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The good
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Most wireless chargers we see with more than one charging pad are clearly focused on the iPhone, but Belkin’s BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 has Android considered, too.
Wireless charging is an awesomely clever convenience, but it’s one where the gadgets are often skewered for iPhone owners.
Charging stands with magnets and a dock for a very specific wearable are the norm, while Android owners often miss out. Their options are typically just a pad or two, and that’s it. You might get lucky to fit an Android on an iPhone desk charger provided it’s not standing up.
That is what Qi2 is supposed to fix, providing a platform-agnostic approach to magnetic wireless charging that any supported phone can take advantage of.
While Qi2 has yet to be rolled out en-masse, Belkin has one of the first Qi2 chargers, and it could be a great bedside charger for iPhone or Android.
What is it?
Another of the many, many wireless charging pads, the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 is a two-part pad: on one side is a 15W MagSafe-compatible Qi2 charger, and the other is a 5W wireless charger for other devices.
It joins Belkin’s other wireless chargers, including the standard BoostCharge Pro Convertible with one Qi2-ready MagSafe charging pad, and the 3-in-1 options made for iPhone owners with an Apple Watch.
Think of it as a pad for charging phone and hearable, with the left side for your wirelessly charged smartphone and the right side for a pair of wirelessly charged earphones.
There’s also an extra USB-C port on the side, handy if you have a wearable.
Does it do the job?
In terms of achieving a wired and wireless charging, the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 gets both sorted. Easy.
Owners of a Qi2 device will get the most joy here, which as of the time this review was published was one set of devices: the iPhone 15 range, covering the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Testing the BoostCharge 2-in-1 with iPhones, we found 15W of power dispersed by the main Qi2 wireless charging pad. Awesome.
Recent Android phones without Qi2 fared a little less impressively, achieving barely above 7W as a maximum. Both the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Moto Razr 50 Ultra hit 7.3W, before wavering between 5 and 7W. That’s the way the Qi cookie crumbles right now, with the faster Qi2 technology not supported by any current phones outside of the recent iPhone range, and likely the next iPhones available in September’s iPhone 16.
It just means Android phones will charge more slowly on this charger, regardless of the pad they’re using. It is what it is, it seems.
But that’s also not out of kilter with most wireless chargers out there: high-speed wireless charging is largely an iPhone thing, with devices waiting to catch up to the newer technologies. Wired high-speed charging is where Android leads, such as with Oppo’s Vooc technology.
Wireless just so happens to be more convenient, and so if you opt for a charger like Belkin’s, you’ll certainly get the convenience of being able to charge your entire kit, albeit more slowly (unless you own an iPhone).
What does it need?
Interestingly we’re not sure this charger really needs anything, except perhaps more power.
The two-pad charger comes with everything any decent phone owner would need, covering mobile, earphones, and an extra USB-C port for charging another gadget. That could be plugging in an Apple Watch charging fob, or it could be just about any other wearable today.
If you use a Withings ScanWatch 2, you can plug that it in the side. If you use a Samsung Galaxy Watch, the same thing applies, and even a Pixel Watch. Just about any wearable can plug into that spot on the side, and even a phone.
However, if you do plug a phone into that USB-C port, you’ll only get charging at a maximum of 7W. Five is all you’ll need for most wearables, earphones, and headphones, but the 7W maximum for phones is a little paltry, and will mean charging over wired isn’t tremendously fast here.
Is it worth your money?
Put that issue aside, however, and the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 is easily worth its $150 asking price.
It works for iPhone owners and also for Android folks, too. It will take your wearable of any kind and doesn’t lock you into needing one specific brand and device over everything else.
The Belkin’s BoostCharge 2-in-1 simply asks that you have a wirelessly charged phone and possibly a pair of wirelessly charged earphones. That’s a pretty simple request these days. When Qi2 rolls out, the charger will be even better.
Yay or nay?
Even without Qi2, the Belkin 2-in-1 BoostCharge is all about options. It provides options for iPhone owners, particularly if they don’t have an Apple Watch and instead use something else, and it provides options for Android owners, too.
It’s a platform-agnostic approach to wireless charging and we love it. You can even carry it in your luggage. Recommended.
