David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET’s Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He’s also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
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Affordable Apple MagSafe wireless charger compatible mount
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If you have to drive around a lot, having a good car phone mount can be a blessing. But the best one for you will depend on how you plan to use it. For example, some might need a car phone mount (aka a phone car mount) for their dashboard, while others may want a cupholder mount or a car vent mount. Some mounts come with a sensor that automatically opens the arms when you place your phone near them. Others have magnetic surfaces that need a phone or case with a magnetic attachment element. Some of the latter are fully compatible with Apple MagSafe wireless charging (up to 15 watts), which means they’ve been certified by Apple as a MagSafe accessory.
While a mount may offer wireless charging, it won’t be fully wireless itself. You’ll still need to connect the charger to your vehicle, but it’s still convenient as you won’t have to plug the charger into your phone each time to charge it. To get the fastest wired and wireless charging speeds available for iPhones and Android smartphones, you’ll need a power adapter that offers fast charging (most fast chargers have a USB-C connection and can deliver at least 20 watts of power).
CNET experts have tested and reviewed all the products on this list in their own cars. We update this roundup periodically as new car phone mounts are released.
Read more: Best MagSafe Accessories for 2024
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iOttie’s “autosense” automatic clamping wireless car charger with a phone mount is one of the best out there. While it’s pricey, we’ve seen some nice discounts on it recently. The Auto Sense Automatic Clamping Qi Charging Car Phone Mount is available in a dashboard mount version or a CD, cup holder and vent clip version (I tried the dashboard wireless charging mount). This wireless car charger mount has a nicely designed telescoping arm, a strong suction cup, and the wireless charging mount feature is compatible with most phone cases. You get 7.5-watt charging for an iPhone and 10-watt charging for Android phones, which is considered fast wireless charging.
This Qi wireless charger comes with a dual charging USB cigarette lighter adapter. My only gripe — and it’s a small one — is that the included cable is Micro-USB and not USB Type-C. Once this Qi charger is plugged into the wireless car charging mount you can basically forget about it, but if the cable accidentally becomes unplugged (which does happen), it’s easier to plug in a USB-C cable for phone charging, especially when you’re driving.
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If you don’t mind going with a no-name brand like ZeeHoo, its wireless car charger has most of the features you want for phone charging, including autoclamping, a secure suction cup that can be installed on your car’s air vent, windshield or dashboard. It has USB-C and up to 15-watt fast charging for Android phones that support it (iPhones are capped at 7.5-watt charging). This upgraded version has a sleeker design than the original (see below) and it costs about $20 less than the iOttie above. However, this wireless charger doesn’t come with a cigarette lighter adapter — only a USB-C cable.
This wireless car mount charger is one of the more popular generic wireless car chargers with an autosensing telescopic arm, and the original version I tried worked well overall, attaching securely to my car vent mount and giving my smartphone or QI enabled device a quick charge.
Note that to get fast charging, you’ll need a power adapter that supports it (not included).
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If you don’t want wireless charging or arms or a mount with arms that open automatically, iOttie’s tried and true Easy One Touch 5 is a solid mount for just under $25. You can pick up the first-gen version of the mount for $17, but this improved model has a telescoping arm.
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Belkin’s Car Vent Mount Pro with MagSafe technically isn’t a charger. It’s just a certified MagSafe vent mount. Belkin also has a wireless charging version of this (it costs $26 without the car charger, $60 with it), but you’d have to connect a cable to it anyway for charging. The advantage of a wireless version would be that unlike with this vent mount, you wouldn’t have to plug a cable into your phone every time you want to charge it. I have a USB-C-to-Lightning cable set up in the car for fast charging, but I don’t love the extra step of having to plug in the cable each time I want to charge the phone.
All that said, what sets this Belkin apart from other generic, non-MagSafe-certified mounts that look similar (and some even offer wireless charging), is that the Belkin has a strong magnet while many of these other vent mounts don’t. If you have a MagSafe case on your phone, or just a naked newer iPhone model, the phone really sticks to the mount. The clip also keeps the mount securely in your vent and you can rotate the mount from portrait to landscape mode as needed.
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I used the Scosche Magic Mount Pro 2 for a couple of weeks and it’s got a strong magnet (I have an iPhone 14 Pro with a MagSafe case) and the swing-arm allows for some good flexibility as far as positioning your phone goes. Note that this isn’t a wireless car mount, so you’ll have to plug a cable into your phone. The main advantage it has over other magnetic car mounts is the arm design. I use the car-vent option but you can mount it on a dashboard. Most people will use the air-vent option, though.
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Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET
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I installed this phone holder in my car because I didn’t want to have anything sticking up from my dashboard when I wasn’t using the holder. It’s got a clamshell design and you just open the top lid and set your phone inside. You can also prop your phone up vertically if you want, but I mainly keep my phone sitting horizontally in the holder. The base swivels, which is nice.
Note that you do need a flat dashboard to mount this. It sticks to your dashboard or any flat surface.
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Belkin makes a MagSafe car-vent mount that costs around $40 (see above), as well as the BoostCharge Pro ($85), which is Apple-certified and wirelessly charges iPhones at up to 15 watts. And while this model — the Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger — only charges iPhones at up to 10 watts, it’s more affordable at around $60. Its USB-C cable is removable (it’s integrated on BoostCharge Pro) and you get a 20-watt cigarette-lighter power adapter. I personally like a car power adapter with two USB-C ports so a passenger can plug in a cable and also charge his or her phone, but you can always opt to add that later.
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Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET
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If you’ve already got Apple’s MagSafe wireless charging puck, this Spigen mounting accessory is a good option for bringing it into your car. As I said, the MagSafe wireless charger isn’t included. Nor is a USB-C cigarette lighter adapter. But at $22, this is a fairly affordable magnetic mounting accessory.
Note: Make sure to use the right cigarette lighter adapter to get the maximum 15-watt charging speeds. Also, since this relies on the magnets from the wireless charging puck for your phone to stick to it (MagSafe case required if you are using a case) this isn’t recommended for the larger iPhone 13 Max Pro or larger iPhone 14 models as it’s more likely to slip off the mount — especially if you hit a bump — because of its weight.
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Some people like cup holder phone mounts, but be aware that they’ll take up space in one of your cup holders. While it’s pretty generic, the Tecknet is a good value if you’re looking for this type of mount, which has a flexible gooseneck so you can better position your phone for viewing. It also comes with a car-vent mount and has a one-touch release mechanism.
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OK, so this isn’t a wireless charger, but a lot of the wireless car chargers on this list don’t include a cigarette-lighter power adapter, so I thought I’d throw this on the list at the end. I originally had an Aukey power adapter on this list, but it’s out of stock and this low-profile Ainope mini fast USB Car Charger offers even faster charging (up 24 watts) and costs less. It has both a USB-C and USB-A port so you can charge two devices at the same time, but to get 15-watt wireless charging you’re going to be better off charging one device.
Note that to get the fastest wired charging for iPhones, you’ll need to use a USB-C to Lightning cable. That cable is not included.
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