Alpine iLX-W650E

Great unit, added the amp pack from alpine. Had zero issues with what other reviewers wrote. Been a solid unit since 2021. Show details

Works some of the time, don't bother, buy something else – Had this for almost 4 years now in my 2017 NP300 Navara. Had it professionally installed and it has been a constant source of frustration with first my Samsung Galaxy S22 and then my iPhone 11 Pro Max. The Android Auto part was garbage, it simply didn't work at all, read everyone else's reviews. It was so poor I went back to an iPhone - but… Read more

that's not trouble free either.

Carplay only works through a USB cable. And then it only works some of the time. Sometime when I get in, start the car, wait for the unit to boot up and then plug in my phone - I'm using a genuine Apple cable for this I must add - it works first time.

Most of the time however I get an incompatible device error on the screen. So I unplug it and plug it back in. Pot luck if it works - sometimes I can do this 10 times and it not work, then I give up, start driving while leaving it connected, and 5 minutes later it just starts to work. Other times it will not connect for an entire drive no matter how many times I reconnect. Then it will go for a week where it works almost every single time. There is NO reason for this, it's an electronic device that turns on and runs pre-installed software, I can't be "turning it on wrong", it's clearly not fit for purpose if it doesn't work.

Everything I read on the internet said "it's the cable" - but it isn't. It may be slightly better with a genuine Apple lightning cable, but it doesn't work all the time, so it's not just the cable as people would have you believe. In my partners Haval Carplay works every single time, first time with my phone and my cable.

I saw today that the US got a software update in April 2024 that addresses issues with the iPhone 11, so this appears to be something Alpine know about, but we are stuck with 2022 "Australia only" firmware. Typically poor service for us down here.

Alpine unit no good – keeps freezing and blue screens appear. wont play from USB or unit wont update. no customer service, just phone your local dealer, which has done nothing also.

Terrible audio, poor connectivity, not easy interaction – As stated above, phone calls are completely distorted when using android auto. Terrible audio, only connects using USB. Some unbranded Chinese heat units for a quarter of price perform so much better. For instance, those unbranded Chinese head units can use Car Play on wireless mode, while this Alpine o can connect only using USB cable. Terrible… Read more

customer services, they postpone the solution of the problem to avoid warranty. Don't waste your time, get another device.

Trash and customer service terrible – Bought this unit through Autobarn for $599 which was faulty At least once a day when I switch on the car there was no audio coming out, would have to switch car off and on again to get it going. Alpine delayed me so much to the point it ran out of warranty then essentially said too bad it’s not in warranty and wiped their hands with it. Will never purchase anything again from them Show details

Rubbish unit and after sales warranty AVOID – Bought 2 units for our 2 cars in Jan 2020, both have the same fault. Phone calls are totally distorted when using android auto. Product firmware is up to date. Contacted alpine rep, he wasn't helpful, didn't return calls. Trying to get a store credit, waiting for rep to approve credit to the store. 7 months and still waiting. Show details

Bland for the price – As mentioned android auto is useless for calls and swiping and when you have upgraded speaker system it goes through the sub. The unit is nice and clean looking but has an incredibly bland interface and is not really customizable. It should have wireless connection for auto/car play. Instead have to have a usb attached to phone. I prefer my old… Read more

Sony unit that's a smaller screen but I just used BT for calls and music inc Spotify. The only advantage I'm seeing with autoplay is maps...but then I have to plug it in. I just don't use it anymore and use maps on my phone instead with a mount so I don't have to fiddle around with usb cables.

Android Auto call quality is terrible – My experience exactly matches the previous reviewers. You can't use Android Auto because the call quality is terrible. You pull out the USB cord and on bluetooth the call quality is fine but you can't use your maps and all other AA functionality. I can't believe Alpine released this unit without even testing it! Show details

Android auto is horrible – Phone conversations when connected to Android Auto don't work if running maps or waze. Contacted reseller and Alpine multiple times but they all refuse to acknowledge my issue. Everything else works as expected on Android auto, but when i receive a phone call, I need to disconnect the phone from the cable. Once android auto is no longer working… Read more

on the head unit, phone calls work perfectly through bluetooth.

The issue persists with 3 different Android phones (Pixel 3a, Samsung S8, Nokia 8) and using OEM cables, Belkin cable and Ankler cable.

I have a Sony head unit in another car (Sony XAV-AX3000), and I cannot reproduce the issue there, so the problem is not with the phones alone.