The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad does a fair job of charging your gadgets, but it’s absolutely best suited for Apple iPhone users.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Folds up into a compact square (mostly) | Even smaller multi-device chargers are available |
Qi2 Compatible | Very Apple specific |
Folds upwards to support StandBy mode | Kind of expensive |
Score: 3/5
Buy The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad! | Buy On Amazon |
In this review
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad Design
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad Performance
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad Conclusion
Support Alex Reviews Tech
Alex Reviews Tech is an independent, ethically run tech reviews site, and it needs your help to keep going. Support independent media by becoming a sponsor through Patreon, Ko-Fi or Paypal! (Spoiler: If enough folks do this, I'll be able to get rid of the ads)
Donate via PayPal
Find out more about how you can support Alex Reviews Tech here.
I do love to travel when I can, but one of the aspects of travel I’m not a big fan of is sorting out all the chargers I need to take with me. This is something that has improved in recent years with the near-standardisation on USB-C as a charging port, but it can still be challenging getting everything to fit nicely into a bag.
The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad is designed to make your travel packing a little easier, presenting a fold-down dual Qi2 charging pad and fold up Apple Watch charger.
Conceptually it’s rather similar to the Twelve South Butterfly Charger I reviewed a few months back, only a little bigger, technically faster and a little less pricey – though it still isn’t what you could reasonably call “cheap”.
Also read:
Twelve South Butterfly Charger Review
Design
Out of the box, the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad looks like a rather thick drinks coaster with an obvious Belkin logo over its primary Qi2 charging port on one side, and an embedded Apple Watch charger on the other. It forms a very roughly 8cm square slab, not including its charger, which plugs in via USB-C.
The included charger is rated at 30W, though in its intended use case you’ll only see 15W maximum out of it – more on that shortly.
It’s a fixed cable plug at the socket end, but not at the actual charger end, which I do prefer. When and if the charging plug dies – or if it’s simply lost – there should be no problem using other 30W capable USB-C chargers with the charging plate.
Performance
Folded up as it is, the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad would be rather hard to use, but then it’s built on a central hinge that allows for it to be fully folded out flat, or placed in a “tent” style orientation to work with Apple’s iPhone StandBy mode.
If you’re not using a recent model iPhone or and HMD Skyline – at the time of writing the only Android phone to offer Qi2 compatibility – you’d need to have it in its lay-flat configuration to make the most of it.
Mind you, given that the other charging point  is specifically for Apple Watch (or technically AirPods charging), it’s hard to see the appeal here for the Android crowd; this is basically an Apple product that you could use in a more limited way with other Qi-compliant devices.
One nice touch here for Apple Watch users is that compared to the Twelve South Butterfly, pushing the Apple Watch charger out to make it easier to use is a lot simpler, because it’s fully open at the back; no need to try to catch it with a fingernail or (as I’ve done more than once) the tip of a pen.
Where the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad makes the most sense, given that its maximum Qi2 charging rate is only 15W, is as an overnight side table charger for your iPhone and Apple Watch.
I’ve tested with this configuration for a couple of weeks now, and it certainly works, albeit only really as well as other wireless chargers. Wireless charging is necessarily a little bit on the lossy and inefficient side, which means that unless the phone’s hit top charge in the wee early hours of the night, you can expect it to be a touch warm when taking it off the charger.
Technically you could get a more efficient and rapid charge straight from the 30W USB-C charger if you’ve got a newer model iPhone with USB-C ports… but then there’d be no point in spending the extra on the actual charging plate in the first place!
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad: Alex’s Verdict
The portability aspect of the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad is rather the point of this specific gadget, and while it works and does fold up nicely, I’d still say the Twelve South Butterfly is the better general device, simply because it’s that much smaller.
You don’t get proper Qi2 certification with the Twelve South model, but it does advertise the same 15W rate, which for iPhone users would almost certainly equate to the same routine of putting your phone onto the charger overnight and picking it up fully charged in the morning.
It is a little cheaper than the Twelve South Butterfly, but not by such a significant amount as to make up for that size difference. The price point here is likely to be the biggest sticking point for most buyers, but then this is a rather travel-specific charger in the first place. If you’re not constantly hopping between planes, trains and automobiles on a very regular basis, it wouldn’t make much sense anyway.
Was this review useful to you?
Support independent media by becoming a sponsor or buying me a coffee!
Become an ART Patron
Donate via PayPal
Find out more about how you can support Alex Reviews Tech here.
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad: Pricing and availability
The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad retails in Australia for $199.95
Buy The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Travel Pad! | Buy On Amazon |
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G, Android Smartphone, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage, 50MP Camera, Long Battery Life, Awesome Lilac
$594.99 (as of December 12, 2024 16:30 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Samsung Galaxy A35 5G, Android Smartphone, 6GB RAM, 128GB Storage, 50MP Camera, Long Battery Life, Awesome Iceblue
$430.00 (as of December 12, 2024 16:30 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)MOTOROLA moto g04 - Concord Black
$146.00 (as of December 12, 2024 16:30 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Apple iPhone XR 64GB 128GB 256GB - (Renewed)
$309.00 (as of December 12, 2024 16:30 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)MOTOROLA moto g04 - Satin Blue
$167.99 (as of December 12, 2024 16:30 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Gotham Knights - Xbox Series X
$15.00 (as of December 12, 2024 16:36 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition (Xbox Series X)
$41.98 (as of December 12, 2024 16:36 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Edition - Xbox Series X
(as of December 12, 2024 16:36 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed - Xbox Series X
$59.00 (as of December 12, 2024 16:36 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Wild Hearts - Xbox Series X
$19.00 (as of December 12, 2024 16:36 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Amazon Kindle Case, Thin and Lightweight, Foldable Protective Cover - Fabric (Matcha)
$49.95 (as of December 12, 2024 16:30 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)JBL Flip Essential 2 - Portable Waterproof Speaker Black
$88.00 (as of December 12, 2024 16:30 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)LENCENT Universal Travel Adapter, International Charger with 3 USB Ports and Type-C PD Fast Charging Adaptor for iPhone, Tablet, Gopro. for Over 200 Countries Type A/C/G/I (USA, UK, EU AUS)
$27.14 (as of December 12, 2024 16:30 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Introducing All-New Amazon Plant-Based Leather Case - Lightweight, Protective Cover Designed with Sustainability in Mind for All-new Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (Jade)
$69.95 (as of December 12, 2024 16:30 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)TOZO Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds, 6 Mics ENC Clear Call, IPX8 Waterproof, in Ear Bluetooth 5.3 Headphones Stereo Bass Heasets 59H Playtime with LED Display 32 EQs via APP
$59.99 (as of December 12, 2024 16:30 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Was this useful to you?
If so, please consider becoming a Patreon, Ko-Fi or Paypal supporter Alex here (again).
I feel strongly that independent tech media is a needed resource to help people make smarter tech buying decisions -- and I also very much like to help people use that tech once they've got it.
This is what I do, but I can't do it without your support. If this article has helped you out (or you've just enjoyed it), please consider helping support what I do by becoming a sponsor today!
Become an ART Patron
Donate via PayPal
Find out more about how you can support Alex Reviews Tech here.