Alpine's Latest CarPlay Receiver Has a 9-Inch Display Hovering Over the Dashboard

[MacRumors]

For customers in the market for an aftermarket CarPlay installation, Alpine Electronics this week announced that its new iLX-F409 receiver with a 9-inch capacitive touchscreen is now available at select retailers in the United States.

Alpine says the iLX-F409 receiver has all of the same features as the larger 11-inch iLX-F411 introduced last year, but with a smaller 9-inch display that allows for a lower suggested price of $700 compared to $1,000 for the iLX-F411.

Like the 11-inch receiver, the 9-inch model's display hovers over the dashboard, allowing it to be used in most vehicles without the need for custom installation. The display is attached to an adjustable mount that is connected to a traditional single-DIN chassis for compatibility with a wide range of vehicles, and the display can be tilted at four pre-set angles to better match the tilt and height of the dashboard.

The iLX-F409 is limited to wired CarPlay, but other brands like Pioneer have some wireless CarPlay receivers available.

Other features of the iLX-F409 include Android Auto support, hands-free Bluetooth phone calls, SiriusXM readiness, a USB-A port, one HDMI input and one HDMI output, and one rear-view camera input. When not in CarPlay mode, the receiver has a customizable user interface with 22 available widgets. The receiver does not have a built-in CD/DVD drive.

Alpine has offered a few 9-inch CarPlay receivers in the past, but this model has all of the latest features of the 11-inch iLX-F411.

Article Link: Alpine's Latest CarPlay Receiver Has a 9-Inch Display Hovering Over the Dashboard

 

[Juicy Box]

This one is interesting. I might look into it for a few of my vehicles.

I cannot tell if those are physical buttons on touch buttons. Anyone know?

If this had a volume knob, I would most likely get one.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I recently paid about $225 for a CarPlay for my old 2009 Honda and replaced the original navigation and couldn't be happier. It stays flat and integrated into the dash and doesn't stick out. I don't think people need to spend that much money. I don't know how I survived without CarPlay all this time. I don't even want to replace my car anymore.

 

[cmaier]

Weird use of the term “hovering”

 

[locovaca]

WVGA display? Yuck. I have a Kenwood 9906 and 9907 xr with 720p, never going back to 480p again.

 

[AngerDanger]

Weird use of the term “hovering”

Seriously. I clicked on the article expecting a display floating around of its own accord.

 

[cmaier]

Seriously. I clicked on the article expecting a display floating around of its own accord.

In fact, also a weird use of the word “over.”

 

[deeddawg]

Not Wireless = Not Buying

 

[supermacman1938]

I had a Alpine ILX107 and it was meh. It was way overpriced and they just never updated the firmware. It would randomly disconnect and has major GPS issues. It was discontinued soon after release.

I would never buy any Alpine unit again.

 

[FilmIndustryGuy]

I dont get these things. Why not just use your big iPhone? My car has Bluetooth auto connect and auto locks when I walk away from the car. I never bought one of these devices because I was told id lose my auto car lock. my setup is wireless and I have magnets in car so I dont even have to attach USB cable. what am I missing?

 

[cmaier]

I dont get these things. Why not just use your big iPhone? My car has Bluetooth auto connect and auto locks when I walk away from the car. I never bought one of these devices because I was told id lose my auto car lock. my setup is wireless and I have magnets in car so I dont even have to attach USB cable. what am I missing?

The user interface for CarPlay is designed to be easy to use in a car when you should be focused on the road.

 

[macsound1]

I recently paid about $225 for a CarPlay for my old 2009 Honda and replaced the original navigation and couldn't be happier. It stays flat and integrated into the dash and doesn't stick out. I don't think people need to spend that much money. I don't know how I survived without CarPlay all this time. I don't even want to replace my car anymore.

What model was it? I've been looking to replace the unit in a 2012 Rav4 but it's hard to figure out which ones are cheap because they're garbage and which ones are cheap because car stereos don't need to be $900

 

[macsound1]

I dont get these things. Why not just use your big iPhone? My car has Bluetooth auto connect and auto locks when I walk away from the car. I never bought one of these devices because I was told id lose my auto car lock. my setup is wireless and I have magnets in car so I dont even have to attach USB cable. what am I missing?

Having only used one in a couple rental cars, its nice to have an integrated map that is designed to be viewed and operated by someone who is currently otherwise occupied. Sometimes looking at your phone is more distracting because it's twice as far away from your face while driving compared to usual usage.

On the flipside, a Chevy rental car (not my choice) would change the carplay screen on the stereo whenever the app would change on the iPhone. I found that incredibly annoying because my co-pilot was looking for restaurants and texting our travel buddies but I just needed to get from one hotel to another. In a subsequent rental car, VW, this wasn't the case. The iPhone could be operated seperate from the car stereo. So either VW's implementation of Carplay is better or there have been software updates along the way.

 

[Joe Rossignol]

Weird use of the term “hovering”

Do you have a better word? I feel like your feedback is often negative.

 

[Juicy Box]

The "hovering" of the display is what I like about it. That and the ability to make adjustments of its placements.

I own a bunch of cars, and some of the older ones do not have an ideal set up for larger displays due to vents and HVAC controls, but having the ability to adjust were the display sits might give me the opportunity to have CarPlay in cars that normally wouldn't accommodate the large displays of CarPlay head units.

Do you have a better word? I feel like your feedback is often negative.

I think hovering was appropriate.

Maybe "floating" would also work, but wouldn't say it is better than hovering.

 

[cmaier]

Do you have a better word? I feel like your feedback is often negative.

”hovering over” suggests it is above, not in front, of the dashboard, and suggests that nothing is supporting it.

It is “disposed in front of”, “positioned in front of,” etc.

P.S.: why make it personal?

 

[BornAgainMac]

What model was it? I've been looking to replace the unit in a 2012 Rav4 but it's hard to figure out which ones are cheap because they're garbage and which ones are cheap because car stereos don't need to be $900

BOSS Audio - Audio Systems Elite BE7ACP from Best Buy. The website checks to see if it will work on your car. Installation is free but they have a separate install kit you need to buy but it was under $100.

Only negative is that it is wired. If you buy a future iPhone that has no lighting / USB-C then you will have to find a solution. Wireless CarPlay is more rare and more expensive. It was a first world problem so I just got this one.

 

[xTIMMYxCOREx]

Does any after market receiver work with my 370Z’s climate controls? I’ve always thought I’m stuck with the Nissan unit if I want to be able to see the temperature & fan speed when I turn the climate control knobs.

 

[The Barron]

Not Wireless = Not Buying

Are any CarPlays wireless?

 

[alexandr]

I recently paid about $225 for a CarPlay for my old 2009 Honda and replaced the original navigation and couldn't be happier. It stays flat and integrated into the dash and doesn't stick out. I don't think people need to spend that much money. I don't know how I survived without CarPlay all this time. I don't even want to replace my car anymore.

how much did labor cost you? or did you do it yourself?

 

[Böhme417]

Having only used one in a couple rental cars, its nice to have an integrated map that is designed to be viewed and operated by someone who is currently otherwise occupied. Sometimes looking at your phone is more distracting because it's twice as far away from your face while driving compared to usual usage.

On the flipside, a Chevy rental car (not my choice) would change the carplay screen on the stereo whenever the app would change on the iPhone. I found that incredibly annoying because my co-pilot was looking for restaurants and texting our travel buddies but I just needed to get from one hotel to another. In a subsequent rental car, VW, this wasn't the case. The iPhone could be operated seperate from the car stereo. So either VW's implementation of Carplay is better or there have been software updates along the way.

There was an update to CarPlay that addressed this. Yes, it was very annoying having the map disappear when you went to another app. And, as a passenger, I certainly didn’t like the whole car being able to read my messages when replying to a text.

 

[name99]

This one is interesting. I might look into it for a few of my vehicles.

I cannot tell if those are physical buttons on touch buttons. Anyone know?

If this had a volume knob, I would most likely get one.

The MAIN thing you want to look at, with all these head units, is how the screen behaves under bright sunlight.
It's astonishing how bad the screens still can be, impossible to see with bright sun behind or on your side, compared to an actual iPhone screen...

 

[name99]

I dont get these things. Why not just use your big iPhone? My car has Bluetooth auto connect and auto locks when I walk away from the car. I never bought one of these devices because I was told id lose my auto car lock. my setup is wireless and I have magnets in car so I dont even have to attach USB cable. what am I missing?

That's a perfectly viable usage model, especially if you have a good phone mount. I did things that way for years. Stick with it if it works for you.


The carplay map is a little easier to view than the iPhone map (simplified and larger) -- IF your head unit has a good screen.

If you're the kind of person who interacts a lot via text or phone while driving, the overall experience is probably better; if, like me, you're not then it's much of a muchness.

For me the real tiebreaker was that it's easier with carplay (less finicky interaction with a small screen) to move to the next audiobook I'm listening to if the current one ends while I'm driving.

 

[deeddawg]

Are any CarPlays wireless?

Yes, multiple Kenwood, Pioneer, JVC, and other models offer Wireless CarPlay. See Apple CarPlay Compatible Receivers at Crutchfield

Although some would say wireless isn't important since you're plugging in your phone anyway for long drives, I'd counter that I'm far more frequently making multiple stops running errands. With wireless CP I could leave my phone in my pocket and get the benefits of CarPlay instead of either doing without CP or having to repeated plug/unplug at each of the five stops.

 

[cmaier]

Are any CarPlays wireless?

Yes. For example, the ones in BMWs.