While more vehicles are coming with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay built-in, many of them don't support wireless CarPlay. Thankfully, at CES 2022, Alpine announced brand new versions of its popular 9 and 11-inch Halo receiver with wireless built-in, among other improvements.
Alpine Electronics was the first company to produce an aftermarket option for CarPlay. Now its most popular model is back for 2022 in both 9 and 11-inch models with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wirelessly or wired.
The Alpine Halo is a single-din car stereo receiver and is typically user-installable. Instead of requiring a dash kit to convert your dash into a dual-din setup, it fits into a single slot. The 1280 x 720 resolution screen then mounts to an adjustable arm and floats toward the user. It's a clean, stylish, user-friendly design popular with the automotive crowd.
"The all-new iLX-F511 11-inch Multimedia Receiver and the iLX-F509 9-inch Multimedia Receiver feature High-Resolution Audio Playback to bring out the full potential of music in the vehicle. Features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and built-in Bluetooth hands-free calling with audio streaming allows access to music, messages, phone calls, and maps on a smartphone via either a wired USB connection or wirelessly."
Overall, these units look nearly identical to previous generations, but it's the software on the inside that's important. While the star of the show this year is that both sizes now support wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, enthusiasts will also be happy to hear Alpine added Lossless hi-res audio support.
For hi-res audio, the Halo receivers work with FLAC and APE codecs, along with standard MP3/WMA/AAC formats. They also support H.264/MPEG-4 AVC/MP4/MOV/FLV/MKV video via USB. Other specs include a 24-bit DAC, front and rear camera inputs, steering wheel ready, HDMI input and output, HD Radio, SiriusXM-ready, and a floating style display with adjustable height and depth and angle mounting bracket to support more vehicles than before.
Thanks to the upgrades, these popular car stereo receivers cost a little more than previous versions, and both sizes will be available in February starting at $999 and $1,200 for the 11-inch model. So, upgrade your car with new tech today.
via 9to5Mac