On the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island there are many beaches with sinister-looking black sand. It’s ironsand, and it annoys local surfers and sunbathers in summer because it heats up so much in the sun that it can burn skin.
The surfers may not be such a fan of the stuff but it’s great in art or science class because ironsand is of course magnetic. Thus, sprinkle some on a piece of paper and use a magnet on the other side of the paper to drag the ironsand around to create neat designs or reveal the invisible magnetic field like Michael Faraday did.
Even if you don’t live near an ironsand beach, you can still enjoy the benefits of magnetism in a practical way by using a magnetic phone holder in your car.
Will a magnetic phone holder interfere with my phone?
Back in the day, magnetic sequencing was used to store memory on hard drive devices. However, modern smartphones use an intelligent computer chip system to store data, manufactured with non-magnetic materials. Long story short - your phone will not be damaged by a magnetic phone holder.
Which magnetic phone holder is right for me?
All magnetic phone holders are handy gadgets that will save you disgruntled rummaging time. However, not all magnetic phone holders are the same, as different designs suit different mounting points around the dashboard.
Air vents - a feature all cars have, but not all the same. An air vent compatible holder will keep your phone away from the useful buttons of your dashboard, but be wary that not all air vent holders may be compatible with your car. Be sure to check first that the magnetic holder you wish to buy will suitably fit.
CD input - Thrown your CDs away? Why not put your CD input slot to good use by adding a magnetic phone holder to it instead. Note, if you are still a CD user on the road, it will become an inconvenience.
Suction cup - If you really want to keep your dashboard tidy, you could opt for a windscreen mountable phone holder instead. One of these will keep your phone held at eye level on the road, but at the cost of cable management should you need to charge it up.
Which are best? Now that is a good question.
The best magnetic phone holders for cars
Editor's pick
Belkin's BoostCharge magnetic holder has a very strong grip on the device it holds and this version priced here also includes a cigarette plug and cable to connect to the holder so it can charge an iPhone 12 or 13. This holder is designed to work with the MagSafe technology in iPhones, so it will only charge iPhone 12s and 13s.
While that's annoying for those who don't have such phones, the good news is that for those who don't need or want the charging option, you can get this as a holder without it, which saves you about £15.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Strong grip | • Only charges iPhone 12/13 |
| • Sturdy clip | |
| • iPhone charging capability | |
| • Fully rotates |
Best CD slot holder
CD slots are rather last week but plenty of us still have them, and that's fortunate because CD slot holders are generally the most study way to attach a phone holder in a car. And this is our pick of those.
The tabs that go into the CD slot mean that this mount and hold any device up to an 11-inch tablet, all the while still playing a CD. Like the Belkin holder above, this one fully rotates and swivels 360 degrees.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Strong grip | • You might have to listen to the same CD over and over |
| • Holds phones and tablets | • Only for older cars |
| • Allows CD player function | |
| • Fully rotates |
This magnetic phone holder from PopSockets is an air vent-compatible, repositionable solution to keeping your phone in place while driving. The holder attaches to your car's dashboard without any adhesive and features large & small slots for optimal fit with most air-vent sizes. There's a dashboard/desk option too - the PopMount 2 Car & Desk.
PopSocket holders work with the PopGrip. This attaches to your phone and can be used as a stand as well as for phone mounting.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Strong grip | • Blocks air vents |
| • Holds phones and tablets | • better suited to older cars |
| • Allows CD player function | |
| • Fully rotates |
Best magnetic air vent holder
The YOSH holder is small and discreet and can be fitted to vertical or horizontal vent slats. For a air vent mount, it's as solid as the Belkin model but it can't match the CD slot mount - it can take up to a seven inch smartphone.
The reason this stands above other air vent mounts is because the attachment, although a little fiddly, is much stronger and more secure than others. The magnets are strong too.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Strong grip | • CD holder still more sturdy |
| • Quite small | |
| • Stable attachment | |
| • Fully rotates |
Best suction cup holder
You may well use your phone as a sat nav when driving, in which case a dashboard or windscreen mount is more useful. This is our pick of those. It sticks to a dashboard or windscreen using a suction cup, which often suffer from being rubbish but this one works well because the suction cup sticks to a gel pad, rather than straight onto the dashboard itself.
The arm itself is sturdy and can even extend between 11.7cm and 16cm. Its angle can also be adjusted, while the magnetic mount swivels 360 degrees.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Secure suction cup | • Can obscure view if positioned incorrectly |
| • Telescopic arm | • CD slot and air vent holders are easier to move |
| • Fully rotates |
Most discreet design
For small and stylish, you can't go past this one. It's a sleek and minimal magnetic phone holder that attaches to an air vent with its rubberised clamp. The Heyner phone holder measures four centimetres across and 3.3 centimetres deep.
There is a little magnetic tab you stick to your phone or non-porous phone case, which couples to the holder itself. For sturdiness, we would still recommend one of the other holders here, but for style, this one tops the lot.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Looks great | • Others are more stable |
| • Small | |
| • From reputable brand |