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Review: Belkin's Boost Up Wireless Charging Dock for iPhone and Apple Watch is Convenient, but Expensive

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Belkin is known for a range of accessories for the iPhone, and when Apple introduced support for Qi-based wireless chargers, Belkin was quick to come out with a range of options.

The Boost Up Wireless Charging Dock, which debuted in September, is the newest and most versatile offering, combining a Qi wireless charger with an Apple Watch charging puck and an extra USB-A port.

Design wise, the Boost Up Wireless Charging Dock has an upright Qi wireless charger similar in design to Belkin's other Boost Up charging options, with a round charging surface that houses the wireless charging coil.

The iPhone is designed to sit upright against the back of the charger, with the base serving as a stand. Belkin has slightly angled the base, which makes it easier to see the iPhone's display while positioned on the dock. The base is covered in a grippy material that prevents the iPhone from shifting or moving while it charges.

You can't put your iPhone on the dock horizontally because of the Apple Watch charger, so it's limited to vertical charging. The Apple Watch charges on the dock in landscape orientation so it works with Nightstand mode as a clock replacement.

I read some reviews that suggested the Belkin charger was not compatible with the iPhone XS Max in certain cases that make the iPhone a bit taller, but I didn't have that experience. Both my iPhone X and my iPhone XS Max charged without issue in Apple cases, and Belkin says that it supports cases up to 3mm thick.

The base of the dock measures in at 7.4 inches wide, 4.1 inches long, and 4.8 inches tall, so it does take up a decent amount of space on a desk. Since it's combining two charging options, though, it could be a space saver depending on what charging device you currently use.

There's an LED at the side of the dock, which does glow noticeably in a dark room, but it's not so bright that it's distracting or keeps me from sleeping at night. I do wish it wasn't there, but Belkin says it provides foreign object detection to let you know if something's touching the Qi wireless charger that shouldn't be.

Belkin's Wireless Charging Dock supports 7.5W charging, so it can charge the iPhone 8 and later at 7.5W instead of 5W. 7.5W is fairly standard on Qi-based charging devices intended for Apple devices these days, so this comes as no surprise. 7.5W is the maximum wireless charging speed that iPhones support.

The Apple Watch charging puck charges the Apple Watch at 5W, which is standard Apple Watch charging, and the included USB-A port located at the back also charges at 5W. This is not ideal for higher-powered devices like an iPad, which kind of limits the versatility of the extra port.

You can charge your AirPods or another lower-powered device, but if you're trying to charge an iPad or iPad Pro, the charging is going to go slowly. I tested the charging dock on my nightstand, where I keep an iPad mini for reading. I charged my iPad mini with the dock, and it was fine for that purpose.

By the way, for using the extra USB-A port, you need to provide your own cable. The dock does, however, ship with its own power supply.

Bottom Line

I've been testing the Boost Up Wireless Charging Dock on my nightstand, and it's worked perfectly. It's a handy way to keep my iPhone XS Max, Apple Watch, and iPad mini charged, and when it comes to design and functionality, I have no complaints, with the exception of the 5W USB-A port

That's not enough power to sufficiently charge one of Apple's larger iPads, which limits the functionality of the additional port.

The Charging Dock works well overall, but the downside is the price tag. It sells for $160, which is expensive and much pricier than purchasing separate iPhone and Apple Watch chargers. It's nice to have these features combined into one device with a single cable to plug in, but the price is just too high for many people.

How to Buy

The Boost Up Special Edition Wireless Charging Dock for iPhone and Apple Watch can be purchased from the Belkin website for $159.99 or from Amazon for $140.

Note: Belkin provided MacRumors with a Boost Up Wireless Charging Dock for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Tag: Belkin

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Chrome OS may add extra security to view passwords saved in a Google account

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Apple Inks Deal for 'Large Budget, Ambitious' Sci-Fi Series From Simon Kinberg, Known for 'X-Men' Movies

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Apple has inked a deal for a 10 episode season for an as-of-yet untitled science fiction series from Simon Kinberg and David Weil, reports Deadline.

Simon Kinberg is known primarily for his work on the "X-Men" series, as well as movies like "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "Jumper," "Chappie," "The Fantastic Four," and "The Martian."

Image via Deadline
David Weil is known for "The Hunt," an upcoming TV show about a group of Nazi hunters in the 1970s.

Kinberg, Weil, and Genre Films President of TV Audrey Chon will serve as executive producers on the show, which is said to be a large budget, ambitious, character driven show.

No additional details are available about the series, with specific information being kept under wraps. The show is set to go into production this summer, and it will join more than a dozen other television shows that Apple has in the works.

Apple is developing several science fiction shows, including "Amazing Stories," from Steven Spielberg, an untitled space drama developed by Ronald D. Moore, "See," an futuristic world-building drama starring Jason Momoa, and a TV series adaptation of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" novels.

Apple is expected to debut the first of its TV shows as part of an upcoming streaming series that is set to be announced in 2019.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 12

Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Caution)

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Deals Spotlight: Get Aukey's USB Wall Chargers for as Low as $7 This Week

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Popular third-party accessory company Aukey has debuted a new crop of discount codes this week, this time including two sales on useful wall charger accessories. Both of the deals seen below will expire on Monday, January 21, so be sure to check them out on Amazon and place your order before the end of the upcoming weekend.

Aukey USB Wall Charger with Four Ports

The first device is Aukey's USB Wall Charger that has four ports, perfect as a hub charging station for multiple devices like a pair of iPhones, an iPad, and an Apple Watch. It includes Aukey's AiPower charging technology to adaptively charge any 5V USB device from Apple and Android at up to 2.4 amps.

The USB Wall Charger is available for $15.99 with code AUKEYD48, down from $19.99.

Aukey Ultra Compact USB Wall Charger With Two Ports

Similar to the USB Wall Charger, Aukey also sells a smaller version with the Ultra Compact USB Wall Charger. This device has many of the same features as the larger accessory, in a smaller enclosure and with half of the available USB charging ports.

The Ultra Compact USB Wall Charger is available for $7.01 with code AUKEYD49, down from $12.99

Aukey has a few more coupon codes that expire on January 21, so be sure to head to our Deals Roundup to see the full list and browse even more sales happening this week.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

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Barclays Believes There's Still a 'Good Chance' Apple Will Have to Use Qualcomm 5G Modems in 2020 iPhones

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While recent reports have suggested Intel will supply Apple with 5G modems for 2020 iPhones, the chipmaker has struggled with its consumer 5G modems, to the extent that Apple has allegedly "been unhappy" with Intel's progress.

Despite its apparent displeasure with Intel, a report in November claimed that Apple had not considered reopening conversations with Qualcomm about supplying 5G modems for 2020 iPhones. Instead, the report said Apple has held conversations with chipmaker MediaTek about 5G modems should Intel fail to deliver.

In a research note obtained by MacRumors today, however, analysts at investment bank Barclays said they "still believe there is a good chance Apple will have to use Qualcomm for the 5G modem in their 2020 phones." They also believe such a deal may result in the two companies settling their ongoing lawsuit.

It's a bold claim, as Apple and Qualcomm are engaged in a bitter legal battle around the world. The saga began in 2017 when Apple sued Qualcomm over anticompetitive business practices related to royalties. Qualcomm has denied the allegations and says the iPhone wouldn't exist without its innovations.

Apple COO Jeff Williams recently testified that Qualcomm has been unwilling to provide Apple with any new wireless chips since the legal battle began, with each company seemingly trying to gain the upper hand on the other. As of now, neither company appears willing to back down.

Qualcomm is widely considered to be leading the industry with its 5G efforts though, and there's a good chance its 5G modems will outperform similar offerings from Intel, so perhaps the two companies will find a way to settle their differences.

Tags: Barclays, Qualcomm, 5G, 2020 iPhones

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