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ATOTO CB6 – Elevates your CAR's INFOTAINMENT into a REAL PC with Built-in GPT-CHAT

When we buy a brand new car, our technological heart beats strongly for the standard multimedia system, which allows many functions but then when we start to use it, we realize some absences imposed due to safety, such as the ability to watch videos on YouTube. Given that certain actions should not be performed while you are driving, there are small boxes on the market that we could almost define as mini travel PCs that bring to your vehicle a version of Android modified ad hoc and without limitations. Among the many on the market we have tried the ATOTO CB6 Ai Box solution which I will tell you all about today.

UNBOXING AND CLARIFICATIONS

It should be noted that this type of product must be connected to the car port that integrates an infotainment system compatible with CarPlay and Android Auto (usually cars from 2015 onwards). Thanks to the operating system integrated into the product, it is possible to fool the infotainment system, making the box detectable as an iPhone, actually bringing to the car screen a totally free operating system without limitations, in which it is possible to install practically all the applications of the Play Store.

Of course, the reactivity and speed of these devices depends on the hardware they are equipped with and ATOTO's solution offers a single variant, which satisfies all requests, but I'll talk about the hardware later. Coming to the unboxing paragraph, inside the package we naturally find our CB6 Ai Box, multilingual manuals that actually refer to the real manual by scanning a QR Code and three cables for connections to the car's USB socket, one with a USB-A / USB-C connection, another with a double USB-C connection and finally a cable with a double USB-A connection where an additional USB input (Y cable) is inserted on one end for possible smartphone charging, all to be used based on how much you have available in the car. We also find a free SIM card from a foreign operator with possible 100 MB of free data traffic, a telephone card that I personally have not used.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

The ATOTO gadget has very compact dimensions, with an almost circular shape except for the lower profile, straight, a shape that takes up little space in the car, so much so that you could store it in the glove compartment. The feeling to the touch is nice considering the use of plastic materials for a good part of the body of the product, while on the lower side we find a grilled surface for heat dissipation, in order to avoid overheating when we use the product and finally a hole with the button inside to reset the device. On the upper profile there is a circular LED strip whose colors can be set via the software already installed in the system.

On the back of the CB6 AI Box we find the Type-C input for power, as well as a double LED, one of which is green to indicate that the gadget is powered and one of blue light to indicate the connection to a smartphone. There is also a small slot to insert a micro SD card (support up to 128 GB) to expand the integrated memory or to read files directly from it. Finally, there is a slot for nano SIM with 4G LTE connectivity to make the device totally independent from the smartphone.

Basically, however, ATOTO CB6 AI Box can also be connected to an Android smartphone or an iPhone via Bluetooth, or use the internet via the associated smartphone's hot-spot. A "negative" point I give to the cables in the package that are really short: in some cars you may have a bit of difficulty positioning the product but fortunately we are not talking about proprietary cables.

HARDWARE

The device is powered by a Qualcomm QCM6115 8-core 64-bit 2.0 GHz processor, flanked by 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage space, but as mentioned before, it is possible to expand the memory with micro SD cards even if you will probably use this option only for reading files external to the Box. I have not encountered any particular slowdowns in use, considering myself satisfied with the general performance offered by this combination of hardware.

There is also a Bluetooth and WiFi module, for pairing smartphones or other elements such as game controllers, but above all to allow you to use the mobile phone hotspot, because the box will basically connect to the car's infotainment WiFi connection, if you do not use a dedicated SIM. There is also a GPS module with excellent signal reception, allowing you to obtain the precise position without hesitation when using maps or apps such as Waze, which are also pre-installed in the software. There is no buffer battery, so when we turn off the car's power, the device's connectivity will also be interrupted.

DATASHEET

Here is the full spec sheet of ATOTO CB6 AI Box:

  • Processor: Qualcomm QCM6115 8 cores 2.0 GHz
  • 4 GB RAM + 64 GB ROM
  • Operating System Android 13
  • 4G LTE (nano-SIM)
  • Wifi 2.4/5GHz (NOT supported when using CarPlay or Android Auto wireless)
  • Single channel GPS
  • Bluetooth 4.2 + 5.0
  • Size: x 82,65 93,29 16,42 mm x

COMPATIBILITY AND OPERATION

As with other products in the same category, there is only one essential requirement to use ATOTO CB6 AI Box: even if it is a full-fledged Android box, the car you are going to connect it to must be compatible with Apple CarPlay. Compatible with both factory and aftermarket stereos, regardless of brand, making it a versatile upgrade for any vehicle. The exception is for BMW brand cars, while some cars may require an additional compatible power cable.

Using this gadget is really simple and the whole experience is practically totally plug-and-play. You just need to insert the device into the USB port of your car dedicated to CarPlay and wait a few moments: after a few seconds, the system will pretend that an iPhone smartphone has been connected, and the product's home screen will appear on the screen, which can be set to two different skins, although I personally preferred the default one (theme 2) which offers a series of widgets in addition to neat graphics. Unfortunately, it is not possible to modify the widgets or create folders.

ATOTO CB6 AI Box is powered by Android 13 customized by the manufacturer, but with a very basic graphic interface that makes the entire user experience much more intuitive and more suitable for cars. On the side of the Home screen we then find a series of shortcut buttons to access the last used apps in addition to the one that allows you to enter the drawer of all the pre-installed apps, where you will also find the Google Play Store that will allow you to install many other apps, for example those for controlling home automation but also Mediaset Infinity etc.. We then have a retractable button, which once called up allows you to perform classic operations such as returning to home, back, task manager, quick cleaning of RAM but also to bring 2 apps into split screen mode so you can use 2 applications at the same time, for example for viewing content on YouTube and checking email.

The icons are the right size and not small for a user experience much more suitable for use in the car and on the move, with large and easily distinguishable elements. From the first start, the CB6 AI Box will have apps installed such as YouTube, VLC, Chrome, Disney +, Prime Video, Netflix and of course the Play Store from which we can download all the applications we want such as Pluto TV but also apps for controlling the home automation of our home. The display will typically be in landscape mode just as if you were using a smartphone.

There is also a specific app thanks to which you can connect your smartphone. Whether it is an Android device or an iPhone, the smartphone can connect to the BOX wirelessly, to be able to use CarPlay and Android Auto through this box. Which means that, if your car does not integrate these wireless technologies, but allows you to use them only by connecting your smartphone, the ATOTO gadget will transform it making it compatible with the wireless mode too.

All applications work well on this device, such as Telegram, which starts quickly and also allows you to listen to voice messages. But the potential extends beyond this and the streaming of content on platforms such as Netflix and Youtube, as you can also connect a Bluetooth controller and, for example, access server games via a dedicated app such as that of XBOX, and therefore transform your in-car system into a game console with the latest generation titles. Not bad for passing the time while you are parked and waiting for someone, or for entertaining your children while you are traveling. The possibility of using the split screen function is also excellent, for using two applications at the same time such as Spotify and Waze.

The settings menu is rich, to customize the infotainment system proposed by ATOTO, but above all to manage the various network connections, hotspots etc.. The applications can be repositioned as desired but there is no possibility of creating folders to group applications of the same type. But the real gem of this CB& AI Box is the integration of CHAT-GPT, a real alternative voice assistant to Google that in addition to allowing you to control the system with your voice, for example by opening a certain app with a simple command, offers the possibility through a customizable chatbot to have real conversations with an AI interlocutor. Another app provided by ATOTO that uses the integrated GPS of the gadget, is TrackHU, which will track the position of the car in real time and can be consulted at any time from your smartphone, useful for example if you want to monitor your newly licensed son.

PRICE AND CONSIDERATIONS

This is a real complete plug & play device, capable of improving your driving experience and transforming your native infotainment system into a real tablet PC. The selling price of the ATOTO CB6 AI Box is €209,99 if you proceed with the purchase on Amazon Italy with Prime shipping, redeeming the €40 discount coupon offered on the purchase page or you can buy it on AliExpress saving something (price €157,39).

A price that may initially seem high, but considering that with the ATOTO CB6 AI Box you can definitely forget about Android Auto and CarPlay, using a system compatible with any smartphone, indeed if necessary with a dedicated SIM you can not even have a smartphone, increasing the potential for use compared to current infotainment, then I would say it is definitely worth it. Emphasizing the safety risks and the fact that obviously you should never use devices of this kind to watch a movie on Netflix while driving, at least not the driver, it is a product that does what it promises, without annoying lag or anything else.

Emanuele Iafulla
Emanuele Iafulla

Nerd, Geek, Netizen, terms that do not belong to me. Simply myself, technology lover and provocative as Xiaomi does with his products. High quality at fair prices, a real provocation for the other most famous brands.

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