In the early 20th Century, an AM radio was considered a high-end luxury. The FM radio, capable of stereo, was invented in the early 20th Century. AM/FM radios were a hot luxury item in the 1950s.
People have found even more ways to enjoy music while on the move. 8-track players were replaced by cassette players, which led to CD players. Today, cars can have Bluetooth, 3.5mm aux, and USB options. By comparison, FM radio station seems downright quaint. Why would you need a radio when your music can be played without commercials?
Nowadays, music is accessed via streaming media and phones. Except for those who are huge fans and want all the album artwork, nobody buys CDs anymore. This can also put you in a difficult spot.
It may have a different type of connection depending on what car you drive. Your phone may not support USB audio, and your vehicle doesn’t have Bluetooth. What if you have a car with a 3.5mm aux jack but an iPhone? You can rely on older technology in these situations.
It doesn’t mean you will be subject to irritating DJs or endless Top-40 dreck. Your phone’s Bluetooth signal can be converted into an FM radio signal.
You can then set your Bluetooth FM transmitter to an empty channel and tune your car radio. You can then listen to Spotify and other streaming services. It’s essential to have a quality transmitter. You will be disappointed if your transmitter needs to be more powerful and have the required features. We can help.
How to Choose the Best Bluetooth FM Transmitter For Your Car
Today we will be reviewing four of our favorite Bluetooth FM transmitters. They plug into the car’s 12-volt DC socket, making it easy to use. They can also charge your smartphone, which is crucial when the power socket is unavailable.
There are also essential differences that we need to be aware of. Each transmitter must be examined closely as to how it’s assembled. We will need to assess the control systems and the charging features. We must also investigate the signal stability as well as audio quality. Let’s get started!
Criacr Bluetooth FM Transmitter Car
The Criacr Bluetooth AM Transmitter for Car is made of durable plastic and has a matte black housing. The main section is square with slightly rounded corners. The plug is underneath and can be inserted directly into your car’s power socket. This will make the top of most cars visible.
This is a good thing, as the LCD at the top of the unit is near the front. This displays the current FM station’s numbering in bright blue. The display will not show the FM station settings when you plug it in for the first time. The exhibition will also show the battery level of your car, which is an additional feature.
The device’s blue lighting matches an LED band on its outside. This band is visible at all times, which is a nice touch. Depending on your DC power socket’s location, it can be distracting at night.
A multi-function button with a call icon is located just behind the display. This contextual button can answer, end, reject, or redial calls. A pair of arrow keys are located on either side of the controller. These keys can be used to adjust radio frequency. You can also control the transmitter using Siri or Google Voice Assistant.
Connectivity, Call Quality, and Other Features
The Criacr transmitter can be connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth 5.0. This Bluetooth standard is currently used and has significantly improved over Bluetooth 2. This standard will provide a stable signal with less interference and lower latency. This means that there will be less cross-talk.
A vehicle with a high-quality sound system will also give you better audio quality. It can broadcast on any FM frequency, from 87.5 to 108, and post on 108. This is the same as what you can tune on an ordinary car radio.
A pair of charging ports are located on top of the housing. The top-left one is USB Type-C and supplies 20 watts of power. Although it isn’t as fast as a regular USB, this port provides 20 watts of current. Most modern smartphones can be charged in less than 90 minutes. Unfortunately, the USB Type-A port on the right could be more impressive. It provides only 5 watts, significantly less than the vanilla 12-watt USB port.
You have several other options to play your music in addition to Bluetooth. The USB Type-A port can accept flash drives up to 32GB in size. You can also play MP3 files directly from your thumb drive. The bottom slot can store up to 32GB of SD cards. You have plenty of options if you want to avoid listening to music on your phone.
As for audio quality, we had no complaints. The sound quality is excellent, regardless of audio source when listening to music. The call quality is also pretty good. CVC noise cancellation is a mic feature that helps you hear clearly from others. The mic quality will determine how well you can listen to each other. However, if their microphone is working well, you should be able to hear them.
UNBREAKcable Bluetooth 5.0 FM Transmitter for Car
The UNBREAKcable Bluetooth FM Transmitter for Cars has many similarities to the previous one. It is made of matte black plastic and has a square housing with a fixed plug at the bottom.
The control scheme is slightly different. The housing has a power button to the left and an FM channel-switching switch button to the right.
Near the top of the housing is a rocker switch with a green phone icon. You can activate multiple functions with this 5-way rocker. Although it feels strange initially, it is straightforward to get used to. The button to start the bass booster function is located just right of the rocker. It’s a button marked with a blue “b.” You can also use Siri or Google Assistant to speak commands.
An orange LCD is the current FM station behind the main controls. The USB Type C charging port is located to the right, along with two USB Type-A ports at the rear. A large, grey microphone is located at the back of the housing. Everything is surrounded by a blue LED backlight, which pulses along with your music. It can be distracting if it is within your direct line of sight. Otherwise, it is not a problem.