They’re cheaper than oneer’s option, which costs $1,400. To further differentiate its offering, Kenwood touts its systems’ abilities to quickly switch between Android Auto Caray. It’s a subtle dig at oneer, which requires you to restart the dashboard unit in order to move from one platform to another. Kenwood also says its units have “native control of ra iHeartRadio.” esumably this is a reference to apps developed for oneer’s AppRadio, which are built specifically for Kenwood’s platform run independently of Android Auto Caray. The story behind the story: Both Apple want to extend their ecosystem to your car. The benefit to you is a smarter dashboard with maps, music, messages without the distraction of looking at your phone. However, our Android Auto review found the unit to be rather buggy, though it shows promise for a smarter drive when those inconsistencies get ironed out. Caray integrates well with Siri, but has its own set of issues that keep it from being a must-buy at this point. Kenwood’s offering new options for Android Auto or Apple Caray fans who want to put the new smartphone integration into their older cars: The new $900 DDX9702S $950 Excelon DDX9902S units announced dnesday offer both technologies. Kenwood’s units look cheaper overall than the three comparable oneer units already out: the top-of-the-line, $1,400 (MSR AVIC-8100NEX, the $1,200 AVIC-7100NEX, the $700 AVIC-4100NEX. haven’t had a chance to try the Kenwood systems yet, but a quick comparison of major specs with rival oneer’s NEX units shows some of what you’re getting (or not) for the money. Kenwood has one major bragging point over its oneer rival: Its systems let you switch between Android Auto Apple Caray without drilling into a settings menu, as the oneer units require. ’ve done the switch many times on the oneer unit it’s tolerable, but if Kenwood’s offering fewer steps that’s always better. The Kenwood units both have 6.95-inch color touchscreens, close in size to the 7-inch color touchscreens offered on the three oneer NEX units. (oneer also has cheaper units with 6.2-inch screens.) The AVIC-8100NEX is expensive in part because it has a capacitive touchscreen. This is a pricier but more responsive technology than resistive touchscreens, which is what you’ll find on the other two NEX units as well as the Kenwoods. Two other key features separate the oneer Kenwood competitors. oneer’s AVIC-8100NEX AVIC-7100NEX have built-in navigation systems, which the Kenwood systems ( oneer’s cheaper AVIC-4100NEX) lack. so, Kenwood offers just two apps that run natively on its system—ra iHeartRadio—while oneer’s AppRadio collection offers a much longer list of supported apps. hope to try a Kenwood unit soon to give you more details. Any of these systems are still cheaper than a br-new car!
