Help selecting a iPhone SE mount for use in 2013 Honda Fit LX

[iPodTouchOwner]

I'm all ready to start using my new iPhone SE's Apple Maps turn-by-turn voice navigation. I thought it would be straightforward to choose a car mount, but as it turns out, there are countless options. And I can only see them online.

I've narrowed them down to ten. It's a large number, but I've already done ruthless vetting. It must be suction anchored, not anchored to the CD slot, cigarette lighter, or cup holder. I wanted the stability of suction, and didn't want the mount to obscure manual access to the dashboard controls. I also didn't want the air vents to be blocked, or the cup holder to be monopolized by the mount.

The only thing I have to live with is the fact a mount taking up space on top of the dashboard or on the windshield, which obstructs my use of a reflector that I place against the windshield to keep the sun out. So being able to quickly remove the mount *might* be good, but removing the mount means that the suction surface will pick up dust, unless I want to wash and air dry it *every* time I remove it (which boils down to every time that I park). I think I will have to figure out a way to make that work after acquiring the mount.

I basically looked at amazon.ca for candidates with the above features, and having 4 stars and up. The "short" list of my candidates for are listed below. At this point reading the reviews isn't all that helpful because each candidate will have a variety of positive and negative comments. I'm hoping to get targeted anecdotes -- I am specifically mounting an iPhone SE, Apple's smallest phone -- (4.9"h, 2.3"w, 0.3"d) and I am mounting it in a 2013 Hond Fit LX. Pictures of the dashboard can be found at:
http://cars.usnews.com/static/images/Auto/izmo/307917/2009_honda_fit_dashboard.jpg
http://cars.usnews.com/static/images/Auto/izmo/354382/2013_honda_fit_dashboard.jpg

Can those who have gone through this search and now own a car holder please chime in either about my criteria/consideratoins or about the specific candidates? Thanks.

"Short" list of candidates
--------------------------
MoKo Universal Smartphones Car Mount $13
http://www.amazon.ca/MoKo-Universal-Smartphones-Rotatable-Cellphone/dp/B06XRX81NX
One 5-star review (28 reviews at amazon.com, averaging 3.5 stars)

VicTsing Car Mount Holder Gooseneck Flexible Phone Holder $15
http://www.amazon.ca/VicTsing-Gooseneck-Universal-Dashboard-Windshield/dp/B011KT298K
305 reviews averaging 4 stars

TaoTronics Car Phone Mount $12.50
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00VJSYV70
727 reviews averaging 4 stars

TaoTronics Car Phone Mount $20
http://www.amazon.ca/TaoTronics-Windshield-Dashboard-Universal-Android/dp/B01N6PHSRH
29 reviews averaging 4 stars

TaoTronics Car Phone Mount with Convenient One-handed Operation $20
http://www.amazon.ca/TaoTronics-Convenient-One-handed-Operation-Versatility/dp/B01N4A2NO2
8 reviews averaging 4.5 stars

TaoTronics TT-SH07 Holder $11.50
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00UFFQ8E2
133 reviews averaging 4 stars

Mpow Car Mount Universal 360 Degree Rotation $18
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B073FMXLVW
185 reviews averaging 4.5 stars

iOttie Easy One Touch 2 Car Mount Holder $34
http://www.amazon.ca/iOttie-Holder-iPhone-Samsung-Galaxy/dp/B00JRGOKQ8
853 reviews averaging 4.5 stars
Price a bit steep

iOttie Easy One Touch 3 (V2.0) Car Mount $35
http://www.amazon.ca/iOttie-Universal-Holder-Samsung-Packaging/dp/B01BZC262Q
282 reviews averaging 4.5 stars
Price a bit steep

Spigen Kuel Stealth Car Mount Universal Phone Holder $22
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00RDQVPTY
157 reviews averaging 4 stars
Priced at the high end

 

[Stefan johansson]

Any standard suction cup mount will do,including the universal ones. I use an universal Mount,which means that I can use it withouth taking the phone out of its wallet case.

 

[iPodTouchOwner]

Any standard suction cup mount will do,including the universal ones. I use an universal Mount,which means that I can use it withouth taking the phone out of its wallet case.

Thanks, Stefan. Which one do you use? Can you google and find a picture of your dashboard? As I said, I'm trying to get targeted anecdotes based on the phone and the car. I know that these days, the front windshield is more inclined than my previous cars. Plus, if anyone knows of a holder that is more amenable to constant removal without affecting its efficacy, I'd be curious. The suction cup alternatives are my main ones now, but they require that the suction surface be free of dust. Constant removal is bad for that, but I don't know how bad (never having owned suction accessories before).

Maybe if I keep a bunch of wetnaps in the car to clean the windshield and the suction cup, that will enable constant removal without the suction degrading. I wonder what the chemicals on the wetnap will do to the suction cup....if it causes me to replace the phone holder frequently, I need to factor in the cost and the loss of convenience.

 

[Stefan johansson]

Thanks, Stefan. Which one do you use? Can you google and find a picture of your dashboard? As I said, I'm trying to get targeted anecdotes based on the phone and the car. I know that these days, the front windshield is more inclined than my previous cars. Plus, if anyone knows of a holder that is more amenable to constant removal without affecting its efficacy, I'd be curious. The suction cup alternatives are my main ones now, but they require that the suction surface be free of dust. Constant removal is bad for that, but I don't know how bad (never having owned suction accessories before).

Maybe if I keep a bunch of wetnaps in the car to clean the windshield and the suction cup, that will enable constant removal without the suction degrading. I wonder what the chemicals on the wetnap will do to the suction cup....if it causes me to replace the phone holder frequently, I need to factor in the cost and the loss of convenience.

Sorry,no pic,I bought some plastic thing in a Swedish car part store, it has adjustable grips,to accept most phones and handheld GPS units. I used it in a sanders,a Willys jeep and a 1969 stingray,works in all three.

 

[hendrilei]

I use this

 

[iPodTouchOwner]

Thanks again, Stefan.

hendrilei, I appreciate the video. So far, I've avoided magnetic binding because of one might very well be old-fashion superstition. I use to research electronics, and in days past, the contacts of integrated circuit packages were connected to the silicon circuits inside via delicate wires that arc'd upward from the pads on one side, then downward on to the pads on the other. I just pictured the wires being stressed by the magnetic fields. Who knows how that affects the reliability over time. I have no idea whether the magnetic fields actually affect the wires at those small dimensions. In fact, it is quite possible that the contact is made using different and/or more robust methods these days. Furthermore, it is possible that the metal shell of the phone shields the insides from much of the magnetic field. However, I don't have a feel for the risk associated with any of these factors.

Furthermore, I decided to avoid vent anchoring because I actually want to direct cold or warm air to me, and I didn't want the poor electronics to get baked or frozen. Rapid temperature variations can cause materials to expand a different rates, physically stressing complex devices and even the electrical connections. And of course I wouldn't want to heat the battery. If problems do arise, they will likely come with time.

Given that the risk associated with the above factors are unknown to me, I thought that I'd avoid the entire issue by avoiding magnetic binding and vent anchoring. I may have to rethink this.

Anchoring on cupholders or cigarette lighters typically aren't as stable, according to various anecdotes.

 

[hendrilei]

Thanks again, Stefan.

hendrilei, I appreciate the video. So far, I've avoided magnetic binding because of one might very well be old-fashion superstition. I use to research electronics, and in days past, the contacts of integrated circuit packages were connected to the silicon circuits inside via delicate wires that arc'd upward from the pads on one side, then downward on to the pads on the other. I just pictured the wires being stressed by the magnetic fields. Who knows how that affects the reliability over time. I have no idea whether the magnetic fields actually affect the wires at those small dimensions. In fact, it is quite possible that the contact is made using different and/or more robust methods these days. Furthermore, it is possible that the metal shell of the phone shields the insides from much of the magnetic field. However, I don't have a feel for the risk associated with any of these factors.

Furthermore, I decided to avoid vent anchoring because I actually want to direct cold or warm air to me, and I didn't want the poor electronics to get baked or frozen. Rapid temperature variations can cause materials to expand a different rates, physically stressing complex devices and even the electrical connections. And of course I wouldn't want to heat the battery. If problems do arise, they will likely come with time.

Given that the risk associated with the above factors are unknown to me, I thought that I'd avoid the entire issue by avoiding magnetic binding and vent anchoring. I may have to rethink this.

Anchoring on cupholders or cigarette lighters typically aren't as stable, according to various anecdotes.

Well that's not my video, just some review from youube. Regarding the magnetic issue might caused, I don't know for sure as well, but for me using more than 6 months, I don't have any problem (for now), (for map apps , batteries, car charger cable or any phone display has / not yet show any odd behaviour)

About the vent, loggically for AC will not have problem, but for the heater, maybe will not wise to use this. Some model are using sticker mount instead of vent mount.

Almost all car holder mounting has bulky body built and i don't like it.

Anyway that's the magnetic

 

[iPodTouchOwner]

Thanks. I appreciate your thoughts on the concerns that I raised, a speculative as we both might be.

 

[iPodTouchOwner]

Found this previous thread on phone mounts for the Fit: http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-generation-ge-08-13/79055-cell-phone-mount.html.

I'm intrigued by the Aduro U-Grip Plus Universal Suction Cup Mount mentioned in that thread, for which a better review is available at

. It works well even on textured dashboard surfaces. It was shown to work with the narrow iPhone 4s, which is almost identical in width to my iPhone SE. You can clean the suction cup surface when the suction degrades due to dust/lint. It isn't magnetic, which posed concerns for me, and it isn't vent-mounted, thus incurring the risk of heating the phone & battery in the winter time.

I have the option of mounting on the windshield if I wish (though I'm leaning toward the dashboard surface, for the sake of visibility). It's not mounted on the cupholder, so I don't monopolize my cupholder, and it's not mounted on the 12V power outlet, which is quite low down on the 2013 Fit LX. It's cheap, so if it doesn't work out, oh well. My only decision now is whether to acquire one now, for standby availability, or getting one just-in-time (when I anticipate a trip).

 

[iPodTouchOwner]

After hearing feedback from Fit owners who have permanently mounted phone holders, I researched it a bit more. One potential concern is that the presence of mounts tends to attract the attention of thieves. Even with a suction mount, you have to remove evidence of the mount when you remove the mount. If thieves see signs that you use a mount, they are likely to break in to find the phone or GPS unit.

Sigh....hooda thunk that a simple phone mount could involve so many considerations.

 

[adam9c1]

Take a look at brodit
http://www.brodit.com/productList.html?brand=Apple&model=iPhone+SE&pn=prod