Belkin BoostCharge Pro 108W 4-port GAN wall charger – one size fits all (review)

03/07/2023
By Ray Shaw
In Reviews

The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 108W 4-port GAN wall charger can charge a 100W laptop or intelligently share 108W between two USB-C and 2 USB-A ports.

It is all about GaN – gallium nitride, which is 1000 times more efficient than silicon in conducting electrons. That means smaller chargers with higher outputs, less energy waste, better thermal control and faster charging than traditional transformers.

It is about PD – intelligent charging. When a device is plugged into a PD charger, it sends a signal to the charger indicating its power requirements. The charger then adjusts its power output to match the device’s requirements, delivering power more efficiently than a standard charger – foolproof.

And it is about Belkin. You can be assured that it has RCM C-tick certification for Australia and the highest levels of safety built-in.

Australian Review: Belkin BoostCharge Pro 108W 4-port GAN wall charger

Website	Wall Chargers and product page
Price	$129.95
From	Belkin online, Harvey Norman, Domaye, JB Hi-Fi, Myer, Officeworks
Made in	Vietnam
Warranty	2-year ACL repair or replace
	Belkin started in the early 1980s in California, USA and was a pioneer in producing high-quality, US-made cables and accessories. In 2018 Taiwan-based mega-electronics maker Foxconn purchased the company. Its Brands include Belkin, WeMo, Linksys and Phyn. It is famous for its US$25000 connected equipment warranty if connection to its devices cause failure (electrical derangement).
More	CyberShack Belkin news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First impression – Pass+

It is a desktop charger 98.5 x 80 x 31.5mm (about cigarette packet size) with a 2m detachable 2-pin mains cable. It is a good design, as its 332g is just too heavy for a wall-plug style. I like it as it allows far more flexibility in placement on a desk than tucked away at a hard-to-reach power point.

Ports – Pass+

It is all about convenience – one charger for four devices. It does not matter what you plug in; it supports up to PD 3.0 up to 20V/4.8A/96W, USB-C up to 5V/3A/15W, and standard USB-A up to 5V/2.4A/12W (shared over two ports).

Case	USB-C 1	USB-C 2	USB-A 1	USB-A 2	Total W
1	96W				96W
2	65W	30W			95W
3	96W		12W		108W
4	96W		12W	shared	108W
5	65W	30W	12W		107W
6	65W	30W	12W	shared	107W

Tests – Pass+

Using an inline Plugable VA meter, we were able to test a variety of devices.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2020 – 96W – Pass
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 – 65W – Pass
Microsoft Surface Go 3 – 35W – Pass
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – 25W – Pass
USB-C downstream power – 5V/3A/15W – Pass
USB-A (not PD) – a variety of devices charged from 3.75W to 10W – Pass

We tested with a variety of devices in all four ports and were able to get over 100W combined charging. All ports were rock solid. Perfect for charging power banks.

Caveats

To achieve

100W charging, you must use 5A-rated cables (20V/5A/100W).
3A cables will only charge at a maximum of 60W.
1 or 2A cables (as most cheap USB-C cables are) reduce to 5W or 10W by cutting the voltage to 5V.
The device detects that so as not to overstress or overheat the cable.

Belkin has 100W 2m BoostCharge cables in Black or white for $29.95. These are USB-IF certified and support 100W and 480Mbps USB 2.0 data transfer rates. They are double braided wrapped, and tested to over 30,000 bends.

You can use Thunderbolt 3 or 4 cables supporting 100W if you need faster data transfer rates.

To give you an idea of charge speeds, a MacBook Pro can charge from 0-50% in 39 minutes.

CyberShack’s view – Belkin BoostCharge Pro 108W 4-port GAN wall charger is perfect

One charger for every USB-A and USB-C device – nirvana. The convenience of a desktop charger and cable far outweighs a wall charger. Belkin is q quality company.

Rating – 94/100 (2024 adjusted)

Features: 85 – desktop convenience and four ports sharing up to 108W
Value: 80 – A tad expensive, but Belkin quality demands that.
Performance – 90 – meets or exceeds all tests for 100W
Ease of Use: 85 – plug the cable into a wall and place the charger up to 2M away
Design: 80 – elegant, white and simple with eco-friendly packaging