According to a 2013 report, more than 3,000 teenagers die each year in the US as a result of texting while driving. That’s more than the 2,700 that die from drunk driving.
We are all connected to our smartphones nowadays and it can be hard to let go even for a short drive. I, like many others, realize the dangers that come when using a phone while driving, but in some cases it’s required. Needing directions, making a phone call, and checking a business’s hours are things that are capable through our smartphones and these are things that are done while driving.
The major reason for smartphone usage accidents is that the user is constantly looking away from the road. Cars don’t have a suitable place to rest your phone, so in many cases you need to hold it with one hand or place it in an inconvenient location. You look away from the road, become distracted, take one hand off the wheel, and you now increase your chances of getting into an accident.
Based on the same principles as Amazon’s fulfillment team, Sundix is an electronics based company that creates useful and handy tools that make your life easier. One of those products happens to be a car phone mount to help avoid the dangers of using your smartphone with your hand. Although it may act as a greater incentive to use your phone while you drive, does it at least help keep your attention on the road instead of your phone?
Welcome to a product overview of the Sundix Universal Car Phone mount. Throughout this review I will take a look at the design, functionality, and my overall thoughts. A special thank you to Sundix for providing this for a review.
Design
If you are an avid Amazon purchaser, you’ll know from experience that many Amazon products sometimes offer different styles for the same unit. Costing different prices, at times you can adjust the colors, looks, or even features. The same goes for this universal car mount.
Sundix offers four different mounting brackets for you to choose from when looking at the product. Sent to me were the two most popular mounts.
First up is the suction cup mounted unit that uses a rubber suction cup and a sticky paste to securely mount itself to your car’s windshield. Attached to this is difficult to adjust, rubberized pipe that can be bent in multiple, repeatable, ways. Then towards the end of the bendable pipe is a ball socket that connects to the detachable head unit or cradle.
Unit two connects to a car cigarette lighter and offers two 1.5A front facing USB ports. For adjustments, this style uses a tightening knob that allows the hard plastic arm to move vertically. Lastly, like unit one, the arm finishes off with a ball socket that connects to the same head unit.
If you recall an earlier RAVPower review of their car charger, you’ll quickly notice that this cradle is very similar to theirs. The unit is covered in rubber surfaces to protect your device against slipping off and from any scratches. On the sides of the cradle are two retractable arms that release with a click of a button on the rear and those too have a rubber surface. Finally, the cradle has feet to hold the phone up and won’t allow it to slide out, plus they have a cut out so that you can charge your phone while it rests in the cradle.
Functionality
Straight away I have to begin with, not one, but two negatives. The first is that one of the head units in my packaging had a faulty retraction system for the arms and would only retract the arms if done so manually. Next is the advertisement details that Sundix claims. They state on both the product page and box that the cradle can hold items like MP3 players, GPS units, and PSPs; this is far from the truth. During testing, I used a Samsung Galaxy S5 and a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in the cradle, with the sizing of both phones, it was already pushing the limit. To fit a large GPS, long PSP, or small MP3 player into the cradle will be a difficult task.
I tested both mounts in two different vehicles to get a feel of how they performed. Straight away, I found that I was fond of the windshield mounted unit. I was able to suction it to a lower part of the windshield with the cradle hovering. This positioning allowed me to glance at navigation as well as answer incoming phone calls for hands-free calling. Due to its positioning, I was able to be always looking forward and keep my eyes on the road. I mentioned earlier a sticky paste on the suction cup and even after usage, the gel type material continued to be functional and left little to no residue on the windshield.
One of the cars tested was a German manufactured car and what I quickly noticed is that the cigarette lighter position made it slightly difficult to mount the second unit. Again, on a Japanese made car, the cigarette lighter positioning was towards the bottom of the center console, putting the phone mount very low.
In such a position, it made it so your eyes and head had to glance down to see your phone and, as a result, take your eyes off the road. That said, this unit does offer a major advantage over the windshield mounted one and that is the dual USB ports that can be used to charge certain devices.
During testing both units did well, in that they completed their task of keeping the phone in the right position, never moved, fell or adjusted during driving and each unit serves a different task. The windshield mount was pleasant for quick trips whereas the cigarette lighter mount is best for long road trips when you need to charge your phone on the way.
My Overall Thoughts
If you want the windshield mounted unit, it will cost you $13.99 while the cigarette lighter mount will be $15.99. Both of these mounts live up to the “high quality” title their manufacturer gives them, but unless you’re the one who takes constant long road trips, the better unit in this lineup is the windshield mount. It offers feasible positioning and can be quickly dismounted if need be. Moreover, it does a great job of keeping your phone in the same line of sight of the road where your full attention is needed.
Buy it Now:
© 2015 techsupportforum.com
