In this review, I look at the Ottocast CarPlayClip Wireless Adapter. A wireless adapter with a 1.6″ display screen. You can buy this adapter from the Ottocast Store for $69.99 using coupon code OTTOCAST20 – https://shrsl.com/4ok96. Once this product sells on Amazon I will update the links here.
TLDR: The Ottocast CarPlayClip is a unique wireless CarPlay adapter that features a 1.6-inch color LED display that can show a clock, album art, and photos. It also has a scented diffuser. At $69.99, it is one of the fastest and most feature-packed wireless CarPlay adapters on the market right now. The display has some limitations, like not automatically updating the time, but as an adapter, it performs very well for wireless CarPlay. Ottocast could improve the design by making a smaller version without the display or adding a MagSafe mount instead. The display is a unique selling point but may become less useful over time as it can’t be interacted with.
Over the past month, I have already covered a handful of much smaller wireless CarPlay adapters. The technology has shrunk so much that we are seeing adapters coming at a size that’s much smaller than your typical USB thumb drive size. With all this newfound shrinkage, we are now seeing brands take new directions on where this hardware can be placed inside. Ottocast is one of the first to bring something new and a little unexpected with their latest CarPlayClip adapter.
The name of this adapter gives a clue to its unique function. The CarPlayClip is a wireless CarPlay adapter that has been squeezed inside a 57mm diameter multi-functional LED display that clips/mounts onto a car’s air vent blade. The clip features a 1.6-inch colour LED 400×400 pixel display on the front, which can be used to display three different types of modes: a clock face, album art, and a photo frame mode. If that wasn’t unique enough, the CarPlayClip also features a scented diffuser on the rear of the clip, which if optionally installed, will fill your car with a fresh citrusy smell.
Selling for $69.99 (with voucher), this adapter may not be the very cheapest wireless CarPlay-only adapter out there, but did I say it’s also the fastest wireless CarPlay adapter I’ve tested? Well, if a colour display and scented diffuser weren’t enough, the CarPlayClip is definitely flexing with that ability also.
Features & Design
In the box, you get a paper instruction manual, the Clip display adapter itself with its attached 80cm long USB-A power cable, one citrus perfumed diffuser ring, a USB-A to C adapter for modern CarPlay car ports, the air vent mount clip that the display attaches onto, and a few adhesive clips for cable management.
The CarPlayClip measures 57mm in diameter, so it will not overclutter your car’s centre console too much. However, youdo need to carefully route its permanently attached power cable to your car’s CarPlay USB port because the display and wireless function need powering. I feel it would have been better to have the cable detachable so you could pass its cable through any interior panels and vents. Trying to achieve this with its chunky display and attached USB-A cable connection will make carrying out a very discreet install very challenging.
The mount’s crocodile jaw clip features a thumb screw for securing the mount onto air vent blades. The diffuser ring is also inserted into the rear of the display along with the ball joint of the mount, then all the parts screw into place onto the rear of the Clip’s display. Once the mount and the display have been screwed down, the mount sits very securely onto your dashboard. Sadly, there is no other alternative to mount this display, and I would have liked to see some adhesive ways to attach the display, for anyone not wishing to use air vent mounting or where the CarPlay USB port is out of reach from its 80cm cable.
Boot-Up & Display Modes
Connecting the clip to my CarPlay port and turning over the car will power on the clip in a record 7.6 seconds. After showing its Ottocast logo, the Clip display will rest on its Home Screen, which displays the Bluetooth pairing ID that your iPhone needs to connect to for wireless CarPlay.
Once powered, you can choose to press its only right side function button on the Clip to toggle through its three display modes. The first is a black and white clock face. This clock updates its time correctly only when it has been connected to your phone. Sadly, without this the display will not update the time, nor does it save this time on disconnection, which is a major omission to have in this day and age. Hopefully a firmware update will at least store the set time after rebooting the display.
The next mode is displaying album art from any music apps playing via CarPlay. I tried this successfully from both Spotify and Apple Music. Album art will be cast to the display in real-time, and I also saw contact profile images display on the Clip display during calls. The art displays in the middle of a music LP record frame artwork, reducing its overall size and unfortunately lessens its overall impact here. Personally, I would like the option in the OttoPilot app to remove the framed artwork and fill the entire screen. The round display and thicker black bezel design already makes the display look like an old vinyl record.
Finally, there is photo mode. You can display an image of your choice on the Clip by simply connecting to the Clip using its OttoPilot app, browsing photos from your iPhone camera roll, and uploading a photo into the display. I found the display a little low quality and pixelated in places for detailed logos and graphical art, but this becomes more acceptable with more traditional photos, proving a clear and crisp image on the display. It’s a nice way to present a loved one, a pet, family members or friends, or even a car’s logo. Only one photo is shown and without the display being touch screen you can’t swipe or interact with any extra uploaded photos.
The Fastest Wireless CarPlay Performance
The main use case for the Clip is wireless CarPlay. In my tests, this adapter performed extremely well. This adapter becomes the fastest wireless CarPlay adapter I have tested to date, with a boot-up time into wireless CarPlay of just 11.5 seconds. My Golf 7 USB port powers on from unlocking the car, and by the time I’ve sat in the car, belted up and turned the ignition I am already seeing, or I am not far away from seeing, wireless CarPlay show up on my car’s display.
Touch interactions are improved over their much older U2-Air Pro CarPlay adapter and it mirrors the performance of today’s smaller and faster wireless adapters. Calling quality was great, whilst call delay was just slightly slower than its competition, but still, its 0.5-1s delay was acceptable for most everyday calling. Microphone quality and gain was also untouched and music quality sounded just as good as any other wireless adapters I have tried in my stock VW Golf system. Overall, I was very happy with how the CarPlayClip performed for wireless CarPlay.
Configuring The Clip & OttoPilot App
After you’ve connected to the display clip over WiFi or via CarPlay, you can jump into its config menu in two ways. The first is its IP config menu via the browser using 192.168.1.100. In here I saw the same limited options I have found in other adapters utilising the same platform software/hardware. Only options to change WiFi band, audio streaming mode, delayed start and GPS passthrough (confirmed using the Mode 1 setting) are present here. You can also update the adapterfrom this menu also as well submit support tickets and logs.
The second way to access the OttoPilot iOS app. You can quickly locate and download the app using a QR code on the main menu. After downloading and connecting the app to the adapter, accessing the adapter’s settings isn’t visually intuitive. By tapping on the details of the Clip tile, you can enter a screen with options for quick start, manuals, and FAQ sections. You can also adjust the default mode of the display here, but I found it didn’t work unless connected to the adapter over CarPlay, even when it was just being powered. Uploading photos is only possible through the app, whichalso provides access to the options available in the IP config menu. The app offers a more user-friendly way to access the config menu, and I hope there will be updates to improve the adapter’s configuration, like media delay. However, based on past experience, I’m not overly optimistic about this happening.
My Impressions
Reviewing the Ottocast CarPlayClip has been a pleasure, especially after the letdowns with the P3 AI Box and the issues with the Play2Video Pro adapter. Ottocast has returned to the quality/performance seen in their U2-Air and Air Pro adapters. Although as great as this adapter is, there are two improvements I’d like to see from them. First, is toincorporate this technology and performance into a smaller adapter without a display, priced at $30-40; second, maintaining the current form factor but replacing the display with a MagSafe mount for phone mounting and a detachableUSB-C cable for better cable management.
Currently, the CarPlayClip excels with its speed, GPS passthrough, and a display that’s only really useful for album artprojection. However, without interactive capabilities, the novelty of the display might fade over time, leading to it being tucked away, which is unfortunate as it’s a key selling point alongside its impressive speed.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Brief overview
0:45 – Unboxing
1:19 – Features & Design
4:00 – Power up & Display Modes
5:47 – Installation & Demo
6:31 – Boot-up & Main Menu
7:08 – Pairing Wireless CarPlay Test
7:41 – Display Mode Button
8:07 – Wireless Carplay Performance
8:56 – Audio Quality
9:27 – Microphone Test
9:46 – Call Delay test
9:54 – Album Art Mode
10:55- IP Config Menu & OttoPilot App
12:09 – My Impressions
