Westods Portable Wireless Carplay Car Stereo with 2.5K Dash Cam – In-depth Review

When it comes to upgrading a classic vehicle with modern functionality, the Westods Portable Wireless Carplay Car Stereo proves to be an impressive option. As we immersed ourselves in the testing phase, a series of impressive features, along with a few not-so-impressive ones, revealed themselves, paving the way for this comprehensive review.

Impressive Specifications

By far the most attractive feature of the Westods Car Stereo is the wireless CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. By exploiting Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities, the device allows seamless access to music, navigation, and even messaging services, providing an all-round safer and all-encompassing hands-free experience.

It comes with a 2.5K HD front camera, and an AHD rear camera supported by a split-screen feature, allowing for safer and more effective reversing, and that’s not all. The system also incorporates DVR loop recording. An added bonus is the inclusion of a 64GB TF card for automatic recording storage.

The device displays cutting edge HD IPS touchscreen technology, with a 1600*600 resolution and a 178° viewing angle, markedly improving the viewing experience. The screen size stands at a generous 9.3 inches which is a significant upgrade for a classic car’s dash.

Mounting and Installation

The car stereo is simple to use, and won’t need a mechanic’s expertise for an easy dashboard installation. All models of cars are catered for considering it comes with a 7-32V voltage range, and that includes trucks, vans, campers and RVs as well.

Performance and Usability

In terms of performance, the device turned out to be functional and responsive, with a snappy touch screen that displayed seamless wireless Android Auto functionality. The customer service experience has also been noteworthy for its promptness and eagerness to provide assistance.

The device has a built-in speaker but can also transmit sound to the car’s speakers for a louder output. The Bluetooth connectivity works perfectly well for hands-free calling and music streaming. Furthermore, the device successfully connects to the FM Transmitter for frequency-to-frequency wireless transmission, thereby making it possible to send all sounds to the original car speaker.

Pros and Cons

Like every piece of technology, the Westods Stereo does come with a few catches. In some instances, units were reported as not supporting AA wireless which required a firmware update, and some users had issues with audio output. In certain models, the audio would play only from the device and not the car’s bluetooth speakers. The power-on experience was also inconsistent among various units.

Nonetheless, some of its more commendable features included the size of the screen, and the fact that music, GPS navigation, and Siri & Google Assistant functionalities were perfectly rendered through the device. The boot-up logo customization earned many praises as did customer service responsiveness.

The audio quality, however, when using the FM transmitter, was a bit of an issue, with users reporting scratchy and static-laced sound. The Auxiliary plug-in, on the other hand, proved to be a better alternative. There was also a noticeable difference in sound volume depending on whether you used the in-built speakers or the car’s FM radio.

Conclusion

Summing up, the Westods Portable Wireless Carplay Car Stereo with 2.5K Dash Cam is a pretty solid choice to enhance a classic car with modern amenities. While it does come with a few downsides, it nonetheless offers some impressive functionality at a reasonable cost. The few misses we experienced did not feel significant enough to overshadow the fact that it is a reliable and feature-rich head unit that should be considered when shopping for a car stereo upgrade.

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Check it out on Amazon.com (United States)

Check it out on Amazon.ca (Canada)