Belkin BoostCharge Professional 3-in-1 Wi-fi Charging Pad MagSafe evaluation

The crux of the Apple Watch is that it’s solely suitable with an iPhone. Then again, meaning an amalgamated ecosystem of suitable merchandise. So why not consolidate your charging as effectively? Belkin’s multi-device BoostCharge Professional wi-fi charger eliminates extra plugs and cables with a single resolution to your telephone, smartwatch, and earbuds. Discover out extra on this Belkin BoostCharge Professional 3-in-1 Wi-fi Charging Pad with Magsafe evaluation.

• Belkin BoostCharge Professional 3-in-1 Wi-fi Charging Pad with MagSafe: $149.99 / €144.99 / £139.99

The Belkin BoostCharge Professional 3-in-1 Wi-fi Charging Pad with MagSafe affords an all-in-one charging station to your prime Apple merchandise. Drop your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch all on one charging platform, minimizing cables and maximizing your units’ time in hand.

For iPhones, the machine options an official MagSafe pad suitable with the iPhone 12 or newer. It might probably additionally make the most of the Qi wi-fi charging capabilities discovered within the iPhone 8 and newer. For earbuds, an LED indicator lets you recognize when your suitable AirPods are powering up. This contains all three generations of AirPods Professional in addition to AirPods with a wi-fi charging case.

Lastly, for Apple Watches, the charger packs a magnetic fast-charging module for using the fast-charging structure discovered within the Apple Watch Sequence 7, Sequence 8, and Extremely. For older fashions, it affords charging at commonplace speeds. The pad additionally affords helpful design particulars for a good higher Apple Watch charging expertise. This contains an adjustable charging puck for laying your watch flat or propping it up in Nightstand mode, in addition to a precision dial for correct alignment.

Aesthetically the pad includes a flat, minimalist design you’ll haven’t any drawback incorporating into your go-to charging spot. A rounded rectangle, the pad lands at 9.3 by 3.4 inches and stands lower than one inch excessive. It weighs 22.8oz, about thrice the burden of an iPhone 14.

The Belkin BoostCharge Professional 3-in-1 Wi-fi Charging Pad with MagSafe is obtainable in black or white. You’ll find the machine for $149.99 at Apple shops or from third-party retailers like Amazon.

A stable charging setup can simply rank among the many greatest Apple Watch equipment only for sheer comfort, however Belkin is seeking to take issues a step additional for anybody locked inside Apple’s walled backyard. In any case, if in case you have an Apple Watch, you very doubtless have an iPhone. The Belkin BoostCharge Professional 3-in-1 wi-fi charger pad capitalizes on that truth, providing a foolproof touchdown strip for each units. You’re in even higher luck if in case you have a set of suitable AirPods. As a substitute of a large number of rubber spaghetti noodles winding their approach throughout your desktop, the pad converges your charging wants into one platform, one cable, and one plug — and it does so brilliantly.

With modest design cues — together with clear traces and a small footprint — the pad is way from an eyesore. It’s additionally weighty sufficient to remain put to at all times look neat and deliberately positioned. I examined the white mannequin and parked it prominently on my kitchen counter. It seamlessly blended into the room and tidied up my in any other case cluttered charging zone. Ultimately, it even stoked a operating battle between my associate and I over who acquired to cost their units on the handy wi-fi charging pad as an alternative of again in our bed room.

One aspect that elevates the aesthetic of the charger is its chrome detailing. Whereas the matte physique is refined and neat, the small metallic rings across the watch and telephone charging pucks make the pad really feel barely extra upscale. These may be seen greatest when no machine is current, which thankfully needs to be fairly usually.

Due to the fast-charging module and 15W MagSafe wi-fi charging help, the Belkin 3-in-1 charging pad affords sufficient charging speeds. They aren’t improbable in comparison with these you’ll see for equipment linked to different telephones and wearables, however charging on Apple units isn’t recognized for its timeliness. After quarter-hour, the pad charged an iPhone 13 Professional from zero to twenty%. At half-hour, the telephone reached 33% battery. Each quarter-hour thereafter, the machine acquired about an additional 10%, reaching 100% in simply over two hours.

Charging speeds for the Apple Watch had been additionally commendable. In quarter-hour, my Apple Watch Sequence 8 charged from zero to 29%, and by 45 minutes in, the machine reached 79% battery. A full cost took about an hour and ten minutes. That’s similar to the claims Apple places on its proprietary fast-charging cable, although these speeds are solely relevant to Sequence 7, Sequence 8, and Watch Extremely. The BoostCharge Professional 3-in-1 will cost older generations as effectively, it’ll simply take a bit longer.

Maybe extra importantly, a devoted charging station makes constructing a routine very simple. Inside a few days, I used to be habitually dropping my telephone on the charger every time I discovered myself prepping dinner, brewing espresso, or blankly staring into the fridge, deciding what to snack on subsequent. Likewise, it was simple to maintain my Apple Watch powered up with a go-to spot centrally situated in my house. I abhor free, inactive cords coiling out from shops. My associate, in the meantime, loathes my compulsion to unplug chargers and retailer them away in drawers solely to be pulled again out once more. The Belkin BoostCharge 3-in-1 wi-fi charging pad solves each of our complaints.

Lastly, as somebody a fan of their Apple Watch, I beloved the options particularly designed to spice up the charging expertise for Apple’s wearables. The primary is a precision dial to make sure correct alignment together with your watch mannequin. Spinning the dial takes some oomph and, for me, two fingers. When you set it to the suitable watch icon, you’ll discover the peak of the charging puck is adjusted to line up together with your watch.

Secondly, the pad permits for Apple Watch charging in two positions: flat or upright. Standing the puck up, and consequently charging your watch on its facet, is ideal for accommodating loop bands just like the Alpine Loop we coated in our Apple Watch Extremely evaluation. If wanted, charging on this place additionally lets you capitalize on Nightstand mode, a setting that shows the time and date whereas charging, much like a bedside alarm clock. Since I used my Apple Look ahead to sleep monitoring, I not often make the most of this operate, nevertheless it’s nice to have the choice.

We meet once more, my unruly good friend. In what I might take into account a serious oversight, the charging pad doesn’t provide any type of cable administration (until you depend the white rubber band it comes packaged in, which you shouldn’t!). Whereas testing the BoostCharge Professional 3-in-1, I used to be frequently baffled by the sight of extreme twine with nowhere to cover. As neat because the charging pad appears to be like in your desk, counter, or bedside desk, the cable stays an unmitigated blight.

That is particularly shocking from the identical firm that sells a really successfully managed single-device charger, the Belkin BoostCharge Professional for Apple Watch ($59.99). Sure, the spare cable size is nice when it’s worthwhile to worm your twine behind furnishings, however what about when your wall plug is inches away? On the corporate’s moveable charger, built-in twine administration retains the additional cable out of sight, so your charging station is stored tidy irrespective of how close to your outlet.

Moreover, like Belkin’s moveable Apple Watch charger, the 3-in-1 pad is a mud magnet. The white materials hides the mud extra readily than a black mannequin, nevertheless it was nonetheless obvious and unlucky. Many silicone wearable bands have an identical subject.

One other minor shortcoming is a element associated to the pad’s person expertise. I don’t personal suitable AirPods however person evaluations for charging earbuds with this charger are largely optimistic. With out testing it, I used to be glad to see the LED indicator gentle that allows you to know when your earbuds are correctly set. Then again, this optimistic element brings consideration to an neglected one.

In case your iPhone has any energy left, it can let you recognize it’s charging instantly with an onscreen graphic. Nonetheless, for those who throw your telephone on the charger when it’s fully useless, it can take a number of moments to energy up and make sure it’s charging. In case you drop your telephone and stroll away, chances are you’ll return later and notice the charger wasn’t correctly aligned. I often use a competitor’s three-in-one charger that options gentle indicators for each spot, and it’s odd to see that Belkin didn’t do the identical.

Once more in comparison with opponents, it’s tough to make the most of your telephone whereas charging. Others provide foldable charging pads, permitting you to prop up your iPhone for simple viewing. The Belkin 3-in-1 wi-fi charger appears to be like higher and extra refined, so it’s merely a trade-off with versatility.

For anybody with an Apple Watch, wi-fi AirPods, and a suitable iPhone, this wi-fi charger from Belkin is a no brainer. It’s a well-made and attractively designed product that may clear up your cable nest and streamline your charging habits. It’s expensive, nevertheless it additionally delivers constant energy and a refined look. In different phrases, the Belkin BoostCharge Professional 3-in-1 Wi-fi Charging Pad with Magsafe is well worth the money.

That mentioned, Belkin isn’t the one title within the recreation. One of many firm’s largest opponents, Anker, additionally sells related merchandise, similar to a equally priced 3-in-1 Dice with MagSafe ($149.99) that’s way more moveable and somewhat extra distinctive in its design. Some cheaper choices are additionally out there, similar to Anker’s foldable 3-in-1 charger ($32.99).

Regardless, Belkin’s BoostCharge Professional 3-in-1 is definitely nearly as good because the Anker’s hottest alternate options, and is a superb purchase in order for you a cultured but practical charging pad for all of your cellular Apple units.