Buying Guide

Phone Mount and Wireless Charging Buying Guide: Holders, Mounts and Qi Kits

Beat-Sonic phone mounts come in two shapes, and knowing which shape you are looking at is the whole job. Some are complete kits molded for one specific car, one purchase, nothing to match up. Others are two separate parts, a holder and a mount, that clip together with a patented L-hook. Order half of a two-piece system and you end up holding a cradle with nothing to attach it to, which is a bad afternoon nobody needs.

The L-hook system: a holder is not a mount

Beat-Sonic uses a patented L-hook design. A holder is the part that grips your phone. A mount is the part that attaches to your car. The holder clips onto the mount through the L-hook, and the two are sold as separate products. A holder on its own does not include a mount or a bracket. A mount or a dash stand on its own does not include a holder. That is the single most important sentence on this page.

The upside of the split is that the two halves are independent. If you do not like the grip, you replace the holder rather than the whole assembly, and a holder you already own is not stranded if you change mounts. Most universal mounts fuse the arm and the jaws into a single molded assembly, so if you dislike the jaws you throw away the arm too. Here you replace one half.

The downside is just as plain, and we would rather say it than let you discover it. You have to buy two pieces, and it is genuinely easy to order half a solution. People add a holder to the cart, see a phone cradle in the photo, and assume the arm is in the box. It is not. Before you check out on any QBA or QBF part, read the product page and confirm you have both a holder and a mount.

Choosing the holder: QBA17 or QBA45

Both holders are the phone-gripping half of the L-hook system, and both need a compatible mount bought separately. They differ in how they hold the phone.

The QBA45 has moveable arms that adjust from 50mm to 93mm wide and a one-touch release button. That range covers iPhone, Galaxy and most phones on the road. The one-touch release is the reason most people should pick it: the phone comes out with a thumb press instead of a two-handed wrestle, which matters every single time you park and grab your phone on the way into a store.

The QBA17 fits phones up to 5.5 inch and uses an open frame design that keeps buttons and ports accessible while the phone is mounted. That is the pick if you charge and use ports while driving. A closed cradle can sit right where your cable wants to be, and the open frame stays out of the way of a charging lead, a headphone adapter or a side button.

So the chooser is short. If your daily rhythm is phone in, drive, phone out, take the QBA45 for the one-touch release. If your phone is plugged in for most of every drive, or you press side buttons while it sits in the cradle, take the QBA17 for the open frame. Check your phone's width against the QBA45 range or the QBA17's 5.5 inch limit before you order, because a case adds more than people expect.

The QBF13 dash stand for the 2013-2016 Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ

The QBF13 is the mount half, built specifically for the 2013-2016 Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ. It installs between the two factory dash pieces, so the phone ends up in the driver's line of sight without blocking the view of the road. It is made in Japan.

Read that as the mount and nothing else. The QBF13 is a dash stand only. The holder is sold separately, so confirm the compatible holder on the QBF13 product page before ordering. Two parts in the cart, one working setup in the car.

If you drive one of these cars, this is the cleanest position available in it. The first-generation FR-S and BRZ dash is not friendly to stick-on mounts, and the sight line from the wheel to a vent clip means looking down and away from the road at exactly the wrong moment.

Complete kits for the 2022+ Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ

For the second-generation cars there is no matching to do. Both kits are custom molded for the 2022 and newer Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ, and both arrive complete.

The BSA62 is the holder kit. Custom molded for the car, and specifically shaped to stay out of the way of shifting, which is not a small detail in a car most people bought because it has a manual gearbox. Nothing to bump with the back of your hand on a three-two downshift.

The BSA63A is the same idea with Qi wireless charging built in. It mounts to the right side of the center console, and it does not block vents or obstruct visibility.

The trade between them is honest and simple. The BSA63A adds Qi wireless charging and the BSA62 is the same molded kit without it. If you already keep a cable in the console and you do not mind plugging in, the BSA62 is enough.

Complete kits for the 2016-2026 ND Mazda Miata and Fiat 124 Spider

Same structure for the ND Miata and its Fiat 124 Spider twin, 2016 through 2026. Both kits are complete and vehicle specific.

The BSA21EP is the holder kit. It is custom molded and mounts next to the factory cup holder while still retaining use of that cup holder, which is the part Miata owners care about. Cabin space in an ND is measured in fractions of an inch, and a mount that costs you your only convenient cup holder is a mount you take back out in a month.

The BSA32A adds wireless charging. It attaches to the front cup holder receptacle and still retains the factory cup holder. One constraint you need to read before ordering: the BSA32A is designed for left-hand drive vehicles and installs on the right side of the center console. If your car is right-hand drive, this is not your kit.

Why a vehicle-specific mount beats a vent clip in these cars

Universal mounts are cheap and they are available everywhere, so it is fair to ask why anyone would buy a molded part for one model. In a Miata, a GR86 or a BRZ the answer is specific rather than philosophical.

A vent clip blocks a vent, and these cars have few of them. Blocking one on a July afternoon in a black car with a black interior is a real comfort penalty, and it also cooks the phone, which is the last thing you want when the phone is running navigation. A suction cup on the windshield has its own summer problem: heat cycles the adhesive and the cup lets go, usually not while you are parked. There is a particular sound a phone makes when it hits the passenger footwell mid-corner, and once you have heard it you stop trusting suction cups.

Then there is the shifter. In a small manual sports car the gear lever sweeps through a space that a universal mount arm is very happy to occupy. The BSA62 is molded to stay clear of shifting for exactly this reason. And a molded mount that locates on existing structure, a console side or a cup holder receptacle, does not leave a ring, a sticky patch or a dented spot on your dash when it comes off.

Dual wireless charging for the 2022+ Tundra and 2023+ Sequoia

The NSV Dual Wireless Phone Charger belongs in a different category from everything above. This is not an accessory clipped onto the car, it is an interior part that integrates with the original factory look in a 2022 and newer Toyota Tundra or a 2023 and newer Toyota Sequoia.

It is 10W Qi, and the important word is dual. Driver and passenger charge at the same time. A factory pad cannot do that, so in a truck that came with one, the phone that is not on the pad is the phone that is dead at the job site, and somebody is losing that negotiation every trip.

The fitment fact that actually helps is this: it works on all trims. That includes trucks that already came with a factory wireless charger and trims that never had one. So it is an upgrade for the first group and an addition for the second, and you do not have to work out which build sheet you have before you order.

Which one fits what you drive

• 2022 or newer Toyota GR86 or Subaru BRZ: the BSA62 for a straightforward molded holder kit, or the BSA63A for the same thing with Qi wireless charging.
• 2016-2026 ND Mazda Miata or Fiat 124 Spider: the BSA21EP, or the BSA32A if you want wireless charging and your car is left-hand drive.
• 2013-2016 Scion FR-S or Subaru BRZ: the QBF13 dash stand. The holder is sold separately, so confirm the compatible holder on the QBF13 product page before ordering.
• 2022+ Toyota Tundra or 2023+ Toyota Sequoia: the NSV Dual Wireless Phone Charger, on any trim, with or without a factory pad.
• Anything else: email info@beatsonicusa.com with your year, make and model and we will tell you whether a compatible L-hook mount exists for your vehicle.

What these are not

A phone mount is not a substitute for Apple CarPlay. If what you actually want is navigation and music on the factory screen rather than on a phone stuck to the console, a mount is the wrong product and we would rather point you at the right one. Start with the CarPlay interface buying guide if your car can take an interface, or the smartphone mirroring buying guide if it cannot.

Wireless charging is also slower than a cable. It is more convenient, and convenience is a legitimate reason to buy it, but if your commute is short and you arrive with less battery than you hoped, that is physics and not a defect. A phone sitting in direct summer sun will throttle charging as well, on any pad from any brand, ours included. Park in shade or drop the phone into a shadier position when it is 100 degrees out and you want a full battery at the other end.

Phone mounts and chargers at a glance

Confirmed fitment

Confirmed vehicle fitment for every product on this page, generated from our live product catalog. Open a product to see its full list. If your exact year or trim is not listed, send us your VIN and we will check it for you.

Beat-Sonic QBA17 Smartphone Holder for iPhone & 5.5-Inch Phones

Universal fit. This part is not vehicle specific, so match it to your setup using the guidance above rather than a year and model.

Beat-Sonic QBA45 Smartphone Holder for iPhone, Galaxy & More

Universal fit. This part is not vehicle specific, so match it to your setup using the guidance above rather than a year and model.

Search every part by year, make and model, or send us your VIN and we will confirm the fit before you order.