However, while they are very popular, they might not be very useful and practical in some circumstances. They work differently and are of varied quality.

How do you select the best phone mount for your car?

Take the PITAKA MagEZ Mount for demonstration. The magnetic car mount has been widely acclaimed from those who have bought it.

What is so special about the MagEZ Mount that makes it so attractive?

To design a car phone holder, we carried out some extensive market research to find out what people wanted and the problems we were facing.

Two of the biggest problems we found involved the metal plate and how they interfered with wireless charging systems and the mount’s claws that grip the car vent.

So, it’s worth going through some useful hints and tips on selecting the best magnetic phone mount for your needs. And believe me when I say that we have a lot of experience in this!

Generally speaking, a magnetic phone mount is a device used to hold a cell phone or something similar in size. It attaches to your car's air vent securely so that you have quick access to your phone.

OK, with that cleared up, what are the typical problems with magnetic car mounts for phones?

Phone Mounts that Use Claws

There are myriad car mounts out there nowadays. If you look carefully at the claws used on the majority of car vents on the market, you will see that they are all designed in the same simple way, just like the one below:

The claws grip the car vent very tightly, putting significant pressure on the car’s vent plastic so that it holds the device steadily. The problem is that the claws' tips are effectively “fighting” against each other every time you plug and unplug the mount, and over time the metal frame inside the claws becomes weak and distorted.

To solve this issue, we decided to redesign the claw so that it was stronger yet better suited to the stresses under plugging and unplugging:

Our attention to detail was such that we even designed a new mold to make the new claw design come into being. The result is that the inner side of the claw is curved instead of straight, which makes the claw effectively “embrace” rather than directly squeeze the vent blade. This small change significantly improved the reliability of the claw and made the claw far more durable.

We carried out extensive testing over several weeks. After some 5000+ plugging and unplugging cycles, our new claw design was still working like a charm. Of course, most people will never use the claw this much, but the aim was to stress test it, and it performed as expected.

Careful thought was also given to the materials used for the mount. We utilized TPU for the claw shell and the exterior of the base holder, which not only increases the frictional force of the claws ability to grip but also reduces any chance that the claws would scratch the plastic of the actual car air vents. The rest of the mount is made from Polycarbonate.

Why did we choose TPU and PC?

Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) has a high shear strength at low-temperature. It is resistant to oil, grease, and abrasion and is a highly durable material with strong elasticity and excellent scratch-free properties.

Polycarbonates (PC) is a colorless and transparent amorphous thermoplastic material that can handle significant force without cracking or breaking.

In short, they are both very durable.

Magnetic Phone Mounts That Require Stickers

There is a wide range of magnetic phone mounts available both online and in gadget stores. Usually, they will come with either 2 or 4 stickers metal plates for you to stick on your phone or phone case. How did they work?

Or this:

The sticker is firmly attached to the phone back (or the case) with an adhesive, ruining the beauty of your phone.

And it just gets worse when it comes to removing the plate.

A lot of people complained and sought advice on MacRumors to remove the stickers without damaging the back of their phone or protective case. And others on Quora questioned how to transfer the metal plate from one cell phone to another. They are not alone. There is already an abundance of issues involving the metal plate that have been raised here and there.

How Do Magnetic Car Phone Holders Work?

Assuming that you don’t want to stick a metal plate to the back of your phone or your case, but you still want to use a magnetic phone mount, is there a way to make the back of your phone stick to a magnetic phone mount easily and still allow you to change things around whenever you want?

Yes! Our R&D department carried out some in-depth research around these problems, and they came up with the perfect solution, the PITAKA MagEZ Case.

You see, the metal plate used for attaching the magnetic mount is embedded within the phone case itself. Consequently, you don’t have to bother sticking a metal plate to the phone at all, so it can remain as good-looking as ever and still be protected from scratching.

It’s worth noting that there is another problem that people face with these metal plates, which we also solved with our new design.

Samsung S8’s wireless charging feature is very attractive to many for its convenience and charging speed, even Apple users. As Samsung's biggest competitor, Apple will almost certainly apply this emerging technology to its upcoming iPhone 8. News about “the iPhone 8 will have wireless charging” is already appearing on websites including BGR, AppleInsider, TechCrunch, ZDNet and so on.

However, the electromagnetic field of the S8 or iPhone 8 and the wireless charging pad are both located close to the middle of the back panel, which just happens to be where people would normally stick the metal plate for their magnetic mount.

Consequently, you would have to remove the metallic plate you attached on your phone before you could start to charge your phone.

Check the video as below:

As you see, a standard phone case with a metal plate stuck on its back prevents the phone from wireless charging. However, with the PITAKA MagEZ Case, it will attach easily to the magnetic phone mount and start charging instantly.

We have arranged several metal plates (like brackets) both on the top and the bottom to allow the electromagnetic field to pass through so that wireless charging is not affected. The magnetic mount itself is embedded with 10 x N52 magnets, which enable the MagEZ Mount to firmly hold your phone regardless of road vibrations or any other driving conditions.

Conclusion

So, back to today’s topic: how to select the perfect magnetic phone mount?

There are three points you need to pay attention to:

The claw/grip: Is the claw strong and durable to withstand the plugging and unplugging of the mount without damaging your car’s air vents?

How it sticks: Do you have to attach a metal plate to the back of your phone? Will it affect the wireless charging facilities of your phone and what happens when you want to swap phones?

The cost: There are many cheap and cheerful magnetic phone mounts out there, but are they well designed and reliable? What about the expensive ones? Are they worth the expense, or are they simply expensive because of a brand name?

The PITAKA phone mounts are innovative, useful and reliable. If you couple it with the PITAKA MagEZ Case, you have the perfect solution for your phone.