What Car Phone Holder Should I Have? How to pick the one right for you.

Why do I need a car phone mount?

Why would you risk your life simply to hold your phone calling a friend while driving? Such an unnecessary risk can be avoided if you invest in a car phone mount. It is designed to hold your phone in the most optimal position so that you can safely see the screen without it obscuring your vision of the road. Using this will ensure that you are using your phone legally while on the road. Car phone mounts can usually be attached onto the air conditioning vent, dashboard or windscreen. Both your life and your phone are perfectly safe and secure with the car phone mount.

Is it legal to use a phone while driving?

Despite our whole life revolving around our phones, it is illegal in Australia to use your phone while driving if any part of your body is touching the device. The consequences for being caught include being fined and docked demerit points. You may only use your phone if it is secured to a commercially designed holder, that is fixed to the vehicle and does not obscure your view of the road. You can also use the Bluetooth and voice activation features of your phone.

What car phone holder is preferable: vent, dash or windscreen?

No more resting your phone in the cupholder, only to have it flying out when your press the brakes. You have 3 main types of car phone holders you can use while driving, which are the ones that attach to the vent, dashboard or windscreen. Each of these have their own benefits and drawbacks which will be explored below.

Using car vent mounts

Car vent mounts secures your phone to an air vent on your car’s dash, with no suction cup or adhesive. Depending on the configuration of your car’s vent system, the vent mount is a good solution for using your phone on the road. It is easy to install and offers a high mounting position without obstructing your view of the road. The traditional rectangular vents with stationary grills are the most compatible with the vent mounts. Circular vents are usually either too deep or too unstable to attach the vent mounts onto.

Are car vent mounts bad for your phone?

An important note when using the vent mount is to be wary of your phone’s temperature. When too much hot air is applied to the handset’s backside it can be bad for the longevity of your phone.

Using windscreens mounts

Windscreen mounts are the most commonly used mounting system for phones. It uses a suction cup to secure your phone onto the windshield, giving you a prime mounting location as it places the phone at eye-level. This means your eyes don’t have look far from the road to check the map on your phone.

However, a negative aspect is that the windscreen mounting position can partially block forward visibility, which is critical in certain vehicle models. The government recommends that it either be placed in the centre of the windscreen (to the left of the driver) or the far right, bottom corner of the windscreen.

Using dashboard mounts

Most windscreen mounts can be converted into dashboard mounts using the adhesive puck. However, there are also permanent-install options that place the mounted phone lower on the dashboard. This option often requires the disassembling the dashboard and tools to install. Many drivers are hesitant to use this method due to the installation process, but there are benefits that the dashboard mounts have when comparing it to the windscreen mounts:

• The dashboard mount places the handset closer to the driver, shortening the reach require to interact with phone
• Lower mount position leaves the forward-view clear

Is using magnetic phone holder safe for smartphones?

If you were worried about the magnets damaging your phone, no need to worry. Most magnetic phone mounts that are on the market use small magnets that will not affect the phone’s circuit or functionality. While your phone’s screen, memory or battery are not affected by the magnetic component of the phone holder, the phone’s compass can be affected although it is not common. Some GPS apps, such as Google Maps, rely on the compass for orientation.

Picking a car phone holder

It’s important that you pick the car phone holder that ticks all your personal check boxes. Explore some of the products we have available that will give you a peace of mind about using your phone on the road.