Belkin has released two new products which ought to keep many smart phones charged and ready for action. The new Belkin Wireless Charging Pad is for many recent Samsung phone models, any other phone with Qi wireless charging capability, and iPhones sporting wireless charging cases. The Power RockStar 10000 is equally happily recharging any phone, Android or iOS, with 10,000mAh of energy.
The Belkin Wireless Charging Pad speeds things up, offering 15 watts vs 5 for many models. It has a flat, non-slip surface to stop your phone sliding right off, and is clearly marked for optimum positioning. It’s also powerful enough to do the job through three millimetres of case around any phone.
Belkin specifically mentions the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, S6, S6 Edge and the Galaxy Note 5 (after all, no one has a Note7 any more) as gaining maximum advantage from the wireless charger, but notes that there are plenty of other phones it can be used with.
On a personal note, I’d like to add that one might think: what difference does it make? Well, after using the Moto 360 Sports smart watch for a couple of months, with its included wireless charger, I for one am a convert. It’s only a few seconds difference, but it seems so much easier to simply place the device on the charger than to fiddle around with the plug.
And since all those Samsung phones still use Micro-B USB connections, plugging in the cable remains an uncertain affair, demanding some concentration.
The Belkin Wireless Charging Pad is available for $109.95 from the usual major chain retailers.
But you of course need a power point for that. Which is where the Power RockStar 10000 comes in. This is a power bank equally comfortable with iThings and Android things, thanks to the attached fold-away cable to which either the included Lightning or Micro-B USB plug can be attached.
The “10000” stands for the 10,000mAh capacity and the two USB ports allow you to charge up a couple of things at once. The outputs are rated at 2.4 amps, so there’s sufficient power even for an iPad. The 10,000mAh is enough to charge up four iPhones or three and a bit phones of higher battery capacity.
The Belkin Power RockStar 10000 has Apple “MFi” certification so you know it’s safe to use with Apple products. There’s a $2500 “connected equipment” warranty as well. Not that this is likely to be redeemed, but it ought to provide assurance that it really is safe to use with anything.
This is available from the same retailers for $119.95.
Hey, maybe Belkin could make a power bank that charges wirelessly as well!
Can this be used with the Samsung S4
You can’t do wireless charging with the S4 as it is not supported.