Roughly six months after we covered the original Airframe car vent mount, Kenu has released Airframe+ ($30), a tweaked version capable of supporting larger devices. Now promising to fit devices with up to 6″ screen sizes — notably including both of the as-yet-unreleased iPhone Air/6 models — Airframe + ditches the gray accents of the original model in favor of black, and offsets the car vent mounting point to be closer to the center of a larger device. Fully case-compatible and as handsome as before, it sells for a $5 premium. Because it’s so similar to its predecessor, this text includes observations from our prior review.

Review: Kenu Airframe+ Portable Car Mount

Built with a spring-loaded, expandable arm, the small plastic and rubber mount can firmly hold any prior iPhone or iPod touch, with or without a case. It can then expand to around 3.6” wide, which should even be enough to hold the rumored 5.5”-screened, 3.2”-wide larger iPhone 6/Air, with enough extra space for a case.

 

Review: Kenu Airframe+ Portable Car Mount

Like its predecessor, Airframe+ is a minimalist accessory: it’s 2.6” wide, and a millimeter less than 1” tall, made of nicely molded materials. The jet black design enables the mount to fit in with pretty much any vehicle interior. Four rubberized rear fingers form a claw that fits onto virtually any car air vent, enabling you to use turn-by-turn GPS navigation and take phone calls while driving. Their spacing creates horizontal and vertical pairs that can rigidly grasp either thick or narrow vent grates; once you fit the claw onto your air vent, you can ratchet the frame to the rotated position of your choice, keeping your iPhone or iPod touch on a vertical, horizontal, or off-kilter orientation. Kenu also suggests that you can insert a credit card into its back to use it as a desktop stand.

 

Review: Kenu Airframe+ Portable Car Mount

Airframe+ fit well in two test vehicles, although vent placement may impact the experience from user to user. By inserting the iPhone with its left edge in first, it’s easy to expand the holster. Once again, the only real issue we had was removal, as Airframe+ tends to come off along with the handset, unless it was held in place—something that doesn’t tend to happen with air vent iPhone mounts.

 

Review: Kenu Airframe+ Portable Car Mount

While the $5 price premium puts it on the fine edge of our B+ and B ratings, Airframe+ is still a very good product, ultimately meriting our strong general recommendation. We really like the fact that the design is small and unobtrusive; the fact that it’s easy to use with virtually every one of Apple’s pocket-sized devices—including upcoming models—is also a plus. As was the case last time, the price is on the high side, and we’d prefer that it remain attached to the vent at all times. That said, it’s a really nice solution for users who prefer minimalism and are willing to pay a bit more for something that looks and feels good.

 

Review: Kenu Airframe+ Portable Car Mount

Review: Kenu Airframe+ Portable Car Mount

Updated October 21, 2014: We’ve been testing AirFrame+ with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and it works perfectly with both of them, regardless of whether they’re inside or outside of cases. This remains a very good solution for iPhone mounting, assuming you’re in a climate where you don’t have to worry about subjecting your iPhone to constant additional heat from air vents.

Our Rating

B+
Recommended

Company and Price

Company: Kenu

Website: www.kenu.com

Model: Airframe Plus

Price: $30

Compatible: All iPhones, iPod touches

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Jeremy Horwitz

Jeremy Horwitz was the Editor-in-Chief at iLounge. He has written over 5,000 articles and reviews for the website and is one of the most respected members of the Apple media. Horwitz has been following Apple since the release of the original iPod in 2001. He was one of the first reviewers to receive a pre-release unit of the device, and his review helped put iLounge on the map as a go-to source for Apple news.