Blog

Wireless chargers are a convenient way to juice up your phone without having to plug it in, even if they’re slower than wired chargers. And stand-style chargers are the best because, unlike horizontal pads, they allow you to use your phone while it’s charging. After more than 900 hours of testing since 2017, we’ve determined that the Belkin Boost Charge Wireless Charging Stand 10W is the best Qi (the industry-wide wireless-charging standard) charger for smartphones because it charges iPhones and Android phones faster than the competition. It also comes with a cable and a wall charger, accessories that many cheaper rivals leave out. If you have an iPhone 12 or later, consider our upgrade pick below.

The Belkin Boost Charge Wireless Charging Stand 10W can charge common smartphones from empty to about 40% or 50% in an hour, whereas much of the competition brings a battery closer to 30% or 40%. Unlike some Qi chargers (including our budget picks), this charging stand comes with a cable and a wall plug, so you don’t need anything else to charge your phone at the highest available speeds—and the detachable cable is of the readily available Micro-USB variety, so you can easily replace it if necessary. Available in black or white, the stand has a simple design that will blend into most environments. The Wireless Power Consortium has certified it as safe, and if anything goes wrong, Belkin’s warranty covers the charger for two years.

Charging speed: 7.5 W for iPhones, 10 W for Android phones
Input port: Micro-USB
Included in the box: charging stand, 4-foot Micro-USB cable, 24 W Quick Charge 3.0 wall charger

A stand-style charger, such as our top pick, is the most convenient way to wirelessly charge the widest variety of phones. But if you have an iPhone with MagSafe (any model in the iPhone 12 lineup or later) and want to take advantage of the magnetic charging feature, which lets you use your phone while it’s being wirelessly charged, we recommend Belkin’s Boost Charge Pro Portable Wireless Charger Pad with MagSafe Special Edition. It’s Apple-certified and offers full 15-watt MagSafe charging speeds. In fact, it was even faster than Apple’s own MagSafe Charger in our tests. It magnetically attaches in the same way as Apple’s, and a built-in kickstand lets you prop your phone up in portrait orientation while charging. Despite its high price, the Belkin charger doesn’t come with the 20 W USB-C wall adapter you need to power it. So you’ll have to pick one up if you don’t already have an extra. This model can also charge Qi-capable Android devices, but we think Android users should consider other chargers whose designs aren’t as iPhone-centric.

Charging speed: 15 W for iPhone
Input port: n/a
Included in the box: magnetic wireless charger with permanently attached 79-inch braided USB-C cable

If you want to spend a little less on a charger and already have USB power bricks lying around, the Anker PowerWave Base Pad and Anker PowerWave Stand are great options. Both come with a Micro-USB cable, but neither package includes a USB power brick. In our tests, the Anker chargers delivered about 12% less charge in an hour than our top pick, but the Anker models are also much cheaper. Light-sensitive sleepers will appreciate that though there is a small blue charging-indicator light, it isn’t too bright and is easily covered if it’s still too much. Anker claims that the Base Pad—when paired with a Quick Charge 3.0 wall charger—can charge the latest iPhones at 7.5 W, and both units should provide 10 W charging for recent Samsung Galaxy phones. However, in our testing both maxed out at 5 W with the iPhone 12 and LG V30.

Charging speed: 5 W
Input port: Micro-USB
Included in the box: charging pad or stand, 3-foot Micro-USB cable