Carluex Pro+ review: wireless convenience

Convenience means everything when you’re behind the wheel. That’s why there’s been an explosion of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wireless adapters. These neat little gadgets aimed at the automotive market let you connect your smartphone to your vehicle wirelessly and — while there’s not a lot to them in terms of tech — they’re super handy to have in the car.

Whatever you think might be the best smartphone, if you’re heading for the driver’s seat, then it’s well worth trying something like the Carluex Pro+. It’s perfect for bypassing the faff of a wired connection and could help breathe a new lease of life into your car’s infotainment system if it’s a little bit out of date.

While different people have very different ideas about whether Android Auto is better than Apple CarPlay, there’s no doubt having a gadget to hand that streamlines the connection process using cable-free wireless is always going to be a good idea. Much like the best dash cams, there are plenty of choices when it comes to wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto adapters, and Carluex itself has a whole portfolio of similar car tech products.

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Price, availability, and specs

The Carluex Pro+ is available now and comes in a small box complete with the cable, USB adapters and a compact manual alongside the unit itself. It can be purchased direct from the Carluex website for $250, which is a $90 discount from the regular asking price of $339. For the UK market, the Carluex Pro+ has an RRP of £267 but is currently discounted down to £196 for single car use.

What I liked about the Carluex Pro+

Delivers instant access to favorite apps

One of the best things about the Carluex Pro+ is how simple it is to set up, configure and use. I tried it in a couple of cars and both times the process took mere minutes to get up and running. The small box it’s packed in comes with a cable, which has both USB and USB-C connection adapters, which pops into an available power socket in your car. With the ignition on, the Carluex Pro+ lights up red and the small manual helps you work through the steps needed to get configured. This includes the steps needed to pair your smartphone to the device and the Carluex Pro+ is illuminated in blue once this has been achieved.

The other big bonus with the Carluex Pro+ is the extra features and functions that are immediately opened up once it’s running. If you’ve got an older car and want to give the infotainment system a new lease of life, the Carluex Pro+ does the trick. It offers up a host of default app icons, allowing users to dip into things like their Netflix account or streaming music services. As with most car accessories, though, it’s worth checking your own car’s compatibility via the Carluex website first, to ensure it’ll work as expected.

Carluex provides Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Disney+, HBO, Chrome, Google Maps, Waze apps by default, which are mighty handy. The other benefit of the Carluex Pro+ is the way that it has a SIM card slot, allowing it to be beefed up by plugging in a card and subsequently accessing additional services using your preferred data network. Rounding it out is the ability to add a microSD card that adds up to 128GB of storage over and above the 64GB internal capacity.

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What I didn’t like about the Carluex Pro+

Slightly dated interface could be zingier

While I was reasonably impressed with the overall appeal and value of the Carluex Pro+, there are a couple of things that left me feeling slightly less positive. The main thing is the appearance of the interface — I’m sure the Carluex team spent plenty of time developing the software, but it still has a fairly humdrum interface. The app icons themselves are all presented nicely enough, and are all easy to access, but the look is a little dated I think.

I did encounter a little bit of lag from time to time too, which I’m assuming is software-related, although it could equally have been my car. Plugging the Carluex Pro+ in and getting set up worked okay, but day-to-day use was a little more unpredictable. That said, this has never been enough to make me feel like chucking the Carluex Pro+ on to the backseat and forgetting about it. The fact that the Carluex Pro+ is quite expensive is a bit of a turn-off too.

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Should you buy the Carluex Pro+?

Offers affordable practicality and is quick and easy to install

I’d say the Carluex Pro+ makes a lot of sense for anyone wanting to connect their phone to their car and get stuck into their favorite apps without dipping into the infotainment system.

Once set up, the Carluex Pro+ offers quick and easy access to preferred apps and, for the most part, works just as it should. The design appeal of the interface is a minor downside and, overall, this is a reasonably good value in-car accessory, although it might cost more than many are prepared to pay for a seemingly simple peripheral.

Carluex Pro+

$249 $339 Save $90

The Carluex Pro+ will work with around 800 different vehicles, many of which might be sufficiently old to benefit from being able to wirelessly connect to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The downside is the price, which seems quite high. While it offers access to a default selection of apps including HBO Max, Hulu, Chrome, Disney+, Spotify, Play Store and YouTube, it is let down by patchy performance and a rather dated and not very intuitive interface.