With CES already in full swing, Belkin announces two QI2 accessories for your iPhone — these can now match the charging speeds of MagSafe, but for a lower price

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By Daryl Baxter
published

Why buy MagSafe?

Belkin iPhone charger and stand
(Image credit: Future / Belkin)

At the CES trade show, currently being held in Las Vegas until January 12, accessory maker Belkin announced a line of iPhone chargers that come with the QI2 standard, offering the same charging speed as Apple’s own MagSafe accessories.

For those unaware, QI2 is a massive improvement over the previous wireless charging standard, which only gave you charging speeds of 5W. Compared to MagSafe, Apple’s wireless-charging take that charges at 15W, it was a poor alternative if you wanted to buy wireless charging accessories for your iPhone.

"So with QI2 offering the same speeds as Magsafe charging, and iPhone 13 devices and above supporting the standard on iOS 17.2 or later, it's one of the biggest improvements in wireless charging some time. Belkin has become one of the first manufacturers to pack the standard into its new accessories.

These range from a magnetic 3-in-1 stand for $149.99, to a power bank stand that comes in three capacities you can choose from — which start at $59.99. These are set to ship from March onwards.

Put my name down for the power bank stand — iMore’s take

MagSafe iPhone on train

(Image credit: iMore)

I’ve owned a similar power bank stand for the past year, and I’ve loved it. For those unfamiliar, it’s the size of a credit card which can snap to any MagSafe-compatible iPhone, and you can put the phone in any orientation you like. If you want to watch something on YouTube, for example, you can place your iPhone on the charging stand in landscape, place the stand on a table, and enjoy the video.

I’ve spoken before about my experience of owning one, and I didn’t have a reason to replace it until I saw Belkin announce a QI2 model. In the year since owning my stand, I upgraded to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, so charging now takes longer — mostly due to the increase in battery capacity.

Having a QI2 charging stand could help reduce the amount of time it would take to recharge my 15 Pro Max. It may seem expensive at $149.99, but for the number of times it has saved me from holding up my iPhone to watch a video as I’m on the train, I think it's worth the price to upgrade.

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Daryl Baxter
Daryl Baxter
Features Editor

Daryl is iMore's Features Editor, overseeing long-form and in-depth articles and op-eds. Daryl loves using his experience as both a journalist and Apple fan to tell stories about Apple's products and its community, from the apps we use everyday to the products that have been long forgotten in the Cupertino archives.

Previously Software & Downloads Writer at TechRadar, and Deputy Editor at StealthOptional, he's also written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider', which tells the story of the beginnings of Lara Croft and the series' early development. He's also written for many other publications including WIRED, MacFormat, Bloody Disgusting, VGC, GamesRadar, Nintendo Life, VRV Blog, The Loop Magazine, SUPER JUMP, Gizmodo, Film Stories, TopTenReviews, Miketendo64 and Daily Star.