Belkin Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2

With a new handheld console comes the dilemma of selecting a new case to carry it around in. In the past, for my Nintendo Switch console, I've steadily tried different options, from the official and flimsy carry case from Nintendo itself, all the way to a very stylish and elegant option from Waterfield Designs. While the latter in particular almost makes me sad that I'll have to leave it in the past, this transition does open the doors to tackling the one big issue that each carry case I've owned before has posed; a simple lack of space and inability to charge on-the-go.

Enter Belkin. The powerbank specialists have taken their first steps into the world of gaming accessories in the form of a slate of products for the Nintendo Switch 2. There are two carry case options - the bigger of which is the topic of today - and a screen protector as well. Again, the focus here is the Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2, which is a very literally named product, one that does all the typical carry case tasks but also manages to squeeze in room for a powerbank that can be used to charge up a Switch 2 while out and about. It's a great idea in theory, but the question is how it shapes up in practice.

For starters, the case is strong and quite light. It has a fabric covering protecting what feels like a strengthened cardboard shell where a Switch 2 unit sits. It's quite a large product and a deep one at that, somewhere around three times as thick as a Switch 2 console, which means it's not very small despite the fact that it won't weigh you down while lugging it about.

On the exterior, aside from the zip stretching around its body, there's a carry handle made with quality fabric, and aside from the subtle Belkin logo, there's not actually much to betray the identity of this product. On the interior, it is much the same. Around two-thirds of the inside space is dedicated to the Switch 2 in its protective 'seat' and the powerbank beneath, with the other third being reserved for a mesh pocket where you can store cables, SD cards, and other useful but small items, a little fabric pocket for an AirTag or something similar, and then also the flippable fabric cutout that serves as a place to store up to 12 Switch or Switch 2 game cartridges. It's actually quite a typical and traditional carry case formula that Belkin has presented here, and while it'd be interesting to see what innovation to the formula looks like, as they say, "if it ain't broke..."

In terms of the console's fit in the case, it's a bit of a mixed bag in my experience. Without the removable powerbank beneath the Switch 2, it sits comfortably and without any issues whatsoever. The cartridge-carrying cut-out also perfectly aligns with the display of the Switch 2, meaning when you close the case, you can be assured that the soft underbelly of it will protect your screen from any scratches. However, when you add the powerbank back into the equation things get a little more crammed.

With the Switch 2 simply sitting above the powerbank, everything still fits together as expected, albeit not quite as flush, with the console almost 'floating' over the powerbank. This is still fine in practice, even if I'd ideally like a little more room between the two bits of tech. The main complication arrives when you attempt to charge on-the-go, as the entire structure struggles a bit to make this work. There's a cut out in the Switch 2 'shell-seat' that enables the included USB-C cable to connect to the Switch 2's bottom USB-C port and then run underneath the device to feed back into the powerbank. The idea here is excellent, but in practice it feels as though the scaling was misjudged by a centimetre or two, so much so that when all the cables are connected, the perfect and then slightly crammed fit I mentioned earlier all of a sudden becomes very, very crammed. Again, fundamentally, it all works, and the fabric screen protector of the cut-out still fits like a glove, but a little more wiggle room would go a long way.

Anyway, the powerbank itself. This sits in a little pocket beneath the Switch 2 where a handy fabric strap keeps it firmly in place. The powerbank that Belkin has selected is a 10,000 mAh 20W Boost Charge, which is big enough to charge a Switch 2 fully around twice before being out of juice, by my calculations and experience. It even comes with a handy LED display built into it, so you know exactly how much charge is left. The included cable is also one that's designed to fit the bizarre situation it finds itself in, meaning it has one traditional straight end and one end that's sat at a 90-degree angle to fit into a carried Switch 2.

It should be said as a final point that the case does have back-compatible, cross-generation support, meaning with included inserts, it will fit an original Switch or an OLED model too.

All in all, the Belkin Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2 strikes me as an excellent idea with a slightly misjudged execution. The majority of this case screams quality and excellence and I adore much of what Belkin has designed and delivered in this product, at what is a reasonable price of £50/$70/€60, including the powerbank. But, the fit when all the cables are connected just doesn't quite seem right, and while it's not nearly enough to make this product unusable, for future iterations, this definitely seems like an area where meaningful work and improvements can go a long, long way.