Benjamin M. Monroe Blog: Factory Smartphone Cradle for BMW Motorcycles Finally Debuts

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Factory Smartphone Cradle for BMW Motorcycles Finally Debuts

For the riders among us, BMW Motorrad has created its own cradle to accommodate your smartphone on your ride. This is a big deal, though aftermarket solutions have existed for some time. However, I’ve always found myself hesitant to entrust the safety of my device, which I use for so many purposes, to a seemingly flimsy aftermarket bracket.

The big negative for this new factory cradle is its size limitation. It’s only able house smartphones up to 5 inches in size. Those of us with newer iterations of popular smartphones will thus be unable to use this new cradle. Sad. Still, for those with older iPhones, for example, this accessory will work perfectly.

The cradle appears quite significant, and is described as “robust” in the company’s press release, while still offering the ability to quickly attach and detach your device. Now one could confidently utilize their smartphone, for purposes such as navigation, without being concerned about whether or not a universal aftermarket holder will fail while at highway speeds, for example. Touching on its potential benefit for use as a GPS system, your smartphone in conjunction with the BMW cradle can help you to avoid spending up to $800 for a motorcycle specific navigation unit. Others have, over the years, utilized portable automotive units, however, they lack the proper weather resistance and visibility of motorcycle units. Anti-reflection “flex foil” has been used in the factory phone cradle to overcome visibly concerns.

In addition, BMW already sells an accessory power socket, so charging while riding is also possible. Too, in order to attach the cradle, you will need to purchase BMW’s navigation holder, which starts from €65 in Germany, depending on your model. The cradle’s price itself does reflect its premium nature, costing €195 in Germany. Still, a great price when considering all of the functions your phone can perform, which can now (safely) be utilized whilst riding.