Best Phone Mounts: Can You Hear Me Now?

Top 8 Best Phone Mounts

We know, without a doubt, there are several readers in the audience shouting into their screens that few people use a phone mount these days. One’s phone generally stays in a pocket or unceremoniously flung into storage bin or cupholder. And, yeah, you’ve got a point.

There is a segment of drivers, however, to whom a phone holder is the key to their day. Uber drivers (no, the ‘Rona hasn’t completely extinguished that profession) and delivery people, for example, often rely on the things to complete their tasks.

Hey, there might be an occasion when you don’t want to leave your device in your pocket, too.

Your author has actually used this exact phone mount to great effect in his own car. The mount itself can be either clipped into an air vent or stuck to the dash via a disc of gen-u-wine 3M tape. The holder requires one to use the Moshi SnapTo phone case which contains a couple of invisible strips to activate the magnet action.

If you have your own case that you don't want to remove, Moshi includes a Transformer mounting pad users can affix to the back of their phone. From firsthand experience, your author can report the wireless charging works well and furnishes more battery life than is drained by constant map use.

This style of car phone holder hugs your device like a naughty coed to keep it from coming unhinged at the first hint of a corner. The seller claims a clamping force of nearly 30 pounds which should do the trick unless you take this thing to autocross.

This holder utilizes an air vent made from a hook shape to form a trio of grasp points. This beats other variations on this theme which only clamp from both sides. It also alleges a one-handed operation, permitting the quick unholstering of your device before heading into the vape shop.

Clamp free is the way to be, according to this manufacturer of phone holders (hey - I'm allowed to make terrible rhyming dad jokes around here). They say the strong magnetic material that's part of the unit is more than enough to grip a device.

Smartly, they also suggest this thing can be deployed to hold your phone in other situations such as in the kitchen while referencing a recipe. Feedback from real-world customers is off the scale, garnering a 4.9 out of 5-star rating aggregated from nearly 200 reviews. A total 360-degree rotation helps when trying to zoom in a particular map address.

Affordable, easy-to-use, and widely bought. More than 30,000 customers have left a review on this thing, with over 80% giving a 4- or 5-star rating. This holder is of the type where a pair of padded side bumpers ratchet to pinch your phone in place.

A chin juts from the bottom, sticking out like a spoilt child's bottom lip, to hold the phone vertically. However, it is not adjustable meaning the bulk of this holder's grip comes from the side clamps. A button on its anterior side serves as a quick release.

As one of the most basic units on our list, this holder fits most standard air vents and both horizontal & vertical vent blades. Easily place and remove your phone using the widely adjustable phone cradle with instant release button.

The mount is padded with soft silicone to ensure smooth contact with your device and prevent scratches. A gap in the lower clamp serves as a handy place through which to slide a charging cable, meaning users can plug in while mapping their destination.

If we can't have the hoverboard promised to us by Back to the Future, then perhaps a Hovergrip will suffice. This is a flat and flexible smartphone holder that's intended to wrap around other fixed items. The arm is apparently made of aluminum that can be rolled up.

The clamp itself can be removed, a feature which is either good for portability or bad for creating another weak point. Most customers seem to think the former, if the reviews are any indication. Those same customers report the Hovergrip to feel hefty and provide a sturdy grip.

In a field where it does truly seem one gets what they pay for, it's tough to take seriously a holder priced less than some cups of Starbucks coffee. Still, a product doesn't earn a 4.5 out of 5-star rating from over 6,000 customers by accident.

A quartet of built-in round magnets hold your device, gripping it thanks to one of the two metal plates included with the kit. Those plates are of the peel'n'stick variety, meaning you'll be putting an unsightly tumor on the back of your phone. But that's hardly of consideration if you're using this thing purely for work.

Clipping to an air vent seems to be a theme of these holders, leading one to wonder just how much of your car's air conditioning (or heat) they'll hog throughout your workday. In any event, this holder uses snazzy silver-colored arms to hold a device while charging it up through the inductive flat paddle on which the phone rests its back.

Actually, this thing is the only one on our list to be offered in a variety of colors, so go ahead and spec the gold shade for maximum bling. The ad copy promotes a one-touch release system but its assertion of 'triple' clamping causes a couple of chuckles.

From time to time, TTAC will highlight automotive products we think may be of interest to our community. Plus, posts like this help to keep the lights on around here. Learn more about how this works.

(Editor’s note: This post is meant to both help you be an informed shopper for automotive products but also to pay for our ‘90s sedan shopping habits operating expenses. Some of you don’t find these posts fun, but they help pay for Junkyard Finds, Rare Rides, Piston Slaps, and whatever else. Thanks for reading.)

[Main photo credit: helena0105 / Shutterstock.com. Product images provided by the manufacturer.]