The 10 Best Phone Car Mounts
Editor's Notes
March 25, 2021:
In this update, we replaced the iOttie Easy One Touch 4 with the iOttie Wireless, a model that offers the same useful features as the One Touch (a telescopic arm, re-mountable base, and the ability to rotate for portrait or landscape orientation) as well as Qi wireless charging, which allows you to mount a compatible phone without worrying about battery loss or having to deal with a wire blocking other dashboard functions.
The ZeeHoo Auto-Clamping was removed because its wireless charging capabilities seemed unreliable in the long run.
New to the list, the Aonkey Universal is a good choice for those who use thicker cases, popsockets, or card wallets that attach to the back of a phone. It uses two grips on the bottom that can be adjusted to accommodate different sizes of devices, however they do interfere with your view of the screen, which may be a problem with some map apps.
Whichever option you choose, remember that being distracted while driving is extremely dangerous. Quickly glancing at a screen to keep track of directions is one thing, but texting or using social media while driving is never safe, even if you're using a phone mount. If you notice a notification you want to respond to, either wait until you arrive at your destination or pull over.
January 03, 2020:
It had been a while since we revisited this list, and so we overhauled over half of its offerings to showcase the newest and most tried-and-true options available. We said goodbye to the Easy-Tech 2-in-1 and Omaker 3-in-1, which became unavailable, and swapped the Kenu Airframe for the Kenu Airframe Pro, a model made for the largest of phones. Additionally, we updated the Ipow Stretchable Clamp to its most recent iteration, the Ipow Auto-Release. We also said goodbye to the Macally Adjustable in favor of the similar, but higher-quality Topgo Cradle, and added the sleek, no-frills Scosche MagicMount in lieu of the Vansky Gooseneck, which suffered from confirmed quality complaints. Finally, you'll find a reliable, well-loved unit in the newly-added ZeeHoo Auto-Clamping, a selection that's capable of charging Qi-enabled phones.
It's important to bear in mind that while many of these models are extremely versatile, there is still a possibility that one may not work in your car or fit your phone. Consider your vehicle's interior, as well as your device dimensions including its case, and select an item that won't interfere with car navigation screens or your phone's ports. Some units cannot withstand harsh climates, while others are engineered to do so, so look at the specs closely if you live in an extremely hot or cold place. Do not try to rig any of these for use in anything other than a car, or you'll likely be disappointed. If you ride a motorcycle, you'll need a specific mount for it.
Our priorities when ranking this list included the capability to handle thick cases and various phone models, multiple mounting options and viewing angles, high-quality materials, strong magnets and adhesives, thoughtful designs, and warranties, since breakage or an inaccurate fit are both common problems across the category.
We want to stress that while using a phone mount is worlds safer than holding your phone in your hand, it's still paramount that you keep your eyes on the road, never text and drive, and adjust your mount prior to starting your car so you can be sure that you have the best viewing angle before you hit the road.
Keep It Mounted; Keep It Safe
It just so happens that the vast majority of distracted driving in the early days of smart phones is the result of using those very devices.
It's becoming increasingly difficult to imagine a world that doesn't rely on cellular communications and instant internet access from anywhere, but it's more than likely that the age in which we're living now, the age of interconnection, has only just begun.
At this point in the revolution, our devices are separate from us, with the occasional exception of a wearable piece of tech like a smartwatch. That means that, in order to interact with the interface, we have to manipulate it with our fingers and our voices, as well as our eyes.
Take any task that requires the attention of the eye, the ministrations of the hand, and a significant amount of your momentary brain space and put the task to someone who also happens to be driving a car down the highway at 70 mph, and you can imagine the disasters that might unfold. I don't care if it's reading a book, eating a sandwich, or texting, distracted driving is undoubtedly dangerous.
It just so happens that the vast majority of distracted driving in the early days of smart phones is the result of using those very devices. Each year in the US, about 420,000 people are injured in car crashes for which a distracted driver is to blame.
The answer would seem to be pretty simple: put away the phone. But distractions come from other sources, as well, such as distress over an impending feeling that you've lost your way, worry over a friend or loved one who may be sick or in trouble, and a dozen other completely legitimate and time-sensitive issues that using a smart phone in your car can fix, actually making you safer.
In order to reduce that level of distraction, however, you need to have your phone mounted in a position in your car that makes it easy to read and access without a lot of fumbling around. The car mounts for cell phones on our list do just that, and they do so in a manner that secures your phone without risking any damage to your vehicle.
All of the car phone mounts on our list grab onto your phone with one end and onto some part of your car with the other. In some cases, they attach to your windshield by the force of a suction cup. In others, they use the weight of the phone to create leverage against a slot that fits around one of your car's vents. Still others utilize magnets, stick materials, or even tabs that fit into your CD slot to create a mount that lives front and center.
Your Mounting Options
Selecting one from among the numerous phone car mounts on our list will come down to a number of variables that hinge partly on the design of your car and partly on where in your car you want your phone to mount. For example, if you're left handed, mounting your phone anywhere near the center console would be a bigger hassle than anything else, as it would necessitate that you use your non-dominant hand to manipulate it. A mount designed to insert into your CD drive wouldn't work for you.
The magnets make for a convenient installation and removal when you're on the go, but they aren't as secure as the spring-loaded clips.
Alternatively, depending on the angle of your windshield, you might find that suction cups are a poor option. If your windshield's angle is too steep, some suction cup-based mounts won't have enough flexibility to allow your phone to face forward at an amenable viewing angle.
If you're a lefty with a steep windshield, well, you're running out of options, but you can still utilize a mount that attaches to the vents in your car, provided that they have enough tension in them to hold the mount in place. If you have a heavier phone and weaker hinges on your vents, you might end up with a phone on the floor every time you go over a bump.
Ask yourself where in your car you'd be most comfortable mounting your phone, and then actually get in the car and look at the options available to you. Is mounting it in the vents too far down for you to have to migrate your eyes while driving? Does a windshield mount obstruct your lines of sight?
Once you've got a handle on where and how you want to mount your phone in your car, your decision will come down to the clip. Some clips are magnetic, others have spring-loaded, extending arms that grip your phone along its sides. The magnets make for a convenient installation and removal when you're on the go, but they aren't as secure as the spring-loaded clips.
Rising Dangers
Long before texting presented a threat to the very fiber of our roadways, the pioneers of telecommunications in the 20th century endeavored to place a phone inside of your car. The Bell System was the first to achieve the feat way back in 1946, though to be honest it was more of a radio system built with all the trappings of the telephone. It was channel based like a radio, and it had limited bands for communication with other car phones within range.
It was channel based like a radio, and it had limited bands for communication with other car phones within range.
It took another 40 years for cellular technology to begin its transition toward the tower-based systems we still use today, and even then car phones were bulky, uncomfortable things that offered little more than the ability for rich jerks to communicate with other rich jerks about how much money they made that day.
In more recent years, as numbers of violent automobile deaths that could easily have been prevented have kept rising, awareness campaigns and compelling films like Werner Herzog's anti-texting and driving PSA From One Second to the Next have opened our eyes to a culture that needs to change. That change begins, in part, with a good mount.