There’s a seemingly endless number of charging options on the market these days offering different wattages, from the wall, from a battery or even a mobile power station. But when you’re on the move, it’s the lightweight, mobility of a power bank that you’ll need. Belkin has a new offering in this space, the BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank.
While the name is a mouthful, the functionality of the unit isn’t anywhere near as complex.
What’s different about this power bank?
Given it’s a battery, we don’t need to describe the basic functionality of providing power to your gear. In this case though, it’s a magnetic power bank, delivering Qi2 power to any device lined up appropriately to the device.
For those who have a case that is MagSafe compliant — not just Apple devices — or something like a Quadlock Magnetic case, there’s a bit more on offer. The magnets hold the BoostCharge Pro in position, remarkably strongly, so you can wirelessly charge on the go.
This is very useful for users who regularly need to charge while on the move; avoiding that horrid tangle of cable while carrying your phone and charger. Conversely, the downside of this is that you’ll struggle to fit the phone and power bank in your skinny jeans.
How does it go in daily life?
Compared to a couple of others I’ve tried or owned in the past, there’s some pros and cons here. The obvious main positive is the physical size of the unit being small enough to drop in your pockets, and — if you’re using wireless charging — that’s all you need.
Not everything I carry has wireless, but with this, a single (dual port) wall plug and a couple of good quality cables of decent length; all of my charging needs are met whether I’m near a wall socket or not.
Something I didn’t think I’d use on this, is the kick stand. After a couple of days with this in my bag, if I was streaming media on a break, or other activities with the screen on for a period of time; the power bank came out and my phone was on a kickstand for ease of viewing.
Would I recommend it?
The question should really be “why wouldn’t you recommend it?” because, unless you’ve got some really hefty charging needs: This will do the job. Add to that the very reasonable price for your chosen capacity of battery, the flexibility (wired or wireless) of charging and it’s an absolute winner in my book.
You can check it out at JB Hi-Fi store or on Belkin’s online store.
For Android phones, those Quad Lock Magsafe adaptor cases only suit the high to upper mid tier Android phones by Samsung, Google, and Huawei.
All other Android tablets and mid to low end phones, have no viable device agnostic universal Magsafe charging adaptors available from Quad Lock.
With how _MUCH_ Magsafe wireless charging stuff is being flogged, there needs to be some working, universal charging adaptor for ordinary folks.