Car vent mounts never work that great, and phones are wobbly. With the new Peak Design vent mount, you don't have to worry about that.
Car phone mounts with suction cups or adhesive pads are clunky and messy, and vent mounts aren’t any better. If you’re looking for a sturdy phone mount for your car, one with optional wireless charging, MagSafe, and no fuss, look no further than the new Peak Design Car Vent Mount.
This isn’t your typical vent mount. Peak’s solution has a unique two-part blade clamp and hook to securely attach itself to two vent blades, making it incredibly stable, and you’ll love the results.
Here's What We Like
- More sturdy than expected
- 360-degrees adjustability
- Optional wireless charging
And What We Don't
- Doesn't work with some car vents
- A bit expensive
- Slow wireless charging
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What’s in the Box
The Peak Design vent mount is pretty expensive, starting at $64.95 for the regular model, or you can spend $99 for the mount with wireless charging that we’re using, but it comes with everything you need.
In the box, you’ll find the main phone mount body, swivel arm, and magnetic mounting head, all assembled and ready to go. For those wondering, it’s made of high-quality machined/anodized aluminum and high-temperature neodymium magnets that work great with MagSafe.
If you get the wireless charging car vent mount, it’ll also come with a fast-charging 12V charging port plug, a 1m USB-C to USB-C cable, and three convenient little cable clips for a clean installation.
Installation & Adjustability
We’re all familiar with installing car phone mounts. Most use a suction cup that’s often impossible to mount due to all the textures, fabrics, and curves on many car dashboards. Or, you add a permanent 3M adhesive somewhere, which often has the same problems as a suction cup.
Between the textured dash in my Toyota Tacoma and the 115-degree hot summer months in Las Vegas, nothing works. Vent mounts aren’t stable enough and cover my vents, which obviously isn’t ideal. And in some states, windshield mounts are illegal.
Thankfully, the Peak Design car vent mount solves all those problems in one easy-to-use design. Plus, it’s highly customizable thanks to being able to rotate 360 degrees, so you can position the mount and your phone away from AC vents to keep the air flowing.
Installation is simple. You twist the round swivel knob on the front middle of the mount to line everything up. Then, behind that is an extendable hook. Fully extend the hook, then put it above a vent blade. Below the hook is your typical rubber alligator clamp that slides over the vent blade, which is also adjustable to fit a wide array of vehicles.
Slide the clamp into place on an air vent blade and twist the knob to tighten the hook to a second blade. The result is a secure fit that won’t wiggle around like most vent mounts. Make sure not to overtighten the hook, as it could damage the vent. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to adjust the vent much once installed.
From here, you adjust the mounting arm and the magnetic head to wherever you want and slap your phone into place. It’s that easy. Unfortunately, due to the design, it only works with your standard air vents that have straight horizontal or vertical blades. It won’t fit select newer vehicles with round, curved, or slim vent openings.
Stable, Sturdy, and Optional Wireless Charging
Our vehicle only has three vent blades, and it fits great. Honestly, this is arguably one of the best vent mounts I’ve ever tried. Once you get it into place, the entire device is exceptionally sturdy, and you don’t have to worry about it wiggling loose or your phone bouncing as you drive.
The press materials claim it’s “strong and stable enough for off-road driving,” and I’m happy to confirm that’s indeed the case. I take my 4×4 truck on some gnarly off-road trails in the Nevada desert, and the Peak Design vent mount handled it all like a champ. And yes, the magnets are incredibly strong for those who have never tried Peak’s Mobile system, so your phone won’t fall off either.
You can choose between a regular magnetic model or wireless charging. And while the convenience is great, my only real complaint is the speed. Depending on your phone, the wireless output is 5W/7.5W/10W/15W, which technically classifies as fast wireless charging.
And while the wireless speeds are faster than much of the competition, or regular Qi chargers, it was still pretty slow on my Galaxy S22 Ultra. I’m guessing I got around 9-10W, but the phone display never said “fast wireless charging.” It wasn’t all that fast.
Still, wireless charging is excellent for those who don’t want to deal with plugging in a cable every time they get in the car. Now, all I want is for Peak Design to make this same mount with a clamp head for everyone that doesn’t have a magnetic case or a new iPhone.
Should You Buy One?
Peak Design’s car vent mount is the first one I’ve used that gives me confidence that my phone or the mount won’t come flying off. Honestly, I hate vent mounts because they’re usually unstable, cover my AC, or make the phone too hot during the winter.
This vent mount has none of those problems and fits better than anything I’ve tried. Should you buy it? Absolutely. It works great and is built to last.
You don’t have to worry about suction cups and adhesives causing damage or popping off, and with the 360-degree adjustable arm, it’ll work in any location. If you’ve been looking for a better car phone vent mount, this is the one to buy.
Rating:
8/10
?
- 1 - Absolute Hot Garbage
- 2 - Sorta Lukewarm Garbage
- 3 - Strongly Flawed Design
- 4 - Some Pros, Lots Of Cons
- 5 - Acceptably Imperfect
- 6 - Good Enough to Buy On Sale
- 7 - Great, But Not Best-In-Class
- 8 - Fantastic, with Some Footnotes
- 9 - Shut Up And Take My Money
- 10 - Absolute Design Nirvana
Price:
Starting At $64.95
Here’s What We Like
- More sturdy than expected
- 360-degrees adjustability
- Optional wireless charging
And What We Don't
- Doesn't work with some car vents
- A bit expensive
- Slow wireless charging