MagSafe charging is amazing. I have MagSafe charging stands everywhere; they are in nearly every corner of my home and even in my car. I’ve found it the most convenient way to top up my iPhone: it’s quick and the magnets ensure I don’t have to fuss with cords and the phone stays in place, unlike other wireless chargers. At the same time, many of those options are heavy and the upright position means I can’t use it them charge accessories.
However, Belkin’s latest Qi2 wireless chargers have solved these problems for me with a trio of models to power up every device I own that supports wireless charging. Each one fits a different purpose for me, whether that’s extreme portability or charging three devices at once. If you’ve held off on wireless charging until now I can’t blame you, but with Qi2 now available it’s a great time to jump in.
I’ve spent a week with Belkin’s Qi2 chargers now, so here’s a closer look at how each one fits into my mobile charging life.
BoostCharge Pro Convertible Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand
The smallest of Belkin’s new lineup is the BoostCharge Pro magnetic wireless charger, it comes equipped with an adjustable tilt that allows me to use it in either a pad or stand mode. In the former, the charger lies flat, which means you can place any Qi-compatible device like earbuds or an Android phone on it to wirelessly charge them, irrespective of whether they support MagSafe. Plus, the hinge can hold any angle between 0-70 degrees and the charging puck itself can swivel between 0-75 degrees, allowing me to position it precisely at eye level for, say, video calls.
Because I can collapse the BoostCharge Pro stand back into a flat pad, it’s also travel-friendly and I had no trouble carrying it across multiple countries on a trip. Part of the reason why it hasn’t been a challenge to lug it around is it’s made out of a soft, rubberized material, which weighs (~10.50 oz vs 21 oz) half of its metallic counterparts.
The highlight of Belkin’s new charger, though, is that it doesn’t depend on MagSafe at all; Instead, it’s powered by a long-overdue upgrade to the standard Qi technology you’ll find across hundreds of smartphones, earbuds, e-readers, and more. It’s called Qi2 and it takes inspiration from Apple’s MagSafe tech to bring magnetic wireless charging to the masses. If you place, for example, an Android phone on a MagSafe charger, it will not only charge slower but also won’t stick to it like an iPhone would. That’s expected to change with Qi2.
More importantly, since Qi2’s magnets will no longer require you to guess the optimal position to align your phone’s and the charger’s internal coils, it’s more efficient, safer for batteries, and expected to significantly cut down how warm it gets after a top-up.
While Apple, thanks to its experience with MagSafe, has already updated its iPhones (from the 12th generation models) to support the second-gen Qi standard, it’s not yet available on any other product. Reports suggest the first line of Qi2 Android phones, including the next Google Pixel, will hit the market later this year.
BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand
The convertible stand is one of the many Qi2 chargers Belkin has launched under its BoostCharge Pro lineup. I also tested the $150 3-in-1 wireless charging station, which has a standard pad and an Apple Watch charger on a T-shaped stainless steel, and a grippy base that also acts as a wireless charger. It’s the nicest-looking of them all too, thanks to its minimalist design.
Belkin hasn’t skimmed on function either: the 3-in-1 stand’s pads can swivel so that you can set it to your preferred angle and charge a device either vertically or horizontally. Another highlight is that the elevated pads’ magnets have just enough resistance to keep your devices in place and not topple the whole thing over when you try to take one out. Plus, unlike other similar alternatives, Belkin bundles a 36W power supply. The only complaint I have is it’s nearly impossible to keep clean. Dust easily sticks to the rubberized base and doesn’t come out without a thorough wipe if it does at all. In fact, we barely clean it for this story’s pictures.
BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad
The third I tried is a $80 2-in-1 magnetic charging pad. It has a 15W puck to fast-charge a Qi2 device and a second 5W coil that’s ideal for accessories like earbuds. What’s interesting is that the pad has a pair of USB-C ports — one to power the wireless station itself and another to supply a 5W output to a third device over a wired connection in case you’re out of wall sockets.
Outlook
For anyone looking to switch to a wireless charging station to cut down their cable clutter or acquire the convertible one for travel, Belkin’s new accessories are a no-brainer, albeit a bit expensive.
However, if you don’t have a non-Apple product like an Android phone, you can consider skipping splurging for the Qi2 variant and instead buy their MagSafe predecessors, which are now on sale, and nearly half the price.
