Top motorcycle smartphone holders

With modern smartphones assuming more and more of the tasks and functionality we need in our lives – communication, music, camera, navigation – using one on your motorcycle has huge benefits. For example, you can listen to music, make and take calls or use any number of navigation apps to get you to where you need to be.

And while much of the phone's functionality can be controlled by a relevant and compatible helmet intercom – essential for music, calls and navigation instructions – having your phone tucked away in your pocket can often be a pain, especially if you want to actually see your navigation route, for example, or make changes on the go.

If you want your phone located safely where you can see those directions, you need a phone mount.

Best motorcycle phone holders

What type of motorcycle phone mount should I buy?

One of the most important factors to look for in a smartphone mount is vibration damping. Apple actually confirmed what many riders already knew in September 2021 – engine vibrations can kill the camera on later iPhones.

The vibrations disrupt the image stabilisation system, and Apple actually recommended a vibration-dampening system if you insist on mounting your phone to the bike.

Waterproofing is also important. Sadly, as we know, not every ride will be to sunlit uplands, so if you need to keep your phone in sight when riding in the wet (for sat-nav instructions, for example), then your mount needs to keep the wind and rain away. While some smartphones purport to being waterproof, do you fancy testing those claims? We don't…

If you will be using your phone for – notoriously power-hungry – sat-nav apps, then you will inevitably need some form of charging option. This could be a cable entry for your usual charging lead, with power taken from the bike somewhere, or it could be the increasingly common and more convenient wireless charging that only requires your phone to be psychically close to the charger to suck up some much-needed charge.

How the phone mount fits to the bike is also important; you need to be able to locate it where you can easily see it, otherwise, you may as well leave it in your pocket. Ideally, high up near – but not in - your line of sight is best, but this may not be possible on all bikes, so it make need to fit to the handlebars, a mirror or even the headstock stem mount.

Convenience is also important. If it takes five minutes to fit your phone into a case or you have to remove it from your existing case, insert it, then remove it and fit your day-to-day case again, you may find this is all a bit too much of a faff.

Alternatively, if you have a case with a built-in mounting system or need to add a clip to your case of choice, it may change how you feel about that case. Also, consider how easy it will be to remove when you pop into the garage and pay for your fuel – is it easy enough to whip off and take with you so someone else doesn't do exactly that while you're inside?

Perhaps the most important aspect of all, though, is security – security of mounting and of your phone. The last thing you need to be worried about when you're out for a ride is whether your phone is going to fall off or, indeed, the entire mount. You need to know it's on there and is staying there so you can concentrate on enjoying your ride safely.

Protecting iPhones

On September 2021, Apple published a statement which acknowledged what many riders knew; motorcycles can kill iPhones. It said: "It is not recommended to attach your iPhone to motorcycles with high-power or high-volume engines due to the amplitude of the vibration in certain frequency ranges that they generate.

Attaching your iPhone to vehicles with small-volume or electric engines, such as mopeds and scooters, may lead to comparatively lower-amplitude vibrations, but if you do so, a vibration-dampening mount is recommended to lessen the risk of damage to your iPhone and its OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) and AF (Auto-Focus) systems."

As a result, smartphone holders for Apple phones suddenly needed vibration dampers to prevent the phones dying though experts suggest that making sure camera apps are closed can help, as these keep the image stabilisation systems live when open, even when the camera is not in direct use. Android phones don't appear to suffer anywhere near as many – if any - issues as Apple phones.

How we chose this list

This list of phone holders is based on several factors, including personal experience, results of testing by MCN staff and our sister titles such as RiDE (available through the Bikes unlimited app), as well as reviews by users online from sites such as Amazon and Sportsbikeshop.

Remember, it is still illegal to hold a mobile phone (or sat nav)

You must have hands-free access, such as:

• a bluetooth headset

• voice command

• a dashboard holder or mat

• a windscreen mount

• a built-in sat nav

The device must not block your view of the road and traffic ahead.

So choose and locate your motorcycle mobile phone holder properly to avoid any issues with the law.

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