TikTok, Zoom Apps Coming to 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Superscreen

Mercedes-Benz has given us our first look inside the hatch of its new 2024 R-Class and, unsurprisingly, the sedan’s dashboard has a huge array of displays. The new Superscreen, like the Hyperscreen which previously debuted on the EQS electric sedan, multiple screens merge into a single curved glass panel that spans the full width of the dashboard. Backed by a powerful new central processor and 5G data connectivity, the 2024 E-Class also has a new third-party app store, bringing many familiar and popular entertainment apps — including TikTok, Angry birds, Zoom meetings and more – to the panel.

MBUX super screen panel by display

The biggest change for the 2024 model year is the availability of the new three-display Mercedes-Benz User Experience Hyperscreen (MBUX), a slightly scaled-down version of the MBUX Hyperscreen. Rather than integrating the three displays, the E-Class’s digital instrument cluster remains discrete, sliding out from the main glass slab like a tablet in a toaster and presenting the driver with Sporty or Classic-themed gauges and driving information. The remaining screens, including the large central display and optional passenger display, are fused with the main Superscreen glass panel, which extends and contours across the rest of the dashboard.

Mercedes hasn’t released the dimensions of the display, but I’d guess the cluster and passenger screens are around 12.3 inches, and the center display will likely be a touch smaller than the Hyperscreen’s 17.7-inch main screen.

The Superscreen has a few new tricks, thanks to a selfie camera located on top of the dashboard. The camera helps to power a feature called “visual shield”, which helps to prevent the driver from being distracted by the display of the passengers. That third screen only activates when the E-Class senses there is a soul in the passenger seat and uses dual light control display technology to reduce visibility from the driver’s seat. The camera can also watch and detect how often and for how long the driver looks to the passenger side, and can then dim the display to hide it from the driver’s view.

TikTok, Zoom and Angry Birds

Passengers can then take advantage of new third-party apps available as part of an optional Entertainment package to enjoy video content and games, downloaded directly to E-Class’ onboard storage. At launch, that will include Angry Birds, TikTok and the Vivaldi web browser, as well as an entertainment portal powered by Zync that includes streaming video, sports, news, games and more. Mercedes says more than 30 global streaming services are planned at launch and more integrations are being negotiated for later inclusion.

Drivers can also take advantage of the new on-board apps on the center display while parked and can even use the dashboard camera to capture photos, record videos and participate in them. Webex or Zoom video calls and meetings. Audio calls and collaboration while driving are supported. And of course, Android Auto and Game Apple CarPlay still the standard for users who prefer to power their apps and maps with a phone.

Surrounding the Superscreen is even more Active Ambient Lighting with a new colorful LED strip stretching across the top of the instrument panels and flowing onto the doors, joining the already extensive RGB lighting below the dashboard and in the footwells. The lighting now includes a Sound Visualization feature that analyzes the sound fed into a Burmester 4D surround system to add beat and pitch to the beat. Along with the vibration transducers in the front seat backrests and Dolby Atmos Spatial Sound, drivers will be able to see, hear and feel the music around them. (Hopefully this will be easy enough to disable.)

More usefully, the ambient lights can help communicate driver assistance information. For example, localized color can help visually indicate a parking area or ambient lights can flash a warning when Active Brake Assist is triggered.

AI and User generated Routines

With the Hyperscreen, Mercedes introduced its zero-layer paradigm and AI-learning Routines, where the car tries to learn the driver’s habits and present commonly used features on the home screen when relevant. For example, if you always go to your kids’ soccer practice on Tuesday afternoons, the car can learn this routine. The E-Class gets more than 20 additional so-called “Magic Modules” that can be learned and presented on the zero-layer home screen, including birthday reminders, to-do list suggestions, methods energetic comfort and more.

Also new to E-Class 2024 is the ability to manually create routines of your own that are then triggered when conditions are met. Mercedes gives examples of how an owner could use the template system to automatically activate the seat heaters and set the ambient lighting to warm orange when the temperature drops below a certain point or create a Date Night theme that sets the ambient lights to dim rose. -color and plays a romantic playlist via Bluetooth audio with one click. It’s kind of like Apple shortcuts feature in MacOS and iOS, but for your Benz.

Mercedes’ “Just Talk” voice recognition system can now activate and receive commands without the hot word “Hey, Mercedes” under certain conditions. When a red microphone icon appears on the screen, simply say “send me home” or “warm up the seat” to set the sedan to task. Users can now string several unrelated commands together — for example, “send me home and turn on the heated seats.”

Finally, the Automaker’s Energetic Coach health and fitness software is integrating with wearable technology. After connecting a compatible smartwatch, the vehicle will be able to recommend stress reduction programs or fatigue reduction settings and exercises based on biofeedback (heart rate, sleep data and more) transmitted from the device. The system might suggest changing the position of the seat back to improve posture, adjust the ambient lighting to increase vitality or recommend Energetic Coach breathing exercises for relaxation. Steps and calories burned for the day collected by the device can be shown on the central display.

The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is expected to start arriving at US dealerships later this year, so I expect details about the sedan to start pouring out in the coming months.