The Qi2 Charging Phone Mount
Editor’s note: With the Holidays approaching, Peak Design reached out to us offering for our review a pair of their newly-created motorcycle mounts for cell phones, one with a built-in phone charger and the other without. Phil G received the charging Qi2 model, and Ken the standard mount without charger. They both shared great insights on their respective units, so we’ll publish their observations in a two-part series, beginning with Phil’s.
Over the weekend I was able to do an installation and test ride using the Peak Design Qi2 cell phone mount with charging capabilities, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
As we typically do here at Road Dirt, I start with the unpacking of the product as that has become part of the expected quality and delivery of an electronic related consumer product. Peak Design has done their best to emulate the packaging materials used by Apple and other electronic manufacturers, although the thickness and quality of the white matte finish cardboard was pretty light in comparison to what you would expect when unpacking a product of this quality.
The overall construction of the Qi2 device looked to be quite above par, as far as the bracket and the mount itself. All of the parts were packaged neatly within the carton along with good instructions and QR codes pointing you to their website for additional information.
The instruction card unfolded with easy step-by-step instructions on how to install the device, although this 65-year-old’s eyeballs struggled to read the tiny text. If a manufacturer is going to use QR codes I highly recommend they include one that points to an instructional video that would include all pertinent information around the installation.
Peak Design motorcycle bar mount options.
Installation on my 2017 Harley-Davidson Road Glide was relatively simple, and it turned out I did not need any of the rubber spacers that are included with the bracket to accommodate various diameter handlebar fitments. They also conveniently include an Allen wrench which is required to tighten the two bolts on the bracket. Everything you would need is included in the kit to get started, depending on a few other factors, so read on.
Having said that, it is important to note that the bracket was initially shipped without the necessary phone case that is required to snap on to the charging bracket. Rather deep in the website’s description of the Qi2 charging bracket/mount is the following: “Requires a Peak Design Case or Universal Adapter (sold separately).” The same comment is made in very fine print on the instruction card. Note to Peak Design: We would highly recommend you make this fact more prominent as Gen Z bikers don’t like surprises and have general trust issues already.
A clean, quality, easy-to-install unit.
The installation was relatively easy, although I did struggle with plugging in the power cord to the pigtail coming off the mount. The plug has four pins in the cord that have to line up with the four very fine small holes in the male part of the plug, and this took at least 5 minutes to get the plug connected properly, or so I thought. The inclusion of the two rubber cable ties was a nice touch to ensure that the extended cable was secured properly to the handlebars.
The power cord does utilize the USB-C connection and I’m not sure how many stock bikes come with that connector available. I had to use an adapter from USB-C to USB to connect the power cord to my Harley’s USB pigtail in my fairing. Since I normally use the USB pigtail connected to an older iPhone for my music, I ended up connecting my iPhone 13 Pro Max to the bike via Bluetooth so I could play music while the phone was charging, so not a big issue at all.
The Peak Design floating shock absorption system, and their proprietary phone mount construction.
Following the installation I took the bike out for some mileage, and everything seemed to function fine, with the phone charging as I ran a brief errand. About an hour later some friends called and we decided to go riding for a bit. They were impressed with the look of the device and one of my buddies wanted more information on where he could pick one up.
I had noted the start time when we left and I arrived home approximately 90 minutes later, yet the phone was still at 32% and had not charged. Upon further inspection and the wiggling of some cables I determined that the male/female connector (with those small pins) had disconnected slightly which then killed the charging capability. Once I secured the connectors back together, the phone began charging. This could be a potential design flaw that you should be aware of. Make sure that the cord is fully seated properly and you may want to tape it as well, especially if you’re on a big V-Twin that rattles and shakes.
Nice fit and function on the bike.
Overall the product is of high quality and a solid design. Installation was relatively easy for me on my 2017 Road Glide. I already had a USB connector to use for the charging connection although I did need a USB to USB-C adapter. I’m not sure how many bikes (current and older models) have that capability so a buyer needs to do some leg work to determine their power source for this product. The male/female plug from the unit pig tail to the extended cable is difficult to plug together and of poor design. It also needs a firm “click” or haptic response so you know it is properly plugged in.
We would also recommend placing photos and copy on the website clearly stating you need the Peak Design specific phone case for your particular phone, for their product to work. That whole exercise feels a little bit like a “bait and switch” experience that the market might see as untrustworthy. Based on the installation and initial performance I would give this product a 7 out of 10 on the Road Dirt price to performance scale.
Phil G
*Check them out for yourself-
Here’s Phil’s features and installation video-
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