Belkin, known for the accessories it makes for Apple’s devices, recently announced its first MagSafe products, the Boost Charge Pro MagSafe 3-in-1 Wireless Charger and the Car Vent PRO. The wireless charger isn’t out yet, but the Belkin Car Vent Grille Mount PRO with MagSafe has been launched.
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The Car Vent PRO is, as the name suggests, a mount made for in-car use with a design that attaches to a car’s vents. The Car Vent PRO costs $ 40 and is not a charger and has no charging capabilities.
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The accessory is a simple magnet mount that attaches to MagSafe devices such as the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, and attaches to the MagSafe magnet built into those devices. It also works with MagSafe cases attached to iPhone 12 models.
I’m not quite sure why the Car Vent PRO has “Pro” attached to its name as it’s a pretty straightforward assembly. It is made of a lightweight plastic material that looks like aluminum with a softer material on the attachment part of the accessory to ensure that an attached iPhone does not get scratched or otherwise damaged.
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The lightweight design is nice because it doesn’t put unnecessary weight on the car’s vents. There is a little silicone pin on the back of the Car Vent PRO that grips straight into a car’s vents, leaving about an inch and a half between the vents and the front of the mount. The grip is so tight that I’m sure it won’t come off the vent.
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I’m not often in the car these days, so I haven’t been able to do extensive off-road testing to see how well the magnetic connection works. With my iPhone attached, I can detach my iPhone by shaking it well, but it does require a fair amount of effort.
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I suspect there are situations where a massive bump could detach the iPhone from the mount, but for day-to-day smoother riding it feels good. I’ve done several rides on a fairly bumpy road and had no problems with the magnetic connection with an iPhone 12 or a heavier iPhone 12 Pro Max even at high speeds and when cornering.
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While there is no built-in charging, you can connect the Vent PRO to an in-car Lightning cable if you already have that setup, which makes it more useful. There is a place to run a cable around the back if you want to use it with a charger anyway. My car’s charging ports are located in the center console under a lid, so it’s not an easy setup for my situation and I couldn’t test it with a cable attached.
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The Car Vent PRO can be used in portrait or landscape mode with an iPhone attached, so depending on your in-car configuration and how you want Maps to look, you can make it work the way you want. To facilitate use in both directions, the Car Vent PRO pivots itself thanks to an adjustable ball joint that can also change the angle of the phone as needed.
Bottom Line
Belkin’s Car Vent PRO does what it is supposed to do: it successfully provides a way to mount your iPhone in the correct position for using apps like Maps while in the car. The magnetic connection held up well in my testing, and the adjustable ball joint allows the mount to work in most vehicle setups.
Compared to other mounting options, it’s simple because it doesn’t require any additional hardware or magnets, and it’s actually the only “MagSafe” mounting option right now. If you need a car mount and have an iPhone 12, Belkin’s option is worth checking out.
How to buy
The Belkin Car Vent PRO can be purchased from Apple for $ 39.99.
Note: Belkin has provided MacRumors with a Car Vent PRO for this review. No other compensation was received.