In October, Belkin introduced the BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 dock, which is designed to charge an iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time. While the name sounds similar to many existing chargers that Belkin offers, it actually features one of Belkin’s most thoughtful and unique designs to date.
The charger is roughly palm-sized, and has a flat teardrop-shaped body with a pivoting MagSafe charger on top. The MagSafe charger can lie flat or be raised and angled to support standby on the iPhone. There are a few different angles it can be set to (0 to 70 degrees), but flat or fully extended are the two most useful.
In flat mode, you can charge an iPhone or any other Qi device like AirPods because it’s essentially a flat charging surface. In the upright position, you can only charge a MagSafe-compatible device. On the back, there’s a flat Apple Watch charging puck. It’s perfectly sized for Apple Watch models, but Also AirPods, so you can charge AirPods on the Apple Watch charging pad while charging an iPhone
Even though it’s a 2-in-1 charger, it’s versatile and is going to charge everything you want to charge with a similar 3-in-1 charger. I don’t think most people routinely charge the Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods all at the same time (at least I don’t), which potentially makes it just as useful as a much larger 3-in-1 charger.
The BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 dock comes in either sand (a light gray beige) or charcoal and is covered in a soft-touch silicone material that looks great on a desk or nightstand. The material is unfortunately a fuzzy magnet, but that’s my biggest complaint about it.
In terms of size, the charger is about 3 inches long (flat) and 2.5 inches wide, so it’s fairly compact and doesn’t take up much space. It’s the smallest Belkin charger I’ve owned (and the smallest multi-device charger of any brand) thanks to the removal of a dedicated AirPods charging spot.
Belkin includes a color-matched braided 1.5m USB-C cable and a 30W power supply. The cable cannot be removed from the charger, which is a downside for me. I’d like to be able to swap in a shorter cable for desktop use, but I don’t have that option. On the plus side, I appreciate the power adapter because not every multi-device charger on the market includes one.
The BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 dock will charge a MagSafe– iPhone at up to 15W, and it will also quickly charge compatible Apple Watch models. With the fast charger, I usually charge my Apple Watch in short bursts throughout the day (I sleep with it on), and that’s enough to keep the battery level up. This gives me a free space to charge the AirPods when needed.
I tested the charging speed to make sure I was getting the speeds advertised by Belkin. The iPhone charged at MagSafe speeds as expected and the Apple Watch Series 9 charged really fast.
Weight-wise, it comes in at about a pound, and the same grippy material on the body is on the bottom to keep it in place so it won’t go anywhere as you add and remove devices.
It’s a new charger so it’s expensive and no sales yet, and price is the main issue. It’s as expensive as some 3-in-1 chargers, but arguably, the versatility makes it worth it.
bottom line
I’ve used a lot of Belkin chargers and a lot of wireless chargers in general and I think this is my favorite so far. It supports the latest iPhone and Apple Watch features (aka, standby and fast charging), it’s small, and it can even charge AirPods from a charging spot.
It’s worth checking out if you have all the devices that work with this charger and can take advantage of features like Apple Watch Fast Charging.
How to buy
BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock with MagSafe – Available from Apple for $130 or the Belkin website for the same price. It will start shipping in December.
