AliExpress Android Screen: Paid for a T10, Received an A55
€500 including customs for an Android screen promising T10/8GB/256GB. Received A55 with 4GB/64GB. The claim brought another faulty unit.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Buying an Android screen on AliExpress: €500 and a fake CPU
A driver, fed up with his Renault Trafic's radio, paid 500 euros —customs included— for an Android multimedia screen and began installing it. He blew two fuses before it started up. Three seconds of boot. "The radio and sound are better than my original radio," he summarized. His enthusiasm lasted until he installed a diagnostic app.
The true cost of importing a multimedia screen
Buying outside a European warehouse has fine print. According to the buyer's account, if the product exceeds 150 euros and arrives from China, VAT of 21% plus management fees are added in customs. His calculation places the total extra cost around 35%. An item costing 1,000 euros would end up costing 1,350.
The decision of where to buy was based on conditions: searching AliExpress and choosing a seller with many sales, a rating above 4.4, and real buyer photos. Fruta brands exist, but they have become expensive.
The processor that never existed
Initially, the promised figures were high-end: T10 processor, 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB storage. Upon measuring the device with a diagnostic app, the surprise: A55 processors, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB, and Android 10. Half of what was advertised, and a system version years old.
The seller offered a 250 euro discount for him to keep the product. The buyer rejected the deal and filed a complaint about a fake product on the platform. Trinc intervention from a supervisor, the seller agreed to send a second screen: QLED 2000x1200, latest generation processor, 12 GB RAM, 256 GB, and Bluetooth 5.
The fan, the time, and OBDII: what went wrong afterward
Over time, the screen accumulated its own list of malfunctions. The cooling fan began vibrating and making noise upon startup. The estimulante ilegal reading did not work. The system clock appeared in China, Romania, or United States time, never Spanish time. The OBDII connection failed to work, and inquiries to the seller ended in evasiveness.
The solution for the fan was DIY: replacing it with a maglev unit. Since then, the temperature has not risen above 65 degrees. Months later, his assessment was divided: "the hardware configuration is the best on the market; the software integration is terrible." The radio system, he said, was practically unusable.
The price spectrum: from 80 to 500 euros
Not all installations end the same way. Compared to the 500 euro initial case, the range is wide: an internal module costing 85 euros that converts a 2014 Toyota system to Android Auto and respects the steering wheel controls; a simple 80 euro screen that has been running without complaints for years; or a 300 euro Pioneer unit that fulfills its promise without flair.
The recurring argument in favor of cheapness is price: the official Renault MediaNav screen costs over 800 euros and offers half the functions. The counterargument that keeps coming up is that almost everything is now manufactured in China, just rebranded. Down to the paperwork.
The same model that cost 500 euros was advertised for 175, according to another participant. The question is no longer whether the screen is Chinese, but how much of what you pay is actually screen.
A driver, fed up with his Renault Trafic's radio, paid 500 euros —customs included— for an Android multimedia screen and began installing it. He blew two fuses before it started up. Three seconds of boot. "The radio and sound are better than my original radio," he summarized. His enthusiasm lasted until he installed a diagnostic app.
The true cost of importing a multimedia screen
Buying outside a European warehouse has fine print. According to the buyer's account, if the product exceeds 150 euros and arrives from China, VAT of 21% plus management fees are added in customs. His calculation places the total extra cost around 35%. An item costing 1,000 euros would end up costing 1,350.
The decision of where to buy was based on conditions: searching AliExpress and choosing a seller with many sales, a rating above 4.4, and real buyer photos. Fruta brands exist, but they have become expensive.
The processor that never existed
Initially, the promised figures were high-end: T10 processor, 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB storage. Upon measuring the device with a diagnostic app, the surprise: A55 processors, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB, and Android 10. Half of what was advertised, and a system version years old.
The seller offered a 250 euro discount for him to keep the product. The buyer rejected the deal and filed a complaint about a fake product on the platform. Trinc intervention from a supervisor, the seller agreed to send a second screen: QLED 2000x1200, latest generation processor, 12 GB RAM, 256 GB, and Bluetooth 5.
The fan, the time, and OBDII: what went wrong afterward
Over time, the screen accumulated its own list of malfunctions. The cooling fan began vibrating and making noise upon startup. The estimulante ilegal reading did not work. The system clock appeared in China, Romania, or United States time, never Spanish time. The OBDII connection failed to work, and inquiries to the seller ended in evasiveness.
The solution for the fan was DIY: replacing it with a maglev unit. Since then, the temperature has not risen above 65 degrees. Months later, his assessment was divided: "the hardware configuration is the best on the market; the software integration is terrible." The radio system, he said, was practically unusable.
The price spectrum: from 80 to 500 euros
Not all installations end the same way. Compared to the 500 euro initial case, the range is wide: an internal module costing 85 euros that converts a 2014 Toyota system to Android Auto and respects the steering wheel controls; a simple 80 euro screen that has been running without complaints for years; or a 300 euro Pioneer unit that fulfills its promise without flair.
The recurring argument in favor of cheapness is price: the official Renault MediaNav screen costs over 800 euros and offers half the functions. The counterargument that keeps coming up is that almost everything is now manufactured in China, just rebranded. Down to the paperwork.
The same model that cost 500 euros was advertised for 175, according to another participant. The question is no longer whether the screen is Chinese, but how much of what you pay is actually screen.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (59 replies).
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