Do all carphone holders use suction pads? Any recommendations?

[preemadinna]

I want to buy an in-car phone holder. I've had bad experience in the past when suction pads have let me down, so sat navs have fallen off the window mid-journey. Do all phone holders use suction pads, or is there an alernative? If you have a phone holder that has never let you down, what brand is it?

We've got one which works via a magnet which you stick in the air vent above the gear stick, and then another one you stick on the back of your phone. Works really well.

As above, the air vent magnet type is perfect.

I like the spider type, they have legs going out from a centre point and you bend them to support your item and then you can bend/clip/poke the others into vents, recesses, hang off things or wherever to secure.

The one I currently use clips into a car CD player, then has a ball joint to which you attach the appropriate holder for you phone, sat nav etc

I like it because it sits down out of direct sight, and doesn’t obscure any of the windscreen but is close enough to catch the display without moving my eyes to far as required for the junction layout directions etc

I was using one which had a thumbnail screw to open it up within the CD slot and lock in place. But that only had one ball mount
When I began to use my proper sat nav more often I ‘upgraded’ to one with 3 ball joints. This one doesn’t lock in place but does sit well enough to not fall out. If you lift it slightly it does come out of the slot.

Disadvantages are you can’t use the CD player and my phone & sat nav block the clock display - but I don’t use either

These are the original one I was using

I had one of the ones that go in the vent it was great but the magnet eventually became unstuck from the vack of my phone and the phone fell into the footwear while I was driving. If I got another one I'd glue the magnet to my phone case this time as it was great other than that.

The magnet ones work through a phone case, so you can use the case as an additional insurance against it falling off.

The magnet won't hold my iPhone 11. Am I doing something wrong??

With the magnet devices, do they supply additional magnets for if there is more than one car user?

I'm cautious of the magnet idea, because I keep a contactless card in my phone wallet and it may get corrupted. Anyone had any issues with that?

I have one with a 'claw' which you jam in the vent. Works well. About £2 on ebay.

Like this

I've got one that goes in the cd holder too, i got it on Amazon after getting fed up of my suction one falling down all the time. My cd one has never fallen out

The vent ones rely on you having appropriately sized/angled vents, which not all cars have.

In my old car I had a suction one that held onto the windscreen very strongly and never fell off. It then had an adjustable holder, so it stretched out and I put my phone in and it held it in place. It never let me down, it came from Asda, for about £10 but I can't see anything similar on the website.

It might have been a Belkin and is a bit like this one. I used it on the windscreen not the dashboard.

I've got the same as @MarianneFaithful but occasionally it falls off the vent - my phone is fairly small but it wouldn't hold one of the plus sized ones I don't think. I too prefer them away from the windscreen. Also my windscreen is too steeply sloping to reach a holder at the bottom of it easily.