MekedeTech DUDU7 Android Head Unit Review

[dtaylo1066]

Great review. And I don't see it as inconsistent with ASR, as this is relevant for audio and a lot more, and almost all of us drive cars. Great job, A!

 

[amirm]

I take it as this is a keep and not return?

Assuming the install goes well, including canbus integration, yes.

 

[amirm]

Among the lots of other Android HUs JOYING is sort of popular for around 6 years in the Car Hifi community. At least in Europe.

I almost bought one of their unit but reviews were negative saying hardware breaks and there is no support.

 

[kemmler3D]

“Dudu” is a most unfortunate name, although I guess Schitt is too. The difference is that I am sure the scatological reference was not intentional for this brand. I am surprised they didn’t do the bare minimum of market research to find out that “Dudu”=“doo doo”=feces in English.

I had a similar thought. The sobering truth is probably that they see Western markets as secondary and don't really care what we think. They could go online and ask an English speaker about the name any time, but it wasn't worth doing for them.

Sort of looks how Ford put out the "Nova" and "Pinto" in Spanish speaking markets years ago.

 

[RickS]

@amirm was driving 58km/h...when making these pictures. nice

Lol, clearly is a stock image.

We do not do metric speed here and Amir would have real music (rather than some CGI unknown singer)!

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

This is pretty neat. I'm not sure it's for me because the display is too good and I might be tempted to overuse it. My wife's care has Android Auto and I've always thought of it as a solution in search of a problem. This looks a lot better. I'm going to stick with my phone and a dongle although my 1 Plus phone has the need to turn on OTG hard coded in the OS. Being a dotard, I forget to do it about half the time.

 

[dtaylo1066]

Assuming the install goes well, including canbus integration, yes.

If it does not go well, some may resort to cannabis integration!

 

[Roland68]

These days, I feel like I always accidentally land on "Car Audio Science Review," but then I miss the tons of car subwoofer tests, bling, bling amplifiers, and chrome-plated chassis...

 

[nathan]

Am I the only one that wants to see the camper van?

Anyway, I'm enjoying learning about these upgrades. I look forward to seeing and learning more.

 

[xanalog]

Thank you for the review, @amirm,

...you can get through it although having a $30K analyzer next to you is a great help in knowing what does what.

I once stuffed a Sony ES system in a itty-bitty Supra. It was based around a CDX-90 head unit, with XA-D211/XDP-4000X/XDP-210EQ.

That Sony ES system was a 'beast' and a 1988-era laptop was the ONLY way to train EQ it...

...but only if you had access to a $30K (HP-8561E) spectrum analyzer.

Really digging the change of pace these reviews have brought. Fun to be along for the ride on Amir's latest pet project.

Yes, me too... I hope he returns back this unit and finds even a better performing head-end unit, that will finally convince me to replace the 2-DIN (6CD) dumb-OEM system, in one of our pre-Android vehicles.

 

[enricoclaudio]

Thanks for this review, @amirm

I love these CarPlay and Android Auto devices. I have been using them for about 5 years in my 2012 Lexus CT200h and the latest I got, CarpodGo T3 Pro, has been the best so far. I use it with CarPlay only as I don't have Android devices but it does work with Android Auto as well. It has a fully laminated 8.9" touchscreen display with 1920x720 resolution (230PPI) and 700 nit.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CKXF3RST/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2W503YSLHA7RJ&psc=1

 

[xanalog]

No, I am not kidding. The main cable is not provided and assumed you get a third-party harness. Where that would come from is left as an exercise for the buyer! I had to kluge up a couple of jumper cables just to power up the thing and wasn't going to do the same for speaker output.

For the record: Crutchfield used to be the go-to site, for vehicle audio bezels/wiring/harness availability, information, etc.
Perhaps, it still is.

 

[wwenze]

How the new cars do it nowadays... not sure if better or worse. I don't have to look down that's for sure.

 

[GD Fan]

The last thing I like in a car is a touch screen for anything. Really drives me nuts.

It's a bouncy environment which requires attention on the road and not on the screen. Give me tactile buttons in predictable places. And no, Mercedes, not hundreds of tiny little buttons everywhere.

 

[wwenze]

In an oily hands environment too

 

[Palladium]

The last thing I like in a car is a touch screen for anything. Really drives me nuts.

It's a bouncy environment which requires attention on the road and not on the screen. Give me tactile buttons in predictable places. And no, Mercedes, not hundreds of tiny little buttons everywhere.

Car manufacturers admitted they want to kill off physical knobs and buttons because touchscreens are cheaper in terms of cabling.

 

[xanalog]

The last thing I like in a car is a touch screen for anything. Really drives me nuts.

They heard you loud and clear... back in April 2023:

The Glorious Return of a Humble Car Feature
- Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touch screens. Buttons are back!
https://slate.com/business/2023/04/cars-buttons-touch-screens-vw-porsche-nissan-hyundai.html

 

[DWPress]

I put a < $100 unit into my 2006 Subaru with wireless CarPlay/Android and it has held up remarkably well after 4 years of use. Always pairs with my phone, does maps well enough on its 7.2 screen and everything else I need it to do. I do wish it had better EQ capabilities but since it's in a 2006 noisy rusty Subaru that's kinda a moot point. Not sure I'd spend more than $100 on one of these though unless it had a US backed company for support.

 

[xanalog]

I put a < $100 unit into my 2006 Subaru with wireless CarPlay/Android and it has held up remarkably well after 4 years of use. Always pairs with my phone, does maps well enough on its 7.2 screen and everything else I need it to do. I do wish it had better EQ capabilities but since it's in a 2006 noisy rusty Subaru that's kinda a moot point. Not sure I'd spend more than $100 on one of these though unless it had a US backed company for support.

I keep seeing many aliexpress vendors touting Android15 and 8-core processors in some real cheap (<$150) head-end units.
Shouldn't due consideration be also given (and disclosed) for OperatingSystem, and the type of processor used, as a part of the purchasing decision?

 

[amirm]

The last thing I like in a car is a touch screen for anything. Really drives me nuts.

You use steering control for common things and voice for others. That said, there are some with knobs and buttons.