Griffin In-Car Window Mount Review

In car smartphone accessories can be a little bit hit and miss and I should know as I’ve gone through a lot of them. Genuinely, this isn’t because the products were bad, it was just that they weren’t compatible with either my car or its interior. Now however in for review we have a REAL universal product in the name of the Griffin Window Mount, aimed at providing a solution to a long standing problem; accessing your iPhone or iPod Touch whilst on the go.

Read up on my review below to see how this in-car iPhone and iPod Touch window mount performs, looks, and works on the go. Just for reference, the Griffin Window Mount is compatible with practically any smartphone which is of a similar size to the  iPhone 4S.

Design, usability

There isn’t much to say about any In-Car window mount, unless the product is made up from an unknown metal sourced from a planet light years away, so let’s get this part out of the way; the Griffin Window Mount is made up from glossy black plastics, features a Griffin logo towards the top of the product and it feels extremely sturdy in the hand. More exciting than the design of this product is probably the way it works and adjusts to a smartphone, though. Essentially, it features three claws; two that grip either corner of the bottom of your smartphone and one on the top which grips it along the center. See, I told you it was more exciting.

You can adjust the height of the window mount to fit your smartphone by simply pressing in the up arrow mechanism (pictured, right), which pushes up the top claw. It’s primitive, however works extremely well and this is the method you’ll be using to make this gadget fit your smartphone.

Fastening or ‘sticking’ the window mount to your car windscreen is very easy indeed. Basically, it uses a completely clear square sticker with a strong non residue leaving adhesive on it to stick to your windscreen, which is for me a better method than a suction cup for two reasons; a) because it means there are less parts to the window mount than suction cup variants to lug around and b) because it is near enough see through at night, meaning for 99% of people you’ll have piece of mind it won’t attract any unwanted attention.

You can check out how the window mount looks with an iPhone 4 in it below.

On the move

Whilst on the move any in-car mount is susceptible to the odd rattle and vibration, unless of course your suspension is that of a modern Rolls Royce. The same rings true with the Griffin Window Mount, and it will rattle a little bit over bumps however not so on a smooth surface as is to be expected. Depending on your driving position, and how far back your seat is, reaching your iPhone, smartphone or iPod Touch whilst on the go is easy too, however I don’t recommend doing this and accessing your smartphone on the go due to your own safety on the road (and it being illegal here in the UK).

My iPhone 4 coupled with the Griffin Window Mount proved to be a good combination over a few weeks then, one main benefit being iOS 5. The new home screen notifications allow a driver to see new incoming e-mails without having to unlock their smartphone, which is great to get a rough idea as to who is trying to get a hold of you at any one time. Naturally, you’ll also be able to see all notifications on your Android smartphone whilst on the go too. The window mount also swivels 360 degrees for optimal viewing, and will take your iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S even with a case on it,

Once you arrive at a destination you have two choices as to what you can do with your window mount. Firstly, you can simply remove your smartphone from the holster and leave the claw there, or you can remove your smartphone and the claw leaving behind just the sticker and small black clip to which the claw attaches to. If you live in an area where crime is a little bit rife, or you have seen shady looking folk hanging around and checking out car windows, than actually removing the whole window mount and sticker should be considered. Over time though you may find that the sticker loses its stickiness, however it’s easy to remove and re-apply and works more than 18 times as I’ve done it.

Cost

US customers can pick up the Griffin Window Mount via this page for $19.99. UK customers can pick up the Griffin Window Mount via Three Accessories, on this page for the price of exactly £15. Alternatively, just Google product code GC22054.

Overall

The Griffin Window Mount is a good, solid product and in-car accessory. First of all it is cheap, second of all it is well made and third of all it doesn’t just fit an iPhone as it is compatible with a range of smartphone’s. The sticker adhesive application may be a little hit and miss with some, but Griffin does sell a suction cup variant if that takes your fancy a little bit more.

Thank you to Three Accessories for sending us this product out.

Rating: (9/10)