Introduction
The era of “software-defined cars” has arrived. Here, “software” not only refers to driving assistance software, but also includes the “software” of intelligent cabins and in-car infotainment systems. Therefore, we have launched a dedicated program called “Car Infotainment Micro Experience” to provide in-depth reviews of car infotainment products with distinctive features.
The test drive of the HiPhi X left a deep impression on me. It’s not just because it’s the most expensive domestically-produced new energy vehicle, with all the corresponding pomp and ceremony, and the cool gull-wing doors, but also because of its extremely rich functionality and numerous adjustable options for the car infotainment system.
Basic Configuration: Loaded!
The cockpit design of the HiPhi X is very unique. The configuration of the three separate screens is very eye-catching. The design of the driver and passenger sides is also completely asymmetrical depending on the usage scenario. The screen sizes from left to right are 14.6 inches (instrument panel), 16.9 inches (central control screen), and 19.9 inches (passenger entertainment screen).
Instrument Panel
The design of the long, rectangular instrument panel is very concise and the displayed information is also quite rich. The center displays speed/power, navigation map, and ADAS displays, while vehicle and entertainment information are displayed on the left and right sides.
To switch displays, you need to use the Touch Pad on the steering wheel. The Pad on each side corresponds to the information on each side of the screen. The logic of operation is easy to understand, but you need to first press and hold to enter the switching mode and then swipe left and right with your finger. If you do this while driving, the operation is a bit complicated and the response is not very smooth, so there is room for improvement.
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Besides, the HiPhi X is equipped with an infrared face recognition camera on the steering column. As long as you are detected when getting in the car, your HiPhi account will be logged in automatically, and the seat, steering wheel angle, rearview mirror angle, driving mode, paddle function, and other settings will be adjusted to the memorized positions automatically. In addition, emergency lane-keeping and transparent chassis settings follow the vehicle memory.
HUD Head-Up Display
HUD is standard on all HiPhi X models with a large display area, showing basic gears, speeds, vehicle status, navigation arrows, and other information. It can also be adjusted to the snow mode with high contrast. After the latest HiPhi OS 1.2.0 upgrade, the height adjustment range has increased by 30mm, making it suitable for drivers of different heights.
Center Console
All the functional buttons on the center console are integrated into this 16.9-inch large screen, with a not-too-thick border and a good overall appearance. The processor used is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820A chipset, which is not the latest 8155, but already belongs to the mainstream and above level.
Co-driver Entertainment Screen
The co-driver entertainment screens are already equipped in many cars, but they all have one pain point, that is, the screen is too small, and it is relatively far away from people. However, this is not a problem with the HiPhi X. Due to the use of an asymmetric center console design and the screen has a certain tilt angle, the bottom of the entertainment screen is actually much closer to the co-driver than the instrument screen and the driver’s seat. Its size reaches 19.9 inches with a resolution of 2380 × 1020.
Music or video sound can be played separately through Bluetooth earphones, which does not interfere with the music played on the center console. It can also be connected to the mobile phone, making the mobile phone become a remote control or a gamepad. All in all, this is a truly enjoyable co-driver entertainment screen.
Phone Charging Ports
HiPhi X guarantees that each seat has at least one phone slot and a USB-A port. There is also a wireless charging panel and a cigarette lighter port with a maximum power of 180W at the bottom of the center console.
The blue port is a USB data interface, which can be used to export videos from the built-in driving recorder to a USB flash drive.
Clear interaction logic and many adjustable options
The car home page of HiPhi X is the navigation interface. The top of the screen contains shortcut buttons for HiPhi account, vehicle unlocking, driving recorder, battery level, intelligent voice assistant, weather, network connection, etc.
Swipe from the right edge of the screen to the left to enter the negative one screen, and swipe down from the top to enter the notification center. The overall logic is similar to the smartphones we commonly use.
The bottom edge of the screen is fixed as the air conditioning control and music control area. After clicking the “Fan” button, you can enter a more detailed interface. The temperature, air volume, seat heating, ventilation, massage, and steering wheel heating of the front and middle rows can be adjusted.
It adopts electrically powered hidden air vents, and the angle adjustment is very intuitive. It can also be set to automatically sweep or dodge people.
Clicking the “Car” button in the lower left corner will enter the control center related to the doors and driving. The doors include all door windows, charging ports, etc. Quick controls are used to adjust driving modes, energy recovery, lights, intelligent interaction lights, etc. If you find it troublesome, all of these functions can also be controlled by intelligent voice.# Intelligent Interactive Lighting Can Display a Variety of Emoji, and Project Driving Trajectory and Text on the Ground.
However, this pattern is achieved by relatively large light beads. If the pattern is more complex, a strong “mental imagery” ability is needed to see what is being displayed up close. Actual tests have shown that it is easier to understand the pattern when sweeping through peripheral vision or squinting (i.e. not focusing on the pattern).
Click the button in the lower right corner to enter the full APP interface.
The adjustable functions on the Settings page are very numerous, but the logic of use is still very clear. The left side is for major categories and the right side is for detailed settings. The first time users encounter it is like switching from an IOS system to an Android system with the developer mode turned on. If you are a person who likes to tinker with digital products, this part is enough for you to play with for a long time.
GAC’s HiPhi X has chosen Microsoft Xiao Bing as the intelligent voice system, whose default name is “HiPhi GO,” with only three syllables, which is more convenient than most car models’ “Hello XX, XX Student.” If you think it’s tongue-twisting, you can also set your own wake-up word.
In actual experience, basic operations such as opening the air conditioning and windows go without saying. It can also basically operate all the electrically powered items on the car, including the doors, and supports audio source positioning and zone division for the four seats in the front and middle rows. However, in terms of specific achievable functions, although it cannot match the high-level full-scenario voice of Xpeng, at present it does not support continuous conversation either. Nevertheless, its voice recognition accuracy and response speed are already quite good.
The In-car Entertainment Performance is Good
The main and co-pilot entertainment screens share the same features. They both come with iQiyi and Ximalaya, as well as screen sharing, which supports various video apps.
Additionally, there are various common entertainment apps available for download in the app store, such as Happy Landlord and Flush.
The co-pilot can adjust the equalizer of the British treasure sound system and use Bluetooth headphones to connect to the co-pilot screen separately, without interfering with the music and video playing on the central control screen.
Conclusion
The car system of HiPhi X is very powerful, not only with rich features but also runs smoothly enough. Although in some aspects, the user experience may not be at the top of the industry (such as Xpeng’s full-scene smart voice, or the ultra-smooth UI of Ideal ONE), there are still some areas that can be further optimized. Overall, considering the intelligent voice, rich features, playability and expansibility, it can definitely rank among the top tier of current intelligent cockpits.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.