[MTCB Android Head Units Q&A] Viper87227:
Finally got my Parrot Asteroid Smart exchanged for one of these units. Some of you asked for me to share how the upgrade went, so here's my experience after having it installed for a week.

TL;DR Version: PAS is a nice idea, but with terrible hardware and software, it just isn't worth it. The Huifie is a lot faster, and thus far, less buggy. Both units will have their quirks, but the Huifei should have a lot less, and be much faster. It looks better, works better, and is overall a pretty sweet upgrade. My only regret is that I wasted my money on the PAS in the first place.

Long Version: I ordered from android-caraudio.com. Total order time took around 3 weeks from payment to delivery. Georges is on the chat every night and was very helpful and answered a lot of questions for me. I got a Hyundai Accent specific unit, and it is a Huifei.

Installation was a breeze. Truly plug and play, right down to supporting my factory AUX and USB inputs. SWC works like a champ. This is a huge thing for me, as the UNIKA that Parrot uses does not support my vehicle. Going from a 6.2" screen to a 7" screen is a bigger step up than it sounds like, it makes a big difference. Having hardware buttons back is also a huge thing for me. The lack of a volume dial (combined with no SWC) was one of my least favorite things about the PAS. I also really like the fit and finish of this unit. At a glance, you wouldn't know it's not a factory unit, which I think looks nicer and will also hopefully be a better theft deterrent if someone can look at it and see that it's made specifically for my vehicle.

Performance wise, these things feel worlds apart. Boot time on my PAS was painfully slow. I had it set to autorun Play Music on boot, and it was probably at least 2 minutes before my headunit reached a fully booted, usable state. With this unit, I haven't timed it, but I'd wager it's 30-40 seconds. Backup cam also works better on this unit, probably due to completely bypassing Android. It worked on the PAS during boot, but if I was in reverse for too long it seemed to make things go wonky once Android actually started. It also would flash on and off when I would go from drive to park. The Huifei doesn't do that, it takes a second to kick on so just moving through the gears doesn't bring it up.

This unit is all around much speedier. Things launch faster, and I seem to run into a lot less hiccups. On the PAS, Play Music + Navigation was often a disaster that at best would cause my music to skip frequently and would often result in the unit or the apps locking up entirely. No problems with jumping around between apps on this new unit, everything feels awesome.

The only thing at this point that I miss about the PAS was the ability to tether over bluetooth. That was an easy way to keep an internet connection on my stereo. I picked up a 3G dongle with the unit, but it doesn’t seem to be working well. I only get Edge/2G and the unit reads “No Service” in the task bar. This isn’t the end of the world though. I can always throw on a WiFi AP when I need internet. Not a deal breaker by any means.

On the PAS, navigation was basically broken when I was playing music at the same time. It locked up more often than it worked. It also had a frequent TTS bug in which my volume would play full blast any time the NAV read a direction, which was scary as hell. Music would frequently not work right, playing only a few second of a song and then skipping back and forth for several minutes before settling down. So far, I’ve experienced no issues like this on the Huifei. I had one issue today where the Google Play stopped working until I reset the unit. Hopefully a fluke. I also had an issue the other day where something drained my car battery over night. I can’t say for certain that it was the stereo, but it was the only thing that changed in my car, and my headlights cannot be left on while the car is off. I’ve continued to keep an eye on it since, and had no issues. Again, maybe just a fluke, and maybe not the stereo at all, but I’m keeping an eye on it.

Overall, I’m pleased as hell to have upgraded. If you have a PAS, you probably know it’s a novel idea in a ****ty package. You’ll be pleased to switch to a Huifei I think. If you are shopping for a Android head unit and the PAS is on your radar, ignore it. Pretend it doesn't exist and just get one from China. You’ll be glad you did.