Belkin Auto-Tracking Stand Pro with DockKit Review: Hands-Free Entertainment
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Belkin’s Auto-tracking Stand The Pro is not your ordinary wireless charger. Yes, there’s MagSafe baked in, which allows you to easily and securely attach a compatible iPhone to the charger. But it’s also one of the few accessories included with DockKit—Apple’s software framework that allows the iPhone camera to work in tandem with motorized stands to track your face and keep it in frame.
With Belkin’s 360-degree rotating stand, you can use the front or back cameras on the iPhone to automatically track your face and body movements. It has a motorized 90-degree auto-tilt that adjusts the angle of your device during video calls (up or down). The built-in battery means you don’t have to use it as a modem in close quarters.
It is expensive and not for everyone. But anyone who’s constantly on FaceTimes while doing a craft or cooking might find it useful—more so than the built-in Center Stage on Apple’s iPads and MacBooks, which track and frame it to a limited extent. Or, you know, if you’re a budding TikToker who shoots videos at home.
Seamless Setup
Belkin’s DockKit charger is larger than the standard MagSafe wireless charger. At the top is a MagSafe charging pad, which can charge your iPhone wirelessly at up to 15 watts. It’s attached to a 90-degree rotating hinge that tilts up or down automatically depending on your movements—handy during video calls to keep you in frame.
You can put your phone in portrait or landscape mode; the latter will trigger Smart Display mode. First introduced with iOS 17, it turns your iPhone into a smart display of sorts when placed on any wireless charger in landscape mode—complete with interactive widgets, photos from your library, and a giant clock.
Then there’s the base, which sports a 360-degree rotating hinge. On the front is a button to turn motion tracking on and off, and there’s a USB-C port on the back if you need to charge the built-in battery or just power up the entire system. There are three LEDs, one above the button and two on the back.
Photo: Brenda Stolyar
The front one mimics one of the LEDs on the back so you can always diagnose the situation even if you are not directly in front of the base. It cycles between white, green, and amber, either static or flashing, indicating different things like motion tracking is disabled or the internal battery is low. The third LED above the USB-C port is related to power and cycles between white and amber. It can be hard to remember what all of these terms mean, but Belkin has a guide on its website for reference. Surely there is a better way to convey all this information.
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