The GOOD:
Installation: Very simple instal as you expect from XTRONS. On my installation I don't have much high frequency AMP noise or Alternator Whine. It is very very minimal and can't hear it at all if the AC is running on low or the engine is running. I am going to put in some Kicker LOC's instead of using XTRONS LOC's (because they measure better) to get rid of it completely. So this should be a plug and play for most people unless you are very I did slim down the harness to the essentials and wired up my Q7 rev cam retrofit. Very simple to depin things with a sanded down bobby pin.
Speed: The unit is fast. Boot time is about 15-20 seconds.
Connectivity: Haven't had any trouble with dropouts using CarPlay. I have the WIFI antenna attached to the front upper part of passenger dashboard but will probably be replacing this with just a small antennae to minimize wiring.
Reverse Camera Lines: On my previous XTRONS unit the reverse camera lines did not match the perspective of the angle of the camera at all. These do and it looks pretty good. You can also adjust where the lines start on the screen.
Sound Quality: The sound quality is exactly or better than the Concert unit. I have factory BOSE and it sounds great. No need to turn on Loudness settings or anything. The DSP has alot of adjustability. My settings are to cutoff below 80hz for front and rear in the Filter Settings and -12db on 32hz and -3db on 64hz in the EQ. Bass is pretty tight and still gets a bit of the lower frequencies without it sounding all murky from the factory BOSE sub.
Aesthetics: This unit looks much better than the other XTRONS units for the 8P. The UI looks like the 2018 era OEM units and it functions pretty well. I was hesitant about the narrow screen but I actually like it much better than the larger screen units because it looks a little more OEM. I also like that the buttons are horizontal instead of vertical since it matches the panel below it. The trim surround matches OEM finish pretty well. Especially in dimmer light. The chalky finish in low light matches. However in the sun you can see a slight difference from the factory blue Hue.
The BAD: (HELP section)
Fitment: Straight up installation you will see the lower portion of the unit sticks out about 3mm and can be very annoying for the OCD mindset. However, this is easily remedied with a little sanding of the plastic spacers that are on the front portion of the OEM HU cage. I really didn't want to modify this but the only other option would be to dremel off the rear metal bezel of the XTRONS unit which would void the warranty. If you need the spacers back it would be really easy by just cutting some ABS to size and epoxying. It's not like our Audi's aren't covered in epoxy fixes everywhere as it is.
Illumination: the panel LED's still do not dim with the illumination wheel. I don't think there is any way to get this to work. If there is then let me know.
Brightness: Unfortunately these units still only dim down so much when in the darkest settings for night driving but the App "Night Owl" does a good job reducing it more and the paid version gets you an automatic sunset/sunrise dimming schedule based on location. Also if you download GBoard and set it to black it reduces night brightness as well when typing.
OBDEleven Connectivity: Still OBDEleven connect. It popped up in the devices list once and I couldn't get it to pair. For some reason now it doesn't even appear. I would really love to get this functioning.
UI Limitations: Unfortunately you can't change much in this UI. The rotating home page menu items cannot be removed, rearranged, or items added to it. Apps that are in the apps folder also are sorted Alphabetically and cannot be rearranged. Car Image on the home page also only has images for 8v and Q3/Q7. I'm in talks with XTRONS and hopefully this can get changed with an update.
Software Limitations: There are some apps like "DASHBOARD" that would show car information but I guess the CANBUS is very limited and can't show anything. It would be cool if there was some modifying or an updated CANBUS module that you could fit to the 8p to read these things and have the information on the XTRONS.
Overall I'm happy with the unit since it's a better alternative to OEM RNSE if you want Carplay, Bluetooth, external storage, and all the bells and whistles. I'm working on a case to house a 1TB SSD with USB ports that slots into the OEM MMI in the glovebox to then be able to connect the SSD to the HU and also a USB port to connect to for Carplay/Android Auto if you want wired connectivity.
Attached are some images of things I just mentioned and some extras. Last image shows the correct fitment of the unit.
Installation: Very simple instal as you expect from XTRONS. On my installation I don't have much high frequency AMP noise or Alternator Whine. It is very very minimal and can't hear it at all if the AC is running on low or the engine is running. I am going to put in some Kicker LOC's instead of using XTRONS LOC's (because they measure better) to get rid of it completely. So this should be a plug and play for most people unless you are very I did slim down the harness to the essentials and wired up my Q7 rev cam retrofit. Very simple to depin things with a sanded down bobby pin.
Speed: The unit is fast. Boot time is about 15-20 seconds.
Connectivity: Haven't had any trouble with dropouts using CarPlay. I have the WIFI antenna attached to the front upper part of passenger dashboard but will probably be replacing this with just a small antennae to minimize wiring.
Reverse Camera Lines: On my previous XTRONS unit the reverse camera lines did not match the perspective of the angle of the camera at all. These do and it looks pretty good. You can also adjust where the lines start on the screen.
Sound Quality: The sound quality is exactly or better than the Concert unit. I have factory BOSE and it sounds great. No need to turn on Loudness settings or anything. The DSP has alot of adjustability. My settings are to cutoff below 80hz for front and rear in the Filter Settings and -12db on 32hz and -3db on 64hz in the EQ. Bass is pretty tight and still gets a bit of the lower frequencies without it sounding all murky from the factory BOSE sub.
Aesthetics: This unit looks much better than the other XTRONS units for the 8P. The UI looks like the 2018 era OEM units and it functions pretty well. I was hesitant about the narrow screen but I actually like it much better than the larger screen units because it looks a little more OEM. I also like that the buttons are horizontal instead of vertical since it matches the panel below it. The trim surround matches OEM finish pretty well. Especially in dimmer light. The chalky finish in low light matches. However in the sun you can see a slight difference from the factory blue Hue.
The BAD: (HELP section)
Fitment: Straight up installation you will see the lower portion of the unit sticks out about 3mm and can be very annoying for the OCD mindset. However, this is easily remedied with a little sanding of the plastic spacers that are on the front portion of the OEM HU cage. I really didn't want to modify this but the only other option would be to dremel off the rear metal bezel of the XTRONS unit which would void the warranty. If you need the spacers back it would be really easy by just cutting some ABS to size and epoxying. It's not like our Audi's aren't covered in epoxy fixes everywhere as it is.
Illumination: the panel LED's still do not dim with the illumination wheel. I don't think there is any way to get this to work. If there is then let me know.
Brightness: Unfortunately these units still only dim down so much when in the darkest settings for night driving but the App "Night Owl" does a good job reducing it more and the paid version gets you an automatic sunset/sunrise dimming schedule based on location. Also if you download GBoard and set it to black it reduces night brightness as well when typing.
OBDEleven Connectivity: Still OBDEleven connect. It popped up in the devices list once and I couldn't get it to pair. For some reason now it doesn't even appear. I would really love to get this functioning.
UI Limitations: Unfortunately you can't change much in this UI. The rotating home page menu items cannot be removed, rearranged, or items added to it. Apps that are in the apps folder also are sorted Alphabetically and cannot be rearranged. Car Image on the home page also only has images for 8v and Q3/Q7. I'm in talks with XTRONS and hopefully this can get changed with an update.
Software Limitations: There are some apps like "DASHBOARD" that would show car information but I guess the CANBUS is very limited and can't show anything. It would be cool if there was some modifying or an updated CANBUS module that you could fit to the 8p to read these things and have the information on the XTRONS.
Overall I'm happy with the unit since it's a better alternative to OEM RNSE if you want Carplay, Bluetooth, external storage, and all the bells and whistles. I'm working on a case to house a 1TB SSD with USB ports that slots into the OEM MMI in the glovebox to then be able to connect the SSD to the HU and also a USB port to connect to for Carplay/Android Auto if you want wired connectivity.
Attached are some images of things I just mentioned and some extras. Last image shows the correct fitment of the unit.
