Car and Motorcycle Mounts for Motorola Moto X Pure

The TechMount Techgripper is an excellent motorcycle mount for the Motorola Moto X PureThe Motorola Moto X Pure was introduced in late 2015 as part of a long line of Moto X deviants. The Motorola Moto X Pure is the phone for those that aren’t looking to get locked into a carrier specific contract as it comes unlocked.  This phone has a humongous 21MP camera.  I’m not sure if you will ever need that kind of resolution not am I sure of how large those images will be.  But if you want to take some real serious photos, this camera is going to let you do that.  The Moto X Pure is also known as the Moto X Style and everything we recommend will fit either model.

So if we are going to discuss mounts, lets first check the dimensions of the phone.  The Motorola Moto X Pure sports a 5.7 inch diagonal display so it’s a bit larger than most smartphones.  The Motorola Moto X Pre measures in at 6.06 x 3.00 x 0.44 inches (153.9 x 76.2 x 11.1 mm) and weighs 6.31 ounces.  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, these aren’t going to fit.  For those that have purchased a universal mount to hold your older phone, there is a good chance it may not open wide enough to fit this larger phone.  If you find the holder does not fit, many universal mount manufacturers offer options to upgrade your cradle to a larger one.  Be sure to add the size of a case to these stock measurements as you might be approaching 4 inches in width.  A lot of universal cradles only open to 3 inches, so check the cradle width.

Speaking of cases, buy a good case for it.  I have always liked the Otterbox Defender series which we reviewed here, but there are lots of others.  Although this is a well made phone with a super tough display, don’t risk it.  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 move to the mount discussion.  We’re going to stick with mounts that include expandable cradles that will be large enough to hold the Motorola Moto X Pure with or without a case or skin.  This means we will go with holders that open wide enough to fit this phone, and add some more space for a well made case.

For the car, give the location of your mount some thought.  There are lots of places to mount your Motorola Moto X Pure.  The windshield continues to be a popular mounting location 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 Arkon Ultra Slim Grip Suction Mount is one of our favorite windshield suction cup mounts.  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.

The cup holder is a good mount point in many vehicles.  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 one-year warranty.

The Spigen Magnetic Vent Mount for SmartPhones is an excellent choice for your vent.  This mount can be used on horizontal and vertical vents.  Right around eye level and out of the way of potential thieves, the vent is a good location for mounting a lightweight device.  Check your vent to make sure it’s well made enough to hang a lightweight device.  A recent innovation is mounts is the use of a small magnet coupled with a very thin adhesive metal disk which sticks to the back of your phone.  The great thing about magnetic mounts is the simple process for install and removal.  It’s a simple matter of simply matching up where the metal strip is to the magnet.

One important thing to mention.  Like a lot of Motorola phones, the camera and finger print scanner are located in the middle on the back.  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 Motorola Moto X Pure right in the middle and below that button.  So a lot of the mounts we normally recommend for a smartphone on a motorcycle aren’t going to work well with the Motorola Moto X Pure 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 holder which opens to 4 inches.  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.