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Gadget Weekly
(Image credit: Android Central)
Join Namerah Saud Fatmi as she explores the cool, quirky, and sometimes downright odd world of smartphone accessories, gadgets, and other nerdy toys every week.
Decent car mounts are found aplenty, be it with or without charging capabilities integrated into them. The ones from Baseus are top-notch, with some of the best price-to-feature ratios one can find.
If your phone doesn’t support wireless charging or you’re just not into it all that much, a simple old-fashioned car mount is good enough for your vehicle. They’re super affordable too, mostly priced below $15 to $20, depending on the features.
Basesus offers two cheap car mounts with magnetic heads, ditching those problematic arms and legs that car mounts usually have. I tested both of them, namely the new Baseus PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount as well as the PrimeTrip C03s Magnetic Car Mount.
Wacky waving bendable car mounts
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(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)
(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)
(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)
The two car mounts from Baseus have a lot in common. You get magnetic bases on both, they both latch onto your car’s windshield or dashboard via a sticky 3M adhesive, and both mounts have malleable arms. Each mount comes with a sticky magnetic ring to go on the backside of your phone. Heck, even the price is the same — $30 for each one.
So what’s the difference between the PrimeTrip C03 and the PrimeTrip C03s? For one, the C03 has a flat, fettuccine-like arm and a rotating base. This means you can bend and contort the arm as much as you like, and also choose to rotate it to whatever degree you prefer. The rotating base can be tightened to secure it in place.
On top of that, the square magnetic “head” tilts, so you can further adjust the angle at which your phone tilts toward you. This makes it incredibly easy to find the perfect viewing angle while seated in the driver’s seat.
A two-pronged approach
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(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)
(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)
Meanwhile, the PrimeTrip C03s Magnetic Car Mount has two spaghetti-like flexible arms that can bend into whatever shape you like. Each base has 3M adhesive, allowing you to stick it onto the dash or the windshield.
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Since there are two arms on the C03s, it lacks a rotating base. This model also lacks the swiveling head, although it is magnetic in nature. However, the thinner arms make this mount a lot more flexible than the C03, so you can easily twist it into a tilted angle that matches your line of sight when sitting behind the wheel.
(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)
Traditional car mounts with adjustable clamps are plain awful. I never fail to struggle inserting my phone into those types of car mounts, which is why magnetic ones are a dream to use. There’s no fussing about with clamp arms or feet; you simply plop your phone on and carry on with your business. There’s a highly satisfying snap to it.
There’s no denying the practical advantage of a magnetic car mount over a traditional one with clamps. I wish the Baseus PrimeTrip mounts didn’t use 3M adhesive, but had suction cups instead. While 3M is a lot sturdier, it can’t be removed once glued in place.
Both the Baseus PrimeTrip C03 and C03s Magnetic Car Mounts have their uses. If I had to choose between the C03 and C03s, I’d go for the PrimeTrip C03 for the rotating base and tilting head.
And while both the magnetic car mounts are reasonably priced, I’d personally wait for the next Prime Day event or Black Friday to buy them for $25 or under. After all, you can get the ESR Qi2 15W wireless car charger for about $32, and that works as a magnetic car mount but has the additional wireless charging feature to increase the value prospect.
Baseus PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount
It twists and turns
The Baseus PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount has a rotating base, a magnetic head that tilts, and a sturdy flat arm that can be bent to suit your liking.
Baseus PrimeTrip C03s Magnetic Car Mount
Dual-armed mount
Need more stability and flexibility? The Baseus PrimeTrip C03s Magnetic Car Mount has not one but two thing bendable arms that stick to the dash or windshield of your car. The magnetic head doesn’t move, but the arm can be twisted to adjust it.
