Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Toddcooper171

macrumors newbie
Dec 17, 2020
1
1
There are tons of magnetic phone dash mounts out there. I used my existing one and then bought a stick on round metal plate for a phone from Amazon and attached it to the back of an Apple MagSafe charger. It works perfectly and is relatively minimal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: beach bum

Orizaba

macrumors regular
Sep 8, 2016
102
252

chrono1081

macrumors G3
Jan 26, 2008
8,446
4,145
Isla Nublar
No thanks. Not a single vehicle I've ever owned works with those stupid mount clips. Make something that actually grips the vent please, not just sits in there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VaderRulez

rjp1

macrumors 6502a
Mar 27, 2015
608
1,998
My phone went flying from one of these things.

I think the issue is that for an accessory to be approved by Apple it must have a very specific magnet strength. It is too low for something like this to work. You might be better off getting a knockoff version of one of these that ignore Apple's rules and make the magnet stronger.
 

beach bum

macrumors demi-goddess
Oct 6, 2011
7,766
27,749
Philly
There are tons of magnetic phone dash mounts out there. I used my existing one and then bought a stick on round metal plate for a phone from Amazon and attached it to the back of an Apple MagSafe charger. It works perfectly and is relatively minimal.
This ^. I did the same. I have a low profile dash mount that works perfectly for what I need it to do. I can’t see spending that much on a product that doesn’t give me the functionality that I want in an accessory.
 

BruiserB

macrumors 68000
Aug 9, 2008
1,728
701
I bought this off eBay. Took a while to come from China but got it this week and I love it. It came with both a vent clip mount and a suction cup window dash/mount. I used the vent clip and it is stronger than the one I had for my previous mount.


I bought an Aukey 21W USB C car charger and a USB C cable and hooked it up. Magnet is solid and it sets off the MagSafe animation on my phone when I attach it. It didn't hold the phone in my clear non MagSafe Case, but held the phone solidly. I went and got the Apple Silicone MagSafe case and it also holds like a charm. I have no idea if it's giving true 15W charging, but it held/charged my phone while using GPS which is all I really care about.

I use CPlay2Air for Wireless CarPlay as well, so now this is the ideal car setup.
 

Rocko99991

macrumors 68000
Jul 25, 2017
1,574
2,191
If you want a real magnet mount for your car you need 2 things. Dash mounted magnet base-not vent. 2) Stong metal plates attached to your phone, your case or sandwiched in between. Scosche Magic Mount has been great. https://www.scosche.com/collections/magnetic-phone-mount For Max or Plus phones get this-https://www.scosche.com/black-magicplate-dual-adapter-kit. It preserves wireless charging and is very secure for larger phones. Been using them for years.

They also have wireless charging mounts.
 

jz0309

Contributor
Sep 25, 2018
10,009
26,137
SoCal
while it looks nice, I would never mount anything on the vents in a car, I'm giving up a cup holder based stand for my phone, but YMMV
 

Scipster

macrumors 6502
Aug 13, 2020
297
896
I definitely dig the MagSafe mount, even if it is without charging. So much simpler to attach and take on the go.

But - does the iPhone stay on when you go over bumps in the road?
 

Mrjetsondc

macrumors regular
Dec 17, 2020
202
698
I’m going to ride my iPhone 11 until it dies a magnificent death. The iPhone 12 accessory scams are not for me.
 

BuffaloTF

macrumors 68000
Jun 10, 2008
1,761
2,214
Just seems pretty redundant without charging capabilities. The point of a magsafe mount is surely to provide ease of attachment without unnecessary fiddling. It defeats the point if I have to attach and remove a cable each and every time I want to move the phone.

I would rather Belkin had focused their efforts on releasing their 3-in-1 MagSafe charger before Christmas. That’s a far more enticing release.

I disagree for one reason and one reason only - wireless CarPlay still being few and far between. Until then, I’m plugging in anyway.
 

gammamonk

macrumors 6502a
Jun 4, 2004
666
105
Madison, WI
We keep a ChargerCity Hippo in both cars. They work with any phone and just sit on the dash via non-slip and weight. Phone-specific mounts come and go, a Hippo is forever.
 

kuwxman

macrumors 6502a
Jul 25, 2009
851
961
Kansas City
Why do you care so much about the material though? If it's well put together and does its job, that's what matters. Btw I think aluminum could interfere with the cellular reception.
It should be pretty obvious, but if it were made of aluminum then the $40 price point could be debatable. $40 for a plastic mount is not.
 

lorkkrue

macrumors newbie
Feb 25, 2008
29
9
How can this be a good position to see the screen while I'm driving??
I have to slouch pretty low in my seat to see at this angle.
 

Attachments

  • belkin-vent-mount-4.jpg
    belkin-vent-mount-4.jpg
    271.8 KB · Views: 79
  • Haha
Reactions: Complex757

cwosigns

macrumors 68020
Jul 8, 2008
2,225
2,722
Columbus,OH
it’s kinda pointless until it can charge the phone though isn’t?
Not really. I ordered one of these and it arrived last week. I have a 4th generation Mazda Miata, and it was NOT built with large phones in mind. My 12 Pro Max doesn’t fit in the center console, and there isn’t enough room in the “phone stash” area for the phone and cord to not interfere with shifting. This mount solves that problem for me, and the cord I have is a 4” version so there’s no excess cord to mess with. Not to mention that Wireless CarPlay hasn’t proliferated through downmarket vehicles, and dongles that supposedly enable it are fraught with issues still.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DanTSX
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.