Review: Belkin MagSafe Car Vent Mount Pro [Video]

Just over two months after the release of the new iPhone 12, and we still have only a handful of third-party MagSafe accessories on the market. One such accessory, Belkin’s awkwardly named MagSafe Car Vent Mount Pro, is now available. While a magnetic car suspension seems natural for the MagSafe ecosystem, is Belkin’s new accessory worth it? Watch our practical video for the details.

Car support has become quite essential for car commuters. And although there are different options, they all have virtually the same design. In the past, magnetic holders were a thing, but it is necessary to add bulk to your phone.

The MagSafe streamlined design looks like a perfect fit for a magnetic motor suspension that does not add unnecessary bulk, but is the MagSafe connection strong enough to withstand the turbulence you experience while driving?

Video: Belkin Car Vent Mount Pro with MagSafe

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As the name suggests, Belkin’s accessories can be placed directly on your car exhaust. I usually worry about the lack of grip on the mount, but the silicone tips do a very good job of securing itself.

The build quality is not terrible, but neither is it fantastic. The design looks like it would be made of aluminum, but it’s covered plastic. Although lightweight, the mountain is quite large due to the MagSafe design. The mountain allows small adjustments, and can also move in landscape mode.

Before I owned this car suspension, I had a thin plastic holder from Amazon for my iPhone. Unfortunately, the MagSafe does not have its full magnetic strength under a non-MagSafe cover. Although it snaps into place, the magnet is too weak to hold a grip. I made a stop at the Apple Store to pick up a MagSafe iPhone 12 case made of leather, and it worked beautifully. There are cheaper alternatives to iPhone 12 magnetic cases that you can use, but Apple’s solution is the best.

My main problem with Belkin’s accessory is the reference to the name. Belkin advertises it as a MagSafe Car Vent Mount Pro with ‘pro’ in all caps to emphasize. If MagSafe allows wireless charging in addition to the magnetic functionality, why is it not included? There is a built-in cable management feature to secure a lighting cable for direct connection to your phone, but wireless charging directly from the mount would have been much better. So Belkin’s magnetic mount does not look like much to me.

Final thoughts

If you’re someone like me who does not have CarPlay for navigation, the Belkin Magsafe Car Vent Mount Pro does your phone well. It’s nice that my phone does not need anything to have a magnetic car holder. It is simple, smooth and has a design that works as advertised.

Most of the credit can be given to Apple to implement MagSafe in the first place, but Belkin has done a decent job of implementing the technology in their mount. I just wish the product had additional features, such as wireless charging or a premium build, as Belkin is so keen to add ‘pro’ to its name.

What do you think? Sounds at the bottom of the comments with your thoughts.

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