Tylt Vu wireless charging car mount review

Tylt is a stand-out manufacturer in the mobile accessory game. The company makes some solid products and you can tell that quality is an in-house priority. However, that also means that the asking prices are more than many folks would like to cough up for an accessory, especially in light of cheaper Chinese products offering the same capabilities.

But you get what you pay for. If anyone reading this has had the pleasure of using the original Tylt Vu wireless charger, you’ll know what I mean. It is a robust Qi charger that feels thought-out. Therefore, it was only natural for Tylt to turn it into a car charger.

Let’s find out if Tylt managed to squeeze the same success out of a Vu car solution.

Design

Tylt naturally follows the same design language of the original Vu charger for the wireless car charging mount. However, there’s a bit more engineering that needs to be incorporated. For instance, in order to securely hold a multitude of phone sizes, there are arms that extend/contract considerably (3.6″ to be exact).

When you open the box, the stand and the mount are separate.

But don’t worry, assembly is quick. The two parts connect via a ball joint. You just connect the ball piece that stems from the stand into the triangular socket on the mount (which you then tighten by spinning).

The stand stays in place by a very sticky (Micro-Gel) suction pad. There’s a knob along the back curvature of the stand that engages or disengages the suction. It’s easy to tell what state it’s in. The knob is part of an insert that fills the gap when engaged.

The mount that grasps your phone feels solid. The arms are very firm and have a tight hold. There is also a good deal of padding to ensure your phone is in good hands. Tylt included an additional bottom support that has a gap, in case the solid bottom support blocks your headphone jack (or micro USB port if you want to use a quicker wired charger).

The surrounding padding is a rubbery material with a smooth, soft-feeling finish. Your phone should be very happy resting on this mount. I received the blue version, but there are three other colors available: grey, green, and red.

To release the phone after you locked in the grip, the outline on the top of the mount is actually a button that releases the arms.

Functionality

There are two purposes for a wirelessly charging car mount: 1) Hold the phone securely and 2) wirelessly charge the phone. For a retail price of $79.99, the Tylt mount better do its job (it does), but how well does the design work?

I must begin by saying that I’m not a fan of suction cup solutions for car mounts. There is just too much of “your mileage may vary”, depending on how your car’s interior is designed. Suction cups don’t like hard textured plastic or curved surfaces – like in my Saturn Sky’s cabin. In my opinion, mounts attached to the CD player slot or air-vent have a better success rate. Fortunately, the Micro-Gel material on Tylt’s suction cup is the stickiest that I’ve encountered, which helps the cause.

Another potential concern with this charger is its large side. Now, I’m trying to be fair and not knock the size because my car’s small cabin. So I tried it in an Audi A5 and it still looked large for the space. I just don’t imagine the space being accepting of this mount unless it’s an SUV cabin.

On the flipside, you do get the convenience of wireless charging. With that ability, I could kind of look past the size of the unit. No more reaching over to plug in my phone (if I happen to realize that my battery is low). It’s just always charging.

Tylt was also thoughtful of differing phone sizes these days. It can support one of the largest devices on the market – the 6-inch Nexus 6. My Note5 fits in nicely. And the thick padding on the arms makes sure that it’s secure, even though the Note5 has some thin sides.

Final Thoughts

As expected, the Tylt Vu car mount is a fantastically-made wireless car charger. The quality feel and robust design are second to none. Although it costs a pretty penny for a car charger, you should definitely consider splurging if you’d really benefit from wireless charging in your car. Just bear in mind if the surface and space in your car will work well with the unit.

Although the Vu car mount retails for $79.99, you should be checking out Amazon, as the prices for the different colors fluctuate. As of this writing, the blue version I reviewed is going for $66.

Tylt product page

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