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CES 2019: Wired and wireless aftermarket CarPlay head units coming this year

CES 2019 is bringing us new wired and wireless aftermarket CarPlay head units from brands including Sony, Kenwood, and JVC. These are the latest CarPlay screens coming this year.

Aftermarket head units are great for adding CarPlay to the car you already own without needing to buy a brand new car. Driving with CarPlay is much safer and more convenient too.

You can safely control Maps, Music, Messages and other apps using the car’s built-in screen, and Siri helps you while driving without needing to pick up your phone.

JVC

JVC is replacing its 2018 flagship receiver with two wireless CarPlay head units priced from $600:

The new KW-V950BW (MSRP $699.95) and sans-DVD KW-M855BW (MSRP $599.95) are the first models from JVC to offer wired and wireless access to Apple® CarPlay™ and Android Auto™.

This is great news. Having the option to use wireless CarPlay is fantastic, even if you decide to plug-in and charge occasionally. Wireless CarPlay is still uncommon in brand new cars in 2019, so adding it to the car you already own for under $1000 is a great deal.

Kenwood

Kenwood is similarly promising aftermarket wireless CarPlay receivers with not two but seven options coming this year:

KENWOOD USA announced it has introduced seven new-for-2019 multimedia receivers that enable iPhone® users to wirelessly enjoy their content through the receiver using Apple® CarPlay™. […]

Models with full wireless capability include: KENWOOD eXcelon Reference DNX996XR and DDX9906XR; KENWOOD eXcelon DDX8906S and DMX906S; and KENWOOD DNR876S, DDX8706S and DMX9706S.

In typical CES fashion, it looks like price and availability will come later, but it’s great to see wireless CarPlay almost become default this year.

Sony

Sony has also teased out a new CarPlay head unit (pictured above) coming in 2019, although wireless connectivity appears to be limited to Bluetooth and not CarPlay.

Sony Electronics Inc. today announced the XAV-AX7000 Car AV Receiver, featuring the latest in smartphone connectivity and high-power sound. The XAV-AX7000 receiver features a 6.95-inch bezel-less, flush surface display with an anti-glare capacitive touchscreen that matches modern car interiors, and its sleek aluminum key terminal has a dedicated voice button and sealed structure.

This one would need to be a great value to recommend over wireless options in 2019, but the head unit design and stock UI doesn’t look as foreign to iPhone users as competing head units.

Stay tuned for more coverage of CES 2019 (and hopefully more CarPlay news!) throughout this week. For more on CarPlay, check out these stories:


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Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.