ProClip Phone Mount Review

As useful as our smartphones are, they can be a real distraction when behind the wheel. For this reason, the best place for your phone when you're driving is usually in your pocket and/or out of sight. However, if you're like me and regularly rely on your phone for navigation and/or music, having your phone visible can sometimes be a must!

Since picking my WRX up last fall, I had been storing my phone in the cupholder. Unfortunately, this quickly got annoying, especially during longer roadtrips where I needed directions; not only was it a unsafe to be glancing down all the time but I was also short one cupholder!

A few months ago I got fed up did and some Googling for WRX-specific phone mounts. One name that kept coming up across forums and blog posts was ProClip USA. I ended up purchasing one of their A-Pillar Mounts for the WRX along with a Scosche MagicMount Magnetic Mount and have been using them ever since.

Earlier this month ProClip reached out to me and generously offered the opportunity to review some of their other products! I had been loving their A-Pillar Mount so I agreed and they sent over one of their Center Mounts and an Adjustable Phone Holder for me to try out!

First Impressions

ProClip's packaging is top notch, and everything arrived in well-labeled bags.

Included with the Center Mount was a pre-applied strip of 3M double-sided tape, a pair of trim removal tools, and an instruction sheet. The Adjustable Phone Holder came with a baggie of screws as well as a separate instruction sheet.

The quality of the mount and holder are excellent - the thickness of the plastic and overall feel of the hardware inspires confidence.

Installation

Since the Center Mount is designed to clamp onto the dashboard above the stereo, you have to separate two trim pieces to anchor the top side of the mount. Unfortunately, the included trim removal tools didn't cut the mustard for my particular situation. Either Subaru beefed up the clips in the 2018 WRX, or I suck at removing trim... Either way, I broke out my heavier-duty trim tools and had the dash apart in no time.

The design of the center dashboard in the WRX means the Center Mount needs to be offset from the center of the dashboard. The cutout in the lip of the mount suggests there's reinforced molding on the underside of the trim they had to work around. While it's still functional, it did bug me a bit. Less picky folks won't care.

With the top of the mount anchored securely, it took a little force to pull the bottom lip downwards to anchor on the underside of the dash. I ended up not needing to use the double-sided tape, as the clamping force of the mount on the trim is plenty strong enough to keep it in place.

Getting the Adjustable Phone Holder onto the mount was straightforward too. Loosening the center screw allows the back half of the holder to pop off. With the four anchor holes exposed, the included screws provided a solid connection with the mount itself.

Re-inserting the center screw loosely left enough play for horizontal and vertical adjustment. I set the holder angled towards the driver's side and tightened everything down.

Adjusting the width on the Adjustable Phone Holder is very easy! Simply loosening the top and bottom screws unlocks the side clamps. I was pleasantly surprised to find that moving one of the holder's sides moves the other; this means no worrying if you've gotten the sides equally adjusted or off-center!

With the holder adjusted to it's smallest width, I slotted my Pixel 2 (in a Spigen Rugged Armor TPU case) in. While I would have liked the holder to go a little bit smaller, the phone fit just fine. The channels on either side of the holder keep the phone anchored nicely.

Impressions

Having used the mount for a few weeks, I've found the setup to be very secure and usable. The positioning of the phone in the center of the dash is super convenient and easy to reach without having to lean forward to touch the screen. As I mentioned before, I'd prefer the grip on the phone to be a little tighter, but it's not a deal breaker.

The hazard button and the multifunction screen toggle are covered, but they're both still usable.

When comparing the Center Mount and the A-Pillar Mount, in my opinion, the A-Pillar Mount is a much better solution. There's nothing wrong with the Center Mount setup, but I find the positioning of the A-Pillar Mount to be more visible when looking down the road. In addition, mounting the phone to the pillar means there's no obstructed buttons or vents. The Scosche Magnetic Mount makes it super easy to mount/unmount the phone and the included super slim magentic plate for your phone can easily be slid inside of most phone cases.

Overall, if you're looking for a phone mount for your WRX/STI, you can't go wrong with any of ProClip's offerings. Both mounts I reviewed are great in their own ways, but I highly recommend checking out the ProClip A-Pillar Mount. Combined with their own Center Mount or a Scosche Magnetic Mount, it's an affordable, sleek, convenient solution!

If you want to pick up any of the products mentioned above for yourself, head on over to ProClip's website or click the links below!

• 2015+ WRX/STI A-Pillar Mount
• 2015+ WRX/STI Center Mount
• Adjustable Phone Holder
• Scosche MagicMount Magnetic Mount

Huge thanks again to ProClip for sending over the products for review!