I have been an owner for four years now, and I have used it enough to express an opinion. Essentially, it consists of two devices, each with its own firmware (the base is updated via USB with the firmware file found on the Pioneer website, the tablet like any Android tablet – both received an update in August 2020). One is the base/amplifier/charger for the tablet, which only has two illuminated volume control buttons, and the other is the tablet, which is permanently enclosed in a plastic, rigid frame like a protective case. On the back, it has the charging port and on the lower front part, it has a flexible, semi-transparent plastic that covers the base’s volume control buttons in such a way that pressing the lower part of the screen frame operates the volume. These devices connect via Bluetooth and the Pioneer Smart Sync for Tablet app at startup. The radio receiver is inside the base, which means radio playback is possible without connecting to the tablet, with blind operation from the steering wheel controls, of course. When the tablet is connected, radio control is done through a Pioneer app whose graphical interface, simple and elegant, resembles a non-Android device with a screen. Its colors, as well as the color of the illuminated voice control buttons, are widely customizable, which is very important because it allows color harmonization with the rest of the vehicle’s lighting. The color of the voice buttons before successful Bluetooth connection with the tablet is white, but after connection, it takes the color chosen by the user, providing an easily perceptible visual indication of successful connection. It is the only one of its kind, i.e., full Android on a branded head unit and not a Chinese OEM. Other advantages are:

1) Its internal amplifier is very good and not a joke, it produces very good sound, full and clear, unlike the sound from Chinese units, which is almost always weak and often has static hiss that passes into the sound even if we add an aftermarket amplifier.

2) It is not rooted (unlike the Chinese ones). Even the Cosmote TV app works on it.

3) Pioneer warranty.

4) Full Android experience. What can I say, it takes everything. It runs Android 9.0.

5) Excellent screen in brightness, perceived resolution (for a vehicle device), and touch response. WXGA (800 × 1280) IPS resolution. Touch Panel. 5 Points capacitive touch panel. The screen remains quite readable even under strong sunlight in terms of brightness, however, as shown in the attached photos, it exhibits strong light reflection which makes use difficult in some circumstances.

6) Very good for calls via Bluetooth (Version 4.2), clear and comfortable two-way listening, caller identification via synchronization with the phone’s contacts with Greek characters, call handling on the screen with a private mode option, which transfers the call to the phone (but not automatically to the Bluetooth hands-free that you may have simultaneously connected to your phone) in case you do not want to share a specific call with your passengers. There is no contacts book environment; incoming calls are answered or rejected from the tablet environment, but if we want to call someone, the call must be initiated from the mobile phone.

7) It takes a microSDHC card (up to 32GB) on the detachable tablet. It has 2 USB 2.0 ports (one microUSB Type B on the tablet and one USB on the base, which, via an extension cable, is usually accessible from a place like the glove compartment). AUX in on the tablet. FLAC support everywhere.

8) Detachable front panel, so as not to tempt potential thieves. The front panel is essentially a small tablet that can be used/charged independently, outside the car. This is convenient so that one can configure the tablet features related to the Android system without being in the car. Of course, anything related to sound settings (extensive customization options with 13-band EQ and crossovers/fader) requires connection to the base, since the amplifier is located there.

9) Ability to add a rearview camera, very useful.

Disadvantages:

1) Successful Bluetooth connection between the base and the tablet requires specific conditions. The responsible app, Pioneer Smart Sync for Tablet, has a rating of 2.3/5 on the Google Playstore, precisely because these conditions are not clarified anywhere and most users complain about connection issues in their reviews. Initially, for me too, about 50% of the time it would not connect successfully except after repeatedly turning the tablet's Bluetooth off and on. The problem was solved when I realized that to avoid this, when starting the vehicle, the tablet must already be on and not in Airplane Mode. If the initial connection attempt (during which the base's volume buttons flash for a few seconds) fails, either because the tablet is just starting up due to a dead battery before connecting or because it is in airplane mode (which it enters when the vehicle is turned off), then it takes a lot of effort to connect. If the tablet is ready, however, the connection succeeds most of the time and is very fast. There are, however, times when, even though everything is done correctly, it just won't connect and this is a serious drawback. There was only one update 2.5 years ago, and the company has abandoned the device. Once connected, the connection is very stable. Without the connection, you cannot listen to any source except the radio, and voice/station control can only be done blindly by those with steering wheel controls. If you put, for example, Spotify, without connection it will play... from the tablet's speaker.

2) The tablet is quite good for light use. Do not expect mobile phone speeds, and if you want to use it as a GPS or gaming device, you will need to be patient while any app loads. It has a 2013 processor (ARM Quad core Cortex-A7 / 1.8 GHz), 2GB RAM, and 16GB storage. After 2 years of use, I thought to disable anything running in the background that I didn't need, google voice, all kinds of services, and all the useless preinstalled apps. It runs much better, connection problems were minimized, but even so, every now and then it crashes and restarts. It also has front and rear cameras, but okay, they perform as you would expect and, in any case, no one will use them.

3) Additional convenience would be offered if the tablet had a microSIM slot. There would be no need to wait for a successful connection both with the base via Bluetooth and with the phone via tethering. At least, you have something to occupy yourself with while you wait for the windshield to defog in the winter.

4) To change the wallpaper of the home screen, I was forced to download Google Wallpapers, as it is not so easy to change to something other than the offered defaults.

Update after 4 years of use:

-Pioneer did not release another firmware update for the device, which is very bad in my opinion, because the product needed more fixes to be improved.

-Sometimes the tablet crashes and essentially does a problematic restart, after which it is difficult for the tablet to reconnect to Bluetooth and WiFi, which is very annoying if you are already on the move and cannot deal with connections because you are driving. I have found that a restart every week prevents this, probably because the available memory fills up and it crashes when the tablet goes too long without a restart.

-Having stated all of the above, I have enjoyed it, even with its problems, because it is both beautiful and opens up many possibilities for the driver that other head units do not have. If a next model ever came out with a tablet with stronger features, it would be perfect. Even better from Pioneer would be to release a new model of just the tablet, which could be purchased separately and fit onto the existing base. Then, the upgrade would be affordable and would not require a new installation by a technician. I have shared these thoughts with Pioneer Europe, from whom I have received a response that 'for now' there are no plans for a new model.