Each year, new products enter the ring trying to be the best 3-in-1 iPhone dock. The Belkin UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1 Magnetic Charging Dock is a worthy contender with 25W of wireless charging and a sleek profile, but it has one major hindrance.

Price and Availability

The Belkin UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1 is available to buy now. It retails for $129.99 and comes in charcoal or sand colors.

This Dock Can Charge Wirelessly at 25 Watts

The name of the game for new, premium iPhone docking stations is Qi2 25W. That’s the latest official spec for devices to wirelessly charge up to 25 watts. The original Qi spec started at just 5 and 7.5W before getting bumped up to 15W and now 25W.

Speed is the main feature of this device. In that case, you will need an iPhone 16 or later to fully take advantage of the faster charging with Apple devices.

Personally speaking, when the max speed of Qi2 was 15 watts, I would never opt for it over a cable and a powerful power adapter. But now that the top speed has been boosted to 25 watts for all Qi2 25W accessories, not just MagSafe ones, I’m much more inclined to use this wireless option.

The UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1 is one of the first devices to support Qi2 25W, which makes it a bit novel and desirable. As expected, when I attached my iPhone, the charger went to work immediately. It was reliable in charging each time I used it.

One other item to note around speed that will probably go unnoticed by most people. There’s a 45W compact power adapter and fabric USB-C cable included in the box. What’s unusual here is that this is a powerful charger in a compact size. Belkin charges $30 for it if you buy it separately. It could be a great power adapter to bring while traveling, when you’re away from the UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1.

Whether you see this included power adapter as an extra value, making the $130 price more palatable, or not, the inclusion of this power adapter is still very nice.

The Design and Function Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

The speed is critical to this device being useful at a desk, but that aspect is a lot less necessary if you only use it bedside, for overnight charging. In that case, it’s the functional design of this unit that’s great.

While there are no real hidden features about this product, I like how simple and obvious everything is. For example, the phone charging point hinges from 90 degrees to lying flat. The watch charger in the back is raised enough so that most bands should have plenty of room. Even the AirPods charger is subtle enough that if you never use it, it’s not a visual distraction.

Its minimal footprint makes it perfect for any-sized nightstand. It’s a little bigger than the 2023 BoostCharge 2-in-1 model, but overall, the UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1 is compact and easy to orient in any direction.

Be Aware, There’s a Fan!

That brings me to a slightly concerning part of the UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1, its active cooling feature, which Belkin calls ChillBoost. Basically, there’s a fan inside the main charging point that the company says is there to help optimize the high-speed charging speeds.

ChillBoost is listed as being able to cool a device by 12 degrees (Fahrenheit). The trade-off is that the fan can create a high-pitched hum. The sound is noticeable from a few feet away. Even worse, is that when I put my ear close to listen, I could hear it constantly varying in speed and creating different noises, rather than a steady white noise.

The fan noise is audible, but it’s not overly loud. I tried to measure it with a decibel meter, and yard work from outside prevented me from getting a reading. At night, in a dead quiet room, the sound may be a lot for some people. The most unfortunate part is when it spins at uneven speeds, which can make the fan seem erratic.

The good news is that you don’t need to use the ChillBoost if it is bothersome. There’s an off switch on the back of the charger. I was told by a representative that ChillBoost is not necessary for the charger to reach its full 25W capability. Without the fan turned on, it may take a few more minutes to charge from 0 to 50% battery than the advertised 25 minutes.

So then why would you want it? Well, comparatively, other wireless chargers do make the back of the phones really hot. I never got that same heat level from the UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1.

Should You Buy the Belkin UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1 Magnetic Charging Dock?

Belkin regularly has the most intriguing multi-device chargers, and the UltraCharge Pro 3-in-1 Magnetic Charging Dock is simply the latest version. It adopts the newest Qi technology to offer 25 watts of power for compatible phones and a refreshed design. It’s arguable whether it’s the absolute best, but it’s certainly one of them. It’s great in most ways. Thankfully, if the cooling bothers you, it can be turned off. If it’s not annoying, then you’ll get a less hot phone.

Other improvements Qi2 brings over Qi include wider device compatibility (from tablets to wearables), adaptive charging so chargers can talk to devices to supply the power they need instead of having a fixed power output, and enhanced safety with better heat management and foreign object detection.

What Is Qi2 25W?

The first major update for the Qi2 standard is Qi2.2.1, which the WPC is branding as Qi2 25W. While it won’t do anything to clarify the wireless charging scene, it is set to enable a host of improvements:

• Faster charging speeds of up to 50 watts, though it looks as though 25 watts will be the norm for now.
• Improved magnetic alignment, so phones can charge at maximum efficiency and speed, and different devices will be compatible with all Qi2 25W accessories.
• Backwards compatibility, meaning Qi2 25W devices will still work with Qi2 and Qi chargers, albeit at slower speeds.

The WPC says 14 products are certified so far, including 3-in-1 chargers, power banks, and car mounts, from Anker, Aukey, Baseus, Belkin, Ugreen, and Scosche, with hundreds more in the certification queue. Most interestingly, the WPC says, “in addition to Apple iPhone, major Android smartphones will join the Qi2 ecosystem for the first time with this launch.” But we don’t know yet which iPhone models or Android phones it is referring to.

A Complete List of Qi2 Phones

Sadly, there aren’t many Qi2-certified phones yet. Here’s the complete list:

A Complete List of Qi2-Ready Phones

Qi2-Ready phones are capable of charging at Qi2 speeds but lack the magnetic array, so they must be paired with Qi2-Ready cases with magnets in them to act as Qi2 phones. Here’s the list:

Expect a Delayed Wave of Qi2 Devices

Before a device can bear the Qi2 or Qi2 25W logo, the Wireless Power Consortium must certify it in its independent labs. The MPP Qi2 specification includes charging rate, magnet strength, and device compatibility. The Qi2 logo promises that the device meets the WPC’s exacting standards. But, as with the original Qi standard, there are also devices available that have not passed through the official Qi2 certification process.

Apple’s iPhone 12 to 16 range supports Qi2, and accessory makers like Anker, Belkin, Nomad, Mophie, Baseus, and many others have released Qi2 wireless chargers and power banks. You can expect a wave of Qi2 25W accessories and phones to roll out next, and we expect some Android manufacturers to jump fully on board later this year or early 2026. Phones typically have a two-year lead time, so that may account for the delay in Qi2 adoption. The WPC hopes that Qi2 will unify wireless charging and finally provide the universal global standard we have been waiting for, but we are no longer feeling quite so optimistic.

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