Boss BE10apc review

As a contribution to the site, I'm going to post a quick review for the Boss BE10apc in a 2018 Tundra TRD Sport.
After owning a 2008 and 2011 Tundra, we picked up a super clean 35k mile 2018 after realizing the 3rd gen would never grow on us enough to purchase.
By far, IMO, the lack of Apple Car Play, is the biggest shortcoming of the Tundra and becomes even more obvious when our other cars have it.
I know it would be sacrilege for some here to add the Boss name brand to their truck, and that's fine. But the fact is, I'm just not really into car audio and typically think most OEM units sound just fine. I've a few very expensive hobbies which I want to keep, so dropping $1500 on a car stereo wasn't in the equation.
I researched some of the Chinese Android head units, and they seem pretty neat. But I have a habit of upselling myself on things I never use and the abilities and customizations that those units provide would likely never be tapped by me. The perceived hassle of customer support and returns also had me a little apprehensive.
Crutchfield had a sale on the BE10apc-c and the integration kit and was offering a 5 year warranty.
I'd suggest letting Crutchfield wire your kit. Not that the wiring is difficult by any stretch, but I do a lot of marine wiring and have a huge assortment of heat shrink connectors. By the time you purchase a few packs of butt connectors, you're almost half way to the $25 wiring fee and might as well save yourself the 30 minutes or so.
The installation is completely plug and play.
The 10" screen is welcome for these aging eyes and a nice size upgrade compared to stock. The screen looks pretty crisp and clear.
Steering wheel controls and back up camera work like they should.
Start up takes a couple of seconds and a pretty annoying safety screen pops up soon after.
The main option screen is nothing to write home about and is probably my biggest gripe with the unit.
It becomes obvious the sound quality is much better and louder than the OEM premium non JBL system that was in my truck. Again, I'm no audiophile and likely not comparable to some of the high end stereos but considerably better than stock.
There is a fair amount of glare in some situations which makes the screen hard to read.
This unit is not a Sirius XM receiver. I use the Sirius XM app on my phone but the app doesn't work as seamlessly as a head unit with receiver.
The tuner function works fine but to access presets requires a couple of movements on the screen. I usually don't use the tuner but could see where this would be a hassle if you did want to bounce back and forth between presets.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with this unit. It's an upgrade from the OEM unit and the warranty is a big factor which you hope to never use. It's not perfect but you're all in for $500.
Again, I know this brand and unit won't be for everyone but if you're like me and want to add size and Apple Car Play without shelling out considerable money, it may be worth a look.
I will add some picture later

 

An idea of the glare at certain angles

 

IMO the unit looks pretty good and not too out of place. Love the volume button

 

It stands about 1.5 inches from the console

 

My biggest gripe ... they could have made the main screen more aesthetically pleasing

 

The tuner screen. I don't use the tuner much but as you can see, no presets unless you move off the screen. The screen is certainly big enough to have the presets listed and easily changed.

 

This was helpful. Thanks!

Did you use the iDatalink Maestro?

 

No. The Crutchfield installion kit included a Crux adapter. Everything works like it should with no loss of features.

FWIW, the unit has been in the truck for a awhile now.

Overall , still content with the unit. The upgraded sound is fine and the large screen is very welcome. Again, I’m not into car audio like some, so keep that in mind. I was also able to set the radio back about half an inch, so there is close to no gap between the dash and display.

The only gripes are the sad looking Home Screen and for some reason the volume zeros out at every start up.

 

Looks great, fit wise, a nice low cost option!!