Belkin BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank Qi2 review: fun colors and top battery scores

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Impressive battery capacity

15W Qi2

Strong range of colors

Built-in kickstand

8K option

Cons

Apple Store prices higher

Our Verdict
We love the many available color options, the handy kickstand and the record-equally recharge test performance, plus the unique 8K option.

Price When Reviewed
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Apple’s MagSafe technology has transformed the iPhone power bank from a lumpen battery pack to a handbag-ready convenience essential. A magnetic MagSafe power bank clamps to any iPhone newer than the 11 to revolutionize wireless charging with efficiency and power.

Pull your power bank from your pocket or bag and simply clamp it to the back of your iPhone to start immediate charging. No wires, no buttons to push.

The Belkin BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank with Qi2 15W 5K continues—maybe even advances—the company’s obsession with extraordinarily long product names, but we can forgive this predilection as this is not only the most colorful power bank we’ve reviewed but also the one that aced our battery performance tests with a new highest score.




Simon Jary

Charging power

We’ll start with that test score, because at the end of the day—or sometimes the start of the day if you forgot to power up your iPhone overnight—the amount of power that you can extract from the power bank to recharge your phone is all that matters.

Power banks tend to come in two basic battery capacities measured in milliamp hours: 5000mAh (5K) and 10000mAh (10K). 5K power banks are smaller but deliver less power. 10K will keep your phone going for longer but are fatter and heavier, although not ridiculously so. Just to add some excitement into the market, Belkin also offers an 8K version of this power bank—maybe for a Goldilocks portable charging solution.

We test all power banks by quite simply running our test iPhone Pro down to 0%, attaching the power bank, and seeing how far in percentage points the iPhone’s battery is replenished before the power bank runs out of juice itself. In the case of 10K power banks we usually have to run the iPhone down again and repeat.

On average, a 5K power bank should recharge an iPhone to around 70%, and a 10K to 170%.

In our tests, the Belkin BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank with Qi2 15W 5K recorded an impressive recharge of 79%, which draws it level at the top of our high-score chart with the semi-solid-state Kuxiu S2 Qi2 5000mAh.

Qi2 for faster charging

Like the Kuxiu and most modern power banks it uses the Qi2 wireless charging technology that matches Apple’s MagSafe at 15W. Qi2 power banks are replacing the older “MagSafe-compatible” models that used to charge much slower at just 7.5W.

Coming some time this year will be Qi 2.2 offering 25W wireless charging but 15W will be fast enough for most of us… until we taste 25W, of course. If you need a portable magnetic power bank now, we wouldn’t recommend waiting for the new Qi 2.2 products at the end of the year.




The Apple Store has a fun range of exclusive colors of the 5K Belkin power bank.Belkin

Design

What really makes the BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank with Qi2 15W 5K stand out is not its long name or power prowess but it’s range of natty colors.

Depending on where you buy it and in what battery capacity (the 5K color range is much wider), you can find it in Black, White, Blue, Sand, Blue, Citrus Yellow, Gold, Pink, and special Apple Store exclusives: a brighter Pink, Deep Purple with a red stand and Teal with a yellow stand.

Other power banks are available in different shades but none as fun as this collection. Belkin has the most available via its online store, Amazon has a few colors depending on your region, and the Apple Store has those two-color exclusives.




Belkin

Each comes with a pull-out stand at the back so that you can prop your iPhone in either a vertical or horizontal orientation for hands-free viewing or calls.

Below the stand are four LEDs that indicate the remaining power in the battery.

On one side is a USB-C port that you can use to add a cable (a 1m cable is included in the box) to simultaneously charge a second device at up to 12W and input power to recharge the power bank itself at 20W.

Not many 5K power banks offer a built-in USB-C cable (the EcoFlow Rapid is the exception) but some of the 10K power banks do, so if you require this handy extra check out our list of the best magnetic power banks for iPhone we have tested.

That 12W is enough to very slowly charge a second phone, but is perfect for powering up your Apple Watch or headphones.




From the top: 10K, 8K, and 5K.Belkin

The 5K power bank measures 3.9 x 2.6 x 0.6 inches (9.8 x 6.6 x 1.4cm) and weighs 4.8oz (136g).

The 8K power bank measures 4.3 x 2.8 x 0.75 inches (10.8 x 7 x 1.9cm) and weighs 6.7oz (191g).

The 10K power bank measures 3.9 x 2.8 x 0.8 inches (10 x 7 x 2cm) and weighs 7.7oz (218g).

Prices

The 5K models of the Belkin BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank with Qi2 15W 5K are priced at $59.99 / £49.99 / €59,95. This has the widest selection of colors, including those Apple Store exclusives.

The 8K models are an interesting mid-point for power banks. The 8K version are priced at $79.99 / £69.99 / €79,95.

The 10K models cost $99.99 / £79.99 / €99,99.

The models on the Apple Store are pretty but also have an extra £10 or €10 stuck on the price if you’re buying from one outside of the U.S.

You can buy cheaper but none at this level of performance.

Should you buy the Belkin BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank?

We love the many available color options, the handy kickstand, the 8K option and the record-equally test performance of the Belkin BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank. It doesn’t offer a built-in USB-C cable like a few of its rivals but it’s a neat and pretty compact magnetic power bank that will bring you admiring and jealous looks on your commute.