Previously I posted about the Fidlock Vacuum case. Since that post almost a year ago, I’ve purchased the Peak Design Mobile Case, Out Front Mount and Universal Bar Mount. I’ve now tried phone mounts from Quadlock, Fidlock and Peak Design - and the Peak Design setup is my favourite, here’s why.

The Peak Design Mobile Mount checks off all the boxes I’d hoped for:

  1. You can easily mount and unmount your phone. Initially, I was using a Quadlock but it’s annoying trying to line your phone up at the right angle.
  2. The case isn’t bulky. The case is slim and doesn’t add a big lump to the back of my phone.
  3. You can still charge with MagSafe. This case is fully compatible with MagSafe. Whilst I don’t really see any advantages in a MagSafe cable, I’ve got a MagSafe Powerbank which is handy to chuck in a pocket without needing to bring a cable.

Having used a few products now, I’d say that if you want MagSafe, get a Peak Design. Otherwise, the Fidlock is the best phone mount available. Its suction cup is very easy to use and it gives total confidence that your phone has been attached properly. With the Peak Design, there are times I’ve put it down and not been 100% sure that the clip mechanisms have fully attached.

Peak Design Mobile is designed so that your phone can only be placed at 90º increments. You need to remove and re-attach your phone to rotate it. With the Fidlock Vacuum, you can rotate your phone a full 360º whilst it’s held in place. This has been handy for days I’ve been on the trainer and I put Netflix on my phone, I can easily swivel it round as needed to go into Wahoo etc. However, it can be annoying if you can’t get the case to lineup completely straight, something that isn’t a problem on the Peak Design.

Another benefit of Peak Design Mobile is the ecosystem of products available. I have the Out Front Mount for my road bike and also the Universal Bar Mount - which just squeezes onto my Brompton handlebars such that I can still fold the bike without it getting in the way. Both of these have been great so far and there are a plethora of other (somewhat expensive) mounts for me to choose from in the future. With Fidlock, their original demo video showed off a bunch of products that are yet to be released; and it was months after the latest iPhone release before they had a case available. Their marketing of products and communication on availability seems sparse and I’m not sure I’d want to buy several expensive mounts from them only to find they aren’t planning on supporting your future phone.

I’ve largely ignored Quadlock in the comparisons on this post, largely because I don’t think that it’s even worth comparing to the other two mounts (other than perhaps price). I keep seeing them around - they make the only official Brompton phone mount, Cowboy E-Bikes are building a Quadlock into the stem of their new bike; they were heavily featured in Apple TV’s The Long Way Up. They’re undoubtedly popular, but having used the product I feel like they’re better marketers than product makers.

So, that’s my ramblings on a rather niche type of product. I’ve not added picture comparisons or anything, I imagine you’ll be able to find those elsewhere, but feel free to email me if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to get back to you.