I listen to FM radio all the time WITH THE FACTORY RADIO. Another potential deal breaker for me.
4. My subwoofer will not work with this radio. It doesn't even receive power. I use a Pacsub Audio interface (APSUB-CH41), that is connected to the radio thru a harness. Works perfect with factory radio. The interface just blinks with this radio and doesn't negotiate a signal. I thought maybe I pulled a remote wire or something by mistake, so I plugged up the old radio, and the amp/sub fired right up. After re-connecting the factory radio, I can them uplug it while the vehicle still has power, then plug up the Phoenix, and in THAT case, the interface still pushes the "on" signal to the amp/sub. However, once the truck is restarted, it's back to not sending a signal to the sub. I have no clue where to even start to fix this. I went thru the settings on the radio to turn on "amplifier", but it does nothing. Could I pull the interface, and just tap the rear speakers? Sure. But, alot of us with systems prefer to use Pac Interfaces because it avoids splicing, and it sends such a clean signal. THIS IS A MAJOR DEALBREAKER FOR ME
4. I was under the assumption from reading that Apple CarPlay works fine. Yeah well. Not the case. I know this is an Android radio, and I know ideally you want to use an Android phone. Now, I didnt buy any of the extra dongles because from other users comments, it wasn't necessary. Wireless Car Play connects when it wants (it uses some dinky android connect app) When it connects, it works great wirelessly. However, it's not reliable enough to trust. You can use Carplay or Android Auto with the included USB cable without issue.
5. Be sure to remove BOTH screen protectors. The display looks DISGUSTING until you do. Once you remove the second matte screen protector, the screen lights up like a christmas tree and has amazing contrast
6. I was not sold on this radio providing "better sound" than the factory system upon initial install. In fact, it sounded AWFUL. The audio was noisy, the speakers clipped super easy, and no EQ settings helped (Stock uconnect with an alpine sounds amazing in comparison). I found however, when connecting thru the "Bluetooth" app, that the audio sucked. Carplay sounds AMAZING (EVEN WIRELESS), and yes, once I got Carplay dialed in with EQ, this radio def rocks the factory speakers.
7. All of the factory stuff works fine. All of the steering controls, HVAC, etc. No issues there. Even Auto HVAC (my truck was already equipped with it)
8. It's def an Android Radio. Don't buy this radio expecting it to be an amazing out of the box experience. It takes some tweaking to get it to a fun, useable state. For sure get car launcher pro, because the default launcher is UGLY and it sucks. It's relatively smooth. There are some glitches here and there.
9. My truck was not equipped with GPS, so my GPS comes from Carplay. I cant comment on how accurate real GPS is with this radio.
10. To be fair, I love the way the radio looks. My friend has the factory 12" screen in his ram, and honestly once the screen protector is removed, it looks every bit as OEM as the real OEM 12" radios. The bezels they make are really nice and on par with the construction of the Uconnect 12" bezels. I felt the screen looked cheap and washed out, until the second screen protector was removed. The brightness is decent also.
All in all. For $750, we cant be TOO critical of it. But there are def some dealbreakers for me, mainly FM radio quality (I use FM alot still, and remember satellite radio is not an option on the Phoenix), and the biggest one, the fact that this radio doesn't jive with my subwoofer interface. I am hoping someone has a solution for this. The fact that the radio will hold the signal until the power turns off when the factory radio is connected, tells me, there's some type of incompatibility, or some dev setting that needs to be changed. I hope this write up is helpful!
By the way, this is the 6GB/128GB SSD variant. I chose silver trim, black knobs. I have not installed any media on the unit yet, and you can of course install any app that you would be able to install on an android tablet, on this radio. You just need an internet connection. So you can install the spotify app, YouTube app, etc., and they will all run native as long as you have a data sim card in, or have hotspot from your phone View attachment 147969 View attachment 147970 View attachment 147971 View attachment 147972 View attachment 147973
what website did you order and awesome post.

 

hemi lover

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Joined
Dec 21, 2022
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I'm not sure if it did what it was meant to do or not. I got a Flashing Parking Brake light on my dash when I turned it on but I don't think I heard the parking brake retracting if it's supposed to do that. Also with the flashing P on the dash the parking break doesn't engage when I pull up on the switch. It went away after a few minutes.. maybe it's working?
let me know if you try it a bit more and have someone hear it retract inwards? I'm hoping to order soon. I also commented on yoru post and what website you purchased from.

cheers.
 

hemi lover

Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2022
Messages
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**DAY 2 UPDATE**

*1ST UPDATE AFTER INSTALL** Got my Phoenix 13.6" radio yesterday, and honestly for the price, my expectations aren't that high (It was $760). Shipping took about 10 days from date of order from their website). Initial feelings tho, I am feeling a tad disappointed, and not sure (so far) if I am keeping it. I have the base 8.4 which sucks, but works. Since there is a lack of information on this thing, and real world use, I am going to try to provide some. If any of you own this radio, and can help, chime in.
A few things.
1. Install was easy. All you have to do is follow the tutorial on Phoenix's YouTube. You will need to move your vents and module at bottom near HVAC over to the new radio. Pretty straightforward. The most difficult part was getting the freakin cigarette lighter out the dash (thankfully found a youtube video)
2. I knew the backup camera quality wasn't too hot. Well, no surprise there, it isn't. Especially at night. Even going into the dev options (code 3368), and choosing the higher quality mode, it still sucks. Potential deal breaker!
3. FM quality is DEPLORABLE. My antenna is plugged in. The pin is straight and not bent. There is so much static. I switched the FM ALWAYS ON setting to "ON" in the dev settings. You would think you were in the middle of nowhere. The reception is TERRIBLE in places I listen to FM radio all the time WITH THE FACTORY RADIO. Another potential deal breaker for me.
4. My subwoofer will not work with this radio. It doesn't even receive power. I use a Pacsub Audio interface (APSUB-CH41), that is connected to the radio thru a harness. Works perfect with factory radio. The interface just blinks with this radio and doesn't negotiate a signal. I thought maybe I pulled a remote wire or something by mistake, so I plugged up the old radio, and the amp/sub fired right up. After re-connecting the factory radio, I can them uplug it while the vehicle still has power, then plug up the Phoenix, and in THAT case, the interface still pushes the "on" signal to the amp/sub. However, once the truck is restarted, it's back to not sending a signal to the sub. I have no clue where to even start to fix this. I went thru the settings on the radio to turn on "amplifier", but it does nothing. Could I pull the interface, and just tap the rear speakers? Sure. But, alot of us with systems prefer to use Pac Interfaces because it avoids splicing, and it sends such a clean signal. THIS IS A MAJOR DEALBREAKER FOR ME
4. I was under the assumption from reading that Apple CarPlay works fine. Yeah well. Not the case. I know this is an Android radio, and I know ideally you want to use an Android phone. Now, I didnt buy any of the extra dongles because from other users comments, it wasn't necessary. Wireless Car Play connects when it wants (it uses some dinky android connect app) When it connects, it works great wirelessly. However, it's not reliable enough to trust. You can use Carplay or Android Auto with the included USB cable without issue.
5. Be sure to remove BOTH screen protectors. The display looks DISGUSTING until you do. Once you remove the second matte screen protector, the screen lights up like a christmas tree and has amazing contrast
6. I was not sold on this radio providing "better sound" than the factory system upon initial install. In fact, it sounded AWFUL. The audio was noisy, the speakers clipped super easy, and no EQ settings helped (Stock uconnect with an alpine sounds amazing in comparison). I found however, when connecting thru the "Bluetooth" app, that the audio sucked. Carplay sounds AMAZING (EVEN WIRELESS), and yes, once I got Carplay dialed in with EQ, this radio def rocks the factory speakers.
7. All of the factory stuff works fine. All of the steering controls, HVAC, etc. No issues there. Even Auto HVAC (my truck was already equipped with it)
8. It's def an Android Radio. Don't buy this radio expecting it to be an amazing out of the box experience. It takes some tweaking to get it to a fun, useable state. For sure get car launcher pro, because the default launcher is UGLY and it sucks. It's relatively smooth. There are some glitches here and there.
9. My truck was not equipped with GPS, so my GPS comes from Carplay. I cant comment on how accurate real GPS is with this radio.
10. To be fair, I love the way the radio looks. My friend has the factory 12" screen in his ram, and honestly once the screen protector is removed, it looks every bit as OEM as the real OEM 12" radios. The bezels they make are really nice and on par with the construction of the Uconnect 12" bezels. I felt the screen looked cheap and washed out, until the second screen protector was removed. The brightness is decent also.
All in all. For $750, we cant be TOO critical of it. But there are def some dealbreakers for me, mainly FM radio quality (I use FM alot still, and remember satellite radio is not an option on the Phoenix), and the biggest one, the fact that this radio doesn't jive with my subwoofer interface. I am hoping someone has a solution for this. The fact that the radio will hold the signal until the power turns off when the factory radio is connected, tells me, there's some type of incompatibility, or some dev setting that needs to be changed. I hope this write up is helpful!
By the way, this is the 6GB/128GB SSD variant. I chose silver trim, black knobs. I have not installed any media on the unit yet, and you can of course install any app that you would be able to install on an android tablet, on this radio. You just need an internet connection. So you can install the spotify app, YouTube app, etc., and they will all run native as long as you have a data sim card in, or have hotspot from your phone View attachment 147969 View attachment 147970 View attachment 147971 View attachment 147972 View attachment 147973

did you try the parking brake retract feature yet? does it retract

Carlos.33193 seemed to have a hard time with it maybe?.​

 

mini_boomer

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Dec 24, 2022
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**DAY 2 UPDATE**

*1ST UPDATE AFTER INSTALL** Got my Phoenix 13.6" radio yesterday, and honestly for the price, my expectations aren't that high (It was $760). Shipping took about 10 days from date of order from their website). Initial feelings tho, I am feeling a tad disappointed, and not sure (so far) if I am keeping it. I have the base 8.4 which sucks, but works. Since there is a lack of information on this thing, and real world use, I am going to try to provide some. If any of you own this radio, and can help, chime in.
A few things.
1. Install was easy. All you have to do is follow the tutorial on Phoenix's YouTube. You will need to move your vents and module at bottom near HVAC over to the new radio. Pretty straightforward. The most difficult part was getting the freakin cigarette lighter out the dash (thankfully found a youtube video)
2. I knew the backup camera quality wasn't too hot. Well, no surprise there, it isn't. Especially at night. Even going into the dev options (code 3368), and choosing the higher quality mode, it still sucks. Potential deal breaker!
3. FM quality is DEPLORABLE. My antenna is plugged in. The pin is straight and not bent. There is so much static. I switched the FM ALWAYS ON setting to "ON" in the dev settings. You would think you were in the middle of nowhere. The reception is TERRIBLE in places I listen to FM radio all the time WITH THE FACTORY RADIO. Another potential deal breaker for me.
4. My subwoofer will not work with this radio. It doesn't even receive power. I use a Pacsub Audio interface (APSUB-CH41), that is connected to the radio thru a harness. Works perfect with factory radio. The interface just blinks with this radio and doesn't negotiate a signal. I thought maybe I pulled a remote wire or something by mistake, so I plugged up the old radio, and the amp/sub fired right up. After re-connecting the factory radio, I can them uplug it while the vehicle still has power, then plug up the Phoenix, and in THAT case, the interface still pushes the "on" signal to the amp/sub. However, once the truck is restarted, it's back to not sending a signal to the sub. I have no clue where to even start to fix this. I went thru the settings on the radio to turn on "amplifier", but it does nothing. Could I pull the interface, and just tap the rear speakers? Sure. But, alot of us with systems prefer to use Pac Interfaces because it avoids splicing, and it sends such a clean signal. THIS IS A MAJOR DEALBREAKER FOR ME
4. I was under the assumption from reading that Apple CarPlay works fine. Yeah well. Not the case. I know this is an Android radio, and I know ideally you want to use an Android phone. Now, I didnt buy any of the extra dongles because from other users comments, it wasn't necessary. Wireless Car Play connects when it wants (it uses some dinky android connect app) When it connects, it works great wirelessly. However, it's not reliable enough to trust. You can use Carplay or Android Auto with the included USB cable without issue.
5. Be sure to remove BOTH screen protectors. The display looks DISGUSTING until you do. Once you remove the second matte screen protector, the screen lights up like a christmas tree and has amazing contrast
6. I was not sold on this radio providing "better sound" than the factory system upon initial install. In fact, it sounded AWFUL. The audio was noisy, the speakers clipped super easy, and no EQ settings helped (Stock uconnect with an alpine sounds amazing in comparison). I found however, when connecting thru the "Bluetooth" app, that the audio sucked. Carplay sounds AMAZING (EVEN WIRELESS), and yes, once I got Carplay dialed in with EQ, this radio def rocks the factory speakers.
7. All of the factory stuff works fine. All of the steering controls, HVAC, etc. No issues there. Even Auto HVAC (my truck was already equipped with it)
8. It's def an Android Radio. Don't buy this radio expecting it to be an amazing out of the box experience. It takes some tweaking to get it to a fun, useable state. For sure get car launcher pro, because the default launcher is UGLY and it sucks. It's relatively smooth. There are some glitches here and there.
9. My truck was not equipped with GPS, so my GPS comes from Carplay. I cant comment on how accurate real GPS is with this radio.
10. To be fair, I love the way the radio looks. My friend has the factory 12" screen in his ram, and honestly once the screen protector is removed, it looks every bit as OEM as the real OEM 12" radios. The bezels they make are really nice and on par with the construction of the Uconnect 12" bezels. I felt the screen looked cheap and washed out, until the second screen protector was removed. The brightness is decent also.
All in all. For $750, we cant be TOO critical of it. But there are def some dealbreakers for me, mainly FM radio quality (I use FM alot still, and remember satellite radio is not an option on the Phoenix), and the biggest one, the fact that this radio doesn't jive with my subwoofer interface. I am hoping someone has a solution for this. The fact that the radio will hold the signal until the power turns off when the factory radio is connected, tells me, there's some type of incompatibility, or some dev setting that needs to be changed. I hope this write up is helpful!
By the way, this is the 6GB/128GB SSD variant. I chose silver trim, black knobs. I have not installed any media on the unit yet, and you can of course install any app that you would be able to install on an android tablet, on this radio. You just need an internet connection. So you can install the spotify app, YouTube app, etc., and they will all run native as long as you have a data sim card in, or have hotspot from your phone View attachment 147969 View attachment 147970 View attachment 147971 View attachment 147972 View attachment 147973
Hi, I'm new to this forum but came across this post about adding an large screen radio for the rams. I have a 2500.
But thank you so much @terrywarfield for your in-depth review and insight on the radio!!! It looks real nice but the functionality is questionable...
I'm still hesitant on buying it despite the cons but I would like to show what I found about it (I'm not sure anyone mentioned it).
I'm thinking everyone is buying this radio from Phoenix Automotive website for, in my case, total $720 with the ST2022 coupon at top. But they don't make it so it gotta be from a China supplier. I checked Aliexpress and came across 12.1" radios like
and
They look similar to Phoenix automotive ones but I'm not sure the quality of these radios. Then I'm guessing where Phoenix Automotive buys them and have it ship to the customer.
It's from Alibaba???
I just want to comment since everyone doing a great job giving their opinion on it!!!

I'm super hesitant now because @terrywarfield said he's having trouble connecting to his subwoofers. A dealbreaker for me if the radio cannot signal to even amps and monoblocks and gotta deal with it's subpar installed amp.
 

terrywarfield

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**Day 2 UPDATE** I was able to rectify the audio situation by pulling the harness and running the amp straight to the radio since it has built in connections for it. The radio def pushes the sub harder than the factory radio using a bypass harness.
Also, since installing Car Launcher Pro, the experience has become MUCH more enjoyable and it LOOKS much better. Super easy to set up and works so much better. I have given up on the FM radio. It sucks, and instead will just use Sirius XM, which you just download from the play store and log in.
. Wireless CarPlay has seemingly gotten more reliable the more times I use it. It connects automatically most of the time getting in the truck. I will keep more updates coming!

**Day 3 UPDATE**

Starting to enjoy the radio more. Again, carlauncher pro totally transforms the user experience, and it looks so cool. What I am finding out, this is an EXCELLENT car play radio (which frankly now I am happy with). Wireless connects *most* of the time before I'm even in the truck. I would say every 3 out 5 times it connects right away (wireless). Other times it may take a moment. When you use the supplied USB cable (you have to use the one they provide that's connected to the back of the radio, the front ports will NOT work for wired car play, the radio sees the iphone as a PC accessory), it connects as soon as it's plugged in. My radio complaint is solved, because SiriusXM is an available carplay app, as well as Spotify. And to my audio complaint issue, again, totally resolved with Carplay. It sounds great! My subwoofer works perfect now also. So, right now, I'm feeling like now that I have it mostly settled in, for 700 bucks, having a SUPER cool radio that looks better than the OEM 12" radio, that retains all the factory functionality, that has a super cool EQ, and reliable Carplay, I am sold. Plus being able to connect to YouTube and any other app is cool too. Here's the caveats I have:

Without a data connection (for example if your phone dies), the radio is useless. FM radio blows, the GPS antenna they provide for trucks that don't a GPS antenna also blows, and with no Carplay. My solution is putting a sim card in it so I have data everywhere, so even if my phone isn't available, I can still connect to all of my installed apps, that work for me in place of the things that this radio is terrible at. Again. For $700 bucks this radio is so cool, but you need to know it's limitations.

If you are planning to use your phone as a hotspot, don't expect to be able to use Carplay. Carplay won't function while wifi is active. I have a spare phone line I don't use, so I am just going to pop the sim card into the radio tomorrow when my little nano to full sized sim adaptor comes tomorrow, which will fix those issues. ALSO. I have not found a way for the radio to use the time and date from Carplay. The factory uconnect systems get the time and date from the Satelitte radio antennae. So since this radio does not have an input for Satelitte radio, the only place the system can get the time date info from is either by setting it manually (the problem here is once you restart the truck, the Phoenix forgets the time you just entered, there may be a setting hidden somewhere to fix it). The other way is "use network time" which works fine if you have wifi connected, but then remember, that disables wireless Carplay. This is especially annoying because your in dash display behind the steering wheel, pulls the time from the radio. Which means, while using Carplay, the Carplay app shows the correct time, yet, the truck itself thinks it's another time. Popping my sim card into the radio should fix the problem. For $700 I'm not complaining, I just want y'all to be aware what types of issues you may face.

At this point, I am keeping the radio. I can deal with the terrible backup camera, and the quirks, since Carplay is so good on it, and everything I need in a radio can be done thru Carplay. Car launcher pro seals the deal, and popping my SIM in should fix the remaining issues. For $700, I'm willing to deal with this radio, it looks so cool, and I don't have to spend the couple thousand to go with the OEM 12", which is no where near as capable. You ain't watching YouTube or browsing Twitter on OEM LOL.

I WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE UPDATES
 

terrywarfield

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Hi, I'm new to this forum but came across this post about adding an large screen radio for the rams. I have a 2500.
But thank you so much @terrywarfield for your in-depth review and insight on the radio!!! It looks real nice but the functionality is questionable...
I'm still hesitant on buying it despite the cons but I would like to show what I found about it (I'm not sure anyone mentioned it).
I'm thinking everyone is buying this radio from Phoenix Automotive website for, in my case, total $720 with the ST2022 coupon at top. But they don't make it so it gotta be from a China supplier. I checked Aliexpress and came across 12.1" radios like
and
They look similar to Phoenix automotive ones but I'm not sure the quality of these radios. Then I'm guessing where Phoenix Automotive buys them and have it ship to the customer.
It's from Alibaba???
I just want to comment since everyone doing a great job giving their opinion on it!!!

I'm super hesitant now because @terrywarfield said he's having trouble connecting to his subwoofers. A dealbreaker for me if the radio cannot signal to even amps and monoblocks and gotta deal with it's subpar installed amp.
Check my day 2 and day 3 UPDATE I just posted. It should answer some things for you bro
 

Carlos.33193

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**Day 2 UPDATE** I was able to rectify the audio situation by pulling the harness and running the amp straight to the radio since it has built in connections for it. The radio def pushes the sub harder than the factory radio using a bypass harness.
Also, since installing Car Launcher Pro, the experience has become MUCH more enjoyable and it LOOKS much better. Super easy to set up and works so much better. I have given up on the FM radio. It sucks, and instead will just use Sirius XM, which you just download from the play store and log in.
. Wireless CarPlay has seemingly gotten more reliable the more times I use it. It connects automatically most of the time getting in the truck. I will keep more updates coming!

**Day 3 UPDATE**

Starting to enjoy the radio more. Again, carlauncher pro totally transforms the user experience, and it looks so cool. What I am finding out, this is an EXCELLENT car play radio (which frankly now I am happy with). Wireless connects *most* of the time before I'm even in the truck. I would say every 3 out 5 times it connects right away (wireless). Other times it may take a moment. When you use the supplied USB cable (you have to use the one they provide that's connected to the back of the radio, the front ports will NOT work for wired car play, the radio sees the iphone as a PC accessory), it connects as soon as it's plugged in. My radio complaint is solved, because SiriusXM is an available carplay app, as well as Spotify. And to my audio complaint issue, again, totally resolved with Carplay. It sounds great! My subwoofer works perfect now also. So, right now, I'm feeling like now that I have it mostly settled in, for 700 bucks, having a SUPER cool radio that looks better than the OEM 12" radio, that retains all the factory functionality, that has a super cool EQ, and reliable Carplay, I am sold. Plus being able to connect to YouTube and any other app is cool too. Here's the caveats I have:

Without a data connection (for example if your phone dies), the radio is useless. FM radio blows, the GPS antenna they provide for trucks that don't a GPS antenna also blows, and with no Carplay. My solution is putting a sim card in it so I have data everywhere, so even if my phone isn't available, I can still connect to all of my installed apps, that work for me in place of the things that this radio is terrible at. Again. For $700 bucks this radio is so cool, but you need to know it's limitations.

If you are planning to use your phone as a hotspot, don't expect to be able to use Carplay. Carplay won't function while wifi is active. I have a spare phone line I don't use, so I am just going to pop the sim card into the radio tomorrow when my little nano to full sized sim adaptor comes tomorrow, which will fix those issues. ALSO. I have not found a way for the radio to use the time and date from Carplay. The factory uconnect systems get the time and date from the Satelitte radio antennae. So since this radio does not have an input for Satelitte radio, the only place the system can get the time date info from is either by setting it manually (the problem here is once you restart the truck, the Phoenix forgets the time you just entered, there may be a setting hidden somewhere to fix it). The other way is "use network time" which works fine if you have wifi connected, but then remember, that disables wireless Carplay. This is especially annoying because your in dash display behind the steering wheel, pulls the time from the radio. Which means, while using Carplay, the Carplay app shows the correct time, yet, the truck itself thinks it's another time. Popping my sim card into the radio should fix the problem. For $700 I'm not complaining, I just want y'all to be aware what types of issues you may face.

At this point, I am keeping the radio. I can deal with the terrible backup camera, and the quirks, since Carplay is so good on it, and everything I need in a radio can be done thru Carplay. Car launcher pro seals the deal, and popping my SIM in should fix the remaining issues. For $700, I'm willing to deal with this radio, it looks so cool, and I don't have to spend the couple thousand to go with the OEM 12", which is no where near as capable. You ain't watching YouTube or browsing Twitter on OEM LOL.

I WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE UPDATES
I recommend the backup camera AHD adapter that's posted on one of the previous posts. It makes the camera quality much better and brings it up to an acceptable OEM quality. Not as good as our trucks OEM, but definitely as good as anything else out there.
 

mini_boomer

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Check my day 2 and day 3 UPDATE I just posted. It should answer some things for you bro
You are a hero!!!! My hero. Thank you so much for taking your time on the updates and warnings and solutions on unforeseen problems. You got me sold. I was planning to go with the silver trim and black knob too. I'm not too fond with the backup camera in the radio but @Carlos.33193 mentioned for an AHD adapter. Also I'll look into what you mentioned about adding a sim card for data instead of hotspotting it. I'll post my experience and opinion too in 2 weekish??? Again, thank you! :)

Also could you send the website that you used to purchase the radio seems to be knock off websites. So I'll go with the one you used.

Cheers thanks again so helpful
I see what you're talking about. One website looks original with Paypal option, while the other is powered by Shopify. However they're both look identical. I would say it's the same company but with multiple website.
 

Carlos.33193

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This is the AHD adapter I purchased.
LinksWell JDCAMADPT-19 Factory Adapter for Jeep Wrangler 2018 2019 2020 and RAM 2019 2020 Factory Camera Retention Interface Factory Video Signal Adapter Camera https://a.co/d/4s71jOo
 

Carlos.33193

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terrywarfield

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You are a hero!!!! My hero. Thank you so much for taking your time on the updates and warnings and solutions on unforeseen problems. You got me sold. I was planning to go with the silver trim and black knob too. I'm not too fond with the backup camera in the radio but @Carlos.33193 mentioned for an AHD adapter. Also I'll look into what you mentioned about adding a sim card for data instead of hotspotting it. I'll post my experience and opinion too in 2 weekish??? Again, thank you! :)


I see what you're talking about. One website looks original with Paypal option, while the other is powered by Shopify. However they're both look identical. I would say it's the same company but with multiple website.

Ill live with it, dont want to spend another $150 bucks lol

This is the AHD adapter I purchased.
LinksWell JDCAMADPT-19 Factory Adapter for Jeep Wrangler 2018 2019 2020 and RAM 2019 2020 Factory Camera Retention Interface Factory Video Signal Adapter Camera https://a.co/d/4s71jOo

Looks promising but I aint trying to spend anymore money haha.

_____

**UPDATE**

My radio has been strangely keeping up with the time now, and I did not put my SIM card in. Maybe it finally picked up from CarPlay? Strange, because that would be the only place it could get it from. Other than that, besides the typical little android quirks here and there, nothing has changed since my last update. Radio is working great, wireless CarPlay connects 8 out of 10 times right away, which is better than alot of aftermarket adaptors. Sorry I have not tested the brake release yet. The audio system sounds FANTASTIC once you get the EQ dialed in. (remember, dont use the built in bluetooth menu, the audio bitrate thru there is TERRIBLE).

Everyone who gets in my truck cant believe how amazing the screen looks. Even my friend with a ram with the 12" Uconnect said "man your screen seems so much bigger".

Popping my SIM card in tomorrow just to be able to use the apps without my phone connected, such as Youtube and all that stuff. The mobile hotspot from t-mobile phones just doesn't provide enough bandwidth around here to play any of the apps with good quality.

Again, for the money, once the quirks are figured out, you accept that FM radio sucks (I just use XM thru CarPlay instead), and the backup cam sucks - but useable, once CarPlay starts connecting reliably (seems to take a day or two to settle in, I recommend snaking the USB cable from the back of the radio down into your storage area for those times you need to connect the phone and use wired CarPlay when wireless wont work), once Car Launcher Pro is set up (very easy) and your EQ is set up nice on it, its a WIN, for $700!! I stress this again, I dont think I would keep the radio if it wasn't for CarPlay. But because we do have android auto and CarPlay, it is an AMAZING radio for those things, and looks cool as hell on top of that.

By the way, I purchased thru 13.6” Android 10 Vertical Screen Navigation Radio for Dodge Ram 2019- 2022


. IMG_4595.JPG
 

vincentw56

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With the poor FM reception, I am assuming it does NOT have "HD Radio" ???
FM works fine on mine. It didn't at first, but maybe there was an update. I don't listen to FM, but checked it after install and it wasn't working. Checked it a few days later, and it is.
 

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