Good news for iPhone users: you can finally get a MagSafe charger for your car. If like me you're thinking "but I already have a MagSafe charger in my car", you don't: Belkin's Boost Charge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe is the first official MagSafe charger for the iPhone 14, as well as for iPhones going back to the iPhone 12.
So what's the difference between the Belkin and all the other MagSafe chargers you see online? It's pretty simple. The Belkin one is proper MagSafe; the others are wireless chargers with MagSafe compatibility. That means their magnets will happily lock to your phone, but you don't get the same charging speed as a pure MagSafe charger delivers.
Why MagSafe is magic in cars
MagSafe (or magnets generally) and cars are a brilliant combination: there's no need to faff around with grabby bits or sticky things to get your phone in the right position, and you don't need to then fiddle with a cable to charge it. Simply keep the charger plugged into a USB socket, put your phone on the magnetic circle and you're good to go.
The magnets are strong, too. Where I live we regularly battle potholes big enough to swallow buses, and despite many bone-shaking drives my iPhone has never fallen off.
Is pure MagSafe worth paying $99 for? That depends on how time-pressed you are. A MagSafe-compatible wireless charger is limited by Apple to a max of 7.5W; MagSafe gives you the full 15W. If that's not a huge issue for you, Belkin also offers a cheaper option: the Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger delivers 10W and is currently £24.99 at the usual retailers.
