Car and Motorcycle Mounts for the LG V10

This Arkon Mounts fit the Google Pixel and Pixel XL Phones Quite WellThe LG V10 gives the best phones from Samsung and Apple a real run for their money.  It has some features that the others simply do not have.

The LG V10 features a solid 6-core 1.8GHz processor and 4GB of RAM with 64GB of storage.  We are looking at a 5.7″ diagonal screen featuring a 1440 x 2560 display so we are in the phablet territory with this phone.  The display features a unique secondary display that’s always on to show the time, date and notification of next calendar event.  This will minimize the number of times you need to turn the phone on just to check the date and time (because who wears a watch anymore?).  Sure, this is going to eat more battery than a normal phone, but the display is kind of neat and unique.  OK, if you must turn it off, there’s a feature to do that to, but you might as well buy a different model phone if you are going to do that.

So if we are going to discuss mounts, lets first check the dimensions of the phone.  It’s a big phone.  This phone is 6.28 inches tall by 3.12 inches wide.  The depth is .34 inches.  These are important measurements to keep in mind when selecting your mount.  For those with any custom mount which features a cradle specifically made for a different phone, they probably will not fit.  For those that have purchased a universal mount to hold your older phone, hopefully it opens wide enough to hold your new device without a problem.  Most universal mounts offer options to upgrade your cradle to a larger one.  Be very aware of the size of any cradle, this is a very large phone that may not fit in many cradles.  Add a case to the phone, and you might be approaching 4 inches in width.  A lot of universal cradles open to 3 inches, so check the cradle width.

Speaking of cases, like most smartphones these days, the LG V10 isn’t cheap.  Buy a case for it.  I have always liked the Otterbox Defender series which we reviewed here, but there are lots of others.  Invest about $25 or so.  A single drop on ceramic tile that results in a broken lens will cost way more than the case.  If you think insurance will cover you, think again.  Insurance policies purchased from your carrier have a deductible and for newer more expensive phones that can be $169 on up.  So to add insult to injury, you will not only be paying the monthly insurance premium, but you will then pay the deductible.  You can read our article on phone insurance here.

Let’s discuss mounts.  We’re going to stick with mounts with expandable cradles that will be large enough to hold the LG V10 along with a case or skin.

For the car, give the location of your mount some thought.  There are lots of places to mount your LG V10.  The windshield is the most popular location to mount especially if you plan to use it as a GPS with my favorite application which is Waze.  This is a big phone so you need a big cradle.  The photo that accompanies this article is the Arkon Ultra Slim Grip Suction Mount.  This mount has the necessary expandable cradle which expands to almost 7 inches when using the longest set of legs.  Your phone will be held from the top and bottom.  This will fit your phone with or without a case.  The mount comes with an adhesive dash plate so that you can attach to the mount to your dash as well as your windshield.  This dash disk is handy for states that do not permit windshield mounts which we documented in a recent article.  The phone can rotate 360 degrees into portrait or landscape using this mount.

Another interesting location is the cup holder.  Consider the iKross Car Cup Holder Phone Mount.  The cup holder base is expandable from 2.7 to 3.7 inches.  It will fit almost any vehicle’s cup holder.  There is a 12″ flexible stem that allows bending of the mount to the right angle for the driver or passenger.  The phone can rotate 360 degrees into portrait or landscape and is easy to insert and remove.  The expandable cradle opens to 8 inches so it will fit your phone with or without a case or skin.  This mount comes with a 1 year warranty.

The vent mount is another good choice for the LG V10.  The center vents are likely the best location.  The Square Jellyfish Jelly-Grip Car Air Vent Mount is one that we have been recommending lately.  The Square Jellyfish Jelly-Grip mount can be used to hold an LG V10 with or without a case or skin.  It has a ball and socket so the cradle swivels into any orientation.  This mount will work on flat vent slats that are 3/8 to 1 inch deep.  The included cradle opens to 3 5/8 inches.

One important thing to mention.  The back of the LG V10 is strangely designed.  The camera is located in the upper middle of the phone and right beneath it is a power button which doubles as a finger print scanner.  Not sure why they put it here.  Never saw that before.  This provides a bit of a challenge on a motorcycle as we find a lot of motorcycle owners like to video their ride.  A cradle that isn’t going to block the camera and / or press the power button is needed.  You need a cradle that is going to grip the LG V10 right in the middle and below that button.  So a lot of the mounts we normally recommend for a smartphone or phablet on a motorcycle aren’t going to work well with the LG V10 because there’s a good likelihood that the camera or power button might be blocked or pressed in while riding.

We wrote a recent article on the TechMount line of phone mounts for motorcycles.  Go with their TechGripper cradle.  The TechGripper Handlebar Mount Kit combines a mount with the cradle.  The mount is metal and coated in black.  It fits handlebar diameters from 7/8 to 1.25 inches so it covers the majority of motorcycle models that can accommodate a handlebar mount.  The mount takes up .75 inches of handlebar real estate and the phone sits somewhat close to the handlebar.  Installation of the mount is completed with a small hex wrench which is provided.  This is a nice feature that helps prevent theft of the mount since most thieves aren’t walking around with a set of hex wrenches.  Installation is easy and you should be able to do this yourself.  We always recommend tethering your device for added security.