Alpine INE‑W960 HDMI Review

The Alpine INE-W960 HDMI is a powerful, feature-rich in-dash navigation system with exceptional connectivity. With built-in maps, navigation assistance features, extensive media playback capacities and a smart design, you can travel efficiently while enjoying your favorite media.

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The Alpine INE-W960 HDMI is a powerful, feature-rich in-dash navigation system with exceptional connectivity. With built-in maps, navigation assistance features, extensive media playback capacities and a smart design, you can travel efficiently while enjoying your favorite media. Though it’s a rather expensive in-dash system, it is backed by quality customer service and a one-year warranty.

Much like the Soundstream VRN-65HB, the double-din GPS navigation system comes with preloaded maps of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with approximately 7 million points of interest ready for you to use. This is one millione less than the Pioneer AVIC-5200NEX. You can choose from various map views – like 3D, split map and turn-by-turn arrow view – to find which one works best for you. The 6.1-inch screen has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, which should make it easy to view maps and navigate its menu without having to squint.

Two especially useful features of this Alpine navigation GPS are its turn-by-turn navigation and its lane assistance. Lane assist will tell you what lane to get in prior to a turn. This can help you avoid dangerous last-second turns. The turn-by-turn navigation function takes out the guesswork and directs you each step of the way to your desired destination. You can also plug in multiple stops on one particular journey, and the system will automatically sort them, directing you to each in the order they arrive, from closest to furthest.

With Bluetooth connectivity, you can connect your Android, iPhone or Windows phone to take calls or play music through the device. The system allows for versatile multimedia playback. It can play CDs and DVDs, streaming services, satellite radio and even stored media files. You can use media from your smartphone or upload it using the SD card slot or USB port.

You can customize the background of the interface and adjust the display’s brightness as needed. It is compatible with a remote control for rear-seat users, and its ability to integrate with your steering wheel means you won’t have to give up using the volume controls on it.

Alpine ships the INE-W960 HDMI with a one-year warranty. It also offers phone and email support. Additionally, Alpine has a social media presence, which provides you with another way to get in touch with the company if needed.

The Alpine INE-W960 HDMI is one of the pricier navigation systems in our comparison, but justly so. Its high-quality construction and arsenal of entertainment and navigation features make it a great companion whether you’re driving to work or across the country with your family.

Suzanne Humphries

Suzanne loves reviewing, playing with and owning all-things tech, especially if it pertains to hardware or video games. When she's not hard at work, you can find her hard at play, travelling, taking photos, gaming, reading, and listening to punk & ska. She currently works as an Associate Editor at Review Geek.