Belkin’s new Boost Charge Pro wireless charging pad takes Apple’s MagSafe puck and… well, makes it “pro” with a 2-meter-long braided cable and a kickstand to prop up your phone to make it easier to see while charging (Going through MacRumors). It also comes in black, a must for any accessory sporting the pro moniker. There is a small catch though – like many accessories with official MagSafe certification, it doesn’t come cheap.
At $60, the price at which it is listed in both the Apple and Belkin stores, the Boost Charge Pro costs significantly more than Apple’s $40 MagSafe Charger, which was already considered a bit expensive. Yes, you get that kickstand, and having a longer cable is definitely a plus. But is it really worth the extra $20, especially considering you might have to budget for a USB-C charging brick since it’s not included with either? Option?
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It’s a familiar story with MagSafe; despite the technology’s launch with the iPhone 12, MagSafe-certified charging accessories aren’t particularly common. Amazon is full of MagSafe compatible wireless chargers that magnetically attach to your phone (some of them even have a kickstand!), but they’ll almost certainly max out at 7.5W instead of the 15W that MagSafe offers on non-iPhones. Min. (Also worth noting that some Amazon vendors still advertise their charging pucks as capable of outputting 15W, but the advertisements are usually admit that this number is only workable on Samsung phones.)
When manufacturers offer MagSafe accessories, the prices are often exorbitant. Perhaps one of the most infamous cases is Belkin’s $40 Car Vent Mount Pro with MagSafe, which is not able to charge your phone. But Belkin is far from the only company to offer expensive MagSafe accessories – Mophie just announced a $150 three-in-one travel charging pad that features a MagSafe phone charger, Apple Watch charging puck, and (presumably Qi) charger for AirPods. Apple’s own MagSafe Duo charger, which doesn’t include that extra AirPod cushion, will set you back $130.
Compared to these products, Mophie’s $90 Three-in-One Stand it’s supposed to stay at home seems almost reasonable – except for the fact that you have to bring your own MagSafe washer, putting its price in line with Similar $150 home charging mat from Belkin.
That’s not to say MagSafe is bad or that these manufacturers should feel bad. It’s just that more than a year after their introduction, MagSafe accessories are still quite expensive. And while Belkin’s latest puck doesn’t buck that trend, it’s at least nice to have a MagSafe charger with a longer braided cable that you won’t have to buy a separate stand for. It’s still not quite as cute as Belkin’s Charge Shaft, though.
