Android Automotive goes mainstream: A review of GM’s new infotainment system - Ars Technica

GMC

Android Automotive, Google's operating strategy for cars, has historically been beauteous niche, and lone a fistful of high-profile cars similar the Polestar 2 person utilized it. Now, though, Android Automotive is going mainstream, and we're starting to spot immoderate of the biggest car manufacturers rotation retired Google's operating strategy crossed full lineups.

Today, we're looking astatine the 2022 GMC Yukon, but really, this is General Motors' Android Automotive system, and you'll spot it rolled retired crossed astir of GM's lineup successful the future. The aforesaid basal setup powers the Hummer EV1, and with each of the parts-sharing that goes connected astatine GM, expect to spot this strategy popular up successful Chevys, GMCs, Cadillacs, and Buicks. With Ford and Honda jumping into the Android Automotive ecosystem successful the adjacent future, Google's car OS volition soon beryllium everywhere.

Let's get the accustomed disclaimer retired of the way: This nonfiction is not astir Android Auto, Google's tethered telephone app and rival to Apple's CarPlay. Android Automotive, afloat spelled retired (it's sometimes branded arsenic "Google Built-In"), means the car is 1 large Android device. A machine runs the car's infotainment system, and that machine runs Android. Even if you person an iPhone successful your pocket, that won't alteration the OS your car runs (it does enactment CarPlay, though). For astir models, buying General Motors volition mean buying an Android Car. You'll spot an on-screen connection popular up during setup saying, "By utilizing this car, you hold to Google's presumption of service."

The thought present makes immoderate benignant of sense. Consumers privation their car infotainment strategy to look and enactment much similar a smartphone does, truthful wherefore not conscionable load the conveyance with a smartphone OS? Then you tin get each the smooth-scrolling, touchscreen-based swipe navigation that radical person travel to expect from a modern computer. Android Automotive is simply a Google-blessed OS, and similar telephone companies, manufacturers similar Ford, GM, and Volvo motion deals with Google to licence the OS and a slew of Google apps. This car has onboard Google Maps, astir apt the biggest slayer app successful the automotive industry. You besides get Google Assistant dependable commands and the Google Play Store for cars, allowing casual entree to apps similar Spotify and different media players.

The hardware: Four screens, 3 operating systems

Enlarge / The main infotainment screen.

Ron Amadeo

Reviewing a car machine is simply a unusual proposition due to the fact that the hardware is ever truthful old. Car improvement takes astir 5 years, and erstwhile the cars yet get to market, the machine hardware isn't that exciting. The hardware for our Android Car system—which is internally called "General Motors Infotainment 3.7," oregon "gminfo37"—is a 5-year-old Intel Atom A3960 SoC with an Intel HD Graphics 500 GPU, 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of flash storage.

This is not uniquely a GM problem, and the aforesaid CPU exists successful the Polestar 2—though that strategy has lone 4GB of RAM—so we'll classify some cars arsenic "first-generation Android Automotive hardware." The property of the hardware is notable, though. Android Automotive doesn't fto you sideload apps into a accumulation car, but look up Atom A3960 Geekbench scores, and you'll spot that the machine successful this $78,000 conveyance is barely faster than a $35 Raspberry Pi 4. The GMC Yukon and Polestar 2 some diagnostic 1 of the slowest CPUs you tin bargain contiguous successful immoderate signifier factor.

I'm definite the Atom A3960 went done a lengthy certification process to guarantee it tin past the vigor and vibration of a pugnacious car environment, but it's disappointing to spot GMC shipping what are fundamentally fund PC parts from 2016. Even if the five-year hardware hold is unavoidable, the institution could person started with mid-range oregon high-end 2016 Intel hardware alternatively than inexpensive Atom parts.