XTRONSAndroid 14 Car Stereo Octa-Core 4GB+64GB Car Radio for Ford FocusⅡ/C-Max/Mondeo/S-Max/GalaxyⅡ, 7" Radio Player with 4G ASM DSP 2K CarAutoPlay Auto GPS Navigation Bluetooth New UI, Optional DAB+

Beware of all the nonsense cheaper head units this is by far more superior in every way 100%We original purchased a cheaper brand that was half this price for our Ford and it’s was frustratingly sluggish, long delay and barely responsive to touch and lack of memory.We decided to purchase this more expensive xtrons unit and glad we did, it has 3 usb connections, dab+, reverse and front camera options, car play, sat nav and SIM card connection to have internet on the go.If you want the ultimate upgrade to your Ford then look no further.

Connected all up fine and worked however after install the car would not lock, only left side speakers would work and I could not select 5th or 6th gears as it was trying to go into reverse grinding my gears in gearbox because the connector was not suitable for a mk2 focus st225 as described. It did not have enough pins In connector so threw the CAN NETWORK out. Contacted the manufacturer who to start with were no help they then tried to but I had already sent it back

Short version: This looks like the many unfamiliar-brand clone radios you can buy for about half the price with lower spec, but it is not the same thing with a bigger brand on it – both the hardware and software are more polished and measurably better.It's worth spending the extra to install this in your Ford, but it's not 100% plug and play. I'd also recommend getting a version with DAB+ built in if it's offered.It's still early days for this installation in my car, but so far the quality and stability of the Xtrons 8-core, 4GB RAM/64GB Flash, plus 4G Mobile connectivity, Android radio for Ford Focus (etc.) has been worth every penny over the cost of cheaper, less-powerful clone unit.For what it's worth, I don't think you'll find this spec for less from other sources or brands – those cheap imported random-brand ones you see always go up in price when you get to the proper specification, and by the time you add VAT and shipping the Xtrons from Amazon actually costs less, with more security and peace of mind that if there's a problem you won't lose out.[b]Long version – review[/b]First impressions count – I bought this to replace a Hikity-branded YT9216CJ clone which claimed to be Android 13, but was really Android 8.1, and more to the point just didn't work well, or for very long. On opening the Xtrons box the first thing I noticed was that the buttons don't rattle and the plastics feel better quality. The next thing I noticed was the well-written (though still far too slim and lacking in detail) manual, and the HUGE bundle of cables. Installing this is not a five-minute job.The chassis at the rear unit is high-quality aluminium for heat dissipation, with an Xtrons branded warranty seal and a big warning sticker saying "don't use generic power supply leads" that you have to remove before connecting power. Not only does the chassis feel up to the task of cooling any chips physically in contact with it for cooling, there's a cooling fan as well.The row of multi-feature connectors clip on easily, and the immediate difference I noticed between this and the cheaper alternative was the bundle of wires around the reversing camera input lead – the BT/2.4GHz WiFi antenna leads are 4x the length! This will make a big difference to bluetooth connectivity and wireless mirroring performance as it is.When everything is tucked in and set up, the final big difference revealed itself. When I clipped the (original Ford) fascia panel back in, it lined up perfectly with the screen chrome surround flush to the plastic. The cheaper, similar-looking head unit had differences in moulding that meant the front panel bulged out below the screen.This is the difference between the established brand, and the OEM-clone-sellers – this is a couple of stages away from being good enough that manufacturers could supply it as factory equipment.Once installed it's clear that is is a proper, licensed Android installation, it is genuinely running Android 13, and the processors are capable of the claimed 2GHz clock speed. Overall the system is responsive and so far, has proved stable in terms of connection and operation – though I wish it were possible to replace the FM radio with the DAB+ app on the launcher, or switch between them, when DAB+ is provided by a USB tick (I think if you have both radios in the unit, this feature is supported).Wireless CarPlay performance has been excellent. The radio does not support wired CarPlay, but it does support USB tethering if you connect your phone to the four-pin port (it may be supported on all three, but I haven't tried it). This creates an ethernet connection for the radio from your phone and makes the Android streaming, maps and other features completely usable without relying on CarPlay or an extra phone bill to pay, so it's a very welcome feature.The SIM slot is on a flying lead, and finding somewhere to place this where it is accessible is tricky. I've gone for the trim below the steering wheel, and a plastic clip to hold it in a way that I can remove it and access the SIM if required, but it wasn't easy to route the wires. If your Focus has a storage box on the top of the dashboard this is a good place for the SIM card carrier.While it costs more than the AliExpress/dropshipper brands and you get more overall quality, it still uses the cheaper amp IC, and it doesn't have a DSP chip – the DSP feature is provided in software. There's also no way of expanding the internal memory, 64GB is it (the spec mentions a TF card slot, but this version of the radio does not have a TF card slot).[b]Irritating features?[/b]The screen has glare - a matte screen protector might help. The top right corner - the back button - can sometimes be hard to press due to the recessed screen, but there's no physical 'back' button.On the subject of buttons - while the steering wheel controls do work, the 'Mode' switch skips though Radio, Aux/video, Media and Nav just fine. It does not bring you back to CarPlay - and there's a dedicated EQ button when it's hard to imagine anyone needing to change the EQ that often. A 'mirroring' hardware button, or a software setting to control which apps the Mode button cycles through, would be a huge help. I have looked in the setup and on forums and haven't found that this is possible.Likewise I want the DAB radio included in the Modes, if I am cycling through sources.The power management still isn't quite there – connect the permanent live and it's always on, but with CANBus controlled power there's no delay when it switches off. It would be nice if the CANBus box could follow Ford's setup where it maintains power until the door is opened (I can understand that implementing power when accessory is off for a few minutes would be harder).It would be great if the developers could find a way of changing the encoder behavior for each app, so the tuner/preset/skp encoder could be used in CarPlay as a left-right-push to select hardware control. Support for physical controls like this (like iDrive) is part of the software on relevant cars, but it doesn't help in something like a Ford Focus before Sync where there's no way of navigating CarPlay.Likewise, there's no way for the CANBus or radio to recognise two buttons being pressed on the radio remote. This means that "volume up and down" for mute doesn't work – the radio can be muted with the buttons on the front panel of course.[b]Installation tips for Ford Focus Mk II Convertible (CC)[/b]My target car is a facelift Ford Focus CC-3 convertible, which has a couple of challenges - it has a heated windscreen, which does radio-mounted antenna no favours, and it has a ridiculous boot hinge that means installing a reversing camera is a real pain. Xtrons list a boot switch camera module among their accessories, which is ideal for the Focus CC (it's also the type I had bought for the previous install).Before installation - you can get a silver or black USB media interface (not charging) port that matches the switches below the A/C controls. I recommend picking one up that goes directly to the standard four-pin Android head unit connector, but an extension type will also work.Xtrons would recommend you get a charging type instead if you are using WiFi CarPlay, as the USB ports on the radio can only provide 1A not 2.1A, but I wanted to be able to easily use a USB stick. On my car there's a second switch blank next to the aux-in socket in the glovebox, which means you could easily do both.The Focus CC also has a very short, stubby antenna which means FM radio reception is awful, and the heated screen probably doesn't help the usual stick-on DAB ones work very well.The Xtrons unit here comes with three extra antenna to install - 5GHz WiFi, 4G LTE cellular/mobile phone, and GPS. It also thoughtfully comes with both an ISO push fit adaptor (of higher quality than the one with cheaper radios - it has four, not two, sprung contact points) and a Fakra + amplified antenna adaptor for the more typical Ford setup. My car has the ISO connector loom, which means unpowered antenna base - as a result I get awful radio reception.Since there are so many things to install, including a roof-mounted microphone, I recommend stripping the roof and A-pillar trims first. On the Focus CC this is quite easy – remove the header rail trim (unclip the courtesy light from the surrounding panel, then undo two screws in that panel, the screws holding the sun visors, and pop the vanity mirror lights out first to disconnect their wires before unclipping the roof trim - then unclip the A-pillar trims). Inside the A-pillar trims is an excellent place to install the 4G and 5GHz mobile antennas – if you're patient, you can put one either side of the car to minimise potential interference.The GPS module can be stuck to the dashboard above the vents, underneath, if you don't have a storage box or ST gauges installed (if you have a storage box, lift it out and stick the GPS on it).The factory microphone, if installed, has a wiring loom that terminates above the glovebox where the bluetooth accessory would be fitted. You could adapt the cables from that microphone, or just fit the Xtrons supplied one in the same space in the plastic surround for the interior lights.[b]Switched power and button illumination/screen dimming - Ford Focus radio won't turn off OR the keys don't light up when the lights are on.[/b]The multi-loom quadlock connector needs different configurations for different cars. If you are using CANBus to switch ACC power on-off (needed for most Fords of this age) you would normally leave the orange and red wire's two-pin connector unplugged.In the case of this radio and the Ford Focus, you want to remove the red wire (it's easiest to unclip the pin from the CANBus side then put an insulator over it, but I have previously unclipped it from the Quadlock to two-pin and removed it entirely that way).There is one final quirk to the way this radio works with the Ford's wiring – if you use the instrument lighting dimmer, the key lighting flickers on and off sporadically, or may not work at all depending on the level you've set. It doesn't dim. So if you've got flickering buttons, turn the instrument dimmer all the way up.[b]Radio Reception problems - Ford Focus CC[/b]I highly recommend finding and installing a higher-spec Ford original antenna which includes FM and amp and additionally GPS, cellular or DAB (I have seen GPS + cellular, and GPS + DAB, but not all).Fit that before installing this radio then use appropriate adaptors from Fakra to SMA for DAB/GPS/Cellular (and the Xtrons provided adaptor for FM), and you'll get a near-factory experience and only have to install the 5G WiFi antenna.[b]Conclusion? Pay the Xtra for Xtrons if there's a suitable unit for your car![/b]The difference in physical quality was a surprise, but what really changes the experience is the legitimate, properly developed and implemented Android and hardware platform combination. No spoofed IDs, no cloned serial keys, no 'test platform' and fudged specs that don't match the hardware.I say suitable version for you car because in the past, I've bought an Xtrons for Chrysler and returned it. Not because it didn't work, but because it had no physical volume control and the PT Cruiser never got a steering wheel remote, so it was almost impossible to use. I never got to see if the rest of it was any good.These units designed to fit mid-2000s Fords, however, look very good. The market for them must be huge, so it's clearly worth the effort making sure the solutions work well in the real world.Xtrons support also answered a couple of questions quickly and I get the impression they're working towards an even stronger, more professional international reputation when many of the brands of Android radio you see are opportunistic importers who don't understand the hardware, just buy cheap and sell fast.Given that this powerful, flexible upgrade to the Ford's factory Sony setup was still less than £200 (or the price of a decent cassette unit back in the '90s) it seems silly to try and save even more by buying a cloned/inferior product without support. Don't get me wrong – I know these are OEM components assembled and packaged – but the skill of component selection, software implementation and support is worth paying for.

A few years ago, I purchased a similar unit from a different brand and was left disappointed. This made me hesitant to try again. However, the Xtrons unit arrived quickly, was well-packaged, and easy to install. After dealing with the constant issues of my old unit, I was unsure how the Xtrons would perform. To my delight, it worked flawlessly right from the start. No more waiting five minutes to acquire satellites, and no more cold-boot every time I turned the ignition off and on. Everything works perfectly and quickly.If you’re struggling with a subpar or no-brand head unit, I highly recommend the Xtrons.

Great quality