There are three places a phone mount can attach in a car, and the argument about which is best is usually an argument about which car you drive. Here is what each one actually gives you.
Vent mounts
Best for: cars with firm horizontal vent blades and a dash that is too curved or too textured for suction.
A vent mount puts the phone high, near your natural sightline, and takes up no dash real estate. The trade-offs are real though: it blocks one vent, it puts your phone directly in the path of hot air in summer (which slows wireless charging and, over time, is not kind to a battery), and on cars with soft or vertical vent blades it will sag.
Magnetic vent mounts are the strongest version of this category, because there is no clamp weight hanging off the blade.
Suction mounts — dash or windscreen
Best for: most cars, most of the time.
A suction mount gives you the widest choice of position and the most stable hold, because it is anchored to a large flat surface rather than a plastic fin. Modern gel pads stick to textured dashboards that older suction cups could not manage, and they can be washed and re-stuck when they lose grip — which is the thing that kills cheap suction mounts.
Two practical points. First, check your state's rules on windscreen placement: in most of Australia a mount must not obstruct your view, which in practice means low on the windscreen or on the dash. Second, look for a mount with a telescopic arm — a fixed-length arm anchored low on the dash puts the phone below your eyeline, which is the exact problem you were solving.
Cup holder and CD-slot mounts
Best for: nothing, mostly.
Cup holder mounts put the phone too low. CD slot mounts assume you have a CD slot. Both exist because they were the only options in cars that had no other option, and both are worse than a gel suction pad on the dash.
Cradle or magnet?
A spring cradle holds any phone, works through any case, and needs two hands to release. A magnetic mount snaps on one-handed and releases instantly, but needs either a MagSafe phone, a MagSafe case, or a metal plate stuck to your case.
If you have a MagSafe-compatible iPhone, the magnetic version is a clear upgrade — and if the mount also charges, you have removed the cable from the equation entirely. If you have an Android without a magnetic case, a cradle is the simpler answer.
The charging question
Wireless charging in a car is convenient and slow. It is ideal for topping up on a commute and poor for recovering a flat battery before you arrive. If you regularly do long drives with navigation running, a wired connection will keep up better. If you drive 20–40 minutes at a time, wireless is the better daily experience.
The short version
Suction with a telescopic arm and a washable gel pad for the widest fit and the best position. Magnetic if your phone supports it, and magnetic-with-charging if you want the cable gone. Vent mounts only if your dash won't take a suction pad.
We sell both ends of this: the KZ Telescopic Dash Mount for suction and reach, and the KZ Magnetic Wireless Car Charger for MagSafe phones that should never see a cable again.