Looks like Pioneer has taken the pledge to make the driving as distraction free as possible. Meet the Pioneer SPH-C19BT, an audio system for your car that uses your phone as touchscreen display. MyTechPartner team got early access to the Pioneer SPH-C19BT and have been using it from past two weeks. Here is our Pioneer SPH-C19BT review.
After you have installed the Pioneer SPH-C19BT in your car, you must install the Pioneer Smart Sync app on your phone. It is available for both iPhone and Android phones so compatibility is not a problem. Once, it is installed on the phone, you will be able to connect it to the audio system via Bluetooth or USB cable. We went with Bluetooth as we prefer clutter-free experience.
Pioneer SPH-C19BT review: Big enough cradle
Just place your phone in its cradle and connect to it using Smart Sync app. Cradle can be used to accommodate even the largest of phones. It worked very well even with my Galaxy S8+, which is a pretty large phone with display measuring more than 6”. So, yes, the big phones also fit without an issue in its cradle.
Pioneer SPH-C19BT looks very slick and modern. There are multiple buttons on the front that includes keys for Music, Voice recognition, Navigation, Messages and Menu key.
Here are functions of these keys:
Music key: change / stop the music
Voice recognition key: give voice commands
Navigation key: locate destination maps
Messages key: listen to incoming messages
Menu key: open / launch applications for setting customization
Rest of settings are configurable via Pioneer’s Smart Sync app so your smartphone’s display doubles display for the Pioneer audio unit.
Pioneer SPH-C19BT review – voice recognition at par with iDrive
There is complete support for steering-wheel mounted controls which works like a charm. Support for rear parking camera is also present and can be used to alert the driver with beep while parking. The voice recognition is not at par with Google Now/Amazon Alexa but it works. You must say the command exactly like mentioned in manual – just like in case of BMW iDrive, Mercedes or Audi solutions.
Verdict – more than 1L people die in India due to road accidents. These accidents happen due to over speeding, drunk driving, road accidents and distraction. The Pioneer SPH-C19BT promises to take care of the distraction part and does it well. We recommend it.