Atoto S8 MS edition (new model) first look and compare to S8 Ultra

[@Komeuppance]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@datgroovy]

Hey Mordy! Do you know if the front camera app works in split screen with google maps? My intention would be to mount a front camera to my left side mirror to give me a better view when trying to turn left or pass cars in a right hand drive JDM vehicle. Also do you have any experience with the HDMI/RCA adapter for a second display via USB? Curious if it would simply mirror the display or if i could send any app to the second display.

[@theRombus]

I believe the camera apps don't support resizing. They work like an overlay over the entire display. I believe the hardware for camera and aux inputs exist outside of the Android OS and just overlay the system when the master control system calls them up (via clicking on the app icon). If you use a digital camera system (something that connects via USB or whatever) then maybe, but I'm not sure how well that would work. I personally have one installed in a convertible with poor visibility out of the ragtop, so I press the R-cam button when I need visibility before merging into traffic sometimes, but don't leave it open. I do have experience using the RCA out adapter for a second display. See one of my other videos for my minivan application setup. It both mirrors the front display but gives you an extra "cast" icon on the top display to send the current app to the external screen only. Not every app is supported, only specific ones can do that.

[@datgroovy]

Legend, thanks for answering in such detail. I already subbed but for that I'll get you on my second account too 😉

[@theRombus]

​@@datgroovyhah, thanks man! I'm thinking about starting a channel just for car stuff like this. Right now my KZbin is a mashup or random things I happen to have learned about and wanted to share, but I feel bad every time someone subs because it's totally inconsistent! 🙈

[@RDstuff24]

Do you recommend that APN app, cause I don’t see it when I look for it. Do you know of another that you’ve used?

[@theRombus]

It's still there: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nyblnet.addapn&pcampaignid=web_share

[@RDstuff24]

@@theRombus ok. Thank you!

[@ackee924]

Hey Mordy...does this device work with a 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid with the JBL stereo sound system?

[@theRombus]

I don't have that car but I do have a 2008 Solara with the JBL system. I had to get an interface adapter (Metra and Crux make them) to retain the factory amp, otherwise I was going to have to do some cutting into factory wires to bypass the amp and I didn't want to do that. This is a standard universal double-din radio, so if your car is compatible with standard aftermarket radios, you'll likely just need a trim piece and interface adapter to keep the amp. Check Cruthfield, they have info on what accessories you'd need.

[@airbornetommyjames]

I just put this in my 2019 Sienna limited and am using a Crux SWRTY-61P for amp, steering wheel control, so forth. I notice it takes sometimes 5 minutes or more for any sound to come out. Sometimes quicker; it's random. Any idea as to why this happening?

[@theRombus]

Yikes, 5 minutes?? No... Are you sure it's not the crux adapter or something not powering the amp right away? I have a 2008 Toyota with JBL that uses a different Crux adapter, I've never had anything like that happen. It's hard to troubleshoot these things without a test bench... I can the luxury of pulling mine out to test and see if it's working on my desk. Off the top of my head, I'm wondering if theres an amplifier turn on signal that is messing things up. Does the Crux adapter have an amp power on line?

[@airbornetommyjames]

@@theRombus I was thinking the same thing. No power on line. And I can't bypass the JBL due to the stock wiring, right (non-JBL harnesses don't match up)? Any thoughts?

[@MNBADBOB]

Nice unit. When using phone mine will sound to who I called like im in a tunnel with echo sound and I sound far away. Any idea how to fix ?

[@theRombus]

Yes, possibly. Which model are you using? I recently discovered that the MS editions have a problem with the external and internal mic on the same input so when you use the external mic it pulls from both and creates a weird echoy effect sometimes that isn't as clear as shutting off the internal mic when using external (which the ultra and other Atoto units do). They are aware of the problem now (I sent a video demonstration to them) and actually just sent me a modified version to test and see if it fixes the problem. Definitely reach out to support, if this new version fixes the problem you should try getting them to send you a replacement.

[@franciscomarcel4904]

Do you know what sim card would work with the atoto s8 ultra gen 2. I’ve tried Xfinity and AT&T. Neither of them have worked for me.

[@theRombus]

Well you picked the two pickiest carriers, lol. Xfinity literally only works with specific handsets (even regular phones don't work unless it is in their list of "known" whitelist handsets). Att is a little bit better, but still often don't activate in a device that they don't recognize. I did successfully use an AT&T service mvno in mine. So far, I have used mint mobile, q Link wireless, speedtalk using t-mobile, and visible by Verizon successfully in all of my atoto radios with a SIM slot. If you want to try visible, I can get you a month for $5. It is unlimited on Verizon service.

[@jacksonduval4995]

I believe people say T Mobile works

[@theRombus]

​@@jacksonduval4995 yup. As does any of their mvnos, I've also had fantastic luck with a Verizon mvno (Visible) as well.

[@jacksonduval4995]

@theRombus how does this unit compare to the s8 standard? I juat got the standard on a black friday deal. Great price and has physical buttons. I didn't know anything about the MS until I watched this video

[@theRombus]

@@jacksonduval4995 the standard I think has less RAM and no SIM slot. This had updated software, but otherwise I think they are similar.

[@briansmith8292]

Hey does the s8 ms support the birds eye view camera ?

[@theRombus]

I haven't tried it but I believe it does. I have one in my car with the S8 Ultra and they use the same UIS 7862 chipset.

[@briansmith8292]

ok great. how does the MS hold up to the Ultra given the resetting issues you've faced?@@theRombus

[@ValleysOfSaturn]

Hi! At the end of the video, you say that S8 MS is much better than A6 PF. Can you please briefly say in which sense? Other than 4G LTE connection, 2Gbs of RAM more, I don't see any major additional change. But maybe I'm wrong. Many thanks!

[@theRombus]

The S8 has the UIS7862 which is noticably faster than the 8581a soc in the A6. Double the ram makes a big difference as well, I felt like my A6 was always laggy compared to the S8 Ultra in my other car. If you only do one thing at a time, the A6 is fine but multitasking was terrible. Running maps while opening a browser window for example, would close Spotify because it ran out of a memory. It just felt sluggish and laggy, whereas the S8 feels as responsive as my phone. If you're happy with the performance of your a6pf, and the sim slot doesn't interest you, by all means be happy with it! I always felt like it was a step down I had to make for cost saving reasons, and between that and running a USB modem for data, the MS edition feels like a massive step a better direction.

[@theRombus]

Essentially it's double the ram, 20% faster CPU, and throws in things like the sim slot which was usually only reserved for higher end models. It also has updated software that includes things like tracking your car. I don't consider this a minor update.

[@ValleysOfSaturn]

@@theRombusThank you, Mordy, for your thorough answers. Please, one more question: have you ever had crashes/lagging with A6 PF when you were running both Navigation and Music? It has never happened to me, yet. I can understand that starting the browser, additionally, could cause some problems, but if Nav and Music cannot run together smoothly, then the device is good for nothing.

[@snakebebop]

​​@@theRombus I have the atoto A6PF 9in in my Honda Element and the slight delay when tapping on the screen has always bothered me a bit. Is this atoto responsive as if you were on your phone? Also does this one boot up in 2 seconds?

[@JayeRock]

Where’s Expandable storage slot on S8 MS (32G)? 🤔

[@theRombus]

The MS edition relies on USB for expandable storage only, unfortunately. You can use a mini hub if you need more USB ports, but it's the first S8 model without a storage card. I think I mentioned that the ultra had a storage card slot and this did not.

[@posae86]

Does it have the same amp as the pro?

[@theRombus]

I'm going to guess that's one of those things they saved for the higher end edition. The idea here, I think, is just that the expectations for minimal specs have changed as computer parts get cheaper, and rather than an a anemic 2gb of ram like the a6pf, this is has a more respectable 4gb and includes the sim card slot. It appears that they still reserved premium features like the gesture sensor for the higher end model (which is fine, I turn that off anyway). I'd wager the higher end amp is also saved for the higher end price tag, but I haven't opened it up to check the specs. Maybe that's something I should ask Atoto about. The MS edition is supposed to be a more affordable updated model for the masses, but not a replacement for the Ultra or Pro directly. I think.

[@S14AA]

looks like slightly less power id really like to know if the higher resolution audio makes a difference in the car when your streaming music say s8 ms -Built-in Digital Signal Processor allows you to set precise equalization, signal delay, bass boost, bass filter. Preset 9 EQ Modes, and 32 adjustable frequency bands (16 bands for front and 16 for rear). Built-in Max 4*45W BTL Amplifier with RMS 4*24W (Vcc=14.4v, THD=10%); -Ultra-powerful Toshiba Pre-amplifier IC, Outstanding Listening Experience EDIT: Bluetooth1 is Bluetooth 5.0 with SBC & AAC codec s8 ultra -Built-in Digital Signal Processor allows you to set precise equalization, signal delay, bass boost, bass filter. Preset 9 EQ Modes, and 32 adjustable frequency bands (16 bands for front and 16 for rear). Built-in Max 4*49W BTL Amplifier with RMS 4*29W; -Ultra-powerful Toshiba Pre-amplifier IC, Outstanding Listening Experience -Qualcomm aptX HD codec, which was designed to answer the growing demand for high-resolution audio. This enhanced codec supports 24-bit music quality over Bluetooth

[@gfern81]

Does this MS edition have a QLED screen?

[@crs1474]

The one with the physical buttons on the bottom is the IPS version. The QLED a full flat screen with capacitive buttons on the left side of the screen. I think that’s the only difference though, the internals are the same.

[@ValleysOfSaturn]

@@crs1474 Nine inch MS version also has a QLED screen.

[@AZERJB]

Is Qled also , juste choose between ​physical buttons or flat screen sensitive but this too is QLED @@crs1474

[@Elkadetodd]

How is the phone charging on this? Support QC3.0?

[@theRombus]

The S8 Ultra supports Quickcharge, but the MS edition is the more budget friendly entry. It leaves out bells/whistles like QC and hand tracking, but it surprisingly DOES have a sim card slot which I love and use so I don't need my phone connected at all. Re: How do I charge my phone on this, the answer is I don't. I don't connect my phone. I have a cheap data plan on a sim ($5 a month) and leave my phone in my pocket. All streaming and content comes from the data plan on the sim and my phone is only connected via BT for calls. If I need to charge, I have a standard cig lighter plug I can plug in, but I like keeping my dashboard neat and not having wires out 24/7. There's no need to charge the phone normally.

[@Elkadetodd]

@@theRombus I'm looking at putting it in my work trucks, so the drivers will want to play their own music, etc. Plugging in is the easiest way to do that. I've had other head units that are technically 'charging', but all they really do is slow down the discharge rate on your phone.

[@theRombus]

@@Elkadetodd Hmm. I hear ya. Sounds like those other units were sending low amps out. Things like Carplay / Android Auto use a lot of battery power, since you are technically using your phone to drive a remote UI. It should still at least charge slowly unless you have an older phone. However this is one of many reasons I prefer to just use the head unit's native apps for music instead. It can run all the things my phone can, so why bother with the phone? Is the music actually stored on their phone? Because then you could just use Bluetooth which is much less power hungry. Or are they using a streaming provider like Spotify, Amazon Music, etc? In my car, I'm running native Spotify/Amazon etc on the head unit so it doesn't need my phone and connected to its own internet. No matter who drives the car (wife, daughter, etc), my wife can drop me off somewhere and take the car and it continues playing because we weren't relying on anyone's phone. If you insist on using AA/Carplay, the S8 Ultra has QC3. OR... get yourself a proper QC/PD charger in the cigarette lighter and connect wirelessly to AA/Carplay. These units support cable-less UI projecting. Cleaner looking and you don't have to rely on the headunit to charge your phone. I have an S8 ultra in my other car and I actually noticed sometimes I would get a feedback hum because of a bad wire on my amp when using the QC plug (only the QC plug did it, I guess because the psu was swapping how many amps are going where and causing some sort of interference). I rewired my amp and it went away, but I already had given up using it to fast charge and bought a PD charger for the car's DC plug. But honestly, the way I use it now, I barely need to charge when I drive. Phone stays in my pocket, start the car and it's ready to play music and navigate as soon as I let go of the key. Can't beat that kind of convenience.

[@jhowze6407]

I have a iPhone, will it connect to it automatically?

[@theRombus]

Probably. The point of models like this is that you don't need your phone (it runs apps directly without your phone connected, otherwise just get a carplay head unit like the F7?). If you mean Bluetooth, yeah. Carplay should connect if enabled in the BT1 screen to autorun upon the Bluetooth connection. It might not be on by default.

[@ValleysOfSaturn]

I really don't get it.... why would someone want to use SIM card in his car unit.... unless he is going around the world...

[@theRombus]

This little thing called the Internet?

[@ValleysOfSaturn]

@@theRombus sure, but what's wrong with wifi spot from your phone, for this purpose?

[@theRombus]

@@ValleysOfSaturn that works but not as well, it's an extra step and far less convenient. With its own Internet, it connects faster and with no intervention, speeds and latency are less than my carrier does with hotspot and it works even without my phone! When my wife or daughter drive the car they still get maps, Spotify, etc without needing to do anything or suck their phones battery dry, or remember to turn hotspot on or off. I can also track the car to see why someone hasn't come home yet. Also our hotspot is limited to 5mbps on my carrier, this is unlimited. Before this ms edition, I had an A6pf and used a USB hotspot modem that would start with the car for this exact purpose. But it took 20-30 seconds to boot when the car started, and sometimes I'd find it got unplugged when my wife cleaned the car or wanted to plug in her phone. This is online as soon as the car starts, and works effortlessly and fast. Can I just use hotspot on my phone? Yeah, but then I could also use hotspot on my phone at home, why have home internet? Sometimes its about convenience and practicality.

[@mark120371]

Does the MS edition have Toslink/optical output? Thanks for your help in advance.

[@theRombus]

@@mark120371 I don't believe it does.

[@drgjs]

I wish they would have 4 volt RCA out. Most of these units have 1.5 or 2 volt, which isn't great for the car audio environment. For those of us that want the best sound quality, this is a deal breaker

[@theRombus]

Actually this MS edition doesn't do RCA output, at least not directly. It has RCA line converters included to put the speaker wire into. My Ultra has RCA out and sounds ok going through my JBL amp, and Atoto started making their own amps too but there's a new head unit version coming out that's supposed to have the more powerful amp built into the unit. When that comes out it might be a version for those concerned about this I think. I'm trying to get more information from them on it.

[@drgjs]

I wish they'd make an amp to utilize the digital outputs. I have no idea why manufacturers aren't doing this.

[@patrickh7058]

Stop saying "um and uhhh" every other word. Dang dude