I have had the chance to thoroughly check out the Wireless Apple Carplay Screen for Car, Android Auto, 4K Dash Cam offered by Seetato.
Having reviewed many dashcams (rear view mirror, smaller stand alone dash cams), I wanted to take a look at these carplay dash cams that have become popular.
For one, they are only $140 which is affordable compared to other dash cameras and offers a lot for those who are iOS and Android users.
In the box, you receive the suction cup holder, the device which comes with a 64GB memory card and a rear dash cam, cigarette adapter with a long cable and other extra tool and things you may need.
The first thing that came to my mind was, I wish a protective case was given, to hold everything.
Reason being is that these carplay dashcams are not the type you want to keep permanently in your car, because quite simply, in some states, these can be targeted and stolen.
So, one thing I want to make clear and emphasize, if you are looking for something more permanent to leave in your car, then look at a rearview mirror web cam. Otherwise, this is a device that you need to make sure you don’t leave it in your car, as chances of people stealing it (if you live in an area with a high car theft rate) is higher.
As for the device itself. I’m going to approach this was Android Auto vs. Apple’s Carplay feature, as I use an Android device. Also, just know that you have two main menus:
Menu 1: DVR, Carplay, Android Auto, Playback, Audio Channel, Android Cast and Settings
Menu 2: Depending on which app you sync to (ie. CarPlay or Android Auto).
Syncing devices is easy via Bluetooth. Once paired with your smartphone via Bluetooth, everything else is much easier to use.
As I was able to sync with my Samsung phone, I was able to get map information displayed, I was able to get the two music apps that I listen to the most working easily.
Map worked great with the music app to its side (so 75% was dedicated to the map and 25% to the music) on screen when set to windowed mode (Selected on the bottom left corner). But you can view an app via 100% including Google Maps.
It’s important to note that on Google Maps, car icon is centered on screen.
Messages can be read but my car’s stereo player has that option already. So, not something I will use a whole lot.
Once in Android Auto, you have your messages, news (Reuters, CNBC, CommSec, Fox News/ Business, Bloomberg News Now), phone, weather, apps (Selected apps).
But I think for me, outside of news and Google Maps, I will be using the music apps the most. A bit different from how the actual apps are for Smartphone but it works just fine….for some things may see things differently than they are used to.
It does mirror your phone’s wallpaper, which was cool.
If you get into an app and need to return to the Android Auto screen, you need to hit the windowed icon on the bottom left corner, until you see the 9 dots show up.
And of course, in the main menu of shortcuts, it offers CarPlay, AirPlay, an audio channel to choose BlueTooth, Aux In, loud speaker or FM transmitter. Loudspeaker mode allows you to listen to the music on the device itself (which comes with its own built-in speakers), BT mode allows you to listen via BlueTooth to your car’s sound system (if it has Bluetooth capability) and aux in if you choose to not use the phone and just hook up the device via aux cable.
Google assistant works well. I would imagine Siri would work well with Carplay.
As for the dash cam, you can easily select DVR and to get your dash camera to work. It records in 4K but you can select 2K if you are concerned about room. And you can view the video via front normal video or rear normal video (as well as front locked video and rear locked video). Sound is recorded on the dash camera.
You can record in 1 min. or 2 min. increments, which is fine.
One thing that I love about this dash camera is that the camera lens itself is the kind that can be moved a bit up/down, left/right. So, if you don’t want the device holder or cables showing, you can aim the camera higher. I had a mirror cam that had an adjustable lens and happy this one comes with one as well.
But this is a very solid device and the addition of the rear cam and an extra long USB-C cord to cigarette lighter adapter is a very cool. Is it needed? Probably not. If you have a cigarette lighter adapter that takes USB connections, you can get a very long USB-C to USB cable and run it that way and it will work perfectly. But with that being said, the cigarette adapter also has a USB port built-in which was a nice addition.
The next part was trying to test it to find faults. One thing you need to be careful for is not unplugging the USB-C cable while in, because a “Factory Reset” button will pop up and you may find yourself hitting that button.
There are times where you will need to disconnected from Android Auto and to do that, you would need to go to your settings and apps on your phone and temporarily disable Android Auto. Turning it back on and your device and phone should automatically connect.
I wish the device holder to stick on to your windshield, used the lever press function to lock it in. But you do get a basic suction which will work. But it could have been better.
Last but not least, the device does run hot after minutes of using it. So, I hope during 100+ degree weather that we get, and since the device gets hot, it doesn’t overheat.
Overall, the “Wireless Apple Carplay Screen for Car, Android Auto, 4K Dash Cam” works well as intended. What can make it better?
I would love to see a speedometer app added, since it utilizes GPS with different displays (Digital/analog, etc.).
Adding a case which can hold the device would be great, so I can put in a case when not in use (because no way am I leaving this in my car here in Cali. due to theft or high heat)
But for the most part, it worked like a charm! Much better than I expected and I do like it a lot! For what the Wireless Apple Carplay Screen for Car, Android Auto, 4K Dash Cam offers for the price of under $140, I’ll give it 4.5 Stars!
