Review: Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 charger with MagSafe and Apple Watch fast charging

Since the advent of wireless chargers, I have embarked on a journey to find the perfect charger for my iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods. An all-in-one charger for my bedside table. I’ve tried quite a few chargers over the years: the ZENS Dual+Watch Wireless Charger, the ZENS Modular Charger, the Belkin Boost Up Charge 3-in-1, and many other wireless chargers for the iPhone. Over the past few years I’ve been very satisfied with the Belkin Boost Up Charge 3-in-1, but as charging technologies improve, so do my needs. I wanted to switch to a MagSafe charger (instead of just wireless charging) and have needed fast charging since the Apple Watch Series 8, now that I regularly wear the Apple Watch while sleeping. The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 meets these wishes, but is this also the charger you should have? You can read that in the review.

Text, review and photos: Benjamin Kuijten (@BenjaminRK). The test was carried out in July 2023 and describes the situation at that time. The charger was made available by the manufacturer for this test.

Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 charging board in brief

These are the key features of the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Charging Board:

• Suitable for charging three devices simultaneously: iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch
• Charge iPhone via official MagSafe charger, with speed up to 15W
• Supports fast charging on Apple Watch Series 7 and newer
• Apple Watch charger can be placed either flat or upright
• Apple Watch charger adjustable in height, suitable for all sizes of Apple Watch (including case)
• AirPods charger supports wireless charging up to 5W
• Rectangular and flat design
• Available in white and black
• Recommended retail price: €169.95 (often cheaper elsewhere, see our price comparator)

Belkin uses the name BoostCharge Pro (or a variant thereof) for various products. In addition to the charging shelf that we discuss in this review, there is also a variant in the form of a stand (where the iPhone stands upright), a separate Apple Watch charger and the recently announced 2-in-1 charger for iPhone and AirPods. The chargers do not differ much in terms of specs. There are only some differences in terms of shape and options.

Design Belkin BoostCharge 3-in-1 charging board

We’ve been fans of the design of Belkin chargers for years, because they generally match Apple’s own products nicely. They are sleek and stylish and actually fit on any desk or bedside table. We received the white variant for this review. The charging board has a rubber-like material finish. This makes it look chic. This is a lot nicer than shiny or smooth plastic. A disadvantage of the rubbery design is that dust collects easily and is not easy to wipe away.

The charger also has a good weight. Because the charger is relatively heavy, you have the feeling that you are using a high-quality product. But it also has a practical use. The charger stays neatly in place when you remove your iPhone from the magnetic charger. This is different with Apple’s own dual MagSafe charger.

What is also smart in terms of design is that the MagSafe part is on a raised surface. This means that the iPhone always lies flat on the charger, without the protruding camera lenses getting in the way. This was regularly a problem with Apple’s MagSafe Duo charger (even though the charging itself works fine).

The charger works with an included cable and power adapter. You can neatly hide the cable at the bottom near the back. A small disadvantage is that it is a specific round connection. So you cannot simply replace the cable with another longer (or shorter) cable. Fortunately, we found the supplied cable to be long enough.

Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 charging board in use

A charger can look nice, but what is much more important is how pleasant it works in practice. The iPhone part with MagSafe works exactly as you expect. The iPhone automatically positions itself in the right place thanks to the sturdy magnets. Charging itself takes place at a maximum of 15W. That is currently the maximum speed for wireless charging (with MagSafe). The only disadvantage is that the MagSafe charger lies flat, while we would have preferred an upright MagSafe charger. This also makes this charging board unsuitable for the upcoming Standby function of iOS 17. After all, you cannot place the iPhone upright while charging. If you attach great importance to this, then the 3-in-1 holder variant may be a better choice. As we have come to expect from MagSafe, charging is nice and fast.

In addition to your iPhone, you can also use the built-in MagSafe charger for the 2021 AirPods and the 2022 AirPods Pro with MagSafe case. If you have a suitable model, we actually find the separate wireless charger in the middle of the charging shelf a bit unnecessary. How often does it happen that you want to charge three devices at the same time? The AirPods case is also not a product that you have to put on the charger every night. We would therefore actually have preferred that Belkin make a 2-in-1 charging board, consisting of a MagSafe charger (for iPhone and occasionally also for your AirPods) and an Apple Watch charger. That would have immediately made the board a bit smaller.

Another small advantage of the MagSafe charger is that there are no indicator lights on. This is often a minor annoyance with many regular wireless chargers, especially if you use it on your bedside table in the bedroom. An indicator light is intended to indicate whether the device is charging properly, but because with MagSafe the device is automatically in the right place, this is not necessary. The AirPods compartment on the Belkin charging shelf does have such an indicator light, but because you don’t charge the AirPods case every night, we don’t find that to be a problem.

Inventive Apple Watch charger

The built-in Apple Watch charger in this Belkin 3-in-1 charger is multifunctional. You can use the charging area either upright or flat. If you use it flat, you place the Apple Watch on the charger with the screen facing up. With some bands (such as the solo band) this is not possible. Fortunately, you can rotate the charger ninety degrees, so you can charge the Apple Watch with the screen facing forward. We usually charge the Apple Watch this way. You then always have a view of the night clock mode.

This system gives you more freedom in how you want to charge the Apple Watch. Belkin also looked closely at Apple’s own dual MagSafe charger and the earlier Apple Watch dock, which had a similar design. But Belkin has come up with something else. The Apple Watch part is height adjustable. Not all Apple Watch models are the same size. If you want to charge the Apple Watch with the charger up, the casing of the Apple Watch can sometimes get in the way of making good contact with the charger. Especially if you use an Apple Watch case.

There is a rotating mechanism at the bottom that allows you to determine the height of the Apple Watch charger. The icons indicate which height corresponds to which Apple Watch size. There are three settings: 38/40/41mm, 42/44/45mm & 38mm/40mm/41mm with case and 42/44/45mm with case. The charger is also suitable for the Apple Watch Ultra.

This mechanism ensures that you can charge any Apple Watch without problems and that the speed is optimal. The Apple Watch part also supports fast charging for the Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra. Since we regularly sleep with the Apple Watch, the fast charging function comes in handy. The Apple Watch is fully charged in less than an hour. If the battery is still about half full, your Apple Watch will be fully charged again in less than half an hour.

We have noticed that the charging speed differs depending on how many devices you charge at the same time. For the fastest speed, charge one device at a time. If you use the MagSafe charger in addition to the Apple Watch charger at the same time, charging the Apple Watch will be a bit slower.

Conclusion Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 charging board

The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 charging board is a very nice charger. The charger supports almost all currently available charging technologies that you find on Apple products, such as charging with MagSafe at 15W and fast charging on the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch part is especially nice, because you can charge both horizontally and vertically and you can adjust the height. It is a pity that this is not possible with the MagSafe part, because due to the flat design, this charging board is not suitable for the Stand-by function. In our opinion, the AirPods part is a bit redundant, since you can also use the MagSafe part for that

There are a few other minor disadvantages, but in our opinion they do not outweigh the advantages of the charger. The sleek design and versatility make the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Charging Board one of our favorite chargers. However, the recommended retail price is a bit on the high side, but those who search carefully can save a lot at other stores such as Amazon. There are of course countless cheaper alternatives, but they often do not offer the same certified specifications. And we prefer to choose the more expensive chargers for charging our Apple products.