Light, nifty and Qi2 enabled charge pad from Belkin

Wireless charging has made some signficant progress since the very early days. I had to dig into the DRN archives to find Powermat which I reviewed back in 2010. Powermat eventually joined the Qi charge (pun fully intended).

2024 is the year where Qi2 is hitting the market, with Belkin being first to the market with their portfolio of Qi2 chargers. The Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Charging Pad with Qi2 15W is so fresh that it took a bit of Google-fu to find it on their website.

First Impressions

I recently reviewed the Belkin BoostCharge Pro Convertible Qi2 which I love for it’s small form factor and versatility, the Magnetic Charging Pad is a minimalist puck.

The base of the Pad is 81.79mm diameter and at it’s thickness is 16.66mm. In the center the charging coil is raised about 5mm and has a diameter of about 58mm. The raised portion has a soft rubbery touch to it. The rest of the unit is just hard plastic.

On the underside is a ring of rubbery material to give it grip on the surface you put it on.

Mochi is not Qi2 compatible, check out that alignment.

In Use

Happily Belkin comes with a 20W USB-C Power Supply Unit along with a 1.5m USB-C to USB-C cable. It is everything you need to get going right out of the box. It is a nice reversal from a few years back when leaving a brick out of everything was the vogue.

The Qi2 specification allows for up to 15W wireless charging, as well as the adoption of the Magsafe alignment so that your device is also connected at the optimal position for fast wireless charging.

This is a far cry from the early days of wireless charging where it is a hit and miss to get your alignment. Plus the slower charging speed meant it is not particularly suited for all scenarios.

The Pad is small and weights just 124 grams. Easy to slip into a work bag to take with, or to pack on a trip to keep the convenience of wireless charging anywhere.

Conclusions

The Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Charging Pad with Qi2 15W is a single purpose item. Unlike Samwell Tarly, it has one job and it does it well.

At a RRP of AUD$89.95 and available only in black, it is a little steep but it does come with a 20W power supply and a cable which takes away some of the sting. Besides the convertible is just $10 more which can double as a stand and comes in black and white. Belkin is in some tough competition with itself here.

DRN would like to thank Belkin for providing the review unit.

Other posts that may be of interest

Belkin Qi2 enabled BoostCharge Pro power banks are small but mighty Taking the ribbon across the line with Belkin’s Qi2 collection Belkin Qi2 powerbanks for a wire free charge