In this review, I look at the Fast Wireless CarPlay Adapter from PlayiBox. You can buy this dongle for $35.99 directly from the PlayiBox store. USE coupon code ‘carplay10’ for 10% off your order.
TL/DR: The PlayiBox Mini Wireless Apple CarPlay Adapter is a compact and affordable wireless adapter that offers fast performance and smooth integration with Apple CarPlay. It has a thumb drive-sized design with included adapters for USB-C and tight console spaces. The adapter boasts a very fast boot time of 14.3 seconds to get into wireless CarPlay, and once connected, it provides smooth frame rates and responsive touch input. While the call quality and latency are acceptable but not the absolute fastest, the adapter makes up for it with excellent value at $35.99, with an additional 10% off available through my coupon code (above). The configuration menu is basic with limited customization options, but overall, the PlayiBox Mini is a top budget-friendly choice for those seeking a fast and reliable wireless CarPlay adapter.
The PlayiBox Mini Wireless Apple CarPlay Adapter joins a suite of similar tiny-sized adapters that have taken over the wireless adapter market recently. There’s a lot to like here with its fast access times, smooth frame rates, and tiny compartment-friendly form factor. These guys smash it out of the park by pricing the adapter at a very desirable price too!
In the box, you get a paper instruction manual, the thumb drive-sized adapter itself, and two adapters come supplied. One that converts the USB-A connection to USB type-C for modern CarPlay ports and there’s a second elbow joint USB-Afemale to A male adapter to allow this adapter to be installed in much tighter console compartments.
The adapter is similar in size to a regular USB thumb drive: 38 × 20 × 10 mm in its case only dimensions. Adding its optional USB-C adapter will lengthen its size, so bear that in mind if the space in front of your Apple CarPlay USB port is tight.
Other than a few grooved lines at the tail end of the adapter, it has a fairly simple, no-frills design. Along with its matte black plastic, it reflects its low-end price tag. A single status light sits on one side to tell you it’s up and running and its connection status. There are no extra ports or buttons to report here.
Connecting the adapter to my VW Golf’s CarPlay USB port launches the adapter into its launch menu screen within a speedy 9.5 seconds. From here, you’re presented with a simple black-and-white launch screen consisting of a logo, a firmware version, and a small button on the lower left of the screen to exit back to the original car system.
Pairing my iPhone 15 Pro with the adapter’s Bluetooth profile quickly connected CarPlay wirelessly within 13.3 seconds. This time closely rivals some of the fastest wireless adapters I have tested. You would think that combined values make it, not the fastest adapter, but its actual power-on boot into CarPlay time was the fastest ever tested at a total of 14.3 seconds! That’s 1 second faster than the fastest MSXTTLY adapter, and the PlayiBox now takes the crown for the fastest adapter from all the adapters I have tested.
Once loaded into wireless Apple CarPlay, this adapter performs as well as all the recent adapters I have tested. It has buttery smooth frame rates, a responsive touch input, and low lag in calling and navigation.
Calling on this adapter wasn’t the most rapid against the competition, but I’d say it’s just slightly slower than the lowest-lag adapters. This is not enough to be concerned about when you factor in this adapter’s boot performance and price.
I connected to its IP config menu through my phone’s browser and it took me to a basic config menu that’s very similar to the older adapters around. This means its architecture and compatibility will be comparable to adapters from the likes of Ottocast and MSXTTLY. There are options to adjust the Wi-Fi AP, Audio Streaming mode and delayed start. These options can all help address compatibility issues with an existing car system, but knowing its competitor’s options left me wanting more features to play with here. GPS passthrough is mentioned in the adapter’s config screen, but on testing and asking its makers, it seems that this is yet another adapter that uses a generic config menu with options that are simply not supported by its hardware. So GPS passthrough aficionados will need to look elsewhere.
OTA updates of the adapter are also possible through the config menu, but at the time of my review, this adapter was already running the latest firmware and didn’t need updating.
So as I said before, there’s a lot to like about this adapter. It’s fast to boot, it performs well, its call quality and call return delay are acceptable, and best of all is its price. Currently, priced at $35.99 from their official online store, with coupon carplay10 taking a further 10% off, this adapter is not only one of the cheapest but also adds a leading boot to CarPlay performance. The PlayiBox Mini adapter is a no-brainer for anyone seeking top wireless Apple CarPlay performance from an adapter that’s also so cheap to buy right now.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Brief overview
0:28 – Unboxing
1:17 – Features & Design
2:01 – Installation & Boot-up
2:38 – Wireless Apple CarPlay
3:29 – Mic & Call Delay Test
4:10 – Audio delay Test
4:30 – IP Config Menu
4:49 – My Impressions
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