Porsche 911, Cayman and Boxster 8.4 inch Android Head Unit with Wireless CarPlay, Android Auto and DSP | IAH84BSTPT

This unit replaces the PCM 3.1 head unit in the Porsche 911 (991) from 2012-2018, the Cayman (981) from 2013-2016 and the Boxster (981) from 2012-2016. PCM 3.1 cars have 7 buttons on the first row with TUNER, MEDIA and NAVI buttons; PCM4.0 cars have 4 buttons and an OPT button, so check yours before ordering.

The factory optical fibre sound system stays in use, whether the car has BOSE or Burmester audio, thanks to the fibre optic decoder in the box. The original camera and parking sensors keep working, and the screen can show door status, speed, mileage and range.

There's no DVD drive. The face panel measures 190(Top)/180mm(Bottom)x170mm.

CarPlay puts your iPhone's maps, music, messages and calls on the 8.4 inch screen in a layout made for driving. You can ask Siri for directions or a song without taking a hand off the wheel.

It's built in, so there's no separate box to add behind the dashboard.

Android phones get Android Auto, with Google Maps, music apps and calls laid out in large, simple screens. Say "Hey Google" and Google Assistant handles a destination or a message while you keep your eyes on the road.

The unit is a GPS navigation system in its own right, with a GPS antenna supplied. You can run a navigation app on the head unit itself, so you have maps even without a phone connected.

With CarPlay or Android Auto running, your phone's navigation apps appear on the same screen.

The 8.4 inch IPS screen has a 1024×768 resolution and stays clear when viewed from the passenger seat as well as the driver's. Touch response is quick, so tapping through menus on the move is easy.

The nano-textured glass is etched to reduce glare and reflections, which helps a lot in a low, sunny cabin like a 911 or Boxster with the roof down.

The built-in DSP chip lets you adjust the sound to your own taste rather than living with a fixed setting. You can shape the tone and balance to suit the cabin and the speakers you have.

A TDA7851 amplifier drives the speakers.

The unit has an RDS radio tuner (TDA7708) for FM. For digital radio, add an XTRONS USB DAB tuner (USBDAB01, USBDAB02, USBDAB04, ACUSBDAB05T or ACUSBDAB06) and you'll get DAB+ stations on the screen.

The DAB tuner is sold separately.

Screen mirroring shows your phone's screen on the head unit, handy for an app that doesn't run in CarPlay or Android Auto. It's best used by a passenger or while parked.

Wi-Fi gives the head unit a data connection for online maps, streaming and app downloads. Connect it to your phone's hotspot, or share your phone's data with USB tethering.

The factory reversing camera and parking sensors stay in use. If your car doesn't have a camera, a camera and camera cable are in the box.

Instant camera mode brings the picture up as soon as you select reverse. The unit also supports AHD 720P and 1080P cameras, such as the XTRONS CAM009S, ACCAM716S, CAM1080, ACCAM10802 or ACCAMAI01 (sold separately).

The CANbus box decodes the car's own signals, so the steering wheel buttons carry on working after the upgrade. It also passes on reversing radar, door information and fuel consumption to the screen.

An external microphone picks up your voice more clearly for hands-free calls and voice control. XTRONS MIC001, MIC002, MIC003 and ACMIC005 microphones are compatible and sold separately.

An Octa-core chip built on a 12nm process runs the unit, with 4GB DDR4 RAM and 128GB solid state storage. That's plenty of room for maps, music and apps, and menus open without lag.

The XTRONS interface has changeable themes, so you can pick a look that suits the cabin.

The unit works with a range of XTRONS add-ons: an OBD reader (OBD01S, OBD02, OBD03 or OBD04) to read trouble codes, TPMS sensors (TPMS07 or TPMS08) to show tyre pressures on the screen, an AMK003 keyboard, and USBHDMI or USBRCA adapters for HD or RCA output. Each is sold separately.