Belkin BoostCharge Hybrid review: Confident combo charger

It's not all that often that an accessory like a power bank or USB-C charger is compelling enough to hold its own as a headline act. More often than not, there's not much to say. If there is, it's usually not good news. Whenever that's not the case, it's usually because the specs do most of the talking.

The Belkin BoostCharge Hybrid is the exception to that rule of thumb. For most people, the only thing worth talking about here is the fact that this travel-friendly fast charger doubles as a power bank.

The price tag for the Belkin BoostCharge Hybrid starts at $119.95 in Australia. That's far from cheap, but the accessory does come with a quartet of power socket attachments and a 1 meter long USB-C cable in the box.

For a sense of how much the Belkin BoostCharge Hybrid costs from various retailers, check out the table below.

As far as wall-chargers go, the Belkin BoostCharge Hybrid doesn't break the mold when it comes to looks. It arrives wrapped in a matte-black finish that's both familiar and inoffensive.

The unit itself is relatively slim and made from 72% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic. It features a total of two ports that can be used for charging. One of those is an old-school USB type-A input. The other is a more modern USB-C one. Sitting above the former is a chunky power button. Nestled next to the latter is a set of LED lights that indicate how much charge remains.

As mentioned above, the Belkin BoostCharge Hybrid's main claim to fame is that it plays double duty. Depending on the situation, you can use it as either a power bank or a wall charger. If you stick it into a wall socket, It'll charge compatible devices with up to 25W fast-charging. If you're on the go, you can just hit the power button and use it as its own standalone power source.

The only other big selling point here is that the Belkin BoostCharge Hybrid comes with four interchangeable power plugs that can be swapped between as needed.

Out of the box, you've got everything you need to charge your devices in Australia, the United States, United Kingdom and Europe. Changing things up is as simple as holding down the release toggle, removing the old plug and then popping the new one into place. This process takes no more than a few seconds and ends with a satisfying click.

Although the simplicity is a big part of the appeal for this particular product, it's not that hard to start splitting hairs and asking for more. It'd be nice if there was a second USB-C port in the mix. It'd be even nicer if the hardware here supported the faster wired charging that modern smartphones and laptops are capable of.

Still, in terms of meeting the brief, Belkin has done a great job in blending what used to be three different product experiences (fast-charging, power-banks and travel chargers) into one easy-to-use piece of gear without going overboard or trying to reinvent the wheel where it's not needed.

The design of the BoostCharge Hybrid is eminently likable, the results rarely feel like much to write home about given the price. 25W is plenty fast for a phone or tablet, but less well suited for a laptop and MacBook. Given what you're paying here, it's hard not to wish it supported faster speeds like 45W.

To Belkin's credit though, the BoostCharge Hybrid does integrate a Programmable Power Supply, which modifies the voltage and current going to your device to better match the size of the battery inside it. This optimisation promises lengthen the battery life of a compatible device over the long run, which is hard to test but nevertheless neat.

While the 3-in-1 utility of the BoostCharge Hybrid wall charger is well-realized, it's as subject to the negative aspects of being a jack-of-all-trades as it is the positive ones. It's fairly heavy for a travel charger and, with 5000mAh to its name, it's not all that big for a power bank. If you run a laptop off this thing, you'll run out of juice fairly fast.

Realistically, the Belkin BoostCharge Hybrid is not going to be something you charge up and rely on for a week at a time. In most cases, it's just going to be something that gives you a little more room to breath and peace of mind when you need it most.