You can significantly enhance your driving experience by using your smart phone to help with navigation and media. You can also download helpful apps on your phone to bypass traffic and construction in your area. However, sometimes the holder can block the view out of the windshield, and the car vibrations can make it difficult to read details on the phone screen.
The 7 Best Phone Docks for Your Car
With a good car dock, you can put your phone on the dash, clip it to an air conditioning vent, or even in the cupholder, keeping it within eyeshot and allowing you to go hands-free. This article is part of our Holiday 2021 Gift Guide where you can find the best-of-the-best recommendations from Review Geek, LifeSavvy, and How-To Geek to help you pick the perfect gift for everyone on your list!
The phone mount needs to be secure enough when fastened to your dashboard, windshield, or car vents that it doesn’t detach while you’re driving. The phone mount needs to be secure enough when fastened to your dashboard, windshield, or car vents that it doesn’t detach while you’re driving.
You can clip it to your air vent, suction it to your dashboard or windshield, or place it in your cup holder. iOttie is a highly reputable phone dock brand and the Easy One Touch 4 mount is the company’s most popular option.
It comes with an adhesive dashboard pad and a reusable suction cup for strong support. The telescopic arm allows you to tilt your phone up and down up to 225 degrees and extend it up to 8 inches.
It includes a protective film to prevent any scratches if you decide to attach the plate directly to your phone.
If you use any kind of wireless charger, you’ll have to remove the metal plate before you can start charging your phone. A wireless charging dock in your car means you won’t have to mess with annoying cables anymore, which is certainly a bonus. The powerful magnetic head is reinforced for strength and durability and connects to your vehicle by clipping into an air vent.
And again, if you use wireless charging on a regular basis, that’s something to keep in mind when buying WixGear’s magnetic mount. The mount’s small flat surface doesn’t block your view while driving, and won’t get in the way of your other dashboard functions. Its flat surface lets it work with any smartphone, plus you can swivel and rotate it as needed so your phone is positioned exactly how you want it. This option from Scosche is great if you don’t want your phone mount to take up too much space in your car. The Scosche MagicMount also has a 4-axis, 360-degree head, so you won’t have any trouble moving your phone around to find the best angle. On top of being designed to fit thick cases, this car phone mount is extremely sturdy. A lot of car phone docks out there attach to your dashboard, windshield, or air vent. You can easily adjust the height up to 8 inches tall and utilize the 360-degree rotation to turn your phone whichever way you want it.
Best car phone holder 2021: The easiest to use and most secure windscreen, vent and dashboard mounts
Today’s smartphones can give you easy access to satnav features with up-to-date maps and traffic info, while also allowing you to play music and podcasts as you travel. Just be aware, though, that the law is expected to change later this year, and that a wider range of interactions with your phone will be made illegal. You should stay out of trouble as long as you remain hands-free, but if you appear to be distracted by calls or by the phone screen, then you can still end up in an uncomfortable conversation at the roadside.
Set your satnav route before leaving home, and steer clear of the TikToks, WhatsApp messages and in-car selfies.
These are ideal for lighter smartphones, but the grip might not be firm enough to hold heavier devices and it also obstructs the airflow. There will, of course, have to be a cable between your car’s USB port or 12V socket and the charger, so make sure it doesn’t dangle anywhere it might obstruct your driving.
There’s also no maximum phone size to worry about – it’ll handle devices of up to 650g – and the joint means it works at a decent range of angles. Key specs – Weight: 46g; Mounting: Suction cup on windscreen; Max phone width: N/A; Colours: Black Key specs – Weight: 130g; Mounting: Grip on air vent; Max phone width: 88mm; Colours: Black This isn’t a massive issue if you’re happy with your phone in the conventional portrait mode, but if you’re using your smartphone as a satnav, having more horizontal screen space to work with makes more sense. Key specs – Weight: 37g; Mounting: Grip on air vent; Max phone width: 93mm; Colours: Black and Aluminium The mount itself keeps a sure grip on your vent, rotating into horizontal and vertical positions, and there’s a little play in the ball joint to get a decent viewing angle for the screen.
Key specs – Weight: 90g; Mounting: Grip on air vent; Max phone width: iPhone 12 series and upwards only; Colours: Black The actual holder connects via a ball and socket joint into the supplied vent mount or dashboard/windscreen arm, while a suction cup on the latter hooks onto the windscreen or an adhesive silicone disc. What’s more, you’ve got the option to extend the arm through a nifty sliding bracket, giving you a good range of positions and viewing angles to work with. Key specs – Weight: 260g; Mounting: Grip on air vent/windscreen and dashboard suction cup; Max phone width: 112mm; Colours: Black This simple, compact phone holder can be attached via its suction grip to either a windscreen or a dashboard (simply turn it upside-down to switch between the two modes). Key specs – Weight: 91g; Mounting: Suction cup to windscreen or dashboard; Max phone width: 89mm; Colours: Black, red
Objectively, this is the best smartphone mount available: it’s small, avoids blocking your view, can be attached to the windscreen or dashboard and is easily moved to between vehicles. It’s also extremely stable, keeping your phone steady as you crash over Britain’s potholed streets, and has a ball and socket joint for easy adjustment.
Your phone is secured in the mount with a magnet, meaning there’s no width restriction and it’s easy to put it in place and remove it at either end of your journey.
Key specs – Weight: 118g; Mounting: Suction cup to windscreen or dashboard; Max phone width: N/A; Colours: Black Key specs – Weight: 59g; Mounting: Clip to air vent; Max phone width: N/A; Colours: Black, grey The spring-loaded arms and adjustable foot hold it firmly in place, and it’ll cope with devices up to 93mm in width, aligning the phone dead-centre to give you the best wireless charging connection.
The mount fits onto the windscreen or dashboard using an ultra-strong suction cup, while the telescopic arm pivots and extends in a wide range of positions, so you can keep your phone out of the way but in view. Key specs – Weight: 430g; Mounting: Suction cup to windscreen or dashboard; Max phone width: 93mm; Colours: Black
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