The Belkin Charging Case Pro review

Last year, I fell head over heels for the Belkin Charging Case. It felt a bit silly to get that excited over a simple case (and it still does), but it earned its place as the best Nintendo Switch 2 case I had tested by that point, as it helped rectify the handheld's horrendous battery life through the simple act of combining a case and a power bank.

I had minimal qualms with the original charging case, other than the fiddly nature of keeping it powered up. But Belkin must've been listening as they released the new and improved Belkin Charging Case Pro. The latest case is Pro in every sense of the word as it's far easier to use than before. You can now charge the 10,000mAh bank all without even opening the lid. The bulky powerbank has now been transformed into a stand, which can be used inside the case or as a way to sit your Switch 2 upright wherever you please.

With a $99.99 (Amazon)MSRP, it's now the most expensive Switch 2 case I've ever tested, but it's also the best. Its price is the only real issue I have with this new version. That, and it wouldn't have hurt to release it in a couple of extra colors. If you have the budget to spare, want a robust and quality case that helps fix the console battery issues, this is as good as it gets.

Design

The new Belkin Charging Case Pro looks pretty indistinguishable from its predecessor. Belkin didn't opt for providing new colorways or designs to separate the two, so you have that same textured, black-gray 'Charcoal' fabric with the 'Belkin' logo printed on the exterior. The same colorways are also available as before, including the Pistachio Green and Sand SKUs.

The only immediate indicator that things are a bit different this time around is thanks to that little window, found underneath the zipper. This showcases the internal power bank's LED screen. When I brought it over to a friend's house for the first time, they immediately clocked it and asked why my case was counting down a number, as if I was secretly harbouring a bomb of some kind. Yet, what they spotted was in fact the battery indicator, and a big reason why I adore this brand new Switch 2 case.

Features

This little cut-out window is one of the features that make the newly improved Charging Case Pro so "pro." With the previous case, charging the interior powerbank was a bit of a fiddly process. This time around, Belkin decided to include passthrough, so you juice it up without even unzipping the case.

The LED screen of the powerbank includes a USB-C port, and there's a button on the right-hand side that reveals how much battery is remaining. What I particularly love about this display is that opening the case reveals that instead of being part of an average rectangular powerbank, it's actually part of the same device.

The bottom of the case is moulded to store this unique charger, which looks like a large flat kickstand. You can simply slide in your Switch 2 when you want to charge it, or even remove the stand entirely and keep it by your bedside like I've been doing throughout testing.

While Belkin knew the charging aspect of the previous case needed a snazzy redesign, everything else has been left as it is. You still have that little fabric slab that can store up to 12 physical Switch and Switch 2 games, there's a fabric mesh pocket above, and that hidden Apple AirTag pocket is still tucked away inside it. This has been a staple of Belkin's Switch 2 cases since the Belkin Carrying Case, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Performance

The sheer ease of use of the case is a huge part of what propelled me to prefer it over its predecessor. Before, you had to find the end of the USB-C port and feed it through the case to charge your handheld. With the new Charging Case Pro, you just have to open the case and slide the console in, and you're good to go.

The powerbank is no longer this massive, obtuse block, and is now integrated into a slim kickstand that lies flat at the bottom of the case. A little USB-C prong sits at the bottom, which slips into your console, and that's all you need to keep it juiced up - that and ensuring you've been keeping the thing charged via the passthrough slot at the exterior of the case.

It's a simple design change, but an important one. There were a few occasions with the Belkin Charging Case where the cable would come loose while I was frolicking about on the go. That's not happened at all with this new case, and the little button on the outside means I can keep track of the 10,000mAh powerbank's remaining battery at a moment's notice. Since I've been testing the Pro model, it's the least I've ever had to worry about the Switch 2's battery, and that's a big deal.

My only worry from this case came from the USB-C connector, especially as I can be pretty heavy-handed. As it sticks out from the bottom of the case, I was worried it would snap off, rendering the pricey case entirely useless. But even in moments where I've been half asleep and tried to feed my Switch 2 through the case to set it aside after too many hours staying up with Pokémon Pokopia, it's managed to stay intact.

On its own merit, it's a pretty great charging stand too, and I'd honestly recommend it if Belkin ever sought to sell them separately. Removing it entirely doesn't negate its charging capabilities either, and it can be adjusted up and down to your liking. It's a lot easier to move out of the case than in, so I definitely recommend just taking it out if you're hoping to use your Switch 2 on a train or plane.

Talking of travel, if you were hoping that the new stand and powerbank combo would make it easier to travel with, you'd be mistaken. It's just as bulky as the original, so you slim case preferers would be better off with the PowerA Slime Case if that's going to be an issue. That being said, I've been fine taking a tote bag to carry the Belkin Charging Case Pro to my mum's or to a friend's house, as I knew my Switch 2 would be fully charged up and ready to show play when I needed it.

Would I have preferred it to be smaller to fit inside one of my many cute backpacks? Yeah, but the pros outweigh the cons here. Maybe one day Belkin will design a Switch 2 charging backpack, making all my gaming on the go dreams come true.

Should you buy the Belkin Charging Case Pro?

No matter which way you look at it, $99.99 is a lot to spend on a Switch 2 accessory, especially in today's climate, where everything is getting more expensive. With that in mind, I don't expect everybody to be entirely comfortable laying down $100 purely for a case, especially when there are plenty of high-quality hardshell cases around the $20 / £20 mark. But if you want the best of the best, and are continuously fed up with the battery life of the Switch 2, that's how much it's going to cost you.

The Belkin Charging Case Pro keeps all the benefits of the charging case before it, and changes up its design to make it easier than ever to use. There's a $40 difference in price between the Charging Case Pro and the older Charging Case, but after spending months with both, I wouldn't recommend anything but the Pro model - especially when a better battery life is more of a necessity than ever.

Towards the end of my testing time with this case, Nintendo released the 'Handheld Boost Mode' on Switch 2 that bumps older Switch games from 720p up to the full 1080p when playing in handheld mode. It's a serious battery drainer, so having a case like this is where you can simply slide your handheld in, just like the dock, and have it charged on the go, is a lifesaver.

As of typing up this review, the Belkin Charging Case Pro is only available on the official US Belkin site until March 30 in the US. Afterwards, you'll be able to grab it from the usual US retailers where the previous two cases can be found. In the UK, you need to wait a little longer, as it's expected to launch on April 27, 2006. But it's entirely worth it if you want the best Switch 2 case out there.

How I tested the Belkin Charging Case Pro?

To test the new Belkin Charging Case Pro I used the case for two months, making it my one and only way to store and carry around my Nintendo handheld. In that time, I used the case to store a bunch of Switch and Switch 2 games, accessories, including an extra set of thumb grips, and used it to charge up my Switch 2, whether I was gaming on the go or just wanted it fully juiced up overnight.

To test the interior powerbank stand on its own merit, I also removed it from the case and used it to display my Switch 2 on my bedside. For more information on how we test accessories for the Nintendo Switch 2, check out our full GamesRadar+ Hardware policy.

I've also rounded up the best Nintendo Switch headsets, the best Nintendo Switch microSD Express Cards, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 cameras if you're on the hunt for more top-tier Ninty accessories.