If your car does not have a Carplay compatible entertainment system, you can consider purchasing an external screen with Carplay functionality. The Aoocci V30S is an external 10.2-inch widescreen display that you can place on the dashboard of your car.
By connecting the screen to your iPhone, you will have access to Carplay on the screen and you can use Apple or Google maps for navigation, for example. But there’s more, the V30S also supports Android Auto, is equipped with a dashcam and gives you access to several driver assistance systems.
Aoocci V30S external Carplay screen
The Aoocci V30S is an external 10.2-inch Carplay screen that has a built-in 4K camera on the front that serves as a dashcam. An SD card can be inserted into the device to store the recordings.
Inside the box you will find the following components:
- Carplay / Android car screen with dashcam
- Mounting support for placing on dashboard
- Additional suction cup attachment for mounting on the windshield
- 12V adapter for a cigarette lighter socket
- GPS receiver, AUX and ACC cable
- Separate camera for the parking assistance system
What is immediately noticeable about the V30S are its large dimensions of 24.6 cm wide, 10 cm high and 4.5 cm deep. These dimensions are without the mounting support for the dashboard or the suction cup attachment. Due to its large dimensions, the device initially looks a bit bulky, but once placed on the dashboard, this is not so bad.
Various power cables are included with the screen, one for the cigarette lighter and a cable with adapter that you can connect directly to the 12-volt installation. Make sure you install this behind the contact. The included cables are long enough to be neatly concealed in the dashboard and upholstery of your car.
The screen itself has a resolution of 1600×600 pixels, so the Carplay apps are displayed well and clearly. The large size makes the screen very suitable for navigation with Google or Apple Maps. After the system is supplied with power, the screen is ready for use in a few seconds.
With an iPhone you can make a wireless Carplay connection to the V30S using Bluetooth. All the functionalities and conveniences of Apple CarPlay are retained without having to use a USB cable.
Use V30S as a Carplay screen
After placing the device on your dashboard, connect the iPhone via Bluetooth to the V30S. When the connection status is reached, CarPlay will automatically be activated on the screen.
It is possible to connect multiple iPhones to the V30S, making it easy to use with different drivers. If there are multiple paired iPhones in the car, a connection will be made to the most recently used iPhone. You can also manually choose on the screen which iPhone to connect to or switch devices.
The V30S works fine and automatically connects the iPhone to the external CarPlay screen after the first manual pairing. The biggest advantage is that CarPlay works wirelessly, without this wireless connection you always have to physically connect your iPhone, this extra step is skipped with Bluetooth.
The brightness and sharpness of the screen are excellent, even in bright sunlight the screen remains clearly visible. You can choose to use the entire screen for Carplay or share it with the images from the dashcam on the front. In most cases you will use the full Carplay view. You can mount the screen firmly on your dashboard or use the supplied suction cup. Everything needed for installation is included.
Built-in dash cam
The Aoocci V30S is equipped with a dashcam that continuously records and writes them to an SD card. The 4 megapixel camera has a maximum resolution of 4K and a viewing angle of no less than 170º. Thanks to the 4-core CPU, the touch screen and graphics work smoothly, even if the dashcam and Carplay are used at the same time.
Also suitable for Android Auto
In addition to CarPlay, Aoocci V30S also supports the Android variant ‘Android Auto’. The operation is exactly the same, you can wirelessly connect to the screen with an Android device via Bluetooth and use Android auto.
Not an official Apple solution
In the past it has sometimes happened that charging cables that do not comply with the MFI program (Made for iPhone) suddenly no longer function after an iOS update. The Aoocci V30S emulates a legitimate CarPlay system via Bluetooth. This prevents Apple from blocking its operation in a future iOS update. If this does happen, it can be repaired via a firmware update of the V30S.
V30S Driver Assistance Systems
In addition to the Carplay functionality, the Aoocci V30S also provides a number of safety systems. Although we limit this review to the Carplay functionality, we still want to draw attention to this extra functionality.
Parking assistance: The V30S comes with an external camera that can be used as a parking aid and must be mounted on the rear of your car.
Lane departure warning: A driver assistance system that prevents you from unintentionally leaving your lane or the roadway. The system ‘sees’ the solid and interrupted lines on the road, recognizes guardrails and curbs. If the system detects that you are in danger of unintentionally leaving the lane, you will receive a warning.
Forward collision warning: This is a safety function to monitor the road ahead of the vehicle. If the system detects that there is a risk of collision with another vehicle or obstacle, it alerts the driver so that he can respond in time.
Front Vehicle Departure Warning: A driver assistance system that alerts drivers when a vehicle in front of them has started moving and they are not responding. This system is especially useful in situations such as traffic lights, traffic lights or traffic jams, where drivers may be distracted and not notice the traffic in front of them starting to move again.
We have not tested the driver assistance systems of the V30S and we can therefore not provide an opinion on their operation and reliability. The main function of the V30S is to display Carplay on an external screen, the addition of the driver assistance systems is an extra.
Conclusion: Aoocci V30S CarPlay display
REVIEW SCORE
As previously reported, we only tested the Carplay functionality of the Aoocci V30S and not the driver assistance systems that are also supplied with the system. As far as CarPlay functionality is concerned, the V30S is fine. The screen responds smoothly and connecting wirelessly to the iPhone also works without any problems. And of course it is useful that dashcam recordings are also made at the same time while you use the Carplay screen.
The dimensions of the device are on the large side. Carplay is displayed beautifully on the large screen, but in our opinion the screen, at almost 25 cm, is a bit too large to place on the dashboard of a smaller passenger car. In any case, you get an excellent external CarPlay screen with a built-in dashcam and a number of additional driver assistance systems such as a reversing camera. Useful if your car does not have Carplay support as standard.
- Wireless CarPlay via Bluetooth
- Built-in dashcam with 170º viewing angle
- Smooth screen display and operation
- 10.2-inch widescreen (1600×600 pixels)
- All necessary materials for installation are included
- Less suitable for smaller cars
- Standard and suction cup mounting on the large side
Purchase Aoocci V30S (18% discount code)
The Aoocci V30S can be purchased in the online webshop from Aoocci. The price of the system is around $200 (excluding shipping costs). Use the discount code ‘appletipsnl’ for 18% discount.