Just two years after Apple first released the MagSafe for iPhones, we’re finally getting the companion product that really ought to have been introduced along with it: a magnetic car mount that can also charge your phone. Belkin has unveiled the Boost Charge Pro Wireless Car Charger With MagSafe, which can be pre-ordered on the Apple store, as noted by 9to5Mac.
Some of you may be thinking, “Wait, there are tonnes of MagSafe car chargers on Amazon, and they’re not even close to $100. What distinguishes this one? The truth is that while the others are MagSafe compatible, this one is genuinely MagSafe. Because Apple won’t allow it, they utilise a ring of magnets to hold your phone and normal Qi charging, which can’t put as much power into your phone. (Some truly dubious listings claim they can charge at 15W, but it appears that they simply mean that the coil in it is technically capable of fast wireless charging for phones other than iPhones.) But one that has received the official endorsement of iPhone maker is now available, and it seems a little odd.
The extremely long name of the Belkin pretty much explains everything about how it works: you clip it onto your car vent and it holds your iPhone up so you can see whatever maps or music controls are on it (in theory, at least; many car vents struggle to stay in place under the weight of a phone and mount). Additionally, it will deliver 15W of charging power, which is more than iPhones can receive from regular Qi chargers.
This is a rather obvious application for Apple’s MagSafe technology, as I have stated. The day after the iPhone 12 introduced MagSafe, Belkin essentially announced the same thing, which is why it was so unexpected. However, it cost $40 and puzzlingly omitted the ability to actually charge your phone. You know, if you were attempting to utilise a power-hungry navigation programme, the main thing you’d want it to do
Belkin’s new attachment, in contrast to previous model, comes with a built-in USB-C cable that allows you to charge your phone from your car. I was going to be upset about that since, while there are major outliers, most modern cars with USB-C connectors will likely already have CarPlay, making this attachment much less required. Belkin, thankfully, also provides a 12V car charger adaptor for folks whose cars don’t have any USB-A connections or don’t have any real phone charging capability. I can’t think of any circumstances where it would be problematic, but I might have preferred a detachable cord for a product that will likely be exposed to sunlight all the time.
Depending on how you like to view your directions, the mount can also rotate your phone from portrait to landscape orientation. Overall, it appears to be a perfectly fine attachment, but once again, it costs $99.95.
I am aware that MagSafe attachments are typically not inexpensive, but I believe the majority of users will want to at least look into other, less expensive solutions. This is available from Spigen for $21 and serves as a container for a $39 MagSafe puck. You would still save a sizable sum of money even if you spent extra money on a fancy $20 dual USB-C 12V adaptor (because it doesn’t come with one). Additionally, the Spigen version is available in black whereas the Belkin version is only available in white, which will contrast sharply with the majority of dashboards.
You may alternatively buy Belkin’s $60 BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger, which charges at 10W rather than 15W and is “MagSafe compliant,” holding your phone using magnets. I might prefer that model over the MagSafe ones because I anticipate faster wireless charging will cause my phone to overheat in the summer.
However, the Belkin Boost Charge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe will begin delivering on November 14th if you don’t like any of those alternatives.
