Published on December 12th, 2016 | by Sunit Nandi

TechElec Magnetic Car Phone Holder Review: fantastic way to mount your phone in your car without clips

Introduction

It has been quite a while since I last reviewed any product. Many of our regular readers might be wondering when the next one is coming up. Well, the wait is over!

We’ve something with us this time, which is not what we usually review.

We introduce the ‘TechElec Magnetic Car Phone Holder’. Simply put, this is a phone holder for car cup holder you install in your car and place your phone on it so that you can use GPS and Maps. So how does it differ from usual phone mounts? Well, unlike your usual phone mounts that grip your phone with a clip, this one uses a strong magnet to secure your phone to the dashboard.

So, does it work as intended? Is it easy to use? Does it provide a good grip?

Thanks to the team at TechElec, who sent us a review unit last month, we finally have answers to all of that. So, what are we waiting for? Lets start off with the review.

Unboxing

The TechElec Magnetic Car Phone Holder comes in a golden colour, simply designed box. On the front side is the TechElec Logo, while the back side has contact and certification information.

Opening up the lid, we’re greeted with a ball and socket joint.

The socket has a diaphragm that holds the phone, while the ball is hemispherical with an adhesive base that attaches to the dashboard surface.

The ball and socket hold on to each other with magnetic force. The socket can glide freely over the ball in all directions.

Taking away the ball, socket and the first partition from the box, we get to see 2 thin steel coins with adhesive on one side, one big and one small, presumably one for phone and the other for a tablet. Also there are 3 replacement adhesive bases for the ball, an alcohol based cleaning swab and a user manual.

Now that we’ve unboxed the product, lets move onto the installation and usage.

Installation and usage

We need to install the TechElec Magnetic Car Phone Holder on the car dashboard. Using the given alcohol swab, we wipe the area where we wish to place the holder to make it free from dirt and dust which may hamper the stickiness of the adhesive.

Then we peel off the film that covers the adhesive base of the ball-and-socket-joint and gently place it on the dashboard. The ball-and-socket-joint firmly sticks to the dashboard.

Now, we take any one of the steel coins and peel the film from its adhesive side. After that we stick the coin to the back of the smartphone case. Alternatively one can also place the coin between the phone and its case or between the battery and the back cover without sticking.

Finally, the phone is ready for docking. We can simply place it on the socket’s diaphragm and the phone firmly secures into place due to the attraction between diaphragm and the steel coin.

The phone can be moved around and adjusted freely since it is a ball-and-socket-joint. With a little force, it can be detached from the holder. All this can be done with one hand, with no fuss of clips and plugs. Placing and removing the phone from the holder is effortless.

Moreover, the build quality of the product is great. The magnetic ball-and-socket-joint is very sturdy and doesn’t get dented or cracked if dropped or made to face a huge impact. Moreover the coins are sturdy and do not bend or lose shape, despite the fact that they are thin.

The only problem I found is that the adhesive base of the holder can be replaced only 3 times (as there are only 3 spare bases) and the coins can be stuck to the phone or case surface only once, after which they become unstickable once removed. (However, you can also use the coins without sticking by placing between the case and the phone.) In short, the adhesive used on the sticky surfaces last only one use. After that, you will need to use your own adhesive to stick the base or the coins.

Overall, I found the car phone holder to be very enjoyable and easy to use. The grip manages to keep up well even with bad road conditions and sudden bumps.

Summary

Pros

Easy to use. Phone can be placed and detached from the holder with one hand.
Strong magnetic grip without slipping or falling.
Extremely good build quality

Cons

Installation process is different from what you would expect with other phone stands.
Adhesive on the surfaces last for one or two uses only.

Getting for yourself

TechElec Magnetic Car Phone Holder is really reasonably priced at $15.99 on Amazon.com. Click here to buy it.

As a special offer for Techno FAQ readers, TechElec is offering 25% off on the price of TechElec Magnetic Car Phone Holder. All you need to do is enter the code TECHNO25 at checkout. The coupon code is valid from 12 December 2016 to 12 January 2017.

Conclusion

TechElec Magnetic Car Phone Holder is one of the easiest smartphone mounts I have ever installed in my car. Not only is it effortless to place and remove the phone from the mount, but also the contruction is minimal and doesn’t cover up a lot of space on the dashboard. Moreover, the mount doesn’t have any potential to cause scratches or damage to smartphones or tablets. I would happily recommend this to anyone looking for a cheap way to use navigation or play music from their phones in their car.

Rating: 9.5/10

Tags: car, cradle, holder, magnetic, mount, Phone, Smartphone, TechElec

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.