I switched to wireless charging a long time ago. For the past two years, I have barely used wires at all. The only place where I had a wire until recently was in the car. But with Moshi SnapTo, you can eliminate the extra wires there too. I have known the Moshi brand for a long time. Wireless chargers at home are just this company. In general, I am more than satisfied with them. They are beautiful, covered with grey fabric, charge using the Qi standard, and a quick charge. But today I will tell you about car charging and its features.
Moshi SnapTo: What’s in the Package?
Usually, I’m talking about a complete set of smartphones, not accessories. But in the case of car mounts, the kit is also important. The SnapTo car holder comes with all the necessary accessories.
In general, first, you need to talk about the concept of SnapTo. This is a whole series of Moshi gadgets, which are united by magnetic mounts. There is a car holder, a holder with a charger, and a case. And in fact, the cover is the central element here. It is simply impossible to use other accessories without a cover. So let’s take a look at the holder and case together. I have an iPhone 11 Pro, but there are cases for other iPhone models. In general, Moshi has many cool cases, and the SnapTo series even has this cool one.
But back to the mount and my case. I won’t say anything about the cover kit. There is only the cover itself and nothing else. But in the box with the holder, I found a lot of interesting things.
So, there is the holder itself, a rather long USB-C cable, and a glass mount. And also, two metal plates SnapTo, so they allow you to hold the smartphone. Plastic plugs are initially inserted into the cover. They must be pulled out and replaced with metal ones from the holder kit.
Moshi SnapTo: Holder and Case Appearance
I have a white Moshi case with silver trim. What pleases him is the protection. It covers the iPhone 11 Pro from all sides. For example, in a native case, the bottom edge with microphones and a Lightning port remains open. True, due to this, it seems a little cumbersome, but you get used to it in one day.
As I said, there are plastic inserts in the case. You need to get them out and insert metal plates in their place. Even a child can handle this. Everything is simple and even intuitive.
The whole procedure takes only a couple of minutes. There is a strip of glue on the metal inserts, so they stick there tightly. They are needed for the magnetic holder to work. In principle, with proper skill, you can install these plates on any other cover. I tried it, but it didn’t work out very well. Due to the thickness of the cover, the force of gravity comes out very weak. And the smartphone now and then strives to jump off the holder. So, it’s better to use native Moshi cases, especially since they have many different ones.
The holder itself is as simple as possible. It’s a plastic block that’s pretty thin. There is a hinge that will allow you to turn the smartphone in the car as conveniently. And also, there is the amount. It can be inserted into the air duct grille if the design allows it. Or install a special mount on the glass.
There is a USB-C port on the bottom for charging. Yes, nevertheless, it will not be possible to do without wires at all. The holes around the perimeter of the holder are ventilation. It’s no secret that wireless chargers get a little hot during operation, and technical holes are needed to cool the gadget.
Using Moshi SnapTo in your car
I tried both in the car. But I confess that the option of mounting on the glass or the dashboard does not inspire confidence in me. Of course, there is 3M tape, which usually sticks very tightly. But I am not ready to trust a smartphone for almost $80 to such a small amount. Plus, when you need to remove it, stains may remain. In general, I really love the suction cup mounts. Yes, they sometimes fall off at the most inopportune moment. But otherwise, I’m more satisfied than duct tape. However, there is an option to insert the holder into the fan grill, which is a great option.
I left it that way, just for a photo trying to attach it to the glass. Yes, this method may not work for everyone, but the grille and holder fit perfectly in my car. Except that when cornering, the fan unit itself sometimes turns. Special thanks to the Moshi developers. Their hinge is quite tight and does not move anywhere during the ride. At the same time, when you tune it with your hands, everything bends smoothly, miracles.
On the glass, the holder looks like this. In general, it’s also a good option if you place it to the left of the steering wheel, for example. But in general, these are all purely individual things. Developers provide options, and then everyone decides for himself what is more convenient for him.
For someone, maybe this option will block the angular view. And someone is uncomfortable looking to the right of the steering wheel. These are all very personal things, and it’s good that Moshi offers options.
The holder itself is straightforward to use. Lean the phone in the case against the installed block. Voila. The phone holds on to magnets and even charges. Suppose you inserted the wire into the adapter, of course. I have no complaints about the force of gravity; during the several days of the test, the iPhone never tried to fall. There is a small question about the placement of the plates. A couple of times, I tried to put the phone a little lower than necessary, and in this case, of course, the magnets did not work. But you have to get used to this. Now I have no such oversights.
And one more nuance is that when you change your smartphone to the iPhone 12, you will have to buy a new SnapTo case. On the one hand, you still need to buy some cover, but Moshi has good ones. On the other hand, there is a limitation in the variety, and it will no longer be possible to take a silicone craft from Aliexpress.
Conclusions: Should you buy Moshi SnapTo?
In an era when more and more gadgets support wireless charging, using wires is already bad manners. Especially in a car, it is much more convenient to use a magnetic holder like the Moshi SnapTo. It is compact, does not obstruct the view, stylish, looks premium. Yes, it would help if you had a special case. And yes, not the most convenient glass mount. But at the same time, the comfort that you get is hard to overestimate. I’ve been travelling with this holder for two weeks now, and I confess that I don’t want to go back to my old one at all. It’s so convenient and native that I don’t really understand why I didn’t install this Moshi mount for myself before. Moshi SnapTo costs about $60. That’s a reasonable price to pay for a wireless charger holder.