It’s the item that should’ve been included from the start, and it’s priced as if people haven’t come up with better alternatives in the last two years.
Only two years after Apple debuted MagSafe for iPhones, we finally get the item that should have been included with it: a magnetic car mount that also charges your phone. According to 9to5Mac, Belkin has announced the Boost Charge Pro Wireless Car Charger With MagSafe, which is currently available for pre-order on the Apple Store.
“Wait, Amazon is flooded with MagSafe car chargers, and they’re nowhere near $100,” some of you may be thinking. “What sets this one apart?” The answer is that this one supports MagSafe, whilst the others do not. That is, they use a ring of magnets to hold your phone and traditional Qi charging, which can’t pump as much electricity into your phone as Apple does. (Although some dubious listings claim 15-watt charging, it seems that they indicate the coil in it is potentially capable of quick wireless charging for phones other than iPhones.) But one with the iPhone maker’s official clearance is now available, and it seems to be a bit more difficult to recommend.
The Belkin’s exorbitantly lengthy name basically explains how it works: you clip it onto your vehicle 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 remain in place with the weight of a phone and mount). It will also supply 15 W of charging power, which is more than standard Qi chargers for iPhones.
As previously said, this is a very obvious use for Apple’s MagSafe technology. That’s why Belkin effectively introduced this exact gadget the day after the iPhone 12 debuted MagSafe. Only thing is, it costs $40 and curiously lacks the capacity to charge your phone. That’s what you’d anticipate if you were trying to use a power-hungry navigation tool.
Unlike that model, Belkin’s latest accessory has a USB-C port for charging your phone from your car. Belkin, thankfully, provides a 12V car charger converter for people whose vehicles lack USB-A connectors or do not have any phone charging capabilities at all.
The mount also allows you to move your phone from portrait to landscape mode, enabling you to see your instructions in any orientation you like. It seems to be a perfectly sufficient attachment for the most part—except that it costs $99.95 again.
MagSafe attachments are not cheap in general, but most customers will want to look into alternate, less expensive options. Spigen offers a $21 model that doubles as a receptacle for a $39 MagSafe puck. You’ll still save money even if you purchase a fancy $20 twin USB-C 12V converter (because it doesn’t come with one). Furthermore, although Spigen’s version is available in black, Belkin’s version is only available in white, making it stand out on most dashboards.
You may also get Belkin’s $60 BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger, which is “MagSafe compatible,” meaning it grabs your phone with magnets but only charges at 10W instead of 15W.
If none of these options suit you, the Belkin Boost Charge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe will be available on November 14th.
