Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger review: An acceptable MagSafe solution

AppleInsider

Belkin's BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger is a sleeker version of its Vent Mount Pro that can power your iPhone while keeping it at arm's reach.

Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger

Apple debuted MagSafe with the iPhone 12 and accessory manufacturers were left scrambling to bring compatible devices to market.

At least most of them. Belkin was the only launch partner for MagSafe, rolling out a set of MagSafe chargers as well as the Vent Mount Pro for the car.

When we reviewed the Vent Mount Pro a year ago, we found it was accurately marketed as a vent mount, but "pro" was a bit of a stretch. That's because it didn't even charge your iPhone, it just held it in place.

Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger in-car

After all this time, Belkin seems to have run into a roadblock using official MagSafe components and instead chose to launch a whole lineup of accessories that are compatible with MagSafe but aren't officially MagSafe. One of which is this BoostCharge Magnetic Car Charger.

Power up on the go

Included in the box is a black USB-C to USB-C cable as well as a 20W USB-C car charger to pair with the magnetic mount itself.

The magnetic charger is made of black plastic with a soft touch finish applied to the outside. The finish is nice but it still feels very plastic-y and not in a good way. It is thin and sounds a bit hollow. There is a ring on the front and a vertical mark to denote its compatibility with MagSafe.

Mounting our iPhone 13 Pro to the Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger

It charges via Qi and is able to deliver 10W of wireless power, though iPhones are still limited to 7.5W. It seems unnecessarily confusing for users to advertise 10W of charging on a device that is exclusively iPhone-oriented, yet iPhone can't handle that power.

Had this been official MagSafe, it could deliver up to 15W of power -- but alas. Still, 7.5W of power matches the maximum output of all the other chargers out there.

USB-C port on the Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger

It's a pleasant surprise that Belkin includes the power adapter in the box, but we wish it was a dual-output charger instead. A solo isn't as useful as one that maybe had two USB-C outputs or even a sole USB-C and a secondary USB-A. Before testing this product, we had a dual USB-A output car adapter, but since this is USB-A, we're left buying yet another car adapter just to have two outputs.

Adjustable ball joint

This is a vent mount so the back does have a standard ball joint with a set of silicone vent clips. There is a collar around the ball joint so it can be tightened to keep it rigid, though it is so close to the back we couldn't tighten it while the unit was attached to the vent. You'll need to get it in the right spot, hold it tight, remove it from the vent, tighten it, then reinsert.

Car Vent Mount Pro versus BoostCharge

Both are compatible with MagSafe, but there are big differences between the Car Vent Mount Pro and the new BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger.

Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger and Belkin Vent Mount Pro

With the official MagSafe model, Belkin used Apple's MagSafe component which is stark white. It complemented this with a silver body which always looked out of place in our Jeep. The new charging version is smaller, more compact, and has a matte black finish. That said, the Car Vent Mount Pro feels like a more premium product.

Obviously the biggest difference is that the Car Vent Mount Pro won't charge your phone. There's a $20 price difference between the two and we think the inclusion of charging capabilities and a matte black look is worth the cost, even if the new version isn't as solid of a build.

Should you buy the BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger?

The Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger is a reliable in-car companion for your iPhone 13 or iPhone 12. Despite not having real MagSafe, it over-performs with ample power, a compact design, and a sleek appearance.

Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger

Belkin could improve the product with a more premium build, a stronger grip, official MagSafe, and a dual-output power supply, but for what it is, it holds up well in the larger car mount market.

MagSafe is a phenomenal way to mount your phone in the car and is even better if you can charge at the same time. Belkin's new lineup, including the BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger, all embrace this wonderful new standard.

Pros

• Very small


• Dark color blends in more than silver/white


• Swappable USB-C cable


• USB-C car charger included


• MagSafe-compatible

Cons

• 10W though iPhone doesn't support it feels misleading


• Only one output on car charger


• Thin and plastic-y

Rating: 3 out of 5

Where to buy

Find the Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger from Belkin's website for $59.99.

Read on AppleInsider

cowboydude

I have never used a vent mounted cellphone holder before....Is there any danger of it bending the vent?

I wasn't sure how heavy these were?

zklausz

I just bought the actual apple MagSafe charging puck/cable and used a command strip to adhere it to a free spot on the dash.   Plugged it into a 20w car charger and I was all set. . . At less than half the price and a full 15w charge. 

andrew_osu

zklausz said:

I just bought the actual apple MagSafe charging puck/cable and used a command strip to adhere it to a free spot on the dash.   Plugged it into a 20w car charger and I was all set. . . At less than half the price and a full 15w charge. 

Yeah, just not as elegant or adjustable. Sucks that without a real solution this is what people turn to. You certainly aren’t the first to do that!

andrew_osu

Nah, this one especially is very light. Holds secure but won’t damage them unless you do something crazy.

cowboydude

Andrew_OSU said:

Nah, this one especially is very light. Holds secure but won’t damage them unless you do something crazy.

Thanks for the reply, I have wanted to try one of these vent mounts for awhile but were leery....I think I'll give it a shot.

archinator

The lack of official MagSafe support makes this seem like a waste of money already to me. Might as well just make it a universal wireless charging dock for any phone at that point. 

macgui

CowboyDude said:

I have never used a vent mounted cellphone holder before....Is there any danger of it bending the vent?

I wasn't sure how heavy these were?

The major problem with vent mount cradles is getting the little clamps tight enough to keep the mount in place when removing the phone. Sometimes this means possibly developing a specifc way of removing the phone without pulling the cradle off the vent. Each time the cradle is pulled off, it gets a little easier the next time.

I've seen a cradle that has a ring/nut that clamps with some real pressure by tighten a ring. I would be much harder to pull the cradle off when removing the phone.

There's not much danger of bending a vent but the clamps on some mounts could be too thick to get enough "bite" on the vane and the typical reaction is to push them deeper into the vent and that would likely bend or break the vane.

Vents are designed to move easily, so the phone will be heavy enough to droop from its desired position. Placing the clamp on the lowest possible vane reduces how far the phone will tilt. 

I have the ESR mount with a little adjustable foot that allows for more precise positioning of the phone. I use it all the time and am quite happy with it.

mr lizard

“It charges via Qi and is able to deliver 10W of wireless power, though iPhones are still limited to 7.5W. It seems unnecessarily confusing for users to advertise 10W of charging on a device that is exclusively iPhone-oriented, yet iPhone can't handle that power.”

What? iPhone 12 and later support 15W charging. Where are you getting your information that iPhones are limited to 7.5W? 

bluefire1

My car has vertical  vents which is why I’m still looking for a Magsafe car mount.

strangedays

Until these third party boneheads start licensing official MagSafe at 15W, I'm not even considering them.

macgui

mr lizard said:

“It charges via Qi and is able to deliver 10W of wireless power, though iPhones are still limited to 7.5W. It seems unnecessarily confusing for users to advertise 10W of charging on a device that is exclusively iPhone-oriented, yet iPhone can't handle that power.”

What? iPhone 12 and later support 15W charging. Where are you getting your information that iPhones are limited to 7.5W? 

In the context of using the iPhone with this non-MagSafe charger, MagSafe iPhones are limited to 7.5W. And just so you know the 12 mini is limited to 12W charging, not 15.

StrangeDays said:

Until these third party boneheads start licensing official MagSafe at 15W, I'm not even considering them.

Maybe once the first party boneheads at Apple start licensing official MagSafe charging tech for car chargers to third party boneheads, the latter boneheads will actually pay the licensing fees.

cowboydude

macgui said:

» show previous quotes

CowboyDude said:

I have never used a vent mounted cellphone holder before....Is there any danger of it bending the vent?

I wasn't sure how heavy these were?

The major problem with vent mount cradles is getting the little clamps tight enough to keep the mount in place when removing the phone. Sometimes this means possibly developing a specifc way of removing the phone without pulling the cradle off the vent. Each time the cradle is pulled off, it gets a little easier the next time.

I've seen a cradle that has a ring/nut that clamps with some real pressure by tighten a ring. I would be much harder to pull the cradle off when removing the phone.

There's not much danger of bending a vent but the clamps on some mounts could be too thick to get enough "bite" on the vane and the typical reaction is to push them deeper into the vent and that would likely bend or break the vane.

Vents are designed to move easily, so the phone will be heavy enough to droop from its desired position. Placing the clamp on the lowest possible vane reduces how far the phone will tilt. 

I have the ESR mount with a little adjustable foot that allows for more precise positioning of the phone. I use it all the time and am quite happy with it.

I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my concerns about the mount.....that all makes perfect sense!

All things you'd never know if you hadn't used the vent mounts before.

That ESR mount does look good, I'm sure the extra support helps a lot.