ESR Qi2 15W MagSafe Car Mount Charger review: power your iPhone on the road for less

If you spend a lot of time driving and have an iPhone, then you'll want a charger in your car. That way, you'll never run out of the juice you need for navigation, music streaming, and hands-free calling while you're on the road. 

And if your iPhone is MagSafe compatible (which applies to all models from the 12 series upwards), you'll be tempted by the idea of a magnetic charger. Because quite frankly, it means you can just get in the car, pop your phone onto a magnet, and drive. Which is a lot more convenient than messing about with a bunch of wires. 

That said, if you've recently shelled out a lot of cash on your phone and various other accessories, your bank account may be feeling the pinch right now. And so the high price of the Apple-approved Belkin Boostcharge Car Charger may be just beyond your reach. In which case, you'll be pleased to hear ESR Qi2 15W MagSafe Car Mount Charger is more than half the price.

That's not surprising: ESR has a strong reputation in making chargers that are generally cheaper than those from major brands like Apple or Samsung. But is this a great way to save money, or are you cutting off your nose to spite your face? I spent time with the ESR Qi2 15W MagSafe Car Mount Charger to find out.

ESR charger: Specifications

ESR charger: Price and availability

The ESR Qi2 15W MagSafe Car Mount Charger is widely available through both ESR's Amazon store and official website, catering to users worldwide. At the time of writing, it's $29.99 on Amazon, making it much more affordable than the Apple-approved Belkin Boostcharge Car Charger, which is $89.99 on Amazon. 

ESR charger: Build and handling

The ESR Qi2 15W MagSafe Car Mount Charger is small but perfectly formed with a sleek and modern design. It comes with two alternative ways of attaching it to the dashboard.

The first is a three-point mount with a support arm, which clips onto your air vent. The second is a dashboard anchor which uses a high-quality adhesive that means you can stick it pretty much anywhere you like.

Because this was for a review, I didn't necessarily want to attach this charger to my car forever, so I went for the clip, which I found easy to attach, remove and reattach. This would also be the best option if, say, you often switch between a personal car and a company car, or sometimes use your partner's.

Despite its low price, this product feels very well-made and sturdy. This helped to calm my nerves: after all, no one wants their expensive iPhone falling off the dash the moment their car hits a bump in the road. 

The strong magnets in this charger meant that attaching and removing my iPhone was pretty seamless; it snapped into place naturally and without any messing around. I also appreciated the fact you could angle your phone in both portrait and landscape modes, depending on what you or your passenger are using it for. 

The charger comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable as well as a small USB-A to USC-C adapter. On the downside, if your car doesn't have either a USB-A or USB-C port, you'll need an adapter to connect to its cigarette lighter socket.

ESR charger: Performance

Equipped with its official Qi2 certification, this charger provided pretty efficient 15W charging in practice. I managed to charge an iPhone 13 from empty to full in times ranging from 2hrs 47mins to 2hrs 53mins, which is about what I'd expect from a normal MagSafe charger. I also liked that there are blue lights on both the passenger and driver sides to show you that your phone is being powered.

Perhaps more importantly, the strong magnetic lock, combined with the sturdy mounting system, ensured that the phone remained securely in place, even during sharp turns or rough road conditions. Which, given my generally nervous state around expensive tech, was a big relief. 

ESR charger: Verdict

The ESR Qi2 15W MagSafe Car Mount Charger does what it's supposed to, simply and efficiently. It's easy to set up. It attaches magnetically to your phone easily. It charges your phone quickly. It lets you position your phone horizontally or vertically. And it comes with two mounting options: one that's more temporary and one that's more permanent. In short, if you're looking for an affordable way to charge a modern iPhone in your car, I would recommend this affordable option.

ESR charger: Alternatives

The Belkin BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger offers the same MagSafe compatibility, the same 15W charging and similar features as the ESR charger on test. Plus unlike the former, it comes with 12V adapter for connecting to your car's cigarette lighter. This, plus the fact that it's Apple-approved and sold by Apple itself may for some make it worth the (significantly) higher price.

If you'd rather get a wired car charger for your iPhone, then the Anker PowerDrive Speed+ 2 is an excellent and affordable alternative. This charger supports Power Delivery 3.0 (PD 3.0) which can deliver up to 30W of power, providing the fastest possible charging speed for your iPhone 12 or later. It also has an additional USB-A port.