Scosche’s new MagicGrip enters as a high-tech proposition for bringing 10W Qi charging and more to your car. The new Qi mount goes one step further by delivering an auto-locking feature that automatically grips your smartphone for one-handed usage. Over the past week, I’ve been putting the new accessory to the test, seeing if the Scosche MagicGrip packed enough value to justify the $70 price tag. Head below for a closer look at the unique Qi charging mount and to get all the details in our latest review.
Hands-on with the new Scosche MagicGrip mount
Scosche first announced its latest lineup of car accessories back at CES in 2019, before delaying the launch date to earlier this year. I’ve been using the new MagicGrip Qi Car Mount for the past week or so and have walked away with some pretty solid first impressions.
Beforehand, I had been rocking an older iOttie Easy One Touch 4 mount, which certainly got the job done but was nowhere near as feature-packed. So making the jump to a mount with Qi charging capabilities, let alone all of the auto-sensing tech, was a night and day experience.
Where the new Scosche MagicGrip stands out from its own previous releases — and almost all of its competition — is with a unique motorized mount. So instead of having to manually close some grips to lock your smartphone into place, it takes care of that for you. It’ll also deliver up to 10W of power to a connected device for wirelessly charging while on-the-road. iPhones will be able to take advantage of 7.5W speeds, which is a nice addition, as well.
There are four form-factors of the MagicGrip to choose from, with a typical air vent mount leading the way alongside dashboard and windshield variants. I opted for the Double-Pivot mount, which adds some extra flexibility into the picture for how a phone can actually be propped up once adhered to your car’s dashboard. Compared to other options out there, this design is easily my favorite and the most versatile.
How well does it actually work?
When I first got my hands on the Scosche MagicGrip to review, I wasn’t entirely sold on that you could make a reliable auto-sensing car mount. Or at the very least, that there’d be a catch that outweighed the novelty. But after putting it to the test, I’m definitely convinced that Scosche’s implementation delivers on the promised one-handed mounting solution.
The car mount effectively works by automatically opening when your car turns on, and then waiting for your smartphone to come close. Once the Scosche MagicGrip detects that your smartphone has started charging from the Qi pad, it’ll close the two grips and lock your device into place. All of that happens pretty instantaneously once you get the feel for where the Qi receiver on your handset is located. That leads to the only real caveat — your device will need to support wireless charging. But that’s to be expected for a Qi charging car mount.
Easily recommendable, unless you use CarPlay
One of the downsides to relying on a wireless charging car mount is that you won’t be able to take advantage of CarPlay unless your receiver supports wireless connectivity. That’s, unfortunately, the case for my car, but not being able to solely rely on the Qi charging comes with the territory. So it’s not a knock against the Scosche MagicGrip, but one takeaway from this review is that if you rely on wired CarPlay, this might not be the option for you.
Final thoughts
Entering with a $70 price tag makes the Scosche MagicGrip one of the more premium car mounts out there. But for the price, you’re getting a lot of utility that I’ve found to be worth the price. It easily dethrones the mount I’ve been using for years up until now and actually delivers a one-handed experience.
Obviously there are more affordable alternatives out there if you don’t need the auto-locking features. But if you are considering adding some high-tech charging to your ride, the Scosche MagicGrip is definitely worth considering.
Buy the Scosche MagicGrip Qi Mount at Amazon or direct from Scosche
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