I happened upon this solution to the question of mobile phone/Smartphone holders on another forum. Seems like an excellent idea as it overcomes my personal dislike of sticking cradles in the air vents.
One particular cradle that I was initially attracted too was the Brodit but the holder would have meant my having to remove the leather case from my Samsung S5 every time I wanted to place it in the holder as the opening isn't generously wide. Along with that, I read a report on Amazon (with pictures) demonstrating that the finished material quality wasn't up to the price being asked and left visible damage to the edges of the phone.
My next choice was the iOttie Easy Flex 3 but also read that it can be a devil to remove as the suction is really strong. Along with that, one CX-5 owner reported superficial but visual damage to the somewhat sensitive material of the upper dash. I went ahead and ordered one anyway with the intention of placing it on that shiny space between the gear selector (Automatic) and the little stowage space forward of that. However, on the other forum I saw a method whereby the suction pad is placed on the roof of this small stowage area which leaves the space still usable for small item whilst also having the advantage of having a small cable run to the USB socket for charging the phone when in use and in the cradle. The fact that the phone is out of my direct site doesn't disturb me as I use the BT connectivity between the S5 and vehicle anyway.
Picture shows a Hama (model #087581)
https://de.hama.com/00087581/hama-universal-holder-for-smartphones in use which I may end up ordering should the iOttie Easy Flex 3 due tomorrow turn out to be too large.
