The screen runs the cabin
Wiping helps briefly, but marks return quickly. Many drivers stop cleaning after a while and accept how the screen looks.
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Wiping helps briefly, but marks return quickly. Many drivers stop cleaning after a while and accept how the screen looks.
Illustration BY GLENZKIE TOLO
In newer cars and recent models, the screen now decides how a car feels. Not the engine. Not the steering. The screen.
Before the drive starts, it turns on. Music, maps, air-conditioning, and settings all sit behind one surface. When the screen reacts slowly, the whole car feels slow, even when it is moving normally.
Older cars allow settings to be adjusted once and left alone. Modern cars work differently. Screens are expected to be touched often.
When screens are new, they respond quickly. Menus slide. Icons react on the first tap. Everything works as shown during the demo.
After months or years, the screen behavior changes. A tap needs a second try. Drivers wait before touching the screen again because they expect a short delay.
While carmakers decide what the system should do, the displays and electronics come from companies such as Panasonic Automotive, Continental and LG Automotive.
Many modern infotainment systems run on automotive chips from companies such as Qualcomm, which supplies Snapdragon Automotive platforms, NVIDIA, and long-time automotive suppliers like Texas Instruments, Renesas and NXP Semiconductors.
These chips are designed to run reliably for years in heat and vibration, not to stay fast forever, just like the chips on computers and phones.
Once the hardware is set, it stays in the car for its entire life, even as software changes over time.
Screens do not wear out like engines. Engines deal with mechanical wear and tear. Screens deal with constant tapping and a heavier digital load. Software grows heavier. Features get added.
Over time, drivers notice screen behavior changes. The volume reacts late. The map takes a second to load. Climate controls need another tap.
Touchscreens also collect marks and dust quickly. Audio, navigation, driving modes, climate controls and many other settings all pass through the same surface.
Wiping helps briefly, but marks return quickly. Many drivers stop cleaning after a while and accept how the screen looks.
Screens deal with extra stress when heat builds up inside parked cars, traffic keeps systems running longer than expected and staying on while engines idle. Over time, this affects how fast systems respond.
There are ways drivers may mitigate these screen issues in the future. Turning the screen off when parked helps. Using physical buttons or steering wheel controls when available helps.
It also helps if we could learn how to avoid being too pindot-happy. Once everything works well enough, we may stop adjusting settings and leave the system as it is.
The chip does not always need to change for the screen to improve. Many systems already receive firmware updates that adjust how the hardware behaves.
It is the screen that wears down from constant tapping and the heavier workload from software updates. My iPhone 8’s screen reminds me every day. We all experience this with smartphones over time.
In cars, drivers deal with it the same way. Some accept it and adjust around it. Screen replacement is not cheap.
Taking care of the screen matters because it stays with the car for a long time. A slow screen does not ruin a good car, but neglect can.
In newer cars, the screen runs the cabin. How long it does that well depends on how it gets treated.
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