The MP5 car players are all over eBay and look like a bargain.
Here are just a few examples of the wording used to sell these devices that are there to confuse.
- 2DIN 7″ Bluetooth MP5 player
- The Double DIN MP5 car player
- A single DIN MP5 Player – Android
- The Tesla-style Android MP5 screen
Be wary of MP5 Player!
While the tag ‘MP5 Player’ in the listing doesn’t automatically raise a red flag, it will need further investigation to see what is being sold. You may be surprised o,r quite probably, disappointed that your bargain purchase will not be what you thought it was.
They are Android!
No, they are not. Even if Android is prominent in the title and appears in the listing, the word ‘android’ refers to ‘Android Auto,’ connecting your smartphone to a dumb screen and mirroring the app’s functions, not running the app.
Muddy waters
Some true Android headunits are labeled with the ‘MP5 player’ tag, and this is to muddy the waters and serves confusion the customer. Don’t get caught out, and don’t disregard the true Android headunit just because of the MP5 player tag, but this would not be bad if you did.
They are cheap!
Very little hardware goes into an MP5 Player for the car. The RAM and Processor required to run Android are not needed or fitted, and you get very little processing performance from the MP5 players. While this is enough for an MP5 player, it is infinitesimally small compared to what even the slowest Android headunits need.
They are expensive!
You can’t tell by the cost; just because it costs the same as an Android headunit doesn’t mean the ‘Android mp5 player’ is even running Android.
What don’t you get with the MP5 players?
You don’t get a device capable of running Android. You don’t get Android; you don’t get play store; you don’t get Android apps. You can’t install Android, and it will never run Android.
What do you get with the MP5 players?
You get everything they advertise. From a remote control to a backup camera. From some wires that connect to something to a Bluetooth function. It’s what is not shown that raises the red flags. No mention of the Android version, even if it is a fake Androidoid version; the MP5 Players that are not Android don’t mention any Android version.
They say ‘Android’ on it; it may even have the green android man to make a smoke screen that hides the proper identification. This use of ‘android’ only refers to android-auto and not an android headunit capable of running Android apps.
Is the MP5 Player any good?
If you want to run google maps or Waze, maybe Spotify, or install a launcher on your head unit, then, NO, they are not good. Not fit for the purpose, and no apps and no .apk files.
If you don’t want Android on your headunit, you are probably on the wrong site and would be happy playing MP5s.
Even the tesla style one?
Yes, even the Tesla one. If there is no mention of the Android version, a multi-core processor, or the RAM, it’s not going to be a true Android headunit 🙁
