In this review, I look at the latest CarlinKit Tbox UHD 660 Edition CarPlay AI Box. You can buy this Android 13 adapter for $154 directly from the official CarlinKit Store > https://bit.ly/carlinkituhd (USE COUPON CODE Anthony Barker FOR $15 OFF YOUR ORDER), and also from Amazon soon. Links to follow. Amazon IT has it listed currently here > https://amzn.to/3VzJCYM.
The CarlinKit Tbox UHD is the brand’s latest CarPlay AI Box. It allows you to run an Android 13 operating system on your CarPlay display. You can run many Android apps from the Google Play Store including video apps like YouTube, Netflix and Disney+, to weather apps and games.
Features & Design
Inside its white exterior is a Qualcomm SD 660 chipset, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage that can also be expanded by inserting a TF card or a USB-A thumb drive. This white box has a lot of features for its money, with SIM card support and HDMI out. But does it do all of these things well? Let’s find out.
In the box, you get an instruction manual, the Tbox UHD itself, two USB charging cables, a SIM card removal tool, and a mini-HDMI to full-size HDMI adapter to mirror the adapter’s content onto a headrest display, computer monitor or TV screen.
Many I/O ports are located around the adapter. The most typical ones are USB-C to power the adapter, a SIM card slot to supply Android apps internet without tethering your mobile’s internet, and a TF card slot for local media playback. In addition to this, the UHD box also adds a USB-A port for extra media playback storage and there is an HDMI output port too. Oddly, my review unit had the latter port all covered over with a paper sticker, but it does work once you have peeled it off.
Boot-Up & Interface
Firing up the adapter took a fairly average 34 seconds to get into the main menu after a short boot-up animation sequence. Its home menu screen continues to offer the usual dated launcher menu from CarlinKit. Nothing else has changed much here, other than a few extra menu options in the settings menu that deals with the HDMI connection and there is the same lacklustre LED config option area that was also present on its Ambient AI Box.
Even its wireless connection says ‘Ambient’, so it made me think I had the same insides as the AI Box I saw from them last time. However, CarlinKit did make some changes to the UHD AI Box. The first change is its underlying chipset. This box runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, which makes it a little faster than its earlier models that used the QC6125 (665) chipset. This is an odd choice to install an older chip in a newer flagship product – more on that later.
Don’t expect it to be that much faster though. The 660 is not only older, it’s less in speed than the 6225 chips, so it sits a little in the middle. With the 660’s slower-clocked Adreno 512 GPU, the Tbox UHD benches just 100 points better than the 6125 chips AI boxes, but in gaming, this extra horsepower isn’t a significant leap in performance. If anything, it’s likely cheaper to make, so more profit goes to CarlinKit’s pockets, and this saving is less passed down to the consumer. Shame.
Apps & Games
Apps and games ran close to those on the 6125, and I’d say also close to the 6225 boxes too. There’s very little in it. Test games Crossy Road and Subway Surfer ran ok without any major hiccups. BT controller support means you can hook up a BT remote, such as the G10S Pro Remote or an Xbox Controller, for a much better backseat gaming experience on your CarPlay display. But sadly, this chip brings with it a few negatives in areas that people want the most out of CarPlay AI Boxes – video streaming.
I fired up YouTube, Netflix and local video media files to cast my eyes and ears over its video playback sync performance. YouTube was the worst out of the three, with sync delays of around +400ms, resulting in out-of-sync video and a frustrating watching experience. Netflix wasn’t as bad, but it was still noticeable on my VW Golf CarPlay system and stock speaker setup. Local video media files from an inserted USB drive also showed a slight noticeable delay in the video and audio output. Such a disappointment for what is a flagship device.
Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto
Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto booted up quickly compared to close rivals. The TBox UHD even gave the fastest Android Auto boot in my tests. However, once booted, their experience doesn’t match the latest fast wireless CarPlay adapters with their 60fps motion of smoothness. AI Boxes need to catch up in this regard, but because they operate through a software layer rather than hardware, I imagine it will be difficult to achieve this level of performance. With that said, wireless CP/AA ticks the boxes and both platforms operate well enough here and boot faster than most AI Box adapters selling today.
When launching Android apps, I would say the UHD box sits in the average pack of AI boxes that I have tested. It’s certainly not the fastest AI box, but certainly not the slowest either. Once loaded, apps do run smoothly, yet I did get the same audio issue with running games as I always do on CarlinKit boxes. This requires the workaround of firing up Spotify to kick in the adapter’s audio channel and then returning to the game with its audio now working.
HDMI Output
The HDMI out port rounds up the UHD adapter’s main USP. Connecting it to a monitor didn’t work at first until I went into the settings menu to turn the HDMI connection on. This is something that should be on by default because if you were to buy this box without being able to connect it to CarPlay first to enter its settings menu, it would be harder to make this box work under a single HDMI connection. The same goes for Bluetooth controller connections – without a touch screen, you are stuck to get anything connected unless you use its USB-A port with a wireless adapter or connected wired mouse or keyboard.
Retailing for £169, the Tbox UHD is priced on par with its competitors. It does offer a few extra features to make it stand out. Sadly, the choice of putting in the 660 chip has hindered this box’s recommendation for me. Its video sync performance is a bit of a deal-breaker that I can’t see being fixed via an OTA update. There is hope though for the Tbox UHD, as it comes with the option to put in a more capable QC6225 chip, but at the compromise of losing the USB-A port. This loss is not a big deal when the TF card is still there. So if you want HDMI output and can look past the USB-A connection, then I would pick the 6225 chip option instead and hope its slight extra power and decoders can drive video sync a lot better than the UHD’s 660 is capable of. Choose wisely.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Brief overview
0:49 – Unboxing
1:25 – Features & Design
3:41 – Installation & Demo
4:06 – Main Menu Interface & Settings
5:24 – Pre-installed Apps
6:06 – Split-Screen Mode
6:44 – Google Maps
6:58 – Spotify & Google Assistant
7:29 – YouTube & Lip Sync Test
8:20 – Netflix & Lip Sync Test
9:12 – HDMI support test
9:34 – Gaming & Missing Sound Workaround
12:00 – USB Media & Sync Test
13:12 – AutoKit & Wireless CarPlay
15:27 – Wireless Android Auto
16:39 – My Impressions
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