Loncaster Silicone Car Phone Holder review: Resilient and functional

Those in search of the best car phone holder have a bevy of options to choose from. Some are cheap, while some are real fancy and expensive. Then there’s the Loncaster Silicone Car Phone Holder, a product that aims to find a middle ground between price and functionality. I’ve taken it for plenty of rides and am ready to give you our final verdict, so buckle up and get ready to see if it’s the right car phone holder for you in this Loncaster Silicone Car Phone Holder review.

What you need to know about the Loncaster Silicone Car Phone Holder

• Loncaster Silicone Car Phone Holder: $19.99/~£17

The Loncaster Silicone Car Phone Holder has an MSRP of $19.99, but it can often be found for cheaper. At the time of writing it goes for $12.99 on Amazon, but it’s also available from other retailers. There are four colors to choose from: black, blue, pink, and red.

As the name suggests, the whole product is made of silicone. As such, its main purpose is to reach those who need a functional and simple car phone holder that won’t break the bank. The unit measures 122 x 122 x 46mm.

What’s good?

The Loncaster Silicone Car Phone Holder is a no-frills product with plenty of benefits. For starters, it’s relatively affordable, which is always a plus. But a low price doesn’t have to mean the product is cheap or fragile, which is the case for many other affordable phone holders.

Loncaster’s trick is that the holder is completely made of silicone, which is inherently resilient — it can bend, withstand shock, and take most beatings without an issue. The material’s softness is also great at keeping your expensive smartphones free of scratches or any other contact damage. Not to mention silicone offers a great grip on most surfaces, which means devices won’t be sliding around when docked. Nor will the actual car phone holder, as I found the sticky bottom stays very put on the dashboard surface.

The Loncaster Silicone Car Phone Holder can be thrown around and abused without fear of any damage.

Another great design element is its ability to hold pretty much any phone (along with its case). While Loncaster promises compatibility with devices that are 6-12mm thick, I found it had no issue going thicker (or slimmer). I could stick in anything from a Pixel 4a to a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Of course, the silicone construction makes that possible as it can flex and mold easily.

Then there are the small touches Loncaster provided for a more organized experience. These include slots for cable management (nobody likes messy cables laying around) and space for storing coins or other small objects.

More: The best car apps for Android

What’s not so good?

It’s never good to have stuff on your dashboard, which is where the Loncaster Silicone Car Phone Holder is meant to be. You can argue it can be placed on any flat surface, but that doesn’t leave you with a lot of options in any normal vehicle. With that in mind, anything that obstructs your view of the windshield is a hazard, whether it be a small or large one. It can also be illegal depending on where you live, so be sure to check your local laws.

Silicone is known for getting dirty and sticky, especially when placed in a hot place like your dashboard.

Your view of the windshield isn’t the only thing that will be affected. I never like anything obstructing access or view to a device’s screen, and this accessory’s holder ridges invade it. While it’s not too common, these can often get in the way of certain on-screen buttons.

I found the use of silicone also has its downsides. There’s the fact that it doesn’t offer a premium feel or look, but that’s not exactly what bothers me. My biggest concern is cleanliness. Silicone is known for getting dirty and sticky, especially when placed in a hot place like your dashboard. After a few days of use, I realized the unit was getting pretty yucky. One of Loncaster’s first mentioned features is that this product is washable. This is true, but washing and letting a silicone product dry is more of a hassle than simply wiping down a dusty plastic/metal holder.

Loncaster Silicone Car Phone Holder review: Should I buy it?

If you can use the Lancaster Silicone Car Holder safely and you don’t mind washing it every now and then, this is a simple, functional, and convenient car phone holder to have.

The material quite literally molds to your needs. The product is also affordable and you don’t need to worry about breaking it. It’s also very grippy, both on the phone and the surface it stands on, and it won’t scratch your electronics. It has at least some form of cable management and storage solutions. For the price, you could definitely do much worse.