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Did vibration kill my phone camera?


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Last year my phone camera quit focusing and I would have to tap on my phone repeatedly to get it to focus. I dealt with it for a while but I just recently got a new galaxy S20FE. I have been wondering if it was caused by mounting the phone in my Tackform mount.

I had only been using the phone mount for about two months before the damage happened. I've been reluctant to mount my phone again because I don't want to mess up my brand new phone. What do you guys think, coincidence or damage caused by vibration on the bike?

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Probably so I quit using the handle bar mount ram xgrip after my last iphone camera died. Quadloc supposedly has a damper built in. I just carry my phone in my pocket instead. I have a gps on the bars and my cardo headset when linked to my phone picks up any calls I need to engage in while moving. 

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3 minutes ago, roy826 said:

Probably so I quit using the handle bar mount ram xgrip after my last iphone camera died. Quadloc supposedly has a damper built in. I just carry my phone in my pocket instead. I have a gps on the bars and my cardo headset when linked to my phone picks up any calls I need to engage in while moving. 

I may need to just get a cheap GPS then since that's the only reason I mount the phone on the bars. 

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22 minutes ago, Zach26 said:

Last year my phone camera quit focusing and I would have to tap on my phone repeatedly to get it to focus. I dealt with it for a while but I just recently got a new galaxy S20FE. I have been wondering if it was caused by mounting the phone in my Tackform mount.

I had only been using the phone mount for about two months before the damage happened. I've been reluctant to mount my phone again because I don't want to mess up my brand new phone. What do you guys think, coincidence or damage caused by vibration on the bike?

Yes, there have been a few posts on this same issue, on different forums as well.

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***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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Yeah, you need a late-model iphone for it to be a serious problem, something to do with how the hardware is designed.  AFAIK nobody has had issues with major Android phones unless they were recording video.  YMMV of course.

A good solution if you are going to handlebar mount is to mount in the middle of the bars, not towards a grip.  There's minimal vibrations at the clamps; the problematic vibrations get worse the further you get out from the clamps.

 

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13 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Yeah, you need a late-model iphone for it to be a serious problem, something to do with how the hardware is designed.  AFAIK nobody has had issues with major Android phones unless they were recording video.  YMMV of course.

A good solution if you are going to handlebar mount is to mount in the middle of the bars, not towards a grip.  There's minimal vibrations at the clamps; the problematic vibrations get worse the further you get out from the clamps.

 

Yeah I've always had it mounted between the clamps. While cruising at 75 mph when I touch the mount there is some vibration still. It sucks because I really don't want to buy a gps. I didn't realize how expensive a decent one is. 

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4 minutes ago, Zach26 said:

Yeah I've always had it mounted between the clamps. While cruising at 75 mph when I touch the mount there is some vibration still. It sucks because I really don't want to buy a gps. I didn't realize how expensive a decent one is. 

Tbh, I'd buy a cheap used phone instead of a GPS.  Tether to your iPhone for data, and just use it for the bike.  But people love their GPS's, so I suppose it depends what you're after.  

Then if it wrecks the camera, who cares.  Though again, my Samsung S8+ and S10+ have been fine for tens of thousands of miles.

If you get one with wireless charging, you can add a wireless charger to a ram xgrip for $20, so you don't have to screw around with power cables. 

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4 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Tbh, I'd buy a cheap used phone instead of a GPS.  Tether to your iPhone for data, and just use it for the bike.  But people love their GPS's, so I suppose it depends what you're after.  

Then if it wrecks the camera, who cares.  Though again, my Samsung S8+ and S10+ have been fine for tens of thousands of miles.

If you get one with wireless charging, you can add a wireless charger to a ram xgrip for $20, so you don't have to screw around with power cables. 

Interesting, The phone that broke was a Samsung S9. My new phone is a S20 FE. Seems strange to me that the ones that have posted saying they have had problems had Iphones. And you have had no problems with your androids but my phone was an android. I guess I just have bad luck. 

Edited by Zach26
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IMO depends on the mount, don't believe there is a tremendous difference in the focusing mechanisms.  My iPhone 10S developed camera issues after a couple of days mounted on the bars of my BMW F800GT.  After giving it several days rest the problems seemed to go away - self healed I guess.  The phone was being pretty violently shaken.  I went to a Garmin Zumo XT which took the vibration without any problems.  My 2020 Tracer GT has much less vibration but seems like it is a higher frequency.  I use a RAM mount ball on one of the handlebar clamp bolts to mount the Zumo XT.  Zumo XT is not cheap but does a good job and I use it on day trips even without a route as it tells me where and how far gas is.  My iPhone takes photos now without an issue so guess it could be called OK but I did have one instance 6 months ago where it took a "wavy" photo.  I like having my phone available but at the same time worry about it being in a handlebar mount and don't want to risk it being damaged when on a long trip.  Prefer to keep it on my person in a protected place.  

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