REVIEW – Almost every state in the USA now has laws prohibiting the handheld use of cell phones while driving. As a result, the marketplace has been flooded with auto mounts of various designs that hold your cell phone within reach and many offer wired or wireless charging as a feature. The Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger is a part of this very crowded field. Let’s see if it stands out as better than the rest.
What is it?
The Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger is a dashboard/windshield/vent mount for your cell phone that offers easy access to your phone and charges your phone while it is in the mount.
What is in the box
1 x Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger
1 x Micro USB cable
1 x DC Car Adapter Power Plug
1 x Air Vent Adapter
1 x Dashboard/Windshield Mounting Arm
1 x Instruction Manual
1 x Warranty Card
Design and features
Specifications:
Input: DC 5V/2A or 9V/1.67A
Output: 5W, 7.5W, 10W fast charging supported
Charging Distance: ≤ 8mm
Conversion Efficiency: > 75%
Working Frequency: 110 – 205KHz
Product Weight: 245g
Product Dimension: 131x77x13mm
Materials: ABS + Silicon Rubber
On the back of the charging unit, there is a ball mount that allows you to mount either the Air Vent Clip or the Windshield/Dashboard mounting arm.
The dashboard/windshield mount includes the ball mount on an extension arm that allows you to move the charging base and therefore the phone closer or further away from you. At the base of the mount, there is the suction mount pad and the mechanism to depress or lift to secure or remove the suction mount to or from the surface in the car. There is also a knob at the side that allows you to raise or lower the extension arm.
At the bottom of the charging unit, there it the micro USB port that you plug the micro USB cable into to provide power to the unit and to the left of that port is a LED that shines green when the unit is receiving power and a phone is in the mount.
On the face of the charging unit/cell phone holder, there is the Qi wireless charging interface in the middle and an infrared sensor at the bottom that allows the unit to detect when a phone is near so that it opens and closes the securing arms.
On the lower left side of the charging unit, there is a silver touchpad that when touched triggers the arms to open so that you can remove the phone.
The DC power adapter plug has 2 ports, a quick charge 3.0 port, and a 3.1A port and a blue LED light around its surface.
Performance
The Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger performs as expected. As you can see in the pictures below, I use the mount on my dashboard. While I did quickly test the air vent mount and can confirm that it does clamp onto the vent louver as it is designed to do, I absolutely despise air vent mounts and chose to use the dashboard mount since I have other devices mounted to my windshield. The mount with the phone it is very stable even when driving on rough surfaces. So far, the phone has never dislodged from the base unit. The one issue that I have with it is that the infrared sensor in the base unit is very sensitive and even when I am sitting back in my seat, it will at times detect me or some movement and the arms will repeatedly open and close even though I am not attempting to mount a phone. The arms also make a very annoying squeaking sound when moving. In terms of charging my phone, I usually have varying amounts of charge remaining on my battery phone when I place it in the mount, and I have never tested the charging when my phone battery is completely drained. However, I am very impressed at how quickly this mount charges my iPhone 10 XS Max.
What I like
- The build quality
- The grip of the securing arms
- The wireless charging feature’
- The sturdy dashboard/windshield mount
- The overall appearance
What can be improved
- The sensitivity of the sensor that controls the gripping arms so that it does not activate so easily and from so far away
- Possible the addition of a baseplate for the bottom of the phone to rest on
Final thoughts
This dash mount/windshield mount wireless charger works well and I have been using it continuously since the day I opened the box. I was concerned that with just 2 side arms/clamps and no baseplate to hold the phone, that it would fall when driving on bumpy roads or in the case of a sudden stop. So far, it has proven me wrong and has held strong. Only time will tell if continuous use reduces the clamping power and grip on the phone. Other than the overly sensitive sensor for the automatic arms that grip the phone, this charger is well made and a good buy.
Updates 04/08/19
Back in December 2018, I review this wireless phone charger for your car, and other than some minor improvements, I was quite happy with it even at the cost of almost $50.
Well, my opinion has definitely changed. Just about 2 1/2 months later in the middle of March 2019, it quit working completely.
It was working as usual, and then one day the auto clamping mechanism started to work intermittently and then stopped working altogether. After that, I continued to use the mount by manually squeezing my phone into the arms, but then it also stopped charging a couple of days later. I kept trying it for another 2 weeks without any success, and became so disgusted and frustrated, that I sent it off to become part of a landfill graveyard somewhere.
Price: $48.74
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Adonit.
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I prefer the charger stand with a smart sensor so the clamps can be automatically opened for my phone. I rarely use the case for my iPhone X. I brought a florington wireless car charger. To my surprise, it is as good as Adonit but way more affordable.
I am going to upgrade my phone to iPhone 11 PRO MAX. I can still use the same wireless charger in my car, which is very convenient for me.