Our Verdict
The Magnetic Vent Mount works with MagSafe-equipped iPhones to hold the iPhone in your car. Unlike many other mounts that attach to a car’s air vents, Mophie’s device can be easily removed and attached from the vent. You’ll need to pay extra for the model that allows for MagSafe charging.
If you drive an older car, you don’t have CarPlay. You can find third-party products you can buy to replace and modernize your car’s system, but they can be limiting or not worth the expense and labor. However, you might find the screens of Apple’s iPhone Pro models large enough to be used as a navigation and entertainment system.
You can use a car mount to hold your iPhone, but figuring out how to attach it to your car is tricky. Many mounts use a suction cup that sticks to the windshield but they sometimes do not hold on tight enough and fall off while turning a corner. Or they stick so strongly that you need to muscle up to pull it off.
Mophie’s Magnetic Vent Mount gets around this problem by mounting it on a ventilation grille. Installing it was simple: hook it in and tighten the hook on the bracket. It doesn’t wobble and air can still pass through the vent. It uses a magnetic phone mount, so it works with an iPhone 12 or later. The magnetic mount holds the iPhone firmly–we took the iPhone out of its case to be on the safe side, so the adhesion is optimal. Also, it was very easy to remove the Vent Mount and install it in another vehicle.
The iPhone can be rotated from portrait to landscape and back again without much resistance. However, in the selected position, the smartphone remains in a stable position and allows a quick sideways glance for orientation when navigating.
The Magnetic Vent Mount securely holds the iPhone in either horizontal or vertical positions.
Peter Müller
If you want to charge the iPhone while mounted, a charger must be connected using a cable plugged into the iPhone’s port. This mount doesn’t support MagSafe charging. Mophie does offer the Wireless Charging Vent Mount with MagSafe ($99.95/£76.95), which has a built-in USB-C cable that you can plug into a USB-C port (if your car has one), or you can use the included 12-volt charger and plug that into a car’s 12-volt plug.
Should you buy it?
The Magnetic Vent Mount works with MagSafe-equipped iPhones to hold the iPhone in your car. Unlike many other mounts that attach to a car’s air vents, Mophie’s device can be easily removed and attached from the vent. You’ll need to pay extra for the model that allows for MagSafe charging.
This article originally appeared on MacWelt and was translated by Roman Loyola.
