8.4 UConnect Replacement - Junsun. Worth it!

[nlambert182]

My radio is crapping out. Constantly rebooting and now I'm getting random blue screens. I really don't want to spend the coin on another UConnect radio. I've seen a few aftermarket options that retain all of the factory controls/settings but I'd like feedback from the community. I don't want to spend $1k+ right now with everything else we have going on. I just need something reliable.

What are some decent options? I saw that Boosted Motorsports talked about the Junsun unit, but not sure how reliable it is or if folks like it. I know there was an issue with the internal mic but I think I understand how to remove it. Not sure what a good external mic might be. I saw a few others but they were well north of $1k.

 

[nlambert182]

I'm looking at the Junsun and the Phoenix Automotive screens.

Amazon.com

Buy Now 9.7/10.4" Android 13/14 Fast boot Vertical Screen Navi Radio for Dodge RAM 2013 - 2018 RAM Classic 2019 - 2024

Upgrade your Dodge Ram with a 9.7/10.4" Android 13/14 Fast Boot vertical screen navigation radio. Experience a cutting-edge driving experience with features like wireless CarPlay & Android Auto, and a customizable user interface.

phoenixautomotiveinc.com

It looks like the Phoenix may be a little faster and reviews say it's better built, but I don't know anyone who has it. I can live with the Tesla style screen as long as everything works properly. Then again, I like that the Junsun lets me retain my knobs. Definitely need some advice before I pull the trigger though.

 

[nlambert182]

Couldn't really wait around because I'm only going to have a small window of time to replace it with my schedule, so I pulled the trigger and picked up the Junsun 10.6" radio. I couldn't find any reviews on the forum for this particular one, but it was cheap enough for me to gamble it. Not sure how I will feel about the screen sticking out a bit, but I couldn't get a radio with more than 2GBRAM, 32GB ROM in the 9" screen with auto AC and the OS takes up a lot of space. Figured I'd take the gamble. Plus I have a software engineer on staff that exclusively works with Android so if I run into issues he can hopefully help me solve them.


(This isn't my truck, but a screenshot of what it should look like.) I'll try to snag some pics of the install.

 

[nlambert182]

Installed the radio over the weekend and I have to say that this thing is awesome. I actually like the screen more than I anticipated. Installation wasn't really that difficult and everything is plug and play.

Every feature that the 8.4 Uconnect has is still there and fully functional, minus Sirius XM, but I have the app and once carplay fires up it auto loads Sirius. No difference, really. The thing that I thought I didn't like at first was the stereo sound but after realizing that I needed to go in and tweak the EQ, everything sounds even better than factory.

If I have one gripe, it's that the reverse camera is kind of weird now because the of the screen resolution. It's a little stretched, but nothing that is really a big deal. You can still see everything clearly. IMO, if I were looking for an aftermarket head unit to replace the 8.4, I like the brand so far. Time will tell how well it holds up.

 

[Guitar Guy]

By the appearance, it is clearly after-market and removeable - I wonder if it will be an invitation to thieves?

I had a window smashed out of my truck years back, and my stereo ripped out of the dash. The thing that p***ed me off was the perp hit my door with whatever he used to break the glass, and gouged up my dashboard ripping the stereo out. And the part he got away with was just a tuner, useless without the remote amplifier which he didn't know was under the dash. A lot of damage to steal something he couldn't even sell.

I guess if he had a brain, he wouldn't have to be a thief.

 

[nlambert182]

It's not removable any more than the OEM. You actually have to physically disassemble the center panel and attach the radio and the black center panel insert into it's place. The radio is made onto the black panel that houses the HVAC controls and the volume knob. You have to remove everything between the screen and the accessory buttons/trailer brake controller and move it over.

 

[man n black]

You'd be surprised how strong a thief can be in the heatr of the moment.

I've been interested in the Phoenix units for some time now due to the integrated look, but I afraid of losing my factory buttons for things like seat heat and exh brake..

Looks like youre having a positive experience so far. Thanks for the share

Ch

 

[nlambert182]

In that instance they're just as likely to snatch my OEM as well.

I was leaning towards Phoenix but saw a lot of really bad reviews on them and that their customer service was non-existent. Time will tell how this one holds up, but there are a lot of reviews on the company itself and so far they're all pretty good. I'd definitely give it a go if I needed a replacement. Their 9" screen looks more factory, and I was leaning that way but wanted more storage space.

All in all, I didn't lose any factory functionality (sans XM radio with a workaround), which is why I am impressed. If anything I've gained functionality.

 

[SPORTRAM17]

I'm looking at the Junsun and the Phoenix Automotive screens.

Amazon.com

Buy Now 9.7/10.4" Android 13/14 Fast boot Vertical Screen Navi Radio for Dodge RAM 2013 - 2018 RAM Classic 2019 - 2024

Upgrade your Dodge Ram with a 9.7/10.4" Android 13/14 Fast Boot vertical screen navigation radio. Experience a cutting-edge driving experience with features like wireless CarPlay & Android Auto, and a customizable user interface.

phoenixautomotiveinc.com

It looks like the Phoenix may be a little faster and reviews say it's better built, but I don't know anyone who has it. I can live with the Tesla style screen as long as everything works properly. Then again, I like that the Junsun lets me retain my knobs. Definitely need some advice before I pull the trigger though.

I love my Phoenix! I know some have had problems but mine has worked flawlessly. It was pretty easy to install and comes with everything I needed to install. I have a 2017 1500 Sport RCSB.

 

[SPORTRAM17]

You'd be surprised how strong a thief can be in the heatr of the moment.

I've been interested in the Phoenix units for some time now due to the integrated look, but I afraid of losing my factory buttons for things like seat heat and exh brake..

Looks like youre having a positive experience so far. Thanks for the share

Ch

The Phoenix units retain factory control function. 2017 Sport RCSB

 

[nlambert182]

It seems that the main 2 in the conversation right now are the Junsun and Phoenix brands. I don't have any experience with the Phoenix, so good to know that someone likes it. The Junsun did retain all of my factory functions and buttons, so that was also nice to see. However, on the 4th gens, the heated seats and exhaust brake are on the switch panel below the radio so I think that functionality would remain. I installed a cheap knockoff nav unit in my 2012 SLT and even it kept the EB (only button it had).

I think the smaller 9" Junsun would look more factory, where the larger one that I installed looks more like the newer radios in cars today. Big screens that don't fit in the dash. It doesn't look out of place, though I was really concerned that it would. If I could figure out a backup cam that would correct the stretching of the factory one I'd likely replace it.

 

[MrFigs]

I have a '12 ram, and I think it's the 14 and newer that have the bezel like nlambert's. mine sticks out a bit, easy to rip off, I didn't get the junsun one, I got another chinese brand one cause it had more ram, more space and at the time the junsun and the rest were Android 12, and this one is android 13.

in retrospect... shoulda got the junsun one. This one isn't bad, but it's frozen on me a couple times, it hasn't turned on the alpine amp a couple times, it doesn't dim very much when you dim the cluster lights like it should and I have played with all the settings. I've chipped the right side top and bottom corners some how. I had to use an adapter to get the factory rear cam to work, and initially it wasn't bad, but a 480p image stretched to 720p, but the camera quality has really dropped recently. It gets cranky with google maps, well there's been a few updates since I tried last, it seems sluggish. The steering wheel controls do work, for the most part. the hvac controls don't.. but I think that's cause I have a '12. Sound quality... I think it's actually better than the stock head unit. FM reception is weird, in the city where the broadcast tower is, reception is quite crappy, but I drove 100miles away and reception was still crystal clear... soo odd. And there's no AM on it. The power button just mutes it. If you drag the top down there's a moon icon that lets you turn off the screen.... but the screen comes back on when backing up.. when backing a trailer at night it would be lovely to be able to turn off or dim the screen.

I did look at the Phoenix, but at the time it too seemed like a knock off junsun. Would I do it again, yes, but I'd pay the $300 CAD for the Junsun instead of the $200 CAD for the brand I have.

 

[nlambert182]

Knock on wood... I'm still enjoying the Junsun. I'd have preferred to keep the UConnect but I needed the truck to not be down for more than a few hrs. Considering it is a bit involved to swap everything over even if I did get the UConnect repaired, I wouldn't want to reinstall the OEM. My only gripe is still the stretched camera image, but honestly it's just not bad enough for me to worry about it.

 

[GeauxinUp]

Knock on wood... I'm still enjoying the Junsun. I'd have preferred to keep the UConnect but I needed the truck to not be down for more than a few hrs. Considering it is a bit involved to swap everything over even if I did get the UConnect repaired, I wouldn't want to reinstall the OEM. My only gripe is still the stretched camera image, but honestly it's just not bad enough for me to worry about it.

Agreed. I've been running the Junsun for a few months now and haven't had any issues. And like you, my only complaint would be the OEM camera quality on the Junsun screen AND the radio cutting off in reverse.
The only way I'd go back to the 8.4 factory unit would be if I upgraded to the 19+ unit with CarPlay.

 

[NETim]

I have another brand Android on the way from Amazon…. Gnobby. After dealing with Apple CarPlay in my Challenger, I decided I HAVE to have it in the Ram. Factory Nav is far less than impressive in this day and age.

Anyway, have you guys had to deal with battery drain? I’ve seen a few videos where it was necessary to configure “sleep” mode to off otherwise the unit will run in the background.

Also, how tough was it to pull the radio knobs to make the transfer. I’ve watched a few videos on the technique. Doesn’t look too tough to do but those were experienced hands doing it too.

The unit I ordered is supposed to be 8 core, 4Gb RAM, 64Gb ROM, and Android 14 for a little over $200 with coupon.

I also ordered some of the clips that retain the bezel in the dash as it looks like they like to fly off and disappear.

Hopefully I’ll do the install this weekend.

 

[nlambert182]

Agreed. I've been running the Junsun for a few months now and haven't had any issues. And like you, my only complaint would be the OEM camera quality on the Junsun screen AND the radio cutting off in reverse.
The only way I'd go back to the 8.4 factory unit would be if I upgraded to the 19+ unit with CarPlay.

My radio doesn't cut off in reverse. I can't recall where, but there's a setting that you can turn off.

 

[nlambert182]

I have another brand Android on the way from Amazon…. Gnobby. After dealing with Apple CarPlay in my Challenger, I decided I HAVE to have it in the Ram. Factory Nav is far less than impressive in this day and age.

Anyway, have you guys had to deal with battery drain? I’ve seen a few videos where it was necessary to configure “sleep” mode to off otherwise the unit will run in the background.

Also, how tough was it to pull the radio knobs to make the transfer. I’ve watched a few videos on the technique. Doesn’t look too tough to do but those were experienced hands doing it too.

The unit I ordered is supposed to be 8 core, 4Gb RAM, 64Gb ROM, and Android 14 for a little over $200 with coupon.

I also ordered some of the clips that retain the bezel in the dash as it looks like they like to fly off and disappear.

Hopefully I’ll do the install this weekend.

No... My radio cuts off thankfully.

Removing the knobs (and more importantly, the clear rings that let the light shine through) is a bit of a challenge. Honestly that took me about as long as everything else. It takes some patience to get them off, but there are some good youtube videos that walk you through how to remove them. I work with a lot of small electronics doing things like this semi-regularly, but I am not an expert by any stretch.

 

[NETim]

No... My radio cuts off thankfully.

Removing the knobs (and more importantly, the clear rings that let the light shine through) is a bit of a challenge. Honestly that took me about as long as everything else. It takes some patience to get them off, but there are some good youtube videos that walk you through how to remove them. I work with a lot of small electronics doing things like this semi-regularly, but I am not an expert by any stretch.

The video I watched the guy used a plastic tool like would be used to pull car interior panels etc to remove the knobs. That’s what I thought go with first.

 

[nlambert182]

Well it isn't that simple. There are two tabs that lock the knob onto the board. You have to strategically pry those tabs up through a small window using a pick or really small flathead, and then use a pry tool to pop them off. It took a decent amount of work to get them off. Don't try prying without lifting those locking tabs are you'll shear them off.

 

[GeauxinUp]

My radio doesn't cut off in reverse. I can't recall where, but there's a setting that you can turn off.

Yeah, I've got it turned off...still cuts the audio in reverse. I contacted them, and they said it's normal.