Purchased the conversion kit, arrived in NY from NC ~2 days after purchase, really great experience so far.

Installation was straightforward following the conversion kit installation videos, a couple of notes I made
- GPS module installation is addressed in the video with a really quick "plug it in and leave it behind the screen" this seemed odd to me at first because GPS is a really weak signal and having line of sight to signal is important, I undid the sticky back tape and secured it to the underside of the top of the dashboard. Later reading, I noted that it seems the hamilton system is only using it for getting the time, and the phones location is used for gps which makes sense. So, unless someone corrects me, I think the best option is to secure it somewhere it is least likely to rattle / make noise behind the screen.
- The screen has significantly less depth then the stock screen and sits further back, you can see this by comparing the new plastic trim piece to the original. The angle of the screen also feels slightly different looking at it, the stock piece had curvature that I'm sure could not easily be replicated with the touchscreen. In the video, they note to only use the bottom two screws instead of all four. I've only had it in a day, but I don't think the position of the screen is bad or a negative, just feels a bit different.
- All of the cables and hardware feel like they are very high-quality. They took a lot of care and making sure that the cables are covered in foam so there are not un-expected rattles / noises. There were no modifications that would not allow the car to be returned to stock, which I really like. The only "tricky" parts where getting all of the wiring behind the head unit to fit right and allow the head unit to slide all the way back. I found once I was close I had to reach behind it as I slid it in and pulled the power connector they reference in the video as the "most common offender" down below the back of the head unit. The only other tricky part for me was re-inserting the three trim screws at the top of the screen shroud. Getting the anchors through the plastic is no problem, but getting them into the metal above proved problematic. The legs get pushed out again. I'm letting them sit with rubber bands overnight to see if I can compress them better. If that doesn't work I'm just going to look up the part numbers and order a few new ones. In my pics below the plastic is not secured up yet and that this why it is not flush, I will be fixing this.

Once installed, a few initial initial thoughts.. this is very early and I have only spent an hour or so playing with it:
- For the 2013-2015 (I have a 14) going back to the factory system seems to mean only using the left (drivers-side - US) side of the factory screen for the 13-15' cars. The right side ether just has a outline of the front of the (2016+) car, or you make the display "wide" using the "original video display mode" in the Hamilton OS menu to fill the whole screen but then the graphics are elongated / distorted. The factory right side screen features do not seem to be available at all. This makes sense since the Hamilton solution is one screen, I don't know what it would take to also grab the data from the cars AVC-LAN for the second screen and add that to the other side in android os instead of the static car outline image (Hamilton do you have a way to contribute / Pull requests if a user wants to add this?). Have to live with it a bit more, anyone else with the system had a different experience / know a way around this? I know I will be living in Carplay / AA, the only "loss" (no way to access at all) I have noticed is there is no graphics at all for the drive mode change (which I think could be fixed by adding an overlay like the HVAC controls), the modes still show in the DIC on the dash. All the items that were in the right menu are available as tabs like the fuel usages, etc, are in the main factor side through the main menu, just harder to access.
- In the set up video, they mentioned, turning off Bluetooth along with forgetting the existing devices in the factory settings. While I was able to forget the existing devices, for some reason, my factory Bluetooth enable/disable switch no longer seems to be changeable? I cannot select it, is this normal?
- Just a note, there is no haptic feedback / ability to "jump" between menu items using the mouse in the Hamilton OS or CarPlay. It does still work in the factory screen. In the Hamilton OS and Carplay it is simply a mouse.

Factory menu normal view:


factory menu "stretch" option


CarPlay menu:


CarPlay with HVAC overlay:


Hamilton option to change factory display mode:




Overall impression is really good. Sound quality is great, screen is a nice resolution and looks way better then the 14's screen that came out. There are overlays that look really nice when you change the HVAC settings or volume, the HVAC "slides" out from the right and I think is more like stock the one on the 16+. As mentioned there is no overlay for the change of drive mode. These pictures were taken on a very sunny day and the glare looks worse in the pictures then in person.

After spending a bit more done with it and getting some feedback here (in case I've missed some of the options to configure it this early), I am going to post a refined version on the Hamilton forums and see if there are plans for an update that might include the right side screen, way to request additional overlays like the drive mode).

 

This is great info. I just recently purchased this as well. Im not brave enough to install it myself though! I had a shop do it and I’ll be picking it up tomorrow. I also am getting some focal speakers, I can’t wait to see how it came out.

 

Nice write up. I kind feel like that screen difference would bother me. I have seen comments about those screen and how glare was a problem. Any Glare problems also???

Does the Sound Menu have a EQ, and/or Speaker Delay or other? Can you take a pic of the Audio controls sound options Menu please. Thanks!!

Also how is the Speed of the processor???

 

Thanks, I will update as I go, the lack of the right menu is def something to consider, I believe the option that would best keep the factory setup working exactly would be the upgrade kit, it would also keep the stock screen (less resolution for sure, but also less glare).

Speaking of glare, yes. Having driven it a bit more today in the daylight hours, I can see that the refections specifically are far more. I don't think it is a deal breaker for me, but I will looking into anti-glare strategies, I am guessing there must be some good ones out there. I did a quick search and saw discussion on Nushield Triple A, any suggestions?

I don't think the sound is any different at all, in-fact I don't think there are any settings in the Hamilton OS or Android Auto / CarPlay to adjust it. You adjust it the same way you always do in the factory "sound" screen. There is definitely no delay or issues I have noticed with sound, in-fact I think for me it sounds a bit better then it did previously most likely because I was using BT audio before and now I have the music downloaded directly on the device.

Processor speed is a mixed bag, but mostly good. It is fast in normal use, I have a 2024 MDX as well and see no difference in CarPlay, switching apps, etc. The only thing that feels a bit longer then I am used to is bootup. BUT a lot of that comes down to preference. If you are booting to Hamilton instead of factory first that seems to help, but if you have it set to auto load carplay that takes a bit longer. I will try to time it for the different options, but none of it is horrible. In fact, I am going to try turning carplay off tomorrow and just use the Hamilton OS. I installed my music app and waze directly on the OS, downloaded my playlist, and set my phone up to tether. Curious to see how that goes. If it is good, I might forgo CarPlay altogether, if that works, then boot time will be pretty normal, will report back. One exception that would not cut the mustard on a factory system is that if you use the backup camera before the boot process is completed the system may turn off the backup camera (say as it switches from factory to Hamilton OS or CarPlay first loads in the boot process). This is something I ONLY have noticed before the entire boot process has completed. Once done, it does not seem to matter whether you are in the factory menus, Hamilton OS or AA/CarPlay, the backup camera works as expected (with a very slight extra delay coming up). This is certainly not an issue to me, just something to know and adjust for.

Here are some images of getting the music and nav apps setup directly in the Hamilton / Android OS, I also got the 3 plastic screws back in the screen bezel. They were right in the video, you really need to press up on them, more then you expect given they are plastic.
Here is Waze with the audio from my YouTube Music in it (probably the main way i would leave it driving)



Here is YouTube music:


Again just to be clear, these are not with CarPlay open, they are running directly on the Hamilton screen in the car, my phone would only be used for data tether if needed.. But I am hoping with downloaded maps (google maps) and downloaded playlists I might not even need the tether.

 

Looks good. This is something I'd consider upgrading. One of my favorite things about the GS is that the screen is recessed into the dash unlike how they just stick a screen on now. The recessing of the screen gives it a much more theatric vibe and gives the screen a more significant feeling.

 

Thanks for the info! I've been waiting for a more in-depth review since Hamilton has very limited video of the unit running. What I've really been wanting to see is video of the actual boot time and how the screen looks with glare. I'm a little hesitant because in the Hamilton video the screen looks like it sits at a weird angle, not like the OEM screen, and also shows a lot of glare where the OEM screen has a really good non reflective coating on the plastic cover. I really want the touch screen functionality but I'm just not sure about the Hamilton screen yet. It also appears to be a Chinese screen used by many companies which they have outfitted their software to. Looks like other brands like Lexion and other kits on Ali Express use the same screen.

How do you find the brightness of the Hamilton compares to the OEM screen? Usually, glare is only an issue when the brightness is insufficient. Could you post any more pictures a little more zoomed out which shows how the screen sits at a different angle than OEM?

Thanks!

 

I will get more detailed pics to try show it better as seen from the drivers seat. Initial take is the brightness is fine, I have only had it a couple of days so I will report back after living with it some more. I concur with your thoughts on the screen, it seems to be the same unit used by many. All I can say so far is I see no issues other then reflections which I think a good anti-glare screen protector will solve.

I did time the boot up this morning (all times start when releasing the cars start button):
Booting straight to Hamilton's android OS: 33 seconds
Booting all the way to CarPlay ready to go: 48 seconds.

For fun and comparison I ran the same test on my 2024 MDX Advance with its completely stock system:
Booting all the way to CarPlay ready to go: 18 seconds

So yes, boot time is longer "then usual" if comparing to a new car that was designed to have this system.

Also, after trying out just using the Hamilton Android os and skipping using CarPlay, I am pretty sure I am going to go back to using CarPlay, there is no phone integration for texts / calls / siri / etc

 

Hi Brian - the part number for those plastic anchors is 90467-06165-C0. I lost one during reassembly so had to order - note the new one are much easier to install as the "fingers" on the anchor are not splayed out.

 

Thank you, great info! I just ordered some to have from my local dealer. I did finally got the originals back in, but it was a struggle.

 

Quick update I just ordered the NuShield https://nushield.com/ Triple A film to see how it does reducing glare / reflections. I did not see a way to order by specific screen sizes, but as best I could determine the 114 x 292mm (roughly 11.5" x 4.5") size was the closest (perhaps correct?) for the Hamilton screen (which I believe is built by BinaryTek). I struggled to find specs that include the dimensions online

NuShield lists the product as: 114 x 292 for Toyota Highlander Platinum 20-21 12,3in-Triple A , there was a 10% coupon available online and with shipping it came to $30. Will report back with pictures when it arrives.

 

Struggling on deciding whether to switch to the 2016+ head unit and screen on my 2015 GS or just getting the Hamilton. The only thing putting me off the Hamilton are the boot times and the backup camera delay when putting the car into reverse.

 

I am trying to figure the same. The Lexion is another option. Seems like the processor type would affect the boot time, ram and speed of the display. I was going to find one that has the Qualcomm. I also saw most had DSP sound adjust functions for playing music. The screen issues I have seen a lot. Even on the IS forums they talked about the glare and display issues.

 

The frustrating part is I own a small unit called a carpodgo for my other cars, it's a display you can plug into the cigarette lighter and put the unit on your dash. It's less than $200 on Amazon, has a good display, good backup camera, and boots up into Carplay in less than 10 seconds. So why do we have to wait 45 seconds for these built in units to connect and deal with lots of connection issues/lag?

 

Decided to sleep on it and I'm likely going with the head unit + display swap for fullscreen CarPlay... the CarPlay modules out there (RoadTop, Beatsonic etc) have screen mirroring it seems so I can use that feature for Youtube or whatever else, and the boot times aren't an issue with those. Not to mention much cheaper as well.

Not trying to beat a dead horse but it sucks running into the corner store for a couple of seconds, only to have to wait another minute for your infotainment to load

 

I actually have a 16+ head unit and screen and also a RoadTop unit myself right now. I did not install it because these 1 screen does all units came out and I thought they would be a better solution. The glare and display times on these Display all in one CarPlay units, I was watching and seeing they were kinda slow to me. I was thinking about getting in the car, getting ready to back up in reverse and No back up camera for some screen display time to load.

Can anyone who installed the RoadTop $200 +/- unit comment on the boot and delays to display with the stock systems?