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CES 2019: Alpine Previews New CarPlay Receivers, One Features Oversized 9-Inch Hovering Screen

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Alpine Electronics at CES 2019 this week debuted two new in-car multimedia receivers with wired CarPlay and Android Auto support.

The new iLX-W650 receiver features a seven-inch anti-glare capacitive touchscreen with a shallow chassis that measures 2.4-inches deep, allowing for the system to fit into vehicles that do not have a lot of depth behind the dashboard. The receiver has a so-called mech-less design with no CD/DVD slot.

alpine-ilx-w650-carplay-800x452.jpg
iLX-W650​

The iLX-W650 also features an amp-stacking capability that enables Alpine's new KTA-450 amplifier to fit in the open space behind the receiver using an included bracket. The combined depth of the iLX-W650, KTA-450, and mounting bracket equals less than the depth of a standard double-DIN chassis.

The iLX-W650 in tandem with the KTA-450 amplifier won a CES 2019 Innovation Award in the In-Vehicle Audio/Video category.

Other features include standard Bluetooth music playback, SiriusXM readiness, and three 4V pre-outs that allow aftermarket speakers, subwoofers, additional amplifiers, and sound processors to be added. Two camera inputs sold separately allow for the addition of multiple cameras, including a rear-view camera.

Alpine also added a second model to its Halo9 product lineup. Like last year's iLX-F309, the new iLX-F259 receiver features a nine-inch capacitive touchscreen that "hovers" over the dashboard, allowing the oversize screen to be added to a variety of vehicles without the need for custom installation.

alpine-ilx-f259-800x499.jpeg

The screen is attached to an adjustable mount that is connected to a traditional single-DIN chassis. It can be tilted at four pre-set angle points to better match the tilt and height of the dashboard and can be positioned up to 20mm deeper and up to 30mm lower than the default position during installation.

Other features of the iLX-F259 include a mech-less design with no CD/DVD slot, standard Bluetooth music playback, SiriusXM readiness, and one rear-view camera input with the option to add additional camera inputs sold separately.


Both receivers have a USB port for connecting an iPhone with a Lightning to USB cable, but Alpine does have a wireless CarPlay receiver available. Kenwood and JVC also unveiled several wireless CarPlay receivers this week.

The iLX-W650 and iLX-F259 will be available in March for suggested prices of $500 and $800 USD respectively at authorized Alpine retailers.

Article Link: CES 2019: Alpine Previews New CarPlay Receivers, One Features Oversized 9-Inch Hovering Screen
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2019/01/09/alpine-carplay-ilx-w650-ilx-f259/
It's not the screen that's oversized. There's so much functionality around the screen that should be moved into it.

It's like staring at the early Android phones that had a dozen physical buttons. Crazy to think that Android manufacturers figured it out 10 years ago but everyone in the auto industry that isn't Tesla can't figure that out.
 
Wish the prices on these things would start coming down, I would like to upgrade the head unit in my car but I would have to buy the head unit and a $160 adapter to keep my steering wheel controls and factory amp and subwoofer.
 
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Spock said:
Wish the prices on these things would start coming down, I would like to upgrade the head unit in my car but I would have to buy the head unit and a $160 adapter to keep my steering wheel controls and factory amp and subwoofer.
Click to expand...
Relatively speaking, in dash AV units have come down in price quite a bit over the years. They’re also much more feature packed now. People spend $1000 a year on a new phone yet $500-$800 for an in dash receiver that you’ll buy once is too much?
Factor in the fact that more and more Americans are in their cars for longer periods of time than ever before and it makes this even more appealing.
 
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ArtOfWarfare said:
It's not the screen that's oversized. There's so much functionality around the screen that should be moved into it.

It's like staring at the early Android phones that had a dozen physical buttons. Crazy to think that Android manufacturers figured it out 10 years ago but everyone in the auto industry that isn't Tesla can't figure that out.
Click to expand...
Considering automobile electronics have a less than sterling reputation for reliability, physical back ups are still good to have. They are especially nice for the OCD no fingerprint crowd.
 
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12vElectronics said:
Relatively speaking, in dash AV units have come down in price quite a bit over the years. They’re also much more feature packed now. People spend $1000 a year on a new phone yet $500-$800 for an in dash receiver that you’ll buy once is too much?
Factor in the fact that more and more Americans are in their cars for longer periods of time than ever before and it makes this even more appealing.
Click to expand...

Not really the same thing in my my opinion. In my case, my car has Bluetooth in the stock receiver and the CD player and radio and XM all still work fine so I really don’t need a new head unit. I want a new head unit, that’s a little different from a phone that I finance through my mobile carrier.
 
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Hmm, that W650 model looks very intriguing. It’s priced rather competitively considering I paid $350, years ago for a single-DIN iPhone/iPod media head unit. Even better is that I believe my 2010 Charger has the not-as-deep compartment mentioned in the article, as I’ve read people generally have to remove some material from behind the dash to fit a standard double-DIN receiver into them. Definitely putting this one on my watch list.
 
I just wish more aftermarket manufacturers would have a physical volume knob instead of the buttons. I have a Pioneer with CarPlay unit in one of my cars and the buttons are small enough you have to take your eyes off the road to find them. A knob solves that problem. Didn’t realize how big of a deal it was (to me) until after I got it installed and started using it.
 
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I know I’m pipe dreaming but it would be the bees knees if someone made a unit that used an iPad for the display. The head unit would keep it charged and in CarPlay mode while connected and when the iPad was removed it returned to iOS.
I’ll probably kick down for a CarPlay unit in the near future but it will be a wireless one because my trips are usually less than 1/2 an hour and no longer than 1 hour. I don’t want to have to plug/unplug my iPhone numerous times when running errands. Road trips, sure, plug it in.
 
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I'm not into all these custom dash's but this looks pretty good (hover functionality is cool). It looks like it actually integrates the android widgets very well and the good thing about is the interface is identical to the phone interface we've all been using for years, just blown up.

None of the wonky car company UI. Surprised it's taken half a decade for this type of software to come to fruition.
 
Spock said:
Wish the prices on these things would start coming down, I would like to upgrade the head unit in my car but I would have to buy the head unit and a $160 adapter to keep my steering wheel controls and factory amp and subwoofer.
Click to expand...

Considering the quality and what this offering with all the functionality, add-on’s, the price seems more than considerable. This is better than some OEM units that likely cost even more than what Alpine is offering.
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
It's not the screen that's oversized. There's so much functionality around the screen that should be moved into it.

It's like staring at the early Android phones that had a dozen physical buttons. Crazy to think that Android manufacturers figured it out 10 years ago but everyone in the auto industry that isn't Tesla can't figure that out.
Click to expand...

Removing physical buttons is a negative to me. The tactile feedback of physical knobs and buttons allows one to keep their eyes on the road when adjusting the volume, changing a station, or any other number of things.
 
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hortod1 said:
I just wish more aftermarket manufacturers would have a physical volume knob instead of the buttons. I have a Pioneer with CarPlay unit in one of my cars and the buttons are small enough you have to take your eyes off the road to find them. A knob solves that problem. Didn’t realize how big of a deal it was (to me) until after I got it installed and started using it.
Click to expand...

totally agree. and you are in luck... the Sony XAV-AX1000 has a knob, is $330 and works flawlessly. I even got Best Buy install it in my car (for free) and price match Amazon where it (or its predecessor) can be found for sub-$300
 
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leftoverbacon said:
Removing physical buttons is a negative to me. The tactile feedback of physical knobs and buttons allows one to keep their eyes on the road when adjusting the volume, changing a station, or any other number of things.
Click to expand...
That’s what steering wheel controls are for. Unfortunately they are
Nt standardized and for some car set ups the wiring harnesses can cost as much as the aftermarket head unit itself even before installation costs.

I am seriously considering the Sony mentioned above because of price and volume knob. The Bluetooth pairing though I am told has to be manually done each time a different phone is used.

Aftermarket head units must be a diminishing market. Many modern cars you can’t even do it. And for too many of these headd units (eg kenwood), the Bluetooth stack is out of date.
 
hortod1 said:
I just wish more aftermarket manufacturers would have a physical volume knob instead of the buttons. I have a Pioneer with CarPlay unit in one of my cars and the buttons are small enough you have to take your eyes off the road to find them. A knob solves that problem. Didn’t realize how big of a deal it was (to me) until after I got it installed and started using it.
Click to expand...

There are different ways to (perhaps) solve this problem, depending on how you use your system.

One is to get the head unit hooked up to volume controls in your steering wheel. MAYBE your car doesn't have these, but if it does, pretty much any head unit can be hooked up to volume (though fancier functionality) is not available. If you're paying someone to install such a hookup, you might as well pay them a few dollars more and get them to, at the same time install a backward facing camera in the rear license plate. These hook up to any head unit and kick in automatically when the car reverses. They're not quite as attractive and powerful as built-in reverse cams, but they're cheap and do the job --- IMHO well worth paying for.

A second alternative, if the way you use your system is to play BT audio from your iPhone, is to get an Apple watch. The crown on the Apple watch makes it very easy to quickly dial volume louder or softer without having to look at the watch or anywhere else.
[doublepost=1547079702][/doublepost]To al the people looking at this thread and considering upgrading their head units, I'd say
(a) you can find a good (continually update) review of features here:
http://www.carstereochick.com/category/car-stereo-reviews/

(b) is it worth doing? IMHO yes. Of course I don't know your budget, but if your head unit is more than, say, 8 or 10 yrs old, you can hardly go wrong.

(c) BUT --- AND THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT !!!!
whatever unit you plan to get, before you buy it, insist on seeing it in place installed in a car, and on a sunny day.
IMHO the biggest different between these devices now is not that this one has three USB ports, and that one supports BT 5.0, and some other one can play two DVDs at once. Even the issue of resistive vs capacitive touchscreen is not a deal killer.
THE difference that matters most is that some screens are MUCH crappier than others. And this REALLY matters. A lousy screen that is reflective and shows low contrast in sunlight is basically useless. Sure, it's adequate for music playback, but it's useless for maps. And I assume maps is at least part of what you will care about, whether through CarPlay or anything else. We are so spoiled by the quality of iPhone screens, and how good they look when mounted in a car, that we just assume that anything else must be at least sorta OK. Wrong wrong wrong!!!

You MUST check out the screen before you buy --- don't trust specs, don't trust salesmen. If they can't show you an installed screen under real world sunny conditions go elsewhere.
 
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guidedmeat said:
totally agree. and you are in luck... the Sony XAV-AX1000 has a knob, is $330 and works flawlessly. I even got Best Buy install it in my car (for free) and price match Amazon where it (or its predecessor) can be found for sub-$300
Click to expand...

Yep. I got the old model last year installed for exactly $300 at Best Buy. bought the adapters on amazon for cheaper than Best Buy sells them. Love that receiver.
 
Looked into doing this in more detail and it will cost me about $150 for the various interface/harness adapters, but I'll be able to retain steering wheel controls and fade control as well. There latter is an issue on some cars with factory amplifiers, which mine has. I'm probably am going get this shortly after launch. My factory receiver is a double-DIN with touch screen, but no NAV or CarPlay, so the touch screen isn't really all that useful. Plus I'll probably keep this car for another 5 years.
 
Put me in the crowd for physical knobs. I work in the car industry and abhor tough screen interfaces. They are likely to be just as, if not more than, dangerous as using your phone while driving. It’s impossible to feel your way around a screen and look at the road. It seems manufacturers are starting to realize this and have hybrid systems with a large screen and knobs for common functions at least. Steering wheel controls are not enough if they car doesn’t have them or if they only have certain functions.

My cars current system has everything expect CarPlay and would love the functionality. I went as far as to shop for a new car to see if I could upgrade to a car with it built in. I ended up not buying. I don’t hate aftermarket head units, but they never seem as seamless as a factory system.
 
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“Welcome to 2019. Buy our non-wireless $800 CarPlay unit.”

I DON’T UNDERSTAND.
 
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