Enjoy my latest Coral Vision Pro Complete Console Review. You can buy this console for $329 +shipping directly from the makers themselves here →
You can check out my review of the earlier model here → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3kYga9SSJ0
In this video, I am looking at a new portable Apple CarPlay console from Coral Vision, that includes improved performance, USB-C support, screen mirroring, and it supports both wired and wireless CarPlay and Android Auto.
Overview
So I first covered the original portable CarPlay console from Coral Vision a little less than a year ago. It was the easiest way to have Apple CarPlay in a vehicle that doesn’t have CarPlay enabled. The idea and cost of installing an aftermarket stereo can be a little off-putting, but with this console, you can simply attach it to your windscreen, connect the power cable, choose your audio output to your existing car stereo, and then you’re good to go. Once you connect your iPhone either via an attached cable or wirelessly, you can fire up CarPlay onto the portable console, nice and simple.
In the box you get the wireless console itself, you get the windscreen mounting bracket, a 3.5mm jack audio cable for aux audio input, and a 12 V power adapter to power the console. There is a rubber strip to prevent the console from slipping on your dashboard, and a glass adhesive disk to alternatively attach the mount directly onto the dashboard, and also there is a very long wiring harness and rearview camera should you wish to attach it to your vehicle too. There is also an improved installation manual to tell you how to install and operate the portable console.
Installation
Installation really is plug-and-play. You simply locate the best position for the console to rest on your dashboard. Because the mounting bracket is made of thick plastic, the weight of the screen is best supported by letting the screen rest on the dashboard surface. You can choose to use the anti-slip rubber pad on the dashboard, but personally, I feel that I didn’t need to use this myself.
Once you’ve located the mounting arm onto your windscreen and positioned the console on your dashboard, you just need to get the 12volt adapter to plug it into your available 12volt socket, and then carefully feed its long cable around the dash and into the back of the portable console. After this point, you now need to choose whether you want to connect the 3.5mm audio jack two an audio input port in your car’s interior, or if you don’t have such a port you can use the FM transmission method instead.
FM Audio Transmitter
Once powered, if you’ve chosen FM transmission for your audio, the first thing you need to do is to check your car radio for a frequency that is free from any radio stations or interference. Then in the FM menu option on the console, you enabled FM via the toggle at the bottom and then dial in the same FM frequency to match the frequency on your car stereo.
Wired & Wireless Apple CarPlay
To connect to CarPlay you can choose either to do this by connecting a USB-C to lightning cable to your iPhone or if you wish to use wireless CarPlay you need to first connect your iPhone to the console via Bluetooth. After doing this you will be asked to pair and enable CarPlay, and then wireless CarPlay should begin.
From here you can use CarPlay as you would do with any other factory system or aftermarket stereo and the audio will begin to transmit through the car’s Aux input or radio frequency on your stereo.
Wired & Wireless Android Auto
For Android Auto, the process is pretty much the same, you can use either a wired connection via the USB-C port or connect to the wireless console using Bluetooth to pair the console with your Android 11 or higher device.
Once connected, you can control Android Auto just as you could on any other factory system that has Android Auto capability, with audio, navigation, and calling, all coming through your car speakers via the FM radio or Aux audio output on your car stereo.
Screen Mirroring From Your Smartphone
A new addition to this version of the console over the previous model is that you now have the ability to use screen mirroring or screencasting on your iOS or Android device. This will give you the ability to playback content from your phone onto the portable console screen as well as playing audio from your car stereo via apps such as YouTube, but sadly like the dongles I have covered, applications that contain copyright material will not function, such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.
USB Media
Just like the previous model you also have a USB-A input port for USB media. By inserting a USB drive filled with audio and video files you can play these back on this portable console via its built-in media player.
Many file formats are supported, so you shouldn’t find any trouble playing your media back on the console’s screen.
My Impressions
Performance-wise, I found this consort to be a lot faster than the previous model. And its display, although slightly inferior to the original wireless model, it is just as sharp and bright as the original model. The tiny speaker inside has been improved a little, but you still will want to use Aux or FM transmission for your audio. Unfortunately, again, this updated model still only features a single Bluetooth module, and this is used for Bluetooth input only – so you will not be able to transmit audio via Bluetooth to your car’s Bluetooth stereo.
The FM quality is still decent and it’s a great alternative should you not have an Aux input. The problem I have with the Aux input is that you have a cable running out of the console and into the Aux input port in the vehicle, which for some might be a little unsightly because all the power and cables still run from the left side of the console rather than out from the back of it.
It’s also still unfortunate that you are forced to use the bundled 12 Volt cable adapter, which takes up the entire socket, so should you have the need to use a USB socket for other devices such as a phone charging mount, or dashcam, you will not be able to plug these in. Instead, you could reuse the USB-A port on the side of the console, but that means more unwieldy wires.
In a future version of this console, I would like to see the console become a little thinner and a little lighter. I would like to see the input and output ports moved to the back of the console (even if the console had to get thicker). I would like to see a big improvement with the onboard audio, and also have the ability to transmit audio from the console to the car stereo via Bluetooth.
But right now, if the thought of installing an aftermarket CarPlay system worries you, or that you would like to share CarPlay between a number of vehicles in your household, or use it in a hired car, or perhaps you wish to use CarPlay in a caravan or boat, then this Pro unit from Coral Vision is a much-improved plug and play solution to easily get Apple CarPlay in any vehicle.
This Coral Vision CarPlay Wireless Pro A portable console retails for $329 directly from the people that make it, and you can check out my links in this article to learn more, and to support the site/channel by buying yourself one.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Intro
0:24 – Overview
1:00 – Unboxing
1:35 – Installation
2:32 – FM Transmitter
2:56 – Wireless CarPlay
3:26 – Android Auto
3:57 – Screen Mirroring / Screen Casting
4:28 – USB Media
4:52 – Performance
5:02 – Internal Speaker & Bluetooth
5:24 – FM Quality & Aux
5:53 – 12v Power Adapter
6:17 – My Impressions
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