Peak Design motorcycle mounts review & wireless chargers tested

Date reviewed: July 2024 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: From £87.98 for case & mount | uk.peakdesign.com

As an enthusiastic photographer I’ve known of the Peak Design brand for a long time, but never had any experience of it, until now. I’ve been reviewing its motorcycle mounts – including the new wireless charging head – on a BMW R1250GS, Zontes ZT350-T and a 1999 Kawasaki ZX-6R to find out whether it’s worth the money.

As always, Bennetts BikeSocial’s reviews are 100% unbiased and independent, so while some of this review covers kit that is, at the time of writing, on a Kickstarter promotion, we’ve refused to include any affiliate links or kick-backs…

Peak Design phone case

I have the Peak Design Everyday Case for my Google Pixel 7 Pro, which is currently reduced to £30.99. Only the flagship phones tend to be catered for with the cases, though a universal mount – which can be stuck to the back of your phone or a suitable case – costs £28.99 (it might not work well with wireless charging). To compare fairly with the competition, here are some other Magsafe-compatible case prices:

I can honestly say that the Peak Design case is far superior feeling when compared to the other brands thanks to the very slim back plate that the ceramic mounting system allows for, and the fabric bonded to the rear. Granted I’ve only been using mine daily for about a month at the time of writing, but owners seem to be happy with how it wears in this reddit thread.

The slim form of the Peak Design case really is striking when you fit it to the phone, giving it a much more premium appearance.

The thickness of the corners of the case are very similar across all three brands, so I was disappointed when, after dropping my Pixel 7 pro onto the tiled kitchen floor from about a metre in the Peak Design case, the rear glass smashed. It’s impossible to say with any certainty whether the angle it landed – which was on the rear of the corner of the phone – would have caused the same damage in the other cases. I do think I was unlucky to have the phone hit at just the right (wrong?) point for it to break, but the apparent impact area was in the exact position where this case is thinner and harder than the others, and where the back glass is on a corner.

I put the broken back glass of my phone down to the raised, rounded corners of this Pixel 7 Pro

I don’t really blame this case, and despite having SP Connect and Quad Lock versions for this phone, it’s the Peak Design I still choose to use. As soon as my contract’s up on the Google phone I’ll be switching back to Samsung due to various issues with this device, but I also won’t get another phone that has this rounded glass design on the rear. The Samsung Galaxy S24, for instance, has a flat front and rear with a solid ‘cage’ around the edges.

There are two buttons on the mount, but you only need to press one to release the claws that hold the phone securely

How strong, safe and secure are the Peak Design phone mounting anchors?

The Peak Design mounting system is magnetic, but that’s simply to help locate the phone (and for Magsafe charging / car mounting) – it’s two small claws on the motorcycle and bicycle mounts that grip the slim ceramic insert on the rear of the phone case so incredibly securely.

No level of shaking, impact or even pulling will release the Peak Design case from its mount until pressing one of the buttons. This relatively thin case really is strong enough to pick my push-bike up with.

There are two buttons on the Peak Design mounts, but you only need to press one for both of the claws to retract into the body of the mount and allow you to lift the phone away from the magnetic base.

The ceramic mount on the rear of the case is incredibly strong, yet very thin

You can place your phone horizontally or vertically without adjusting the mount, though it’s worth fixing it in such a way that the release buttons are on vertical if you usually mount the phone horizontally (and vice-versa), to make it easier to reach behind the phone you’re your finger to get at them.

Another huge benefit of the Peak Design mounting system is that the phone simply snaps straight on – it’s doesn’t need to be rotated at all, which can open up more mounting options as you don’t need to worry about space to the sides or above.

The Peak Design system does look larger than the competitors from the front thanks to its square plate, but overall it’s a very elegant design that blends in well. My only very minor criticism is that the soft silicone front pad of the mount heads can hold onto dust a little.

Peak Design universal bar mount review

Price: £49.99 | Manufacturer’s website

The Universal bar mount is designed to fit on anything with a diameter of up to about 5cm, thanks to its silicone band. This is tough and stretchy enough to pull tight around handlebars, crash bars (maybe they’d make a handy stand while watching our YouTube channel when camping?), a tripod leg… pretty much anything.

Once fitted, the mount (so hence your phone as well) can be rotated through 360° divided up into 32 very positive clicks, and the strap has a handy keeper that clips it back on itself so the end of the strap doesn’t flap about, which is a thoughtful addition.

Being able to pull the strap tight helps keep the mount in secure, but if you have a particularly big phone, and especially if you’re riding off-road, be warned that it could rotate if not nipped up enough.

Note that, unlike the motorcycle-specific Peak Design mounts, this does not have the vibration dampener built in. Though of course, the silicone pad on the base, and the silicone strap, provide some degree of damping.

Peak Design motorcycle stem mount review

Price: £95.99 | Manufacturer’s website

Made entirely of very well-finished aluminium, the Peak Design motorcycle stem mount is ideal for many sportsbikes and custom-style machines with clip-on bars. As long as there’s a hollow steering stem nut on the bike with an internal diameter of between 13mm and 26mm, this will drop in easily, and tighten securely thanks to a choice of two sliding inserts.

The arm can swing through 180° and be either nipped snug to allow for movement if you want it, or locked off entirely with the supplied Allen key.

While this is an expensive mount, it’s important to understand that it has Peak Design’s vibration dampening built in. Here’s how it compares to the competition:

These are the ‘pro’ versions of the competition. The ‘standard’ SP Connect is the same price, but the plastic Quad Lock mount with vibration dampening is £65.98.

The incorporation of the anti-vibration module into the Peak Design mount does make for a more elegant design than the alternatives, and of course the fact that the phone doesn’t need to be rotated when fitting – it just snaps into place – makes a big difference.

Peak Design motorcycle bar mount V2

Price: £95.99 (est) | Kickstarter link (NOT affiliated)

The new version of the Peak Design motorcycle bar mount has a ball-head and skeletonised arm. It’s currently available on Kickstarter for $79 (about £62), with an RRP of $100, though I’d be surprised if it comes in at less than the £95.99 of the existing mount, available here.

The all-aluminium construction of this new mount is, again, excellent, and the ball can be tilted and rotated to find a perfect position, then left with some movement, or locked off entirely.

Unlike the bicycle mount reviewed below, the screws in the one I have on test aren’t retained when undone, but that might be due to it being a pre-production version.

Silicone spacers are supplied for 22.2mm (7/8”), 25.4mm (1”), 28.6mm (1 1/8”) and 32mm (1 ¼”) handlebars, which is another improvement over the V1, which was limited to 28.6mm.

This is a great mount that offers a very large range of adjustment, and again includes the vibration dampening as part of the package. Here’s how this unpowered device sits in comparison to the ‘pro’ versions of the competition:

Peak Design motorcycle bar mount V2 with wireless charging

Price: £160 (est) | Kickstarter link (NOT affiliated)

It’s not clear whether Peak Design will offer the new wireless charging head on its own to allow current owners of the kit to upgrade, but I will keep this review updated. It would require some disassembly of the silicone damping module as the plate that secures this to the head is larger on the charging mount that non-charging. However, the layout of the damping ‘pegs’ is the same, and the Evotech Performance mount reviewed below was compatible during testing.

I’ve been testing Peak Design’s wireless charging head fitted to the new motorcycle mount V2, which currently costs $120 (about £93) on Kickstarter, with an MSRP of $160. It can also be purchased on the motorcycle stem mount for the same price, or on a 1” or 20mm ball mount for $99 (about £77), with an MSRP of $120). This might be the option to go for if you want to upgrade an existing mount with some disassembly, but I’d recommend waiting until the final production versions to be sure it’ll work.

The non-charging Peak Design mount heads measure 53.6mm square by 11.8mm thick, and the wireless head is only 5mm wider / taller, and 3.2mm thicker, which is impressive, especially compared to the competition. Here’s how the prices compare:

Peak Design’s wireless charger is rated at 15W, and is by far the most elegant solution. It’s supplied with a USB-C cable for connection to a 9V/2A (18W) Power Delivery (PD) supply, which is pretty uncommon on a motorcycle, or USB-A cable for a 5V/2A (10W). There’s also the option of an SAE connector for direct connection to the bike’s battery if you want, which pulls 2A from the 12V supply (24W).

Peak Design says that the charger requires a 20W power source, but also that not all phones will be able to make use of the maximum charging rate, as shown here:

Remember also that wireless charging generates heat, so although the airflow on a bike should help cool the phone, if it’s tucked behind the screen in hot climates, charging can be throttled back.

The Peak Design charger is the first to be certified to Qi2 (pronounced chi-two), which is 15W, claimed to be more efficient, and has magnetic mounting. While the new Peak Design wireless motorcycle head is magnetic, it also has the solid-locking claws, but these are fitted by the purchaser once they receive it. It’s an easy process to just stick them on, but it’s how the unit got its certification.

The Peak Design is the first hard-locking motorcycle mount to achieve Qi2 certification, but note that the hard-wired 12-24V Quad Lock charger is also capable of 15W.

My Google Pixel 7 Pro can be very picky when it comes to charging, both wirelessly and by cable: on the SP Connect wireless charger it managed 8W to deliver 1,900mA, but only 1,300mA on the USB-wired Quad Lock system. On the SP Connect wireless car charger, the Pixel has been quite unreliable.

Keeping in mind that this is a pre-production version, while my Pixel 7 Pro registered the Peak Design unit, it wouldn’t take any charge. Monitoring it in Accubattery, it showed it was losing power at -1W / -272mA (the phone was at 27°C). Trying it with my old Galaxy S21, it achieved 3.1W / 814mA.

This is of course disappointing, but I must stress that the Pixel can be very choosy, so I’m looking forward to trying the production version of this charging unit, especially when I switch back to a Samsung device when my contract renews.

Peak Design out-front bike mount V2

Price: £67.99|  Manufacturer’s website

Designed for bicycle use so lacking the vibration dampener, the Peak Design Out Front bike Mount V2 is basically the same as the previous model, but has a slightly larger clamp that comes with a fourth silicone sleeve for use on 32mm handlebars.

Again, it’s very thoughtfully designed, the spacers clipping into place so they don’t fall off during fitting, and even the clamp’s screw being retained with a small O-ring, so it doesn’t get dropped while putting it on.

The screws are all thread-locked, an Allen key is supplied, and there’s also an aluminium GoPro adaptor that can be fitted to the bottom. A thumbscrew is also supplied to replace the clamp’s hex-head standard screw, to allow for quick loosening to adjust the clamp or flip it around to change the position of your camera if it’s fitted (they call it ‘flip to film’).

The quick-connection of your phone – and lack of twisting – really is brilliant on the Peak Design kit. It’s £15 or so more expensive than the competition, but it’s a joy to use.

Peak Design Qi2 wireless car mount

Price: £75.36 |  Manufacturer’s website

Also available in a non-charging version for £42.99, the Peak Design wireless car mount is Qi2 compliant, meaning it’s capable of up to 15W and has a magnetic mount. A cleaning pad is supplied, as well as a spare 3M VHP (Very High Bond) pad.

Fitting is easy – just wipe the dash down then press it on. I was able to fit it to a smooth surface, but it might not work as well on textured dashboards. Take your time to get it lined up correctly, then leave it for 24 hours to ensure a secure fit. Once on, the mount isn’t going anywhere, and the magnets are more than powerful enough to keep my 254g Pixel 7 Pro in place over bumpy roads (there are no mechanical claws on this mount), or even my wife’s A13 with an aftermarket HaloLock ring stuck to the case.

The ball-head mount can’t be adjusted, but it’s smooth yet stable, letting you easily find a perfect position.

As with the motorcycle wireless charging head, power output is limited to 5W with non-Qi2 phones, but I only managed 1.9W / 503mA with my Pixel 7 Pro. My older Galaxy S21 achieved 3.4W / 901mA, but I’m hopeful that my next phone will perform better. As always, I’ll keep this review updated

Evotech Performance 12mm Peak Design mount

Price: £62.99 |  Manufacturer’s website

Evotech Performance has long been known for its exceptional design and quality, as well as the fact that it designs and makes its own products, right here in the UK.

With a range of mounting options available for a variety of bikes, I tried the 12mm mount that’s listed as being for the accessory bar on the R1250GS and other adventure machines, but it also perfectly fits the fairing bracket on my 1999 Kawasaki ZX-6R.

This powder-coated CNC-machined aluminium mount is supplied with the Peak Design head, and fits securely to the bar with hex-head screws. You’ll need your own 3mm and 4mm Allen keys, but fitting is quick, simple and very secure, with internal O-rings protecting the bar’s paint.

This design replaces the rear section of the standard Peak Design head, but retains the anti-vibration system. I showed Evotech Peformance the new wireless charging head, and they confirmed that their system would work with it – despite a larger mounting plate – as the silicone dampeners are in the same locations. It seems likely that the wireless head could also be available with the company’s many bike-specific mounts that include the MT-10, Multistrada, DesertX, GS, Versys, Scrambler and more.

One point to note is that, on this 12mm mount, the Peak Design head will only fit on in one orientation. You can still pop your phone on horizontally or vertically, but with the way it’s set, it’s a little easier to reach a release button when the phone’s mounted horizontally.

Peak Design is also releasing a new mirror mount for 10, 12, 14 and 16mm bars on its Kickstarter campaign with your choice of charging or non-charging heads for around £93 and £62 respectively.

Vibration dampening is built in as standard on the Peak Design motorcycle mounts

Will vibration damage my phone with Peak Design?

As when I reviewed the SP Connect and Quad Lock mounts, I specifically asked about the potential for damage to phones when mounting them on a motorbike using Peak Design kit.

I was told that the team can’t be sure what vibrations cause damage to phones, but that all the failures it knows of have been related to the optical image stabilisation (OIS) used in some phones. This ties in with what I’ve found so far indicating that the vast majority of problems were with the OIS that was fitted to the iPhone X, 11 and 12 series (though not the 12 Pro Max).

Peak Design claims that it has the best vibration dampening, and that with 50,000 motorcycle mounts sold, it has only heard of 10 failures. It adds that in each case these were older phones on third-party mounts, but that the company paid to repair or replace the customers’ phones.

It’s worth pointing that Peak Design launched its motorcycle mounts in early 2022, which is after Apple launched the iPhone 13 with a revised OIS, so unlike the competition, Peak Design wasn’t available during the worst period of phone failures, which related to phones mainly sold between 2017 and 2021.

Make sure you keep an eye on the BikeSocial product reviews and YouTube channel, where I’ll be comparing Peak Design, SP Connect and Quad Lock, including their vibration dampening.

Peak Design duties, taxes, returns and warranty

While it’s a US company, warehouses in the UK, EU, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong allow local shipping, which should mean no import duties or taxes.

When ordering from Peak Design, there’s a 30 day returns window, though despite being sold from the uk.peakdesign.com website, if you’re outside of the US you need to pay shipping costs for returns, which is disappointing. Still, Peak Design products are available at many UK retailers too, where any online returns will likely be a lot simpler.

Peak Design also offers a lifetime warranty on its products that covers manufacturing defects and failures or breakages that cause all or part of your product to become non-functional. It doesn’t cover cosmetic damage or wear and tear, misuse, neglect or intentional damage.

Note also that the support chat on the UK website operates within the California timezone, which is seven hours behind the UK.

Three alternatives to the Peak Design phone mounts

There’s quite a range of options available for fitting your phone to your bike, but few are quite as elegant as Peak Design. The brand is also proud of its environmental initiatives, and is dedicated to reducing carbon emissions – Peak Design's founder & CEO, Peter Dering, also co-founded the Change Climate project.

Here are some mounts to consider…

• Quad Lock, from around £70 | Quad Lock offers a huge range of mounting options, and while still not cheap, it does tend to be the most affordable of the market leaders. The phone requires a 45° turn to lock on, but you can put it horizontally or vertically. Read the full review of the Quad Lock mounts here.

• SP Connect, from around £70 | Coming close in aesthetic quality to Peak Design, the SP Connect mounting kit is very well made, though the phone does need rotating through 90° to fix in place. You also can’t swap between landscape and portrait views without adjusting the bracket. Read the full review of the SP Connect phone mounts here.

• Beeline Moto II, £179.99 | If you want a beautifully designed navigation solution that leaves your phone – and all its distractions – in your pocket, then consider the new Beeline Moto II, which blew us away with its fantastic user interface. Read the full review of the Beeline Moto II here.

These are just some of the alternatives. Be sure to check out our other reviews at BikeSocial, and always check the BikeSocial membership pages for discounts on a huge range of products and services, as well as exclusive competitions and events.

Peak Design phone mounts review: Verdict

Fixing your phone to your bike means you can choose from a huge variety of navigation apps, from the simple A-to-B of Google Maps and Waze, through more powerful systems like TomTom Go (with its brilliant progress bar), to proper navigation software like OsmAnd, Locus Map and DMD2. Plus, of course, the brilliant Calimoto, which helps you plan fantastic winding routes.

Peak Design’s motorcycle mounts include vibration dampening as standard, which makes them better value than they might first appear when compared to the competition, and the design and attention to detail is exceptional.

I’m disappointed that the wireless charging isn’t a success on my Pixel 7 Pro, but I’m hopeful that it’ll improve when I change phones. I’m also of course gutted that my phone smashed when I dropped it, but I really can’t lay the blame at Peak Design’s feet. The back of the case could be thicker, but that’s also part of the beauty of this design, and I am confident that if I had something like an S23 or S24, which doesn’t have the vulnerable rounded glass back, it would have been fine.

Honestly, I’ve previously considered Peak Design to be somewhat overpriced, but having used it now – and discussed the brand with some photographer friends – I really can see value in the quality of design, right down to the smallest part. The only problem is that it’s now going to cost me as I start investing in some of the brand’s other gear…

If you have any of this kit and want to share your review, or you have any questions about it, visit bikeclub.bennetts.co.uk.