Is the CarlinKit 3.0 the best wireless Apple CarPlay adapter? I tried it, here’s the verdict
Want to solve the world’s most trivial problem? Read on.
I’m referring, of course, to the scourge of iPhone-using car owners everywhere: the need to plug in a cable in order to use Apple CarPlay. The horror, friends. The horror!
Make no mistake, CarPlay is great. Available in most car stereos from about 2015 onward, it replaces the stock infotainment interface with various iPhone apps, all of them displayed with large, driver-friendly icons. But unless you have a super fancy, relatively new vehicle, this is strictly a wired affair: You have to plug in your phone.
The CarlinKit 3.0 cuts the cord, after a fashion, allowing just about any car to take advantage of wireless CarPlay. That means it starts automatically when you crank the engine — no need to take your phone out of your pocket or purse and plug it in. Sounds great, right? In theory, yes — in practice, it’s less great.$85-$92 depending on model and coupon
(Pro tip: If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial here.)
My primary complaint is with the price: The CarlinKit 3.0 sells for about $90. I say “about” because there are different versions for different cars, depending on year: 2015-2017, 2018-2020, 2021-2022.
On the Amazon product page, each version has a slightly different price and slightly different coupon to go with it. The 2018-2020 version, for example, which I tested, currently runs $120 and has a $30-off coupon.
This gets even more confusing if you actually search Amazon for CarlinKit or visit the CarlinKit Store page, as you’ll find several other versions of the product as well — all seemingly the same, but slightly different in terms of looks or compatibility or pricing.
All I can tell you is that I tested the CPC200-U2W Plus. What’s “plus” about it? No idea. There’s no explanation of that anywhere I can find. But all this is to say that $90 seems quite expensive for what is basically a Bluetooth dongle that plugs into your car’s USB port.
Here’s what I learned after about a week using it in my 2019 Kia Sportage:
- It takes about 30-40 seconds for the phone to connect to the CarlinKit and make CarPlay available on the stereo. That’s pretty slow, but honestly it takes about the same time for my car to establish a straight-up Bluetooth connection with my phone.
- Certain apps can be glitchy. At one point while using Google Maps, I found I couldn’t adjust the navigation volume; even the stereo volume knob had no effect on it. And my podcast app sometimes failed to display any actual podcasts, a problem I never had with the wired connection.
- There can be a lag of 2-3 seconds when you press play/pause or track-skip while listening to audio — just long enough to be annoying.
- There’s a large green LED on the device that flashes constantly. Not a big deal during the day; super-irritating at night.
- If I want to charge my phone while driving, I can use the dongle’s pass-through USB port — but then I’m just plugging in a cable anyway!
- A lot of user reviews indicate reliability problems, either in the form of connectivity loss or just straight-up unit failure. That’s not encouraging.
As much as it pains me to admit this, I did find myself enjoying wireless CarPlay quite a bit. It’s just one less hassle to deal with when you get in the car. Do I wish my Kia had this feature built in? Absolutely.
Would I ever pay $90 just to get it? Absolutely not. Although the CarlinKit 3.0 works more or less as advertised, it’s a little glitchy, and I have concerns about its long-term reliability. It doesn’t charge my phone, either, and honestly, isn’t that one of the extra benefits of using wired CarPlay in the first place?$85-$92 depending on model and coupon