In this video, I look at HDMI to CarPlay Adapters on Portrait Car Displays. Here are the following adapters mentioned: CarlinKit HDMI to CarPlay – https://amzn.to/40O3TO9, Ottocast Car TV Mate Pro – https://amzn.to/3P33aSo, and the CarlinKit FireDrive Link – https://amzn.to/48zolos. Links to each adapter review below.
TLDR: I tested three HDMI to CarPlay adapters on the 12” vertical display of a 2025 Renault Megane E-Tech. The CarlinKit HDMI adapter didn’t work at all, the Ottocast Car TV Mate Pro partially worked but had stretched visuals and no way to return to the main menu, and the CarlinKit FireDrive Link displayed content incorrectly with a squashed layout. While audio-video sync was fine, none of these adapters provided a great experience on a portrait screen. With more vehicles adopting vertical displays, better compatibility is needed.
CarlinKit HDMI to CarPlay Adapter: A Complete Failure
My first test was with the CarlinKit HDMI to CarPlay adapter, but unfortunately, it didn’t work at all. After connecting it to the Megane E-Tech’s CarPlay USB port, all I got was a blank screen. With no available updates to troubleshoot the issue, I wasn’t optimistic about this adapter ever working in this setup. Time to move on.
Ottocast Car TV Mate Pro: Better, But Still Flawed
Next, I tried the Ottocast Car TV Mate Pro, which is generally more compatible with various CarPlay systems. This time, the adapter at least displayed its main menu when plugged in. However, there were still issues—the boot menu was stretched, filling the portrait display incorrectly.
Once I connected my phone via HDMI, things improved slightly. The phone’s portrait screen filled a smaller, landscape-oriented section within the vertical display. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than the CarlinKit.
I then tested YouTube playback. The video was displayed in the correct aspect ratio but only in a windowed portion of the screen instead of utilizing the full width. Another frustration was the inability to return to the adapter’s main menu from the HDMI screen—there was simply no way to navigate back.
CarlinKit FireDrive Link: Not Made for Portrait Screens
Lastly, I tested the CarlinKit FireDrive Link adapter, which is designed primarily for use with Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. Since it requires external power, I connected it to a power bank before plugging it into the Megane’s USB port.
At first, the screen displayed nothing but visual garbage, but soon after, the Fire TV boot animation appeared—completely squashed. Like the Ottocast, this adapter wasn’t designed with portrait screens in mind. When I launched YouTube, the result was even worse than the Ottocast: the video layout was vertically stretched, making for an unpleasant viewing experience.
On a positive note, audio-video sync was solid across both working adapters. However, neither delivered a proper experience on a portrait display.
HDMI to CarPlay Still Needs Work
In 2025, as more vehicles adopt vertical infotainment screens, adapter manufacturers need to step up support for this format. While the Ottocast Car TV Mate Pro showed some promise, none of these adapters provided an ideal viewing experience.
You can read my full reviews for each adapter mentioned here:
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Brief overview
0:23 – Portrait display test car
0:40 – CarlinKit HDMI to CarPlay
1:11 – Ottocast Car TV Mate Pro
2:42 – CarlinKit FireDrive Link
4:24 – My impressions
