Phone holders – how to choose the best one

If your car is not equipped with a practical, built-in hands-free system – the phone holder is your salvation during long journeys. The smartphone can be used as a navigation device, a music player or as a standard tool for receiving and making calls.

What to pay attention to?

All holders, regardless of the type, should ensure safety of use and guarantee comfortable access to the mounted device

Car phone holders can have different mounting methods, different shapes and sizes

Choosing the best holder is not an easy task – the market is bursting at the seams with a huge number of products of this type. So how to separate the wheat from the chaff?

Quality of workmanship – the better, the device is safer to use and resistant to exploitation. Often, but not always, price is a reflection of quality. It is worth mentioning, however, that even in the lower price range there are gems that we would otherwise overlook. I would like to point out that these are exceptions to the rule – many mounts tempt with attractive price, but it often happens that the low price is followed by poor quality of materials and workmanship

Wide range of settings – this is an invaluable convenience, especially when different people use the car or when several other phones are put into the holder. Depending on your preferred seating position inside the car, it is important to be able to quickly adjust the position of the phone holder.

Thesize and flexibility of the holder – the rule of thumb is that the smaller the holder, the better. After all, you don’t want the car gadget to obstruct your visibility or become a hindrance to making good decisions while moving the vehicle. Another important parameter is the flexibility of the holder’s spacing – this allows the installation of different devices and freedom of movement, especially in the case of holders designed for the windshield or dashboard

A convenient solution will be a dedicated holder, where a given device will always fit perfectly into the holder.

The most popular types of car holders

1. Car holders mounted on the windshield.

This is by far one of the most popular ways to mount a holder. Thanks to the built-in suction cup, the holder can be easily and permanently attached to the windscreen

The advantages of this solution include:

• free viewing of the smartphone screen, without taking your eyes off the road for an extended period of time – which can prove to be tragic in consequences even for the most experienced drivers,
• stability – the suction cup guarantees the durability of the mounting. Smartphone or other device will not fall off during sudden maneuvers or sharp braking,
• easy assembly and disassembly of the device,
• free adjustment,
• versatility.

As for the downsides:

• the physical properties of the suction cup mean that failure to attach the holder properly increases the risk of injury in an accident. Moreover, rapid temperature differences may cause the holder to detach itself from the windshield while driving,
• a noticeable restriction of the field of vision.

2. Grips mounted to the air vents

This type of car mounts is equally often chosen by drivers

Pros:

• does not limit visibility while driving,
• easy access to the device.

Disadvantages:

• negative impact on ventilation or air conditioning of the car cabin. If there is no possibility to regulate the air flow, the phone may heat up too much,
• potential problems with fixing – these holders are not universal, as a result, it may turn out that the fixing will not fit the grille in your car.

3. Magnetic mounts

Magnetic mounts consist of a minimalist holder and a magnet with considerable strength. This solution is popular primarily because of its unparalleled ease of installation and removal.

Pros:

• the gadget will mount on any surface of the car,
• convenient and immediate assembly,
• freedom of adjustment.

Minuses:

• instability – risk of damaging the cell phone,
• negative impact on the GPS receiver in the device

Which holder will work best?

After testing a number of car holders I have to say that the worst option is a magnetic holder – this solution offers relatively few advantages in relation to the disadvantages.

The optimal solution here would be a car holder mounted to the grille. In this case the holder will not affect the field of vision behind the steering wheel, as is the case with a suction cup holder. What is more, this solution is by far the most durable and resistant to exploitation. A huge advantage is also the low price, which is dictated by the simplicity of the device