Best wireless charger phone holders 2024
We find the best way to get a grip on your phone while driving
We use our smartphones so much nowadays – for everything from email to text, social media, banking and photography – and flattening the battery is annoyingly easy, which is why an in-car charger makes a lot of sense.
For those with a suitable phone, a wireless charger is the best choice: just pop the handset in the cradle or on the magnetic surface, and that’s it – no plugs or cables. For older phones, it’s possible to get a case to convert to wireless.
We tested eight chargers, some of which had a USB adaptor for the 12V lighter socket, which is handy if you don’t have one or a built-in USB outlet. If you’re buying, look out for USB-C devices, which charge more quickly than a standard USB. Although they’re designed to be used with the iPhone 12 onwards, we could try three MagSafe products on an Android phone by using a simple adaptor.
How we tested them
Using a Samsung S10 that can be charged at up to 15W, we started at around 50 per cent, checking no-load charging for 30 minutes. We then repeated this test while driving and using a sat-nav app on 4G.
We used the cables and adaptors provided, or the Pulse 60 USB-C adaptor if not, giving us a combined charge figure. We looked for the mounts to be easy to use and stable, and price was the final consideration.
Reviews:
Baseus 15W MagSafe Wireless Charger Air Vent Car Mount With Car Charger
- Price: around £27
- Rating: 5 stars
- Website: mobilefun.co.uk
- Mounting: Air vent (MagSafe)
The circular charging pad itself is just 55mm in diameter, although, like all the MagSafes, it held the phone securely. It is attached by a metal ball, rather than a screw-type fitting, and we like the way it fitted to the vent using two metal hooks, which were tightened in place for a stable result.
The cable is hardwired to the charger and adaptor, the latter having a USB socket. Unusually, it has an in-line illuminated on/off button. Its charge figure of 40 per cent was the best of the lot, although both phone and charger were warm. A good USB-inclusive price clinches its position.
Olixar 15W Wireless Charging Windscreen & Dash Car Holder
- Price: around £20
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Website: mobilefun.co.uk
- Mounting: Windscreen/dashboard/air vent
Our last test winner still has the best selection of mounting options and was very stable when fixed to the screen. Using object detection, it opens automatically as the phone approaches, and removal is equally easy, at the touch of a button. Installing and removing the phone both need just one hand.
This set-up gave a combined charge figure of 31 per cent, so is outgunned by some of the newer units. An updated version is in the pipeline, however. The Olixar doesn’t come with a USB adaptor, but it still stacks up well against the opposition.
ESR HaloLock Wireless Car Charger with CryoBoost
- Price: around £19
- Rating: 4 stars
- Website: amazon.co.uk
- Mounting: Air vent (MagSafe)
The ESR certainly looks attractive with a blue LED around its MagSafe pad. Its USP here is its cooling fan, a good idea that meant both the phone and pad finished cooler than the other MagSafe units. However, we could hear a faint whirring as soon as it was connected.
The unit comes with no USB adaptor, but the price is still good. The vent mount uses a conventional vane clamp, but also has a small foot, which helps brace it against the dashboard. The combined charge figure was 33 per cent, but less heat is always good.
Xiaomi Mi 20W In-Car Wireless Fast Charger
- Price: around £40
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Website: mobilefun.co.uk
- Mounting: Dashboard/air vent
The Xiaomi has unique mounting options, using a clamp that either fits to the air vent, or onto a separate adaptor which sticks to the dash and works better than we thought it might.
We like the sensor, which detects the phone and opens the arms automatically, and the electronic opening at the press of a button. The phone is gripped firmly, but it’s irritating that the foot is not adjustable. It comes complete with a two-socket USB adaptor for the car, which gives 9V and 5V charging options. Our combined charging result of 33 per cent was reasonable.
Olixar MagSafe Wireless Charger Car Mount
- Price: Around £17
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Contact: mobilefun.co.uk
- Mounting: Air Vent (MagSafe)
Olixar’s budget-priced MagSafe offering is as basic as it gets – a simple oblong (65mm x 95mm) magnetic charge pad that uses a ball-joint fitting to clamp onto a vent vane. It comes with a USB-to-USB-C cable but no adaptor, which would have to be factored into the overall cost if you don’t have one.
The unit is compact and unobtrusive, and the strong magnet held the phone tight in our tests, although rough roads created a little instability in the mounting. It too was warm after the test, and its combined charge figure of 26 per cent could have been better.
Scosche StuckUp 10W In-car Windscreen & Dash Wireless Charger Mount
- Price: around £40
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Website: mobilefun.co.uk
- Mounting: Dashboard/windscreen
Although this is not an electronic unit, loading the phone is still a one-handed job, pressing the arms in manually and using a well damped push-button mechanism to release. It stuck firmly to our windscreen and was reasonably stable, although the length of the arm meant it could occasionally wobble on really bumpy roads.
The 1.5-metre cable is the longest here and comes with four sticky clips to secure it in place, while a standard USB adaptor is in the box. The combined charge result of 39 per cent was very impressive, despite a low quoted 10W figure.
iOttie Easy One Touch 2 Vent & CD Slot Wireless Charger Mount
- Price: around £45
- Rating: 3 stars
- Website: mobilefun.co.uk
- Mounting: Air Vent/CD Player
As well as a conventional air-vent mount, the iOttie comes with a tongue that enables it to be fitted to a CD player slot – handy on older cars. It also has a hard-wired USB adaptor with a USB socket for other charging duties.
Fitting and removing the phone are one-handed jobs, but the pad is spring-loaded rather than electronic. It gripped our phone tightly and had a usefully adjustable foot for larger phones. Stability on the vent was fair, but not so good in the CD slot. We were disappointed in its 26 per cent combined charge figure.
Halfords Wireless Charging Holder
- Price: around £17
- Rating: 2 stars
- Website: halfords.com
- Mounting: Dashboard/windscreen
The Halfords offering is definitely starting to look a bit old hat in this company. It charges wirelessly, but with a combined figure of 17 per cent, it was about half what we’d expect. We like the screen mount, which stuck firmly in place and was as stable as they come. There is also a vent-mounted option available.
However, although the arms gripped the phone well, it was easy to tip it forward or back when tapping the screen. More importantly, with no foot to support the phone, fitting and removal were always two-handed jobs.
Verdict
Balancing a good price and great performance, the Baseus MagSafe device takes the title from a previous winner, the Olixar 15W, while the fan-cooled ESR finishes in third place.
- Baseus 15W MagSafe Wireless Charger Air Vent Car Mount With Car Charger
- Olixar 15W Wireless Charging Windscreen & Dash Car Holder
- ESR HaloLock Wireless Car Charger with CryoBoost
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