This week on EV Rider we’re looking at a tiny plug-n-play device called the Smart AI Box that brings video and most Android Google Play apps to your car’s infotainment system while parked.
Important: Never attempt to watch video or use non-automotive apps when driving.
At first glance Android Auto and Apple Car Play seem great. And they are when it comes to navigation or music.
But when it comes to web browsing, social media or watching video while you’re parked, charging your EV or waiting for someone, they just don’t cut it.
That’s where the Smart AI Box comes in. OneCarStereo.com sent me this review unit, which at the time of this review’s posting cost $199. It plugs into your car’s USB or USB-C data port. Your car then recognizes it as an Apple Car Play device.
But instead of launching Apple Car Play it launches a full version of Android 11 – without many of the app restrictions that Android Auto and Apple Car Play have to keep apps from displaying on automotive screens.
The Smart AI Box comes pre-installed with YouTube, Netflix, DisneyPlus and the Google Play app store. It also lets you mirror your smartphone after downloading an app called CarBitLink .
You can also launch back into the stock version of Android Auto or Apple Car Play directly from the Smart AI Box’s interface.
It works by using your smartphone as a hotspot. Sounds great, right? Well sort of. It all depends on your car and your use case.
First off, it won’t work with BMWs, MINIs or any car that doesn’t support a wired Apple Car Play connection.
If you’re thinking of buying the Smart AI Box, make sure you confirm your car is supported before placing an order by checking the combability list on the the Smart AI Box’s product page.
Next, even though it has a full version of Android some software makers don’t want you using their products on car screens. For example, the Firefox browser works great but Google hides the Chrome browser in the Play Store from the Smart AI Box and Paramount Plus doesn’t allow video to be played on it even though it does let you install the Paramount Plus app.
You might think, “well I can get around that with the screen mirror app,” but some software developers have thought of that as well and block video when trying to play them via screen mirroring.
If you’ve got a vertical screen like the Ford Mustang Mach-E featured in the video review above does, Netflix videos won’t scale correctly, although YouTube and Amazon Prime worked as expected, playing videos in their native 16×9 aspect ratios. Netflex videos scale to fill the entire vertical screen, cutting off the right and left sides of videos.
I would expect Netflix to work perfectly on horizontal display screens, which is what most cars have.
If you don’t like the look of the Smart AI Box interface it does support Android launchers so you can have pretty much whatever look you want.
I installed Nova Launcher and Car Launcher to confirm launchers would work as expected.
If you’re not familiar with how launchers work, they allow you to replace the original interface with just about anything you can think of. Search launchers in the Play Store and you’ll quickly get an idea of just how flexible Android really is.
Another thing to know is the Smart AI Box I was sent has 2 GB of RAM and a Qualcomm quad-core processor. That’s enough to browse the web and stream video but if you’re planning to play games on it, just know more complex games will lag or even freeze.
If you’ve got a car with wired CarPlay and really want the ability to watch Netflix and YouTube while parked, then this is a simple way to do it. But if you were hoping this would work perfectly with every Android app, then this isn’t your solution.
If you’re thinking of getting the Smart AI Box I’d suggest first confirming it will work as expected with the apps you want to use. For example, if there is a game you wish to install check it’s hardware requirements first and compare them to the Smart AI Box’s specs. For example, if the game requires at least 3 GB of RAM, it will stutter or perhaps not work at all on the Smart AI Box.
For you Android experts, the Smart AI Box does support sideloading apps and includes a TF slot that supports up to 128 GB of microSD storage.
OneCarStereo.com provided EV Rider with review unit featured in the video at the top of this post but did not have any editorial input into the video’s production, nor did it see an advance copy of the video. EV Rider’s editorial policy regarding review units is available for anyone that would like to read it. EV Rider may receive a commission if a unit is purchased via the links at the top of this web page.