Review: Arkon Slim-Grip Lighter Socket Mount with Micro USB

The fine folks at Arkon were kind enough to send me a new car mount for my Samsung Galaxy S III, so I wanted to share my experiences with you all in this nifty little review. The mount in question is the Slim-Grip® Lighter Socket Smartphone Mount — a “low profile, versatile car mount that works with almost any smartphone”.

The mount is designed to hold phones with screen sizes of 3.2″ and up, and it even accommodates phones with cases. It also features adjustable legs to keep your buttons and ports free and accessible.

The lighter socket mount plugs into your car’s 12V power outlet and allows you to charge your phone with the integrated Micro USB charging cable, so the mount is nearly universal for any Android enthusiast with a newer phone — if you’ve got a Micro USB charging port, you’re good to go.

The mount has three articulating joints, allowing you to place the lighter socket mount any way that works best for your car.

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What I Liked

• Easy to install — just plug it into your cigarette lighter and you’re all set
• Simple re-positioning to fit your needs
• Holds the phone firmly in place (when you’re not touching the device)

What I Didn’t

• Requires two hands to put the phone in the mount (you have to use one hand to hold the mount in place)
• The lighter socket part of the mount seems to be too long, causing the mount to fall out of the lighter socket when using the device (should you be using your phone while driving, anyways?)
• A bit pricey for my liking (I think you’ll agree)

Final Words

While this definitely isn’t a bad option, for the $29.95 the mount will run you on the Arkon website, there are better options out there; however, you can pick one up on Amazon for only $14.56 (at the time of this post), making this a product worth at least looking into.

Rating

3.5/5