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Belkin 3-in-1 MagSafe Boost Charge Pro for iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods | Best MagSafe Stand

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The Belkin BoostCharge Pro just showed up at my door. Despite my earlier video knocking the Apple MagSafe charger (maybe I went overboard with the satire, but I had fun), I’m excited to unbox this.

Why I knocked Apple’s MagSafe charger

My video went into how the charger itself is expensive, the cord is too short, and you had to build a little charging area in a dark hallway to use it. I still stand by it: for $40, the MagSafe charger isn’t worth it compared with a basic Lightning cable, especially since it doesn’t charge as fast. I also said that what I really wanted was a charging dock or stand that stayed put, where you don’t need two hands to remove your phone. (Yes, you can slide the charger off with your fingers as you pick up the phone, but I still don’t think it’s an elegant solution for $40.)

Unboxing

I went with the white version (black and space gray are available). Unlike the very expensive MagSafe charger or MagSafe Duo, it includes a charging brick. It’s a much heavier stand than others I’ve seen: a MagSafe pad for the iPhone 12, a pad for the Apple Watch and a spot below for AirPods. In the box: a cable and a large wall charger that outputs up to 15 W of MagSafe wireless charging. The cord plugs into the bottom with a slot for the cord to pass through.

Using it

The phone snaps right on, as with other MagSafe chargers, and doesn’t feel like it will go anywhere. If you pull the phone straight off, it pulls the base with it: still a little disappointing, but if you tilt up or to the side, it comes off. At first the stand moved around too easily, because of the plastic on the bottom; under it is a very rubbery, grippy base, and it’s still strong enough to pull the base for the most part, so you need a little maneuvering, but it’s not bad.

The big benefit is Apple Watch and AirPods charging: all three charge at once. It’s probably the best charging stand I’ve bought so far. For about a year, my nightstand stand has been the Satechi Trio, which has a place for all my devices and elegant lights that fade as you lie down. The Belkin is also elegant and subdued: silver aluminum, a simple stand and a small light that’s not overdone. And because it uses MagSafe, you can attach the phone in portrait or landscape, so on a desk you can watch a video in landscape.

Charging speed

I wanted to test the full 15 W with a USB-powered monitor, but the stand uses a little charging adapter that’s not USB. So I measured: my iPhone 12 mini went from 33% to 51% in 15 minutes, an 18% gain. I can’t say it reaches 15 W with a mini, so that may be a moot point, but it charged pretty well.

Notes

  • The cord is longer than the three-foot cord on Apple’s $40 MagSafe charger.
  • The “chrome or aluminum” stand isn’t solid: it’s metal wrapped around plastic, which isn’t an issue and still looks really nice from the front.
  • It’s expensive at about $150, but it includes a decent-sized cord and a charger.
  • Without a case, it feels about the same as with the Apple Silicone MagSafe case: the same grip and removal force.

If you want something cheaper, you can snap the MagSafe charger into a stand like a simple aluminum one with white rubber, but because that base is so light, it’s easy to knock around; the Belkin’s weight is much better.

My first impression: a really nice, solid multi-device charging stand for the iPhone 12 and accessories, probably one of the nicest you can buy for the foreseeable future. If you’d rather stick with Apple’s regular MagSafe charger and like a little satire, see my review of it.

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.

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