Quad Lock versus SP Connect! Comparison of smartphone mounts

Over the past few years we've had partnerships with both Quad Lock and SP Connect, and were able to test various products over thousands of kilometers. Our experiences come mainly from our bike tests and trips, but a lot of the information, impressions and details mentioned in this report also apply to car or bicycle mounts. Before we get to the products themselves, though, let's take a quick look at the companies behind them.

Quad Lock began in 2012 as a Kickstarter campaign for smartphone mounts. The company, based in Melbourne, Australia, soon expanded its product range to other modes of transport and is now extremely widespread. The mounts and products themselves are manufactured in China.

SP Connect is the European counterpart, belonging to a company founded in 1988 in Germany by an Austrian, which among other things produces snowboard bindings and has been active in smartphone accessories as SP Connect since 2016. SP Connect's headquarters are in Vienna, and production also takes place in China.

Before we get to the mounts, let's take a closer look at the connecting locking mechanisms and their differences. True to its name, Quad Lock has four diagonally arranged recesses in the phone case with protruding edges in between, under which the head of the mount can hook in. To lock it in place, the phone is positioned at a 45° angle and can then be rotated in any direction. This means smartphones can be attached with the Quad Lock system in both landscape and portrait orientation without having to change the mount. The trade-off is that attaching it is a bit fiddlier, because the sprung safety tab mounted on the side presses against the back of the phone case, making it a little harder to hit all four recesses.

With SP Connect, you only need to line up two recesses in the case with the protruding counterparts on the mount and then rotate the phone 90° in one direction. This is easier to do, especially one-handed, but still offers a firmer fit, especially with the anti-vibration module - more on that later. Because locking is done via a quarter turn, a phone mounted with SP Connect can only be fitted in portrait or landscape orientation. To change the position, the screw in the mount's head has to be loosened, the head rotated 90°, and then fixed again. SP Connect's system has one more downside. Quad Lock may lock in a bit more fiddly, but because it has no moving parts, its mechanism can't get misaligned. With SP Connect, though, this can happen: since a ring in the middle of the mechanism on the phone case gets twisted, if you remove the phone in a hurry under tension, the ring may not return to its neutral position, and the locking mechanism won't work properly next time. To fix this, SP Connect includes a small plastic tool that lets you manually reset the mechanism. Meanwhile, SP Connect has released an updated version of the locking mechanism, called SPC+. This new standard is not only compatible with magnetic mounts, but the issue with the mechanism not resetting also seems to no longer occur. The previous SPC mechanism and the new SPC+ system are now offered in parallel for most mounts.

Despite the differences in construction and the tactile feel of the two systems, countless YouTube videos as well as our own experience prove that both locking mechanisms are robust and reliably hold smartphones in place. Even wild tank-slappers and rough off-road sections don't shake them loose, provided they're mounted correctly. Across all our test kilometers, a phone has never come off.

The same goes for the various mounts, of which Quad Lock and SP Connect offer a huge range of different variants. We'll get to the overview shortly, but first let's discuss the standard mount. Since both manufacturers originally come from the bicycle sector, you could say that mounts designed to attach to a round handlebar are the base version - at least in the motorcycle and bicycle segment. This is also mainly the type of mount we used; we'll cover other variants afterward.

For handlebars, SP Connect offers the Mount LT and Mount Pro, while Quad Lock offers the Handlebar Mount, plus a Pro version. The difference between the Pro and non-Pro variants at both brands is that the cheaper mounts are made of plastic while the pricier ones are made of CNC-machined aluminum. For mounting and adjustment, both use supplied Allen keys - SP Connect a 4 mm hex key, Quad Lock a 3 mm one. SP Connect mounts fit handlebars with a tube diameter of 22.2 mm to 31.7 mm. Quad Lock manages a slightly wider range at 22 to 32 mm, and with the Pro mount even up to 35 mm. To adapt to different tube diameters, both systems use small rubber rings that sit between the handlebar and the mount's clamp, and are also meant to prevent scratches. SP Connect's rings don't differ between the Pro and standard version and have a small side wall on one side to prevent the mount from slipping down while tightening. That works pretty well - until you try to mount it on a section of the handlebar that tapers. Then things can get a bit fiddly, because the mount pushes itself toward the thinner end of the tube as you tighten it. Quad Lock, by default, uses plastic rings with two side walls here. This means the mount can't slip down, but it can get tricky on motorcycles with tight handlebar space, since you have to get the clamp over the taller side wall first. The Pro mount from Quad Lock offers the best system here. The inner rings do without side walls, instead featuring small ridges along the middle. This lets the mount slide onto the ring easily, but once it's tightened down, the ridges sink into corresponding recesses in the mount's clamp, joining both components so that the rubber ring and the rest of the mount become inseparable.

If you don't want to attach the phone mount to the handlebar, Quad Lock and SP Connect offer a wide range of other options. We often used, for example, the Mirror Mounts attached to the side mirrors. But both manufacturers also offer mounts that attach to the triple clamp, the steering head bearing, the brake fluid reservoir, or via the mounting screws of the handlebar controls. You'll also find just about any conceivable solution for cars, bicycles and other purposes - even wall mounts. On top of that, there are interchangeable heads for the various mounts, such as anti-vibration modules, charging heads for wireless charging of the phone, and, increasingly for use in cars, magnetic mounting systems as well. With these, magnets automatically pull the phone into the correct position on the mount, but unfortunately these systems from both manufacturers aren't robust enough to withstand the strong vibrations on a motorcycle.

Fundamental differences we noticed across all the various mounts: on average, Quad Lock requires more screws per mount to be fastened and tightened, since screws sometimes sit on top of each other there. SP Connect's mounting process is minimally simpler, though the two systems are broadly very similar overall. There are also different systems for specialty solutions between Quad Lock and SP Connect, so anyone looking for a specific mount would be well advised to check out both websites.

After the locking mechanism and the various mounts, let's turn to the cases. Both manufacturers offer model-specific cases for four smartphone brands. For Quad Lock that's Samsung Galaxy models, Apple iPhones and iPads, Google Pixel, and Huawei models. SP Connect offers cases for Samsung Galaxy, Apple iPhones, Google Pixel, and Xiaomi models. Both also offer universal solutions, with SP Connect being much more creative here. Quad Lock only has two variants (one standard, one for magnetic mounts) of universal adhesive pads, which are stuck to the back of the phone. SP Connect also offers such adhesive pads, but additionally offers a universal clamp mount and a universal fabric case.

When it comes to the standard cases, the materials are very similar. Both use robust plastic whose surface feels like harder rubber to the touch. Fit and build quality are also neck and neck between the two rivals. The cases feel high-quality and hold the phone firmly. The SP Connect cases we tested sat a bit tighter, but were also harder to get on or off the phone. Even in terms of weight and thickness, they're very close. A Quad Lock case for a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra weighs 46.85 g according to our measurement and adds between 4.2 mm (MAG case) and just under 5 mm to the thickness of the phone. The SP Connect case for the same Samsung model is only minimally heavier at 46.93 g, but only adds just over 3 mm to the phone's thickness. Both manufacturers offer options for personalizing the cases. Quad Lock, for example, with interchangeable colored rings (only compatible with MAG cases). SP Connect with cases in themed designs.

Our cases also had to take a beating outside of mounts and motorcycles - at least mine did. The screen isn't really protected, but aside from that the robust cases shrug off rougher falls and impacts on asphalt too. But there's one type of damage linked to smartphone mounts that affects the high-quality cameras of modern smartphones, and it's still frequently discussed.

It's hotly debated in forums and social networks: mechanical camera stabilizers in expensive smartphones are said to break due to the vibrations on a motorcycle. That's exactly what SP Connect and Quad Lock's anti-vibration modules are meant to address. SP Connect's system consists of a rubber-mounted head for the mount with a foam ring around the locking mechanism. Getting the phone into the SP Connect module takes quite a bit of force, but in return the phone sits very securely. Quad Lock, on the other hand, doesn't replace the standard head but instead installs the anti-vibration module between the head and the rest of the mount. The damping in this module is handled by three small rubber blocks positioned between two outer plates. Because Quad Lock's anti-vibration module consists of several moving parts, it initially seems quite wobbly and unstable. The phone has a lot of freedom to move and wobbles along while riding - but maybe that's exactly what's needed to prevent damage to the camera.

Apple iPhone camera stabilizers in particular seem to be affected, but the damage cases aren't really reproducible. Too many factors seem to play a role. Some Apple users rack up countless kilometers with the iPhone on the handlebar without any problems, while others get annoyed after just a few rides by streaks appearing across the image. Our editor-in-chief Poky was also among the unlucky ones. His iPhone X R at the time developed serious problems with its camera stabilizer after a few hundred kilometers on the SP Connect mount. He rode with both the standard mount and the anti-vibration module. As a replacement, he got an iPhone 13 and has since had no issues riding with Quad Lock. Since then, however, SP Connect has made improvements over the last few years and released a newer system with SPC+, which we haven't yet been able to gather as much experience with. To sum up: there's no clear recommendation in this case. We're simply sharing our experiences here. Given the complexity of the problem and the many contributing factors - such as the motorcycle, phone model, terrain ridden, etc. - no definitive conclusions can be drawn.

Are there at least bigger differences in value for money? Not really! Quad Lock's and SP Connect's pricing policies are largely similar. Smartphone cases start at €30, and standard handlebar mounts start at €50. Smaller price differences of about €10 can be found with mirror mounts, mount heads with charging function, and universal solutions. The only significantly larger difference is found with the anti-vibration modules. Quad Lock's plastic module is available from as little as €18, while SP Connect's more solid version starts at €30.

If you were expecting a clear-cut conclusion along the lines of "A is better than B," I unfortunately have to disappoint you. The differences between Quad Lock and SP Connect are very specific, just like the intended use case for smartphone mounts, which is why the information in this report can at most give you a nudge in the right direction. Do you plan to use your phone in portrait and landscape often? Then Quad Lock is probably the better product for you. Do you want to attach your phone to the mount as quickly and easily as possible with one hand, while still valuing a secure fit? Then SP Connect might be more interesting for you. On top of that, both manufacturers offer extremely versatile ranges and accessory options, where you might find exactly the right product for your intended use.

Our advice for finding the best system for you: keep our experiences and the information provided here in mind, browse through the Quad Lock and SP Connect websites, and choose the system that offers the best accessories and the most suitable mounts for you. At the end of the day, you won't go far wrong with either Quad Lock or SP Connect.

• Quad Lock iPhone cases
• Quad Lock Samsung Galaxy cases
• Quad Lock universal cases
• Quad Lock magnetic cases
• Quad Lock Handlebar Mount Pro
• Quad Lock Handlebar Mount
• Quad Lock Mirror Mount
• Quad Lock Vibration Dampener
• Quad Lock Wireless Charging Head

• SP Connect iPhone cases
• SP Connect Samsung Galaxy case
• SP Connect universal clamp case
• SP Connect universal adhesive pad
• SP Connect Moto Mount LT
• SP Connect Moto Mount Pro
• SP Connect Mirror Mount
• SP Connect Anti Vibration Module
• SP Connect Charging Anti Vibration Module