iOttie iTap 3 Air Vent Holder for $16: This compact vent mount from iOttie is low-cost, and the MagSafe mount is strong enough. I can hold this thing upside down and shake it without dislodging my phone. But there’s very little range of motion, and the phone can only be mounted where it’ll block airflow from the vent. I also tend not to favor mounting mechanisms that use hooks, because it can make the mounts more difficult to remove when needed—though for unusual air vent geometries, the hook might be the only style of vent mount that works.
Non-MagSafe (Mechanical) Mounts
iOttie One Touch Dash and Windshield Mount for $28: This dash and windshield mount from iOttie was a favorite of WIRED tester Simon Hill when he tested it two years ago. But there’s been a design update and some reports of durability issues, so until we test the newest model, I’m leaving this in the honorable mentions.
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
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Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Vanmass Car Phone Holder for $40: Similar to the Andobil I recommend as a top pick, this Vanmass is a ball-socket mount with options for air vent or dashboard/windshield mounting. But it’s a bit bulkier than the Andobil, and the air vent mount is a hook-based mount—which I tend to find more difficult to remove. The suction cup on the dash/windshield mount is ridiculously strong and is unllikely to dislodge even on hot days—and didn’t leave residue when I removed it. But while Vanmass advertises “military-grade” tech, whatever this means for a phone mount, the plastic felt a bit flimsy, especially on a vacuum locking mechanism for the suction cup.
Bokilino Car Cup Mount for $16: This is a different sort of phone mount than most I tested: It affixes to a standard cup holder and holds up your phone like a liberty torch from atop a bendable gooseneck stem. This is all well and good when you’re driving solo, notes WIRED reviewer Kat Merck, but during longer trips with family, it takes up a much-needed cup holder, and the stem can get in the way. In most cars, you’ll have to look a bit too far away from the road to see the screen.
Not Recommended
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Acer Gadget Car Phone Mount for $28: This little car mount from Acer mirrored the design of my top-pick Andery but fell far short on performance. The suction cup pretty much walked off the job after I removed and replaced it once, the magnet isn’t as strong, and the mounting arm is shorter and doesn’t rotate. There’s no particular reason to buy it in a world where the Andery exists.
iOttie iTap 3 Dash and Windshield Mount for $25: MagSafe car phone mounts from iOttie have one chief merit: The magnet is strong and secure, unlikely to dislodge on even the bumpiest roads. But alas, the same cannot be said for the suction cup on this bulky dash and windshield mount, which gave up the ghost on a hot day.
Scosche Magic Mount for $13: This is maybe the most compact, low-cost MagSafe device I tested. Its S-branded design is both unobtrusive and winningly inscrutable: It looks like a talisman Jor-El might have brought back from Krypton. It’s also the one with the weakest magnet. My iPhone lurched off at minor provocations.