Andrew O'Hara
Belkin introduced the world's first — and only — Apple-certified MagSafe car charger, but while it certainly delivers on speed, its connection method and price may give users pause.
The aptly named BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe is a simplistic device that delivers what it sets out to do. It's a vent clip-style mount powered by a USB-C car adapter.
Its body is all plastic and has a silver finish that mimics Apple's well-known anodized aluminum appearance. The puck and face of the charger are white, standing out quite brightly in your vehicle.
The design may look familiar because Belkin has borrowed most of it from its original MagSafe car mount. Launched alongside the iPhone 12, the Belkin Car Vent Mount Pro has an identical silver color and uses the same vent connector.
The original MagSafe accessory was just a mount, using Apple's official MagSafe module. This version connects the same but can charge.
The charger has an integrated power cable connecting to the device's back. This does keep the device compact by not requiring the additional hardware to facilitate a removable cable, but it does limit you should the cabler ever need replacing.
Belkin color-matched the cable with a light grey cable tie that's built-in. That way, you can route the cable where you need it, and you can make sure it doesn't float around your center console or steering column.
It uses a standard USB-C connector by default so you can connect it to your car's USB-C port, if it has one that is. Otherwise, it isn't permanently connected to the power supply, so you can change power sources if you want.
Belkin bundles a compact 20W adapter in the box, enough to power the 15W maximum charging speed. It is grey, like the rest of the setup.
The one downside is that the included power adapter only has a single USB output.
We've found it helpful in our car to have a dual-output power adapter. Since the power adapter is part of the purchase, we have to pay for it regardless and then are on our own if we want to replace it with a dual-output one.
It may have been better for Belkin to omit the power adapter and allow us to buy our own, decreasing the price by $20 or so in the process. This, of course, doesn't matter if you're rightly happy with a sole USB-C port.
It's certainly about time
It's nearly impossible to believe that MagSafe has been on the market for more than two years. Apple had originally announced the new magnetic system with the launch of the iPhone 12 series, yet there have been no MagSafe car chargers in that time.
There have been magnetic Qi chargers that can interface with MagSafe, but no legitimate MagSafe devices existed. It wasn't until Belkin quietly announced the Apple-exclusive Boost Charge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe that one became available.
Belkin's latest charger carries Apple's seal of approval and has completed Apple's Made for iPhone certification process, ensuring optimal compatibility with your iPhone.
Qi versus MagSafe
Many had wondered why there was no official MagSafe car charger, and our best guess is that Apple's stringent MFi certification for MagSafe did not allow for them. Apple has been conservative in what chargers were initially approved and it could have been worried about the heat while in the car.
As of late, Apple has opened up the program, allowing for more devices to come to market including the option to cover the MagSafe module. Belkin's charger already looks different and has an alternate style of puck that differs from most MagSafe chargers on the market, even if the differences are subtle.
Besides looks, the difference with a real MagSafe charger is speed.
A Qi charger, everything on the market to date, will only charge an iPhone at 7.5W of power. A MagSafe charger can safely deliver up to 15W of power.
Of course, this all depends on environmental factors. Running wireless CarPlay and navigating in Maps can heat your device which can yield reduced charging speeds, but at its peak, this can be up to twice as fast.
Putting Belkin's car charger to the test
To make this a capable car charger, we needed to test the hold on the vent, the hold on your phone, and the charging speed. We evaluated each of these individually.
Vent mounts are some of the most common car chargers available, though they aren't always the most popular. They can often have issues staying in place.
Some vents are vertical and don't hold as well, while others may not fit. In winter months, hot air from the vent also has the potential to cause your phone to get too warm.
So far in our tests, we haven't run into any issues with the hold. It clipped into our Jeep's vents relatively easily and has a secure grip.
We're confident in its hold as we've been using Belkin's existing MagSafe mount — non-charging — since it launched in 2020 without issue, and they share the same clip.
Similarly, the magnetic hold on the mount is plenty strong enough. It again uses Apple's official component so you can be sure it is designed for optimal hold.
No matter how deep the potholes we hit here in Ohio, our iPhones never fell off.
For charging, we used a USB-C power meter to monitor how much power went into our phone. While it varied, we consistently got speeds of just over 14W.
As the temperature increased, we saw the speed drop, but it still hovered at roughly 8-10W — still more than a Qi charger. In the most extreme heat — while in the sun, running wireless CarPlay, and navigating — the speed dropped very low to just a couple of watts of power, as expected.
Should you buy the Belkin BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Mount with MagSafe?
At this point, we wouldn't be surprised if most people who needed a magnetic car mount didn't already have one. It's doubtful that users were waiting around for an official MagSafe option to come to market.
With a price tag reaching a hair below three digits, it also isn't a cheap device to own. There are other MagSafe chargers coming in at $99, but it is a hard pill to swallow for a device that is used less frequently than a charger on your desk or nightstand.
That said, it's the best option for an iPhone charger, one delivering the highest possible charging speeds. It's also well-designed and includes the power adapter and cable tie in the box.
If you can stomach the price tag and are OK with a vent mount, this is an excellent charger. But it also may be just the start and we'd expect to see other models arriving soon, even if they're just as expensive.
BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe Pros
- Compact, sleek design
- Color-matched cable and power adapter
- Power adapter and cable tie included
- The only official MagSafe car charger available
- Fastest wireless iPhone car charger on the market
BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe Cons
- Vent mounts can overheat
- No other mounting options available
- Much more expensive than magnetic Qi chargers
Rating: 4 out of 5
Buy the Belkin BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe
You can pick up the new Belkin BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe directly from Apple for $99 with availability starting on November 14th.
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7 Comments
I have put my phone on a vent mount and where I live in Oregon with our absolutely extreme temperatures it has killed my iPhones battery life. Guess I will have to move to use this vent charger 😂