Baseus PrimeTrip VR2 Max review: Charge multiple devices in your car

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Simultaneously powers multiple devices

Retractable cables

Supports fast charging

Cons

USB-C cable for iPhone 15 and later only

Bit chunky

Our Verdict
The versatile in-car charging ports and positioning options are appreciated, and the retractable cables keep things in your car neat and tidy.

Price When Reviewed
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Car chargers can be a messy affair. It’s not uncommon to have USB cables dangling around the cabin if you have teenagers who quickly had to top up their phones before heading out of the car. The amount of power offered can also be unimpressive on many chargers, with a limited number of ports available.

These aren’t problems you’ll find with the Baseus PrimeTrip VR2 Max, as its retractable built-in cables and additional charger ports make it purpose built for families and people that want to power up multiple devices while on the go.

Design

The design is relatively simple. You plug the connector into the auxiliary power socket in the car, then pull out a cable from the top of the squarish section that houses the coiled leads.

There are two USB-C cables available, each of which will reach up to 2.6 feet (80cm). The cables are flat, to avoid getting tangled, and when you’re done they gently retract back into the casing. I did find that they sometimes needed a bit of pulling and releasing for the retraction to be smooth, but it didn’t take long to return the cables to their homes.




Baseus

The housing section itself can twist 90 degrees in either direction, allowing you to angle it towards the device you’re charging, and it also rotates around 180 degrees for the same purpose. I found this useful as the position of my car’s power outlet is a bit awkward (it’s a very old car) and would have blocked some of the ports if the unit had a rigid design.

Should you require a different connection, say a Lightning cable for iPhones older than the 15 models, then the two USB ports (1x USB-C, 1x USB-A) at the base of the PrimeTrip VR2 Max can be used with all four power outlets available simultaneously to charge multiple devices. You’ll need to add your own Lightning cable, of course; we rounded up the best Lightning cables in case you didn’t have enough lying around at home.

Of course you could just buy a cheap but trustworthy in-car charger such as the Anker 30W two-port car charger and bring your own cable, but the Baseus PrimeTrip is much neater.




Martyn Casserly

Power and ports

Power isn’t a problem, as the charger delivers up to 163W or 240W depending on the model you choose.

Remember that the total power output will be divided between whichever devices you have connected.

On the 163W PrimeTrip VR2 Max the main built-in cable (USB-C1) maxes out at 67W, while the second one outputs at 33W. For the 240W PrimeTrip VR2 Max both built-in cables go to 105W. On both models the USB-C port outputs at up to 33W, with the USB-A port slightly behind at 30W. This is a wider collection than you’ll find on many other in-car chargers, and even 30W should be enough to fast-charge an iPhone—but note that you’ll achieve fast charging via only USB-C, not old-school USB-A.

You can charge any MacBook at 67W, although the 105W option will get your laptop up to full power much faster.

The PrimeTrip VR2 Max supports various standards, including, PD, QC, SCP and more, but bear in mind that you’ll need to use the appropriate cable to get the higher speeds. On its own, you’re looking at restoring a standard iPhone 16 to 100% after a couple of hours of charging, but this will adjust accordingly if you have other devices charging at the same time. Baseus also equips the unit with various safety features, including guards against it getting too hot or providing too much power to a device.

Price

At the time of writing the 163W PrimeTrip VR2 Max isn’t available in the U.K., but U.S. customers could pick it up for $49.99 or less. The 240W PrimeTrip VR2 Max is only an extra $10 but that extra power might only really help you with devices hungrier than an iPhone—105W will fast charge everything except the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which will charge at that speed but a little slower than it would with a 140W charger.

Should you buy the PrimeTrip VR2 Max?

The Baseus PrimeTrip VR2 Max is an easy way to power up several devices at the same time or fast charge a single one in your car. The versatile port and positioning options are very useful, and the retractable cables keep things neat and tidy. MacBook owners on the move should pay the extra for the 240W model but for iPhones and iPads the 163W charger will be plenty.