A seriously strong car phone mount

The right car phone holder keeps your smartphone efficiently within reach and in an optimal viewing position. It should allow you to control your music, navigation, and hands-free communications as quickly and easily as possible in order to keep your driving as safe as possible. I’ve taken the iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 on several trips and we’re ready to tell you how good (or bad) it is. Check out this iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 review for more information.

What you need to know about the iOttie iTap Magnetic 2

• iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 (HLCRIO156): $ 29.95 / £ 24.95 / € 29.95

The iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 is a smartphone car holder that can be attached to either the dashboard or the windshield. This is done using a suction cup and a flexible pad that adheres to surfaces with glue. The phone is attached to this accessory with the help of magnets, as the name suggests. This is done with magnetic plates (two included) and a protective film that is located between the smartphone surface and the adhesive on the plate.

This bracket measures 121 x 71 x 127 mm and is only available in black. The MSRP is $ 29.95, but it’s often a little cheaper on Amazon and other retailers.

What is good?

The most important quality of a good car phone holder is that it actually efficiently holds the smartphone in place. Most of the other magnetic car mounts we tested did a pretty good job of holding heavier phones, but none came close. This magnet is seriously tough! It can lift a phone up if you hold the magnet about half an inch above it. And it doesn’t work smoothly, it just clicks into place. Likewise, the magnet will remove the phone from your hand.

What does that mean for your experience? Simply put, the phone doesn’t really tend to shake or move around while driving, even when driving through rough terrain. It also does a great job of keeping the phone from sliding off its mount and landing under your seat, where it is all mysteriously lost. I was very confident to trust the iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 with my smartphones.

The magnet of the iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 is very strong!

When we look at it from a broader perspective, we love magnetic mounts for the ease and convenience they offer. Fiddling with weird mechanisms and fasteners can get annoying if you do this every time you get in and out of your car. If you just grab your mount and snap your phone into place, it’s a breeze.

I also like that the included dashboard pad isn’t rigid. It’s made of what appears to be flexible plastic, which means it can adapt to many uneven surfaces. We don’t know why other manufacturers haven’t realized that it is nigh on impossible to find a really flat surface in a vehicle. With this versatility, you have more options for places to mount the iOttie iTap Magnetic 2.

What’s not so good?

Aesthetics are important in a confined space such as a vehicle. Hence, design is an important factor to consider when choosing the right phone holder. While the iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 isn’t a device on his face, and its colors help it blend in a bit with its surroundings, it doesn’t look great in its category either. It’s mostly made of cheap plastic, which while keeping it lightweight, also prevents it from looking like a premium product.

The iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 is mainly made of cheap plastic.

I’m also not a huge fan of semi-permanent mounts on my phone or vehicle. You can try to avoid sticking the pad to your dashboard by simply relying on the suction cup. However, there is no getting around gluing a metal plate to the back of your phone. Not to mention, these metal plates are known to interfere with wireless charging, which could be a big problem. We recommend that you find out where your phone’s wireless charging coil is (if you have one) so that you can try to strategically place your metal plate.

We usually don’t recommend mounts that are in your dashboard or windshield. Anything blocking your forward view can be a hazard, not to mention it can be illegal (check local laws). With this in mind, we also realize that all cars have different designs. Just make sure you are safe and stick to legal restrictions.

iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 Review: Should I Buy It?

The simple fact that the iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 has the strongest magnet we’ve tested makes it a worthwhile purchase. It holds your phone firmly in place and has all of the convenience of a magnetic car phone holder.

The iOttie iTap Magnetic 2 has the strongest magnet of all the car phone mounts we tested.

With that in mind, we must also say that there are better options if you value build quality and safer assembly. Especially when you consider that this bracket is not exactly cheap. You should also avoid magnetic car phone mounts if you don’t want to stick a metal plate on your smartphone.

It’s also important to note that iOttie just happens to sell other versions of this mount. They also sell a vent mount and CD slot mount with the same magnetic head. If you feel like it, they even have magnetic mounts with wireless charging.

As for the iTap Magnetic 2, there are better car phone mounts out there, but if you have a really heavy phone this might still be the mount for you.