Keeping my phone charged when I’m away from home is a constant challenge for me. I don’t like having to leave my device connected to a wall charger in the middle of the day when I prefer to have my phone on me, so lately, when my battery is running low, I’ve been favoring MagSafe and Qi2 chargers to keep my iPhone juiced up on the go.

The Belkin BoostCharge is one of many such chargers on my roster, and comes from a trusted brand in the iPhone charging accessory space. I recently spent some time with the Belkin BoostCharge to see if it fit my busy lifestyle, and I was a little disappointed.

Price, availability, and specs

The Belkin BoostCharge is available from Amazon, Target, and directly from Belkin online. It retails for $40, though it can frequently be found for a few dollars off depending on when and where you’re shopping.

The Belkin BoostCharge falls on the bare-bones end of the spectrum when it comes to MagSafe-compatible chargers. Its limited 2,500 mAh is just enough to serve as a stopgap to prevent your phone from dying completely at the end of a long day, though it’s by no means enough to keep you going for an entire second wind away from another charging source.

The charger features no kickstand, no multi-charge support, no status display screen, and really no bells or whistles to write home about. It serves only one narrow purpose and is priced accordingly. The Belkin BoostCharge charges via USB-C, weighs just over 3.5oz (100g), and features simple indicator lights to assess battery level.

What I liked about the Belkin BoostCharge

Good for taking it on the go

The most redeeming quality of the Belkin BoostCharge is its small size and thin profile, allowing it to fit into just about any pocket, purse, or clutch. Its ultraportable design is its greatest strength, so it falls squarely into an “it’s so easy to carry, you might as well have it on you” mindset.

It doesn’t have the juice to get you fully charged, but it’s just enough to keep you going until you can make it to a charger. While larger chargers will take you farther, I enoyed that I could comfortably slip my iPhone 14 Pro into my pocket with the BoostCharge attached.

Velvety finish

I’ve started to see more MagSafe chargers from Belkin that feature this velvet-like finish on the charging side of the power bank. Personally, I think it’s a great trend — I hate feeling like the hard plastic finish of other chargers is scratching up my phone at the contact points. It’s a nice touch and an elegant detail that I appreciate.

What I didn’t like about the Belkin BoostCharge

Not enough juice — or pizzazz — for the squeeze

Compared to other Belkin products or MagSafe chargers from other brands, the BoostCharge just felt like a really rudimentary product. At this price point, I wish the BoostCharge at least included a kickstand. When I factored in the total lack of additional features and the fairly small 2,500 mAh capacity, I was frankly underwhelmed by this entry from Belkin.

At 2,500 mAh of capacity, the BoostCharge is also dwarfed by newer models from Belkin, including some of the same relative size. There are a lot of MagSafe chargers on the market that are just as small but pack at least 5,000 mAh of charging, which will provide a lot more peace of mind when you’re out and about. Again, here the BoostCharge is a very stripped-down product.

Should you buy the Belkin BoostCharge?

If you need a MagSafe charger in your life and portability is a high priority, then you’ll find the BoostCharge certainly falls on the thinner, more reliable, and more portable end of the MagSafe charger market. Belkin makes great products, so you’re certainly better off with a small, budget-friendly MagSafe charger from a trusted brand than with cheaper products from no-name brands with questionable build quality. The standard BoostCharge is also really affordable for its build quality, though even $10 or $20 more would get you a Belkin MagSafe charger with double the capacity while retaining the same compact size.

If spending as little as possible is a priority, then the BoostCharge will serve you well. However, if your needs are better met by a MagSafe charger that can keep your phone charged throughout an entire day, has a stand for easier hands-free phone use, or features multi-charge support to juice up your phone and tablet at the same time, then I’d encourage you to explore more refined models than this standard BoostCharge.