After researching the options for ten hours, surveying more than 1,000 Wirecutter readers, and testing about thirty models, the smartphone car mount we recommend for most people is ($11). Although it may not be what you’d envision when you think of a car mount, the MagGrip CD Slot proved to be a simple, compact, and affordable option that’s a great fit for most cars. Compared to the other models we tested, the style allows for the easiest insertion, removal, and repositioning and does not sacrifice a secure hold.

It also places the phone at an ideal position that doesn’t block your view of the road. Last updated: June 20, 2016 We finished testing two new MagGrip magnetic mounts from TechMatte—the and —and while we liked the concepts behind both, neither model worked as well as our current picks. See our full thoughts in the section below. Smartphones have become a nearly indispensable part of the driving experience, for better or worse. We use them for driving directions, to play music, and to make the occasional hands-free call.

(We hope that’s all you’re using them for. The Wirecutter doesn’t condone distracted driving or breaking hands-free laws.) A good mount allows you to complete these tasks as easily and safely as possible by positioning your phone where you can quickly glance at it, rather than having to look down at a cup holder, the center console, or the passenger seat to check for your next turn. If you already have a mount that’s working for you, there’s no pressing need to upgrade. But you may find that your current mount no longer works well—or at all—if you get a new phone, especially if you go with a larger handset. For example if you’ve been using a Samsung Galaxy S3 and decide to upgrade to an S6, or you go from an iPhone 5 to a 6 Plus, there’s a good chance your current mount won’t hold your new, bigger phone. Or maybe you’re just frustrated with your current mount and you want something better. How we picked and tested.

A great smartphone mount needs to do a few things. First, it has to attach securely to your car in a way that makes your phone easy to see without blocking your view of the road. It has to hold the phone tightly while allowing you to easily change its angle and orientation (portrait or landscape). It should fit any size phone (though for this version of the guide we didn’t make tablet compatibility a requirement). We also favor mounts that allow the phone to be easily inserted or attached and subsequently removed—ideally with one hand. Finally, we gave bonus points for minimalist design. With those requirements in mind, our initial hours of research into car mounts led us to realize that every one of the huge number of mounts on the market requires some sort of compromise.

With Windchill Quality Solutions. During operation. This guide assumes that you are operating the Windchill Quality Solutions Tryout version. This comprehensive toolset represents the next generation in QLM (quality lifecycle management) software. These sections introduce you to the basic concepts of Windchill Quality. We surveyed 1,000 Wirecutter readers and tested about 30 models, finding that TechMatte’s MagGrip CD Slot is the best smartphone car mount for most people.

So we surveyed more than 1,000 Wirecutter readers to see how they use their phones in the car, what kind of hardware they have in the car, and what features they want from a great smartphone mount. This helped us determine which compromises are the best for most people. Our survey turned up some very interesting results. Not surprisingly, almost everyone–98% of respondents–uses their smartphone for maps and GPS directions in the car. But where people currently mount their phones varies much more than we expected.

Of those who already own a mount, that mount is likely located on an air vent (28%), the dashboard (27%), or the windshield (26%), with only 12% using the CD-player slot. The most surprising result, however, was that while nearly 90% of respondents’ cars have CD players, those people play CDs only 5.7% of their time in the car, on average—most people never use the CD player, while those who do tend to use it fairly often, pulling the average up. We also found that 70% of respondents use a case on their smartphone (a little bit lower than the 78% Apple executives noted during ). With this information in hand we felt much more confident in making our decisions. The first step was to decide on a mounting style from the three major options: windshield/dashboard, air vent, or CD slot. We ruled out the first for a few reasons. Windshield and dash mounts generally use a suction cup to attach to those surfaces.

Mounting to your windshield generally gives you a sturdy setup, but it means that the mount and your smartphone partially block your view of the road. (Some people also dislike the circular marks suction-cup mounts can leave on the glass.) Sometimes a suction cup mount will work directly on a dashboard, but manufacturers also usually include an adhesive-backed disc that sticks to the dash and gives the suction cup a smooth place to stick.

All manufacturers warn, however, that the adhesive on this disc can cause permanent damage to the dash. With these (significant) drawbacks in mind, we recommend windshield/dash mounts only for people who absolutely can’t use one of the other two types.

Vent mounts generally have rubber arms that firmly grip the slats in your car’s air vents, using one of various types of phone holders on the other end. We like these a lot, as they’re generally small and easy to use without causing any damage to the vehicle. One problem, however, is that if you’re blasting hot air from the vent in the winter, that heat can cause the phone to overheat and shut down. Given that our survey respondents said that they turn on the heat in an average of 4.7 months of the year, this could be an issue for many people a good portion of the time. Additionally, the weight of today’s increasingly larger phones makes a mount’s sturdiness especially important, and depending on the car, the mount, and the phone, a vent mount that’s not secure can result in drooping, bouncing, or other issues.

The third type, CD-slot mounts, are used the least frequently by our survey respondents, but our research, survey results, and hands-on experience led us to conclude that this mounting option is actually the best choice for most people. Only one out of ten cars lacks a CD player, yet few people use that player, instead using their smartphones for music playback. This means that most people have a perfect place to mount a smartphone, as car CD players are usually located within easy reach and view of the driver. CD-slot mounts all work similarly: Rubberized plastic wings slip into the CD slot, and you then spread the wings apart, using a thumbscrew, until they grip the slot securely. And we do mean securely: If properly installed, we found the CD-slot mounts to be as secure as—and often more secure than—any other type. (One caveat: If your CD player is a changer, the slot likely has a door that slides down and blocks the slot to prevent you from putting two CDs in the same changer compartment. Assuming you’re not using the changer, you just press Eject to open the door, then slip the mount in–the mount won’t damage the player.) That’s not to say a CD-slot mount is going to be perfect for everyone.

In some cars, the mounted phone may block climate controls or a touchscreen, for example. If that’s the case, consider one of our alternate picks. But overall, we feel confident recommending a CD-slot mount as a great choice for most people. Once we came to that conclusion, we considered the best method for holding the phone itself.

This is a simpler choice, as phone holders tend to be one of two types: tension-grip cradles that physically grip the device or magnets. Given that ease of insertion/attachment and removal, and that easy repositioning ranked high on our list of criteria, we came to the conclusion that magnet-based systems are best for most people. We suspect most people haven’t used a magnetic phone mount, so you may be wondering how they work. Most models include a selection of thin, metal plates. Often, one has adhesive and is designed to stick to the back of your phone or case, while another is intended to slip between the back of your phone and its case—you use whichever you prefer. Once installed, the plate allows you to simply raise the phone near the mount to join the two magnetically.

In most instances the hold is super-secure, yet you simply pull the phone off to remove it. Attachment and removal doesn’t get much easier. Our testing finalists. With all that decided, we conducted hands-on (and, of course, in-car) testing of four magnetic CD-slot mounts, five cradle-style CD-slot mounts, and a handful of models representing various other types for comparison’s sake. We installed each mount in a 2012 Toyota Prius C, evaluating ease of placement, stability, and usability. Any mounts that were particularly difficult to install, didn’t hold the phone properly or securely, made repositioning the phone’s angle or orientation difficult, or required multiple hands to place and remove the phone were eliminated, and we picked our favorites from those that remained.

We drove all over Buffalo, NY, took a road trip to Burlington, VT, and even had an editor put the mounts through their paces while driving 1,500 miles for our road-trip collection. The best smartphone car mount for most people is ($11). It’s simple, compact, affordable, and effective, and it worked with every phone and just about every case we threw at it, including the largest handsets—its design leaves little room for failure. The CD-slot mount style takes advantage of a rarely used feature found in most cars that’s also usually at the perfect viewing position, and the magnet makes placement and repositioning easy.

TechMatte’s MagGrip CD in place. Physically, the MagGrip CD Slot is smaller than any other CD-slot-style mount we tested. It measures about 3.3 inches from front to back—closer to 2.6 inches if you don’t count the “wing” that actually fits in the CD slot—and is about 3.5 inches tall, including the thumbscrew. At only 104 grams, it weighs 25 grams less than an iPhone 6. There are two main components to the mount: the base and the magnetic pad. The plastic base is actually used by a number of the other models we tested, suggesting that TechMatte is sourcing its products from the same factories as other companies. (You can find even more similar models on Amazon.) This, however, has no bearing on function.

The system works well; you just slide the 0.7-inch-deep segment into your car’s CD slot and then use the a thumbscrew to lift the center of the wing until the base is lodged securely in the slot. At the end of a short neck that terminates in a ball joint is a round, flat, magnetic pad about 1¾ inches in diameter. Thanks to the ball joint, the pad can be positioned across a wide range of angles as well as rotated 360 degrees. TechMatte includes a MagGrip Plate and a MagGrip Sticker, each made of metal. The former is a 2.6-by-1.8-inch rounded rectangle, measuring less than half a millimeter thick, that’s made to slip in between your phone and a case.

The sticker is a 1.6-inch disc with adhesive on one side. The sticker can be attached to either the back of a case or the back of your phone, but according to the manual, it’s not removable once installed. (For what it’s worth, we tested these stickers with an iPhone 5s and with a smooth case, and the sticker came off without much hassle and without leaving any residue behind; your mileage may vary.) The MagGrip Plate on an iPhone 6 Plus, installed inside Incipio’s NGP case. We tested the MagGrip CD Slot using mostly the Plate, as we use a case and didn’t want to disfigure any testing phones. (The plate and sticker offer similar amounts of magnetic attraction, though in actual use, the Sticker should offer an even more secure attachment because there’s no case material in between the Sticker and the magnetic pad.) Our main test phone was an iPhone 6 Plus, and its large size helped demonstrate the strength of the magnet.

The MagGrip Plate fit inside every case we tested, and it’s so thin that even when used inside Caudabe’s (extremely) thin, the plate adds only a barely visible bulge. With almost every case–a bit more on that below–we were able to simply raise the phone to the magnet, and it stuck securely.

The setup worked with the phone in portrait or landscape orientation, and even diagonally. One of the main reasons we like this style of holder, and particularly the MagGrip CD Slot, is its placement in the car.

The CD player in most cars is located in a central position where people are used to looking while driving anyway—not too low, not too high, and safer than dash and windshield mounts which can partially obscure your view of the road. CD-slot mounts offer a natural viewing position. If you’re worried that a magnet might affect the functionality of your phone, rest easy. While a magnet could conceivably throw off the phone’s internal compass (something we didn’t see in our tests when running the iPhone’s built-in compass app with and without the magnet in place), turn-by-turn directions and all other navigation functions work as expected. We even tested this on a 750-mile trip where the phone was used for directions and music playback the whole time; not once did we experience an issue.

(It’s worth noting, to address a common concern we hear from people who grew up with traditional hard drives, that smartphones use solid-state memory, which is immune to damage from magnets.) We couldn’t find any reputable professional reviews on the MagGrip CD Slot; there are actually very few reviews on any car mounts from professional reviewers. On Amazon though, where the CD-based version shares a listing with the TechMatte’s vent and dash models, 1,160 reviewers have given the line an average rating of 4.6 out of five stars.

Only a quarter of the reviews are under five stars. We expect some readers to be skeptical of the CD-slot mount style—some of us were, too. Wirecutter writer Kit Dillon, for example, was initially a skeptic, but after testing the TechMatte MagGrip CD Slot while on a 1,500-mile road trip, he became a believer: “My immediate thought about the TechMatte was that I liked the simplicity of being able to mount and unmount my phone with one hand, without having to fight with tension arms that won’t let go of the phone but I don’t use a case, and I knew that I would, for whatever personal reasons, never glue a magnet to the back of my phone.” “But after four days on the road, the convenience of the TechMatte was overwhelming. The simple tactile feel of the mount snatching up your phone and holding it right where it’s needed meant the TechMatte beat all the other models I tested.

1,500 miles later, I now have a small magnetic disc on the back of my phone.” In regard to the latest generation of iPhones, TechMatte has removed references to the iPhone 6s Plus from its Amazon listing for the mount. We checked in to see why this was and the company told us it should work with the larger handset, but “if that phone is in a heavy case or one that is very thick such as an OtterBox, the added bulk might make it too heavy for the magnet to holdin a thinner case, there should be no issues.” This matches our findings; we’ve been using the iPhone 6s Plus inside Incipio’s NGP and connecting to the MagGrip CD Slot with no issue.

Flaws but not dealbreakers. Obviously, if your car doesn’t have a CD player, if the CD slot is hidden behind a faceplate, or if you frequently listen to CDs in the car, this style of mount is not for you. That aside, the CD slot in some cars is located such that this kind of mount (or your mounted phone) may obscure climate controls, stereo controls, or other frequently used buttons or touchscreens. We like TechMatte’s mount because it’s the least obtrusive we tested, but you simply can’t get around this in some cars.

One Wirecutter staffer over-tightened the MagGrip’s CD-slot mount, cracking the body of the mount. The company told us this is a rare issue, but one that can happen if you over-tighten the mount in wider CD slots. And, of course, you need to put the included metal plate or sticker somewhere.

Unless you’re willing to attach a metal sticker to the back of your phone (two Wirecutter staffers did this and swear by it now, but we realize many people won’t want to), you’ll need to use a case. But since we think you should be using a case—and most people do—this won’t be an issue for most people.

Indeed, we tested a number of our to ensure that they allow for a proper hold. Our overall top pick,, worked like a charm. The same can be said for and. We weren’t as successful with cases with thicker designs and raised textures, such as and —the additional distance between the magnet and the metal plate made for an inconsistent bond that could be broken when we drove over small bumps. Super-thick cases, including, prevented any magnetic bonding at all. Long-term test notes.

Multiple staffers have each used the for more than six months of almost daily use, and it’s still our favorite smartphone car mount. The magnets have retained their strength and have worked successfully with a number of cases that we’ve tried. This mount has become the kind of thing we couldn’t imagine living without. The only issue we’ve found is a small one: Every few months, we’ve had to retighten the mount’s knob a bit. Overall, we’re still very happy with the MagGrip CD Slot mount, and it remains our top pick.

Runner-up for those who don’t like magnets. If you don’t use a case and don’t want to put a metal sticker on the back of your phone, we recommend going with ($25). It actually uses the exact same base as the MagGrip CD but swaps out the magnetic pad for a tension-grip cradle. A similar form factor to our top pick but with an easy-to-use cradle. At the end of the ExoMount Touch CD’s ball joint you’ll find a 1½-inch-tall plastic cradle with two spring-loaded arms that accommodate phones as narrow as 2.1 inches across and as wide as 3½ inches. Our favorite aspect of the ExoMount Touch CD is the red button in the middle of the holder. As you press your phone against this button, the arms snap together to hold your phone tightly in place.

It’s the easiest installation method we found next to the magnetic mounts we prefer. To release, you just squeeze together two small, plastic bits behind the cradle. Two great options for air vents. If you can’t or don’t want to use a mount that fits in a CD slot, we recommend going with the ($7).

It uses the same magnetic pad as the MagGrip CD, with a similar metal plate and sticker included in the package. But instead of being attached to a relatively large base, the MagGrip Air Vent’s pad has four short arms sticking out the back. (The whole thing measures only 1.4 inches deep.) In one direction, the arms have a very small gap—they’re practically touching. The other pair of arms, mounted perpendicular to the first pair, are separated by about 0.14 inch. If you have particularly thin vertical slats, for example, you’ll want to turn the mount until the smaller gap aligns with those slats.

TechMatte’s MagGrip Air Vent uses the same magnetic pad as our top pick. We love the MagGrip Air Vent because it’s practically invisible, especially once a phone is attached, and its magnetic hold is just as strong as that of our CD-slot-style pick. But as we note above, it may not be the best option for people who frequently turn on the heat in the car: Hot air blown directly on the back of the phone, depending on the intensity, can cause the handset to overheat and shut down. We’ve found that handles such situations a little better because it puts a few inches between the vent and the phone. The mount pretty much disappears when in use. We recently tested two new magnetic mounts from TechMatte, and while we like the concepts behind both models, neither works as well as our current picks. The uses a spring-loaded system to grip the inside of your car’s CD slot, rather than the thumbscrew of the standard MagGrip CD.

Although this version is easier to use, we found the original model to be more sturdy in a wider array of CD slots. The, meanwhile, is a vent mount that allows for a wide range of viewing angles thanks to a magnetic ball mechanism, but in our tests it was too heavy for our vents and wouldn’t stay where we wanted. Logitech’s and are two different takes on the same concept. Like our top picks, these mounts use magnets to hold your phone; both of the ZeroTouch mounts come with two metal stickers to attach to the back of your handset or case. What makes the ZeroTouch mounts different is their smarts. They use NFC to launch a safe-driving app—currently exclusive to Android, though Logitech has promised eventual iOS support—on your phone when you place it on the mount. You trigger voice commands by holding your hand an inch or so away from your mounted phone’s screen.

Wirecutter writer and Android expert Kevin Purdy tested the rig extensively. “The app itself is as polished as any Distraction-Free/Car Mode app I’ve seen,” he said. “I have had no problems with text transcription, either reading or dictating. The Music launching is more advanced than Logi even gives it credit for, playing my podcast app (PocketCasts) when asked.” He noted, too, how important the automatic app-launching is, as it’s easy to forget to launch a driving app before you start driving, and difficult to then fumble around while driving to launch it later.

The Logi ZeroTouch Air Vent Car Mount and Dashboard Cell Phone Holder are very good at what they do. Of the two, we prefer the more discreet Air Vent model, as it works in more cars; the obelisk-shaped Dashboard unit draws attention to itself and might invite some GPS-unit-snatchers to take a closer look.

One big drawback for both is Android exclusivity—iOS doesn’t currently allow accessories to control your phone the way Android does. The other major drawback is price: The Air Vent Car Mount costs almost six times what other great car mounts do. For the features it provides, however, the investment may very well be worth it if you’re an Android user. ($25) and ($25) are both good examples of the magnetic CD-slot mount style. Other than their prices compared to our pick, they have few downsides. They’re pretty similar to one another, though the Snap3 also lets you use it as a desktop stand for your phone.

The same pricing issue affects the from Koomus, which costs $17 and uses the same base as the TechMatte model but a larger rectangular magnetic pad. If you see any of these models on sale for less than the TechMatte, there’s no reason not to go for it. The cradle-style competition wasn’t as strong. Of the bunch, ($15) was one of the better options.

Although it’s large and somewhat cheap feeling, it grips the CD slot firmly, and a tension-release button on the left side makes it easy to remove your phone with one hand. ($20) was ruled out for two small reasons. Bookworm Deluxe Fr Rapidshare: Full Version Free Software Download. The first is a limited adjustment range from left to right. This means you may not be able to get the cradle to the perfect position. Additionally, the cradle’s position is difficult to adjust by hand; you need to use a coin to loosen and tighten the tension for placement. It’s a small complaint, but compared to the others, a disqualifying factor, since it makes it more difficult to reposition the cradle while you’re behind the wheel. For those who are content with finding a good position and keeping it, the mechanism is not so much of a concern.

We found ($17) to be the wobbliest of the bunch with a phone inserted. Tapping at the screen caused the unit to bounce more than we liked.

While inexpensive, ($13) doesn’t allow for easy one-handed phone insertion. ($20) looks a lot like the Kenu AirFrame+, but it’s more difficult to insert and remove the phone with one hand, and we found it didn’t grip the vent slats as securely. ($30) uses the same cradle mechanism as its CD-slot sibling, but sticks out a lot farther from the vent than the Airframe+. Given the similar prices and comparable performance, we think most people will prefer the aesthetics of the Airframe+. In addition to the CD-slot and vent-mount systems we tested, we took a look at a number of suction cup-style (windshield) mounts. Some were better than others, but as we’ve stated above, this type of design just isn’t as good as the other styles overall.

We recommend it only if you can’t use one of the models recommended above. ($25) and ($19) are the rare mounts that attach to the window but use magnets to hold the phone.

If for whatever reason you do insist on mounting to the dash or windshield, these should be towards the top of your list. ($20), ($25), ($30), ($18), and ($20) are all good solutions. Each uses some take on the traditional mounting cradle, and all allow for various degrees of one-handed use. ($30) is generally well regarded, but we found it difficult to use with one hand. And don’t fit the iPhone 6 Plus. This won’t be a problem for everyone, but it does limit the overall appeal.

The only unit we tested that offers built-in charging is ($40). It’s kind of nice to have the Lightning charging feature integrated into the mount, but the holder is physically huge and heavy, and you’d have to buy a new one if you switched to a phone with a different charging standard. ($19-$25) uses a totally different system from the rest of the bunch. The rubber unit has eight arms coming out from its center, and the whole thing is flexible, but holds its position once placed.

It can be transformed into any shape imaginable to hold any phone imaginable. But it does require more work on the part of the user, as opposed to the “plug and play” setup of the competition as you find the exact right shape. Pretty cool though. ($50) and ($60) are expensive, heavy units with no real advantages over the rest of the crowd for the price. Our previous top pick, (which is no longer a pick mainly because we’re not recommending windshield mounts), now has a larger sibling, the ($26). Wirecutter editor Michael Zhao was the first to write about car mounts here, and had this to say about the new, larger model: “Because of the button placement on the iPhone 6, there’s only about a centimeter of leeway to position the phone in the mount such that the bottom prongs of the mount don’t slip off the rounded corners of the phone, and the top prongs don’t accidentally press the phone’s volume down or Sleep/Wake buttons. In addition, the curved edges of newer phones, such as the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, don’t sit as securely in the rubber grips compared with the boxier phones of years past.” What to look forward to.

I purchased an Exomount 2 and it’s fairly solid. It held for about 4 months on my car dash until it finally came off when the summer came around (I live in Canada where the weather gets very cold). Things I don’t like: – 2 handed removal and installation. – clip can potentially press buttons on the side – short – I mount on the dash and ideally it could extend out further so it’s not so far to reach out to the phone.

– potentially the suction cup can leave marks on your dash. I find the exomount too short to mount on the windshield. I too own an Exomount (the original model) and have to say that it is the perfect mount for my iPhone 4. I have owned it for about 13 months and it has only fallen off three times (all of which I am quite certain have to do with temperature changes – I’m in Canada). Each time I have re-sunctioned it, it has held with no problems. I agree with the above criticism that the 2 handed removal is a bit of an issue.

I would also have to say that it feels a bit flimsy at times, but so far it’s proven quite durable. Design-wise it’s quite attractive, and personally I like that it is short and doesn’t take up too much room. FWIW, there are two downsides to the X-Grip that aren’t mentioned here. First, it requires two hands to insert or remove your device, which is a pain if you’re getting in and out a bunch.

Second, the super strong grip will depress any side buttons on your phone unless you’ve lined it up just right. Both of these issues are side-effects of the super-strong holding power of the x-grip, but my driving doesn’t require that kind of strength and I really value the one-handed operation, so I went with an Arkon Slim-Grip Holder (available on amazon for around $10) mounted on a Pro-Clip vent plate. All of these brands use the same standard hole patterns, so mixing and matching like this is fine. End result is a super-low profile mount with one-handed operation. I still use the x-grip on a suction mount when i’m travelling in a rental. I bought the RAM X-Grip on your recommendation, but I ended up replacing the X-Grip device holder with the iPhone 5 one. For one thing, I had the issues that Tarek mentioned with requiring both hands to insert and remove the device and the arms pressing the volume buttons.

What I found even more frustrating, though, is that the rubber knobs on the arms stick out far enough that they get in the way when you are using the touch screen, particularly when you “slide to unlock”. If you had a case on your phone this probably wouldn’t be as big a deal since the width of the case would keep the arms farther away from the edge of the display, but it was a dealbreaker for me. If you are going caseless with your iPhone, I recommend the device-specific mount.

For anyone else in Canada, I bought mine through gpscity.ca and was very satisfied. Shipping was super quick and they were responsive to my questions. “There’s nothing complicated about a smartphone car mount. It only needs to do two things: securely hold your handset, and keep it from moving around while you drive.” If that’s your list, then the Ram is probably the product for you.

I would personally look for a lot more. A mount should be affordable. It shouldn’t obstruct your view. It should be easy to travel with. You should be able to add and remove your phone with one hand while driving.

It should be easy to install. It should work with all phones. For me the AirFrame is the preferred device, tackling all the items above at a reasonable price. There’s nothing complicated about a smartphone car mount. It only needs to do two things: securely hold your handset, and keep it from moving around while you drive. The MONTAR by winnergear is definitely the best car mount I bought this for my Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

It’s very easy to attach and detach the phone from the car mount. The suction cup is very strong. I am very happy with it. I used to have a Kensington car mount which did not hold my phone very well and its suction was weak. The best thing about it is the I can easily rotate my device horizontally while activating the GPS and back to be vertical whenever I want and all done quickly with one hand I am very happy with this car mount!

I highly recommend it! Their Customer Service:The company is so proactive and really puts their customers first.

I am really impressed by their service and commitment to customer satisfaction. Glad I found this. I went with the Kenu Airframe, available for instant pick up at a nearby Apple Store. I had ordered a [ridiculously expensive] ProClip, but ProClip took their sweet time shipping (and were unapologetic about it).

Since I could wait no longer, I set up an RMA with ProClip, told FedEx to send the package back when it finally arrived, and then searched the Internet for alternatives. Thank you Airframe owners for adding your comments that helped make my decision. FWIW, I have the Mountek in another vehicle and am fully satisfied with it, but it was not an option for the van that the Airframe is going into. Amazed that no one has mentioned the absolute best, least intrusive and most stealthy mount available: the Tetrax Fixway: (dash mount) or XWay (vent mount): Been using the dash mount for years. Thieves can’t tell it’s even a mount. Very quick on and off. I lived in a high crime area for quite awhile and having a windshield mount or some other obvious mount attached to your dash was inviting a breakin.

This was the most stealthy mount I’ve found and the mounting system is fantastic – not the typical cheap magents in some mounts. This will cost you a little more, but well worth it. Thanks for the tip, but upon researching the dash mount, it seems you have to place adhesives on your dash that are essentially permanent.

Advantage of a grip suction mount is moveability. Will consider the vent clip one – anyone have any experience with it? The reviewed RAM X-Grip seems good IF your main concern is your unit wobbling when pressing keys. HOWEVER, I didn’t read anything nor do I see anything on posted video reviews about how good the suction is. That’s the main key to how stable any suction mount will be Any views on this are welcome! This mount is only worth it if you live in a warmer climate. None of this suction cup stuff will work in temperatures -10 C and below.

So, here in Canada this is not the best option. Also, it obstructs the view. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend the Mountek either.

I had it for a few years, while you don’t have the drawbacks of suction cup mounts, the built quality of the holder itself will not make it last for too long. The pads eventually came off. That was easy to fix with super glue. But then it just stopped working all together: it wouldn’t secure the phone anymore. Ideally, you would want the mount that goes inside the CD cavity but holds the phone firmly like RAM X-Grip. The Wirecutter should do more research. Did you read the entire review?

The CD mount one is mentioned. “For example, this one from Mountek attaches to your dashboard by occupying your CD player.

Similarly this Bracketron mount needs a cupholder to function. Both work very well according to user reviews, but why waste a CD-player/cupholder when you don’t have to?” Also, I live in Minnesota and use this windshield mount. It’s -25 with the windchill right now and mine was a-ok driving in these conditions. Do you not use the heat in your vehicle ever? As for obstruction of view, that’s par for the course when purchasing 99% of smartphone mounts but also depends on car type.

I have mine to my left while driving and it doesn’t obstruct more than a few inches and behind it is literally just pavement. There is an old panavise holder that gives you the best features of all the other mounts mention, It attaches firmly to a Panavise AMPS mount offers swivel/tilt rotate. It grips just like the kenu airframe with a minimalist two prong setup on the sides of your phone. Unlike the kenu you push the padded prongs together to hold the phone and use a one button quick release.

Hands down the best Iphone setup for about $50 (the prongs only accomodate at 2.4″ width so larger phones or otterbox monstrosities with not work) •. Does the X-Grip have one of those magical suction cups that can stick to just about anything? I have the Aduro U-Grip, and the suction cup sticks quite well at approximately a 25º angle on the dashboard of my Focus, which is made of a somewhat soft, textured material. It’s only fallen off three or four times in the approx. 10 months I’ve had it, which I consider pretty unreal because of the surface and the heat in New Orleans in the summer. The dashboard is also a lot closer to my fingers and my eyes than any point on my windshield, so even if the X-Grip gives me more room to work with, if it can’t stick to the dashboard, it’s not as good as the Aduro.

I used to have the RAM X-Grip. It was a pita to insert/remove my phone as it was always a two handed operation – very dangerous to do while driving.

You really cannot answer a phone call safely without using speakerphone or bluetooth. If you want to be able to put the phone up to your ear while your driving, the RAM X-Grip is a pretty terrible option.

I now have the iMagnet mount and I am way more impressed with the actual docking mechanism when compared to the X-Grip. Its one handed, magnetic and simple. I place my phone over the magnetic pad, let go, and it sticks. There is nothing in the way and I can just as easily grab the phone off the mount with one hand. The main drawback is that the iMagnet dock arm is relatively short compared to what is possibly with the RAM mounting system.

I actually hacked the iMagnet pad together with some of the RAM mounting parts to get the dock closer to me while being mounted to the dash. I can reach the phone without leaning forward in my seat and have the phone located right next to my steering wheel.

I’ve used both for over a year each and I’ll never go back to the X-Grip •. I agree with a poster below about Arkon holders.

Those are under $20, have military grade tough build, and much better warranty and support. I would highly recommend Arkon Mobile Grip 2 (). Been using it with my Note 2 in a case (so it can fit any phone up to Note 2/Note 3 size). For the price of under $20 it’s a great value. With it’s deluxe sticky suction mount (the one I use is model MG279), it sticks to any surface glass or solid, even textured surface and not just horizontally but vertically and upside down 🙂 It has a really cool slim minimalistic design, very high quality of the build, ease of one hand operation, the ability to keep my rear camera unobstructed (used as a dash cam), and flexibility to route power cable and having all the power/volume buttons in the open – definitely gets my high recommendation. Plus you can use it in the car or at home, like mounted on the table. On my wife’s car, we actually use Arkon Slim Grip Ultra (model SM679, ) which also works with a smartphone and our Nexus 7 tablet.

There are a lot of other cheaper and more reliable mounts than Ram-X or ProClip 😉 •. I hate those sucker cup mounts too, ever since mine fell off the windscreen when I went over a bump in the road and it cracked my screen! I have been using the Breffo Spiderpodium for the last couple of months and I have to be honest, I wish I found this sooner. It has 8 flexible legs so 4 bend around your phone to any position you want and the other 4 slide into the air vent. Some people worry that by having it in the vents with hot or cold air blowing on it will affect the phone but mine has been perfect with no issues, if you are worried though, you can simply ‘hang’ from the air vents so there is no direct heat on the phone!

Anyway, you can check it out by visiting •. Ive recently bought the Wuteku Magnetic Car Phone Mount from amazon. It has a really strong magnet which attaches to ultraslim metallic plate that you stick on the back of your device. I’m using an Iphone 6 and works really well. Whats great about it is the free movement and design of the product, you can put it at whatever angle you want and rotate it just as easy. Infact i was so overwhelmed with the uses of this I bought another one to have in my kitchen.

This way I can mount my ipad to it whilst in the kitchen looking at recipes etc. Have a look at it here. Just purchased MagGrip per recommendation. Trying it out with my Nexus 6p definitely results magnetic interference with the internal compass. The metal plate alone near the back of the phone is enough to completely alter the direction displayed on a compass app or in Google maps. Navigation works alright when you’re moving, but can get wonky if you’re in city traffic. I’m not sure how a magnet that strong would not affect the compass in every phone, how could it ignore a strong magnet nearby and sense magnetic north?

For the TechMatte MagGrip they are as follows: TechMatte includes a MagGrip Plate and a MagGrip Sticker, each made of metal. The former is a 2.6-by-1.8-inch rounded rectangle, measuring less than half a millimeter thick, that’s made to slip in between your phone and a case. The sticker is a 1.6-inch disc with adhesive on one side.

The sticker can be attached to either the back of a case or the back of your phone, but according to the manual, it’s not removable once installed. (For what it’s worth, we tested these stickers with an iPhone 5s and with a smooth case, and the sticker came off without much hassle and without leaving any residue behind, but your mileage may vary.) •. Just wanted to say that I have also had great success with the RAM X-Grip.

It’s one of the best products I’ve ever purchased. I used it with my iPhone and now with my Moto G. I personally didn’t have success w/ the dash mount (RAP-279B) mounting method, but the suction cup-style mounting on the windshield works great for me (and I don’t think it obstructs my view of the road).

I ended up buying a RAM X-Grip for each member of my family, along with the suction-cup (RAM-B-224-1U) and Long Double Socket Arm (RAM-B-201U-C). While The Wirecutter’s recommendations may be great, I would recommend the RAM X-Grip (w/ suction cup and long socket arm) to anyone.

I have used a airframe extensively with rental cars for a couple years now (former car-less NYC resident). I’ve also seen what Jess is referring to in some friends who use one on their daily drivers. If you remove and replace the airframe on certain vehicles with soft touch coatings (Audi comes to mind) on the vent louvers it will wear it away with the aggressive grip on the airframe jaws that make it stable.

I have a CD player mount for my daily driver and only use the airframe for rentals now. The idea of mounting to an air vent seems unstable, and I didn’t know that the CD player was even an option.

For us, giving up CDs wouldn’t be possible anyway. I purchased this last year and it has been great on the dashboard: The adhesive on the suction cup is really awesome — it instantly loses its stickiness when it gets wet, to the point where I was worried that I had washed it off entirely. But as soon as it dries, it’s nice and sticky again. That makes cleaning off any junk or dust a breeze.

It sticks to the dashboard even though the surface is textured and hasn’t ever left a mark. It has fallen off once or twice, but only when the car got very hot in the summer, and that only happens when you leave it parked in the sunlight. I can’t imagine it happening while driving, but I have come back to the car and seen it on the floor or seat. It also does lose some of its grip if the adhesive gets dust on it (which can happen if it has fallen on the floor due to the heat!) but since it’s so easy to clean that isn’t much of an issue. My basic procedure if it ever falls is to re-stick it and then make a mental note to give it a quick rinse soon. Correct me if I’m wrong, but at least on the newer iPhone models, a fitness tracking app shouldn’t affect battery life in any meaningful way because it’s pulling data from the low battery usage motion tracking chip built into iPhones that is collecting data anyway, even if you don’t give an app access to it.

At least that’s how I understand it I use a Garmin Vivofit but after a year it’s gotten pretty wonky on me so I started using the Fitbit app on my iPhone and found it tracks pretty well with no noticeable effect on battery life. I was looking for the same thing for my Nexus 5 when I followed the previous recommendation from Wirecutter and got the Ram X-Grip mount. I ended up using a just about thin enough 10 dollar round wireless charger that I found on Amazon (brand name was PowerBot but there are many similar ones) and stuck it to the X-Grip. It’s cheap feeling but cheap enough that I can get another if it dies, which so far it hasn’t.

I had to run a long-ish micro USB cable around and under my dash to the charger in the cigarette lighter socket. Hopefully next car I buy will have Qi charging built-in but sadly it seems to be destined to remain a niche smartphone feature.

I’ve been using one of these: for the last couple of years, after trying a plethora of other windshield or (clunky) air vent mounted holders. It’s mechanically very simple so it’s easy to operate and has very few parts that can break.

Its suction cup, augmented with a cleanly removable adhesive, works amazingly well. It’s also really cheap (you can also find chinese knockoffs for 2/3$ on amazon). I, unfortunately, discovered its main flaw a few weeks ago: the adhesive breaks down in very high temperatures and/or with sun exposure. We had a couple of weeks of >40°C temperatures (i suspect inside the car it went as high as 70°) and in the end the adhesive melted leading to a catastrophic failure. That said, i’ve just bought another, i still think it’s one of the best solutions for a windshield mounted holder. As for the windshield vs.

Air vent/cd mount i agree that a windshield mounted device obscure part of the view but, on the other hand, with an air vent/cd mount (depending on your car setup) you have to completely look away from the road for an instant to see the screen. Is it really safer? Sadly, the TechMatte CD Slot isn’t a great fit for my 2013 Ford Focus, even though the CD slot is relatively high on the dashboard. It’s also behind the slightly curved plastic faceplate of the Sony system, so it’s impossible for the entire mounting surface to be pushed entirely into the slot. Further, as you tighten it, the plastic is stressed and makes some rather disconcerting noises.

I’m curious to see whether it stays put for long. Until now, I used the Aduro U-Grip Plus, which is a basic U-shaped spring-loaded “cradle” with one of those magical suction cups that grips to a dashboard, even the textured upper dashboard of said Focus, even at a 20-25° angle, and it only ever falls off a handful of times during the high summer. It’s that same summer here in New Orleans that makes vent mounts rather impractical for me. I need all the cold air I can get for myself I know it makes the guide more complicated, but it’d be nice to see a pick for a traditional glass/dash mount as well.

It’d be nice to have a dash-mounted pick with TechMatte’s magnetic attachment. I see TechMatte makes one, but I wonder if it’s as good as their other mounts, or as sticky as the Aduro. Anyway, perhaps the biggest problem with CD slot or air vent mounts is that they take your view too far off the road. A good dash mount, at least depending on the shape of your dashboard, keeps your phone as close to your line of sight as possible while taking up only a minimal portion of your view ahead—the best of both worlds. Having to look down and over at the center of your instrument panel takes your eyes a lot further from the action. In fairness, the CD slot mount makes operating your phone by hand a lot easier, but you should be looking at and not touching your phone while moving anyhow. I know that your mantra is ‘the best thing for the most people’, essentially, but cars differ so much that it seems there should also be a dash-mounted pick (I understand the desire not to include a windshield-mounted pick, although most dash-mounted picks can be used either way).

It might not work if your upper dashboard is hard and deeply textured, but I’ve used the Aduro in at least half a dozen cars and always found a place for it. I understand that, don’t get me wrong but the Air Vent model doesn’t really work either.

As I said above, it’s simply too hot in the summer to block a vent—but also, I can’t see my air vent while driving because my hand, the wheel, and the wiper stalk all partially block the view. My point is that there are cars for which neither an air vent-mounted nor a CD slot-mounted mount will work particularly well. (I have the CD slot mount in my Focus now, but I can’t insert it all the way, and it’s not a very secure connection.) Still, I really like the magnetic attachment – much easier to attach and remove.

Did you test the TechMatte windshield and dashboard model? Do you know if it has a normal suction cup, or one of the suction cups that can attach to a dashboard without having to use an adhesive disc? Have you considered any of the gooseneck style mounts that attach to the seat rail? Arkon and Trident are two manufacturers of this type of mount.

I have never used one but am interested in a professional review of them. Another option are in-dash mounts such as the ones offered by Panavise – these seem to be more popular among the crowd that enjoys modifying their vehicles since they typically involve actually opening up your dash for installation. I don’t think these deserve an actual review here since they don’t fit your mantra but a mention of them at the bottom would be great so those who are interested can check them out. I found out about these only by word-of-mouth so even a mention of the possibility on a site like this one would’ve been nice.

Do note, I don’t actually have a mount of any kind so this comment is more for awareness than anything else. I’ve typically avoided windshield mounts (block vision, leave ugly marks, increase risk of break-in due to visibility) and vent mounts (require closing the vent, some vents are weak, easy to bump and shift since the vent itself is designed to move) but I’d never even heard of a CD drive mount before. I doubt I’ll go that route since I do still use CDs occasionally (plus I think it would block part of my screen in the down position or my center vents in the up position) but it’s definitely nice to know about. This article actually prompted me to do some research which is how I found out about the other two options I mentioned above. I think the iOttie Easy Flex 3 deserves more than passing mention. Perhaps it won’t work on the iPhone 6 Plus (and other similarly monstrous size phones), but I believe the more “normal” size screens outsell the monster screens by a considerable margin, so it should have carried more weight than simply dismissing it on that account. The suction cup is incredibly strong; the strongest I have ever used, even on dashboards with slightly less-than-flat surfaces, and on those with some texture.

This makes it easy to transport, if you are so inclined, doesn’t leave a mark, holds it very securely even in extremely bumpy road conditions. The phone goes in easily with one hand, and it doesn’t require you to glue an ugly plate to your phone or case. It’s also inexpensive, at $20. It’s actually gone up I think I paid $12 when I first bought mine, but I’d happily pay $20 to buy a replacement, if I had to.

It’s that good. I live in L.A., which means that while heat vents are a non-issue, the idea of a phone blocking one iota of my precious AC is utterly abhorrent to me. Plus reports abound (including here in comments) of vent mounts causing issues with the actual functionality of the vents, over time). And the CD mount isn’t going to work for me, either and frankly, given the photos above, it blocks airflow from the vents, too, in many installations.

We’re really glad you like the iOttie! As for normal, these days “normal” sized phones are actually the larger-screened ones while the smaller screens are being phased out by many handset makers. I can’t think of many phones that are still under 5 inches. If you have to exclude the iPhone 6 + right off the bat, you’re going to be excluding a slew of Android phones as well for being the same size or larger- and if the iOttie only works with some smaller sized phones it just may rightly deserve only a passing mention.

We can debate and look at sales figures for phablet-sized phones vs. “regular” sized phones, but it doesn’t really matter: Per Manuf. Specs the iOttie works with mobile devices 2.1 inches to 3 inches wide. That does exclude the iPhone 6+ (3.06″), but Samsung’s 5.7″+ screens actually measure 2.98″ so they might actually fit! And the Samsung S5’s 5.1″ screen should easily fit at 2.85″. Did they actually try with any phones other than the iPhone 6+ and Sammy S6 edge, or did they assume it wouldn’t work and so didn’t bother?

Looking at these figures, I don’t actually think we’re excluding a massive number of phones. “Some smaller phones” is a bit of an exaggeration. Personally, most people I know don’t care for the massive phones over 5.1″. They’re just too large.

Those that have the massive phones seem split between those who love it and those who tolerate it because they really do think they’re annoying large, and plan to get a smaller phone next round, if possible. I tried the TechMatte and had the exact same problem in my 2015 Honda Fit. The CD slot is angled up, and the swivel for the mount only lets you adjust the angle further up up, not down, so I can’t adjust it such that I can see the phone screen at a comfortable angle.

Rotating the whole mount 180 degrees results in a good viewing angle but at the expense of blocking my back-up camera and dash controls. I think I’m going to try the dash-mount version of the TechMatte as I don’t want my phone sitting in the hot air of the vent. I’d previously tried a vent mount and my phone overheated and shut off during Nav.

I’m surprised nobody pointed out — the TechMatte MagGrip CD Slot interferes with NFC. That is, before I put the magnetic plate inside my phone’s case, my phone’s “FareBot” app (which used NFS to read information from y transit card; ) would spring to life when I put the phone next to the card; but after I put the plate in, the app either doesn’t open at all, or else opens but displays a popup indicating an error. It’s really no surprise that NFC doesn’t work, since the plate is right over the NFC sensor. I can’t say for certain we will or won’t. I can tell you what conclusions I think our experts would come to. It’s more expensive and might only serve as a pick for a very small subset of cars (i.e.

“if you own a newer car with a dash like this’) – and that’s when we start to get into niche territory & it’s just too time consuming to be worthwhile. But who knows maybe it goes on to be our next top pick. Have you considered the vent mount option? Seems like your dash would be a prime candidate for that version.

Hope this helps! I bought the TechMatte CD Slot mount based on this review, but ended up returning it. The major issue was that it just didn’t fit well with my car’s CD player (I couldn’t adjust the car stereo volume with the phone mounted).

Another issue I wanted to note was that with the magnet needed for the mount inside my case, my wireless charger no longer worked (I have a Galaxy S6). As wireless charging becomes more popular, I think more people will be affected by this latter drawback, so perhaps it should be included in the next version of the review. As a follow-up to my original post I did buy this mount but found it too compromising for my situation. Whichever way I configured the mount it always blocked something. Either the navi “puck” or the row of buttons below.

And perhaps I’m too critical (or maybe it’s my CD slot design) but it never felt completely secure. There was always some vertical wobble. Anytime you have a phone cantilevered out from the dash there is bound to be some flex.The longer the lever from the point or support on which the lever pivots, the greater the movement. Best advice is try it on your vehicle and see for yourself if it’s suitable •.

Actually, our lead expert is in Buffalo, NY! Tons of snow, 4 season city 🙂 Using the defrost+feet setting while you have your phone in the vent keeps you warm and your phone safe. If you read the section marked Competition, we do list models that include the suction cup: In addition to the CD-slot and vent-mount systems we tested, we took a look at a number of suction cup-style (windshield) mounts.

Some were better than others, but as we’ve stated above, this type of design just isn’t as good as the other styles overall. We recommend it only if you can’t use one of the models recommended above. Quick personal note: Using the windshield mount can be dangerous and/or against the law (or can get you pulled over) in several states. Here in Minnesota, it is called a ‘field of vision obstruction’ – same goes for hanging an air freshener from your rear view mirror. Certain laws only allow for dialing your phone or using it in emergency capacity.

Basically, looking at your phone screen – even while your hands are on the wheel & your phone is mounted – can still get you pulled over & ticketed. Trust me, it can be an issue. Anything on your windshield in plain sight. I think more cops these days let it slide than in the past due to the smartphone boom, but I’ve personally been in cars pulled over for the “obstruction of view” thing.

I think part of this tactic is “fishing”. Cops looking for a reason to pull a vehicle over, but everyone I know stays away from windshield mounted anything- aside from Uber drivers & maybe people that don’t care about tickets.

I used the “or can get you pulled over” part for exactly this reason. Laws might be in your favor, but that doesn’t mean it will prevent you from getting hassled by a cop that wants to query the height of your windshield mounted phone, and whether you were texting instead of typing in an address in the GPS.

All based on my personal opinions/observations living here all my life. I have tested few of these mounts and found some issues in everyone of these. Few blocked air from air vent being air vent mount and CD slot mounts did not hold up my iphone 6 well on bumpy roads. Often my phone got fallen while using these mounts. This problem was solved last week when i shopped this Magnetic Car Phone Mount sold by Moto Choice for just 7.99. Which is not a known brand but Quality of the magnet and the mount is far better than many others i have tried till yet. My phone never fall since i am using this mount.

From My experience i would only recommend moto choice magnetic car mount. One thing more, I saw this mount in sponsored ads and if you want to search it on amazon just type in moto choice magnetic car phone holder and it will come on top of the results. Hope this helps. Personally, I’m not a big fan of having the phone mount right in front of all the displays or controls in my vehicle, so the CD slot holder was not an option for me. And the magnetic holders also did not work well with my phone case since it has ridges along the back side. So there is no nice flat surface for it to grip well.

I have a Spigen Ultimate Shock Absorb case. The magnets could “kind of” hold the phone (iPhone 6S), but every bump would cause it to shift a bit. With all that, I ended up with an iOttie Easy One Touch 2 mount.

Ireal Book Android Cracked Games. I know that in the reviews, they did not want mounts that attached to the top of the dash. However, I really did not see any issues with it. There is no real obstruction of view of the road (by the time your view gets past the dash and the hood of your car, you no longer have much of the phone in the way) when you set it up properly. And the one hand mount/dismount works pretty good too. Not as easy as a magnetic mount – but since that option did not work for me, this was a great second option. I just wanted to share my experience. Of course, it really depends on the design of your vehicle, and your personal preferences.

I got the top pick TechMatte MagGrip CD Slot and have tried using it in two cars. In both situations (and I can’t picture a situation where this wouldn’t be the case) the screw to secure the device completely blocks the screen of the stereo (I know this was mentioned in passing as a possibility in the Wirecutter review, and I would think this would be more of an issue for many people). I just wanted to pass on a tip I did that worked great – I went to the hardware store and replaced the screw with the large knob on it that was blocking the screen with a small flush screw of the same diameter. Since I never take the iPhone mount out to play a CD, I had no need for the knob as I wouldn’t be taking it out. This worked great – I can pretty much fully see the display now. Thought others may want to know! The stereo I have is the one recommended in the Best Bluetooth Car Stereo Receiver write-up ().

I have a RAM Mount X-grip on my motorcycle and love that style of holding the phone itself. Very easy to get the phone in and out and it doesn’t interfere with the controls. It also keeps the phone steady, even while riding at 70+ MPH. I have a CD-slot for in my car but I’m not liking it as much with my new phone. I just bought a Nexus 6p and it barely fits the phone. The vent cradle I have is not big enough and interferes with the buttons. I bought the recommended option as a test but what I’d really like is the X-grip mount connected to the CD-slot.

Anyone know if that exists somewhere? Out of the 1,200 reviews I only see 3 people that reported this. 2 are from 2015, one is from this year. I would say its not indicative or problematic whatsoever. Worth noting we really don’t know the exact scenarios for each one either. From what I could gather, one melted after 7 months of use.

Another was someone that lived in Arizona (100º temps+) so I don’t think the CD mount is to blame there. I would suggest not leaving it sit in your CD player in extreme heat, but overall I don’t think you’ll be risking anything by purchasing it. If you’re worried or do live in an extreme heat area, you might want to go with the vent mount. Basic common sense is also always helpful too 🙂 Hope this helps! I can attest to the melting plastic bits, I live in Hawaii – we don’t get 100-plus temps, but it can get pretty hot in a parked car. I’m not sure if I’d consider the temp in the car to be extreme, but I just spent this morning with a razor blade cleaning out melted rubber out of my CD player.

Came here to see if anyone else had this problem, glad to see it isn’t just me – In the future I’ll be avoiding the CD slot mounts and stick to the air vent mounts. In response to Tony’s comment about removing the mount from the CD player, I think that sort of defeats the purpose of the ease-of-use with magnets. For reference I purchased this off Amazon roughly about a year ago, from TechMatte Hope that helps to make a more informed decision •. I used the Techmatte Magnetic CD mount for about 8 months (Dallas area).

I didn’t have any issues with plastic melting (as reported by one commenter), but did experience “plastic stretching” in the CD player and would have to continually “expand” the mount in the CD player to keep it secure. In other words, the mount in the CD player became looser over time because of the plastic distorting/stretching. This happened in two vehicles.

The best magnetic mount I’ve used to date is by iOmounts on a ProclipUSA mounting solution (mounts made for your specific vehicle type). The magnet on it is much stronger than the Techmatte and with the Proclip mount, the phone is in a convenient location.

I second the vote for an ioauto phone mount attached to a proclipusa base. Note that iomount recently updated the ioauto with the larger magnet so that the same “disc” installed on your device is compatible with all of their products. I use the ioauto in my car and I use the Klockwerks iomount on my motorcycle. That’s the true test of the mount – highway speed with no windshield on a motorcycle.

The phone doesn’t move at all. Some complain about how hard it is to remove the phone from the mount. I experienced this at first until I learned the technique. You want to push down on one side while pulling up on the other and the phone will disconnect from the mount without too much force. Watch for a demo of the technique.

Choosing the proclip base depends on the proclip mount availability for your car. So far, I’ve been able to find one available for the spot just up and to the right of my steering wheel for all of my cars except one. For that one exception, I used a panavise base and went through a more involved install to get the mounting location I preferred. I drive a 2015 Honda Fit and have a Nexus 6p with a Verus case. I bought the TechMatte mount, and the magnet is not strong enough to hold my Nexus in place.

Because I like to use the rear and side view camera, I need the Nexus somewhat high, so I had to place the magnet low in the case. This causes more torque at the top, so any little bumps I hit, the phone flops over to either side.

I did not try attaching the magnet directly to the case or phone, but I don’t want to have a magnet on there permanently. I will order the cradle version and see if that works for me.

The cd player is in the way of my dash display, and also I want a mount that holds the charging cable in place as well since I play audio through the data cable instead of Bluetooth. This made the proclipusa mount and holder combo the best solution for me. It mounted to the right of my steering wheel just above the built in infotainment display.

It has a clip on the bottom that holds my data/charging cable in place so with a single motion I can slide my phone into the cradle and connect it to the data cable. The cradle is on a swivel mount the phone can easily be switched between portrait and landscape modes. If I want to use another device, such as an iPad, I can unscrew the phone cradle from the mount and attach the iPad cradle in a few minutes. You can also install multiple mounts in you car do give you flexibility in where you place your phone or support multiple devices at the same time. I cannot understand How the techmount could be considered to be better than this system.

I too have had problems with the TechMatte plastic/rubber coating melting and turning into a sticky mess. I had to force it out of the CD player (I have a 2014 Golf TDI), which in turn pulled out the felt CD guide which takes dust off the CD when you put it in. Since I don’t really use the CD player it’s not a huge loss, but it doesn’t look as good anymore and this didn’t help resale value at all. I live in the Bay Area, so it doesn’t even get that hot. But you know how hot it can get anywhere in a closed car left in the sun.

While I loved everything else about it, this is a pretty fatal flaw and I won’t buy it again. I had to stop using the Exogear CD mount because it began to put my cheap Kenwood Bluetooth head unit into “protect mode”. This mode is supposed to prevent you from blowing out your speakers, and there’s no way to reset it except to take apart the console and disconnect the unit and then reconnect it. My mechanic could find no shorted wires or obvious problems. But it only happens after I start using the mount again. Very frustrating, as the CD mount worked well for months.

Unfortunately, I cannot turn off the air vents (1998 Toyota Camry), so a vent mount is not an option. I’m back to leaving my phone on the seat again. I would like a CD mounted holder but my car does not have a CD slot in the dash. I guess I’m in the 10% who doesn’t have this. Instead, I have a 6 CD holder which fits into a system between the seats. I am not a fan of vent holders because it blocks the air and blasts hot or cold air on my phone. I don’t like how window mounts look.

Right now, that seems to leave dash mount (don’t love but maybe tolerate) or something like the stick anywhere type (TechMatte MagGrip Sticker). I’m not completely sold on magnet mounts, though that is what I have in other car. I plan to move to iPhone 6 Plus at some point and I’ve read something about interference with optical image stabilization. I haven’t read up enough about this or NFC issues to have full understanding. The other downside to magnetic mounts is having to have a magnet on case. If you are using a friend’s phone and they don’t have, the mount doesn’t work.

With a few cases I’ve had, the magnet hasn’t been quite strong enough to hold securely when I’ve had the magnet between phone and case. I am looking hard at the Spiegen Mount Stealth (about $20 at Amazon). I wish it looked slightly nicer or had different color options. It seems functional. Not convinced about the sticky pad technology.

I live in a place which gets quite hot in summer. I’m having difficulty taking this advice seriously. I guess if your phone is more important to you than anything else on your dashboard, then your first choice is fine but for me, I want my dash uncluttered. I want access to my CD/DVD player. I don’t want my air vents blocked.

That nixes out most of your choices right there. And now you don’t recommend windshield mounts for some reason. I can mount my phone with the Ram X-Mount and it’s super solid.

I mount it all the way on the left side of the windshield and it’s out of the way of my view of the road, not blocking anything on my dashboard including any air vents. It’s easy to access and my god, it’s super solid. It doesn’t budge no matter what bumps you’re going over.

Much better than the tons of plastic garbage I see being sold. There’s a saying that seems to be pretty true. “You get what you pay for”. In some instances you get better than what you pay for but not often. Thanks for the review/article but I’ll stick with my super solid RAM Mount. I’m sadly frustrated with the MagGrip. I first read of the MagGrip family about two months ago.

Love the concept, the magnets are good and strong. However the hardware that TechMatte uses is substandard.and I’ve given three different versions a try. Example 1: The MagGrip Mini CD. It turns out that it slips from my CD player. The phone falls at the slightest bump or turn. Tech support says it’s not good for my model of car, a Subaru Outback.

I asked about switching to the full MagGrip CD, and was told that it wouldn’t work either. Example 2: The MagGrip dashboard mount with the suction cup. The company sent me one at no charge 3 days ago. It is so poorly made that it has fallen apart twice.

The most recent time was yesterday afternoon and I’ve lost a small plastic bar that holds it together somewhere between the car seats. Very frustrating. Some good things to say: TechMatte’s support has been helpful. The magnet concept is good and the magnets themselves are strong.

However if the design of the CD holder precludes use in a fairly routine car, what good is it? If a mount falls apart after a day or 2 of use, I question the design AND materials. Needless to say, I’m shopping once again. Brilliant review, with one apparent (but serious flaw). Apparently you only tested these with a double DIN head unit?

Because while I totally agree with you on the brilliance of the CD slot mount, and love the TechMatte MagGrip concept, the positioning of its screw knob (in the middle and an inch or two down) completely blocks the display on my single DIN stereo. Can’t see the track/station/volume/etc. So frustrating, hopefully they design a unit with an offset knobunfortunately useless at this point.

Seconding this. The Scosche XL mount in particular is great for phablets with thicker cases (or if you just want the extra confidence that your phone won’t bounce off.) Mine is the adhesive model, which I attached to a RAM Mount AMPS plate. Doing that means that anything a RAM mount can attach to can hold my phone – right now, that’s a rear view bracket mount. The phone floats right below the mirror, and there’s no suction cup on the windshield (those are deal-breakers for me since I have one of those custom-fitted Heatshield Sunshades.) If I need to change that in the future, RAM makes attachments for just about everything but the CD slot, and the rubber ball design is great at reducing vibrations. I am a hard-core follower of The Wirecutter and have bought several products over the years reviewed by them and have been EXTREMELY HAPPY with all of my purchases. This is the 1st time I am writing “The Wirecutter” that the above product (TECHMATTE’S MAGGRIP CD SLOT) which have been rated as the number 1 on their list have some serious issues with it. Kindly go through the link below which is absolutely shocking and more shocking is the OFFICIAL REPLY from TECHMATTE.

Hence, request you guys to kindly update this post at the earliest taking into consideration the above mentioned facts. Albeit, Keep up the Good Work! Wow this review is dumb Most your reviews on this site are pretty good, but this review reads like it’s written by someone that doesn’t actually drive.

Don’t want to recommend suction cup mounts because they “block your view of the road” or they leave marks on the window Ok, first off, yes, they block your view of the road By how much? Less than 1%? I think this is much safer if you’re following a GPS to have the phone mounted in a position where at least you can ACTUALLY SEE THE ROAD instead of looking down at your instrument panel which means you see NONE OF THE ROAD. Then onto the suction cup marks That takes, what? A whole 2 seconds to rub off with a cloth and some cleaner? If your window is filled with marks maybe you should clean your car more often? Sure, lots of people don’t use their CD players, but some cars don’t even have CD players and a lot of the time the CD player is surrounded by buttons making it harder to access stuff like A/C controls.

Then the air vent solution Ugh. Maybe if you live in a country where the temperature is between 18-24 Celcius every single day of the year, but I’d rather not block my A/C vents on a 42C summer day in Sydney. In my car I tried an air vent mount and it couldn’t grip onto the vents at all. I imagine this is the case in many cars. Last time I checked EVERY car has a windshield, so I can’t understand what on earth prompted the reviewer to write off windshield mounts when that’s the only kind of mount some people can actually use.

My wife bought me a Nite Ize Steelie that seems to be doing a good job so far. It’s basically just a steel ball that gets stuck to your dash/windscreen with a powerful magnet you stick on the back of your phone case. Works well so far and because it’s so basic there’s no risk of adjustments breaking or melting. I haven’t been able to test out the adhesive through an Australian summer yet but I have high hopes for it.

It doesn’t keep the phone perfectly still when the cable is plugged in because of the drag, but it works better than any mount I’ve tried so far. After tossing out so many useless ones that clearly aren’t designed for hot weather I’ll accept a bit of movement for a product that doesn’t last a couple of months. Humm, GRIPAD is not made out of paper. It’s made of a very durable & washable plastic, its very light and slim, so you dont really feel it on your phone (it comes on all iPhone colours as well, so it can merge nicly with your phone colour). Personaly, I prefer to have it on my phone and not have a bulcky and big car mount unit stuck to my windshield. The befefit of GRIPAD is that I can use it anywhere, not just in my car, but also at home, at the gym, on holidays etc. But hey, that’s my personal opinion, everyone deserve to have one 🙂 •.

I just drove across the Great Basin. Westbound it was sunny and hot and the iOttie mount on top of my dash placed my phone (an S7) in the sun and caused it to overheat. This was a PITA so I picked up a Magic Mount magnetic vent mount. Same idea as the TechMatte: small steel plate on your phone, magnet on the mount. As a mount, I really, really liked it.

It held the phone securely and it was in a better position than when I used the iOttie. With the mount located lower in the car and in front of the A/C vent overheating was not a problem. But, when I got home I tried to use my Qi charger. Nope, nada, zilch. I really, really like wireless charging and I’m not willing to give it up.

Can you recommend a good vent or CD mount that is NOT magnetic? I bought the TechMatte based on your advice, and although I found it innovative, it didn’t fit well in my Audi A4 and didn’t grip the CD slot well enough.

Plus when I tried to tighten it, the plastic ring around the screw hole broke off, which makes it even less stable. Long and short, the magnet part is super cool and works well, but because the holder isn’t secure and bounces around, my phone falls off regularly and is hard to read because it is jiggling. Not recommended, although I don’t know if it is better than the others out there.