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For the past couple of weeks, I've been driving around in a rental. The Mazda 3 is a nice machine, packed with all the latest gadgetry. But I've come across a few issues. The built-in wireless charging pad is unreliable, and when it does work, it is one of the slowest wireless chargers I've ever used (I think it might not like my iPhone case).
Also, CarPlay has been unreliable, cutting out randomly and not even coming back when I rebooted the car.
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These issues meant that I needed a reliable way to both charge my iPhone and keep it in view for navigation when on the move. I'd been sent a Scosche MagicMount Charge Pro magnetic mount for review, and now seemed like a great time to test it.
The MagicMount is a Qi2-compatible charger that can output up to 15W wirelessly -- something it had no problem doing with my iPhone 17 Pro Max, even in the Otterbox case. A lot of chargers promise fast charging speeds, but I'm surprised by how many don't deliver that speed or can only sustain it for a few minutes.
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The charger comes with a built-in two-foot USB-C cable, and there's a 20W USB-C car charger in the box -- in short, everything you need is included.
The Scosche MagicMount Charge Pro hits that Goldilocks zone for magnet strength. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The MagicMount uses neodymium magnets to keep the handset secured -- strong enough to handle the bumpiest roads (and here in Wales, we have a lot of those), but not so strong that I tear the holder off each time I detach the iPhone. There's a fine line here, and while I used to think that stronger was better, I've since discovered this isn't the case. There's a Goldilocks zone, and the MagicMount hits it.
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