Carlinkit MiNi SE Wireless CarPlay Adapter for Factory Wired CarPlay Car

Here’s my experience with the US spec 2022 Mazda CX-5 equipped with Bose speakers and running iOS 18.5 on an iPhone 13 Pro. It’s been a couple of weeks now, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the overall performance. One notable difference is the audio quality. If you listen to lossless audio in Apple Music, you’ll definitely notice a noticeable difference in sound quality. However, there’s a solution to this: you can set a connect delay in the device’s settings. I’ve set mine to 5 seconds, so if I decide to use a USB cable, I would connect my phone first and then turn engine on. The car will first pick up the wired connection. I’ve also set the audio delay to the lowest setting and left audio setting set to DVD quality. So far, I haven’t encountered any issues with overheating, even when the outside temperatures are around 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius). The unit reconnects seamlessly during my errands, and the USB connection doesn’t require an extension cable. I’ve upgraded the firmware to version ax_202506161616. One minor issue I’ve noticed is that the unit sometimes doesn’t reconnect automatically when the engine starts. It happened maybe 2-3 times so far. However, if I wait a couple of seconds, it reconnects automatically. Another issue I’ve encountered (not related to this device) is that the Mazda infotainment system sometimes forgets CarPlay settings. It forgets to automatically establish connection. To resolve this, I go to the Connectivity section and reestablish the connection (set to Always). This happened to me over USB, but not with this specific unit. Overall, I’m extremely satisfied with this device. It’s challenging to find reliable reviews of CarPlay dongles, as many seem to be paid sponsorships. I hope this review helps others make an informed decision. I’ll update this review if the unit fails or causes any problems in the future. Once you switch to wireless CarPlay, it’s hard to go back, especially for this low price. Also, if you wonder what the difference is between Carlinkit MiNi SE and Carlinkit MiNi SE Pro, the Pro version supports both iOS and Android, while the regular SE supports only iOS. I would definitively recommend this brand over some random generic dongles.

If you have a car with two drivers with two iPhones this is your wireless adapter. Our Subaru Forester XT Touring has a Sygav radio upgrade with wired/wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. However, when one or the other driver use the car they finds out that the CarPlay is locked to the previous driver and many times is a pain to switch over. But this CarlinKit Mini 5 is a game changer. Most CarPlay units locked their clients and that’s fine if you’re the only person driving the car. But with CarlinKit Mini 5 once you turned the car off the unit rather than maintaining the last phone locked either starts looking for a client or at least when you drive away and the spouse phone stays behind IT LOOKS FOR THE OTHER CLIENT and within seconds reconnects to it. Yes, I did lost the wired feature (although I can always take it off) but that’s not an issue to me. Highly recommended.

It does the job, but only mostly. I have had some connectivity issues where I have to unplug and plug back in from time to time. Hard to say if that's the device or my car. I'm told my year of Honda (2022) was part of an era known for less than great Carplay. With that said, even when it is connected, listening to music or podcasts, there's an annoying clicking that has to be from the wireless connection. I still like it because it means I have navigation, etc every time I start up the car (except the occasion where it doesn't connect), it is really compact, and it was fairly easy to set up. They don't make the instructions for adjusting latency super clear. I had to Google for better help, but I got there. For the price, I'm not really complaining, but if I really enjoyed listening to music, this would be a non-starter.

When I first bought this product, I was genuinely impressed — it worked flawlessly, connected instantly, and felt like a high-quality, affordable alternative to the big brands. For the first few months, it performed exceptionally well. But after about six months, the problems began. It started freezing, disconnecting, and eventually became completely unreliable. Each software update seemed to make things worse, not better. By month eight, it was unusable. It got to the point where I had to unplug it every time I got in the car, and then again once or twice each hour just to keep it working. If you read through other reviews, you’ll notice the same pattern: it works great until you’re past Amazon’s return window, then it starts to fail. That’s exactly what happened to me. This is my second Carlink product, and both have had short lifespans. I’m done with this brand — I’ll be switching to something else. Amazon really shouldn’t be selling items that don’t last even a year.

I was very skeptical at first since I have heard that wireless CarPlay adapters don’t work well. I have only used this for one week but it works just as advertised in my 2020 Subaru legacy. I like that the size of this is compact and makes it almost un noticeable. Setup was straight forward and it will usually connect within a 30 seconds to a minute now. There may be a slight delay when skipping tracks (1-2 seconds) but that isn’t that noticeable to me. There maybe be a VERY SLIGHT audio quality reduction compared to standard Bluetooth but having CarPlay functionality is well worth it. I will update this if my options change. Update 6-17-25. Still working well! Very happy with this product.

4 STARS as much an expectation thing as anything. A bit slow to sync up, with variations in doing so. Overall fine, and certainly better than the old cable connection I had to use. FORD ESCAPE 2021

Worked great for the 2 months it worked. Apparently poor quality, as there’s not much longevity. I bought three of these for three different vehicles, and after only two months of use we’ve gone back to the hard wire. Do not recommend.

First of all, let me just say I do not understand the complaints about lack of instructions when the instructions...very clear instructions...are right here on the Amazon page it's ordered from!!! It might have been nice if they included printed instructions with the device for the clueless, but they didn't. Anyway... This little stick really does work like magic. Set up is easy...don't overthink it. Just start your car, plug it in and follow the prompts on your phone and car screen. Easy peasy. The slot for wired airplay in my car is USB C and I have to wonder if maybe that makes a difference. The device has USB A on one end and USB C on the other but USB C is said to be faster. It works perfectly in my 2021 MB GLC300. It's actually better than having a built in pad in the car because you don't need to take your phone out of your pocket to use AirPlay.. I can't speak to the longevity of the device but it is covered by warranty for one year. My only real complaint is the packaging. It comes encased in clear plastic, glued into cardboard, so can't be removed without destroying the packaging. Makes it difficult to return without a hassle if you change your mind. Thankfully my mind isn't changed. I just hope it lasts for awhile!

No funciona con sistema Android. El fabricante no ha contestado al envío de la incidencia.

Fonctionne parfaitement sur mon véhicule Première connexion facile ensuite la mise en route de CarPlay sans fil est rapide après démarrage ! Rien à signaler Attention cette clef est juste pour Apple CarPlay !

The device is about the same size as a standard USB memory stick and comes in a blister pack which is a nightmare to open. There are no instructions with the device but it’s simple to install and takes around 1 minute. When the device is inserted into a USB socket in the car, ignition on, the car media system displays a splash screen with instructions on how to connect it. When the device is setup and working it’s worth checking that you have the latest software version which can be checked by typing: 192.168.50.100 into your web browser. Make sure the device is powered up during the check otherwise it won’t work. This brings up the settings page and the software is at the bottom of the menu. The update takes about 30 seconds to complete, depending on the speed of your connection, and on completion you will have a few more settings to choose from. CarPlay connects within 7 seconds of starting the car and the device, so far, works perfectly. I’m using the device with a new iPhone 16 Pro Max and a Ford vehicle. There are a plethora of these devices on the market and this is my very first experience of using CarPlay without a cable. I still keep a cable in the car just in case I need to charge my phone but much prefer the cordless connection that preserves the life of my phone battery. I will update the review with any issues in due course.

Lieferung über Prime was schnell und ohne Probleme. Das Teil selber wird einfach in den USB Port gesteckt, meldet sich nach ein paar Sekunden und dann kann mann sein Mobiltelefon über Bluetooth verbinden. Bei uns, verschiedene iPhone Geräte in einen Suzuki S-Cross von 2019. Bisher, keine Abbrüche, schnelle Verbindung, alles super. Zu Beachten ist, das Teil verbindet sich immer mit dem zuletzt verbundenen Gerät. Bei Gerätewechsel muss man immer kurz auf dem Mobiltelefon in die Bluetooth Einstellungen gehen und die Verbindung nochmal manuell anstossen. Bei uns ein Vorgang der maximal 10 Sekunden dauert. Von uns eine klare Empfehlung.

Kind of works, phone has to be right next to the device otherwise the connection drops, which sort of defeats the purpose of the device.