Ford keeps CarPlay and Android Auto in its affordable EV truck, while Slate expects you to bring the screen yourself.

Both Ford and Slate are pursuing the same enticing goal: an electric pickup starting below $30,000. The Blank Slate Truck starts at $24,950 plus a $1,450 destination charge, while the Ford Fathom starts at $28,350 plus a $1,595 destination charge.

But things get more interesting once you look more closely. Ford says the Fathom will feature a large touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Slate forgoes a traditional infotainment system, instead giving you a place to mount and charge your phone. That's refreshingly simple for some, but it might seem too simple for anyone used to seeing maps, music and messages on a proper center display.

Slate hasn't merely left CarPlay off the options sheet. Its approach is to have your phone or tablet do the work. Phone mounting and charging are standard, and buyers can opt for accessory speakers and a bracket that fits a larger tablet. Navigation, music and other compatible apps normally accessed through CarPlay or Android Auto remain on the device. Slate told InsideEVs that vehicle software updates can be downloaded onto a phone and transferred to the truck, avoiding the need for an embedded cellular connection.

There's a certain logic to it: if the infotainment hardware is in your pocket, it can't get hopelessly dated as the truck ages. There are compromises, however. A phone screen is smaller than a dedicated dashboard display. And although Slate left out the infotainment screen to keep things simple, some prospective owners online are already discussing aftermarket stereos, Raspberry Pi projects and other ways to get CarPlay or Android Auto into the truck.

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