A MagSafe car mount is a simple enough gadget: it's a phone mount that sticks to your car's air vent or dashboard, and magnetically holds your iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 in place. It's a super-convenient accessory for anybody who needs to safely access their iPhone for navigation, music or answering calls while they drive.
If you're in the market for a MagSafe car mount, you should know that Apple doesn't make one of its own, although it does sell this one by Belkin ($40) and this one by Scosche ($70). But plenty of other reputable third-party manufacturers make their own iPhone car mounts that work with MagSafe. So, suffice it to say, you've got options.
However, not all those options are created equal. Instead of searching through the various MagSafe car mounts that are out there, we suggest going with the Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger ($40+). It's the perfect combination of functionality, size and price.
The Belkin both holds and charges your iPhone.
The Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger is a new-and-improved version of Belkin's other MagSafe car mount — the aforementioned one that Apple sells. The big difference is, this new one can hold your iPhone 12 / iPhone 13 and wirelessly charge it. This is a rarity, as most other options only magnetically hold your iPhone or require you to have Apple's MagSafe Charger ($39), as well. The Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger does both.
This MagSafe car mount is adjustable, and not too bulky.
The Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger is a perfect size, in my opinion. It's not so big that it gets in the way of buttons or controls on your dashboard. You can adjust its orientation — it can rest either horizontally or vertically — to further free up space. And the car mount rests on a rotating ball joint, so, while attached to the air vent, you can easily adjust your iPhone to that perfect viewing angle.
Belkin offers different models for different needs.
The Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger can be purchased with or without a car power supply unit. Both models come with a USB-C to USB-C cable. The car power supply unit is going to drive up the price by $20 — from $40 to $60 — but if you have a car with built-in USB-C ports, you don't need to the power supply unit. If you have an older car USB-A ports, you could also just get an adapter (like this one). Or if you have your own USB-A to USB-C cables, you can use those, too.
The bottom line is, Belkin gives you the option of purchasing the less expensive configuration if you already have your own car power supply unit (or if you just don't need it). And that's nice.
