Review: Belkin Auto-Tracking Stand Pro With DockKit

Editor's Note: Belkin has recalled the Auto-Tracking Stand Pro With DockKit due to potential overheating, which could cause burns or a fire. You should contact Belkin to get a refund. For disposal, Belkin says the following: “Your municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) collection center may accept this recalled lithium-ion battery or device for disposal. Before taking your battery or device to a HHW collection center, contact that office ahead of time and ask whether it accepts recalled lithium-ion batteries. If it does not, contact your municipality for further guidance.”

Belkin’s auto-tracking Stand Pro isn't your typical wireless charger. Yes, there’s MagSafe baked in, allowing you to easily and securely attach a compatible iPhone to the stand for charging. But it's also one of the few accessories equipped with DockKit—an Apple software framework that allows the iPhone’s camera to work in conjunction with motorized stands to natively track your face and keep it in the frame.

With Belkin’s 360-degree rotating stand, you can use the front or rear 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 (slightly up or down). A built-in battery means you don't have to use it tethered to a nearby outlet.

It's expensive and not for everyone. But anyone who constantly FaceTimes while doing some handiwork or cooking may find it useful—more so than the built-in Center Stage functionality in Apple's iPads and MacBooks, which track and keep you in the frame to a limited extent. Or, you know, if you're a budding TikToker shooting videos at home.

Seamless Setup

Belkin's DockKit charger is bulkier than a standard MagSafe wireless charger. On top is the MagSafe charging pad, which can wirelessly charge your iPhone up to 15 watts. It's attached to a 90-degree rotating hinge that automatically tilts up or down depending on your movements—useful during video calls to keep you in the frame.

You can place 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 orientation—complete with interactive widgets, photos from your library, and a big clock.

Then there's the base, which sports a 360-degree rotating hinge. On the front is a button to activate and deactivate motion tracking, and there's a USB-C port at the back for when you need to charge the stand's built-in battery or just power the whole system. There are three LEDs, one above the button and two on the back.

Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

The one on the front mimics one of the LEDs on the back so you can always diagnose the status even if you're not directly in front of the base. It cycles between white, green, and amber, either static or flashing, which indicate different things such as whether motion tracking is disabled or the internal battery is low. The third LED above the USB-C port relates to power and cycles between white and amber. It can be difficult to remember what all these statuses mean, but Belkin has a guide on its website for reference. Surely there's a better way to relay all this information.

It's super easy to set up. It comes with a 5-foot USB-C cable and a 30-watt power supply—just plug it in. With NFC built-in, simply tap your iPhone on top of the base and it'll automatically pair to the stand. No need to install yet another companion app. I appreciate this immensely—every accessory requires an app nowadays.

The base has a fairly compact footprint. I didn't have trouble finding a place for it on my desk. But it's bulbous and heavy—at 1.5 pounds, it's not the lightest accessory to travel with. It might not be all that easy to throw into a bag if you plan to use it for capturing content on the go a lot. Belkin, might I suggest the ability to remove the stand from the base for easier packing? At the very least, the whole thing is sturdy and well-built, important for a stand that tracks movement and rotates.

A Versatile Stand

If you end up taking this thing on the go, you won't need an outlet. The built-in battery has up to five hours of life. It also has a standard ¼-inch thread at the bottom of the base, which lets you connect it to most tripods if you need to raise it to eye level.

The best part of the Stand Pro is that it automatically works with third-party video and social media apps, including TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have an Apple Watch, you can control it via the Camera app by swapping between the front and rear cameras and turning the flash on or off.

Screenshots courtesy of Brenda Stolyar

I'm not a content creator (I'll add that to my goals for 2025), so I haven't been using Belkin's stand for that. I mostly use it for FaceTime calls with friends. As someone who tends to walk around my apartment on video calls, I'm usually propping my phone up against random objects whatever room I'm in. Cue my phone slipping and falling.

With the Stand Pro, I've just attached my phone and carried the base around my apartment. I'll place it on my kitchen counter, coffee table, or nightstand. It's kept me in the frame while I'm cooking dinner and walking around the kitchen, doing my makeup in front of the mirror, and getting ready to go out while picking out clothes.

It might be more cumbersome to carry the base around, but it's far more useful than Center Stage on Apple's iPads and select Macs. Center Stage can track you and keep you in the frame, but because the cameras on the iPads and Macs are in a fixed position, there's only so much it can do. If you go behind the iPad, the iPad can't rotate to follow you. That's not a problem for the Belkin mount. Also, I feel like the movement tracking is smoother and more natural on the Belkin than on Apple's Center Stage.

Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

When I'm not using it for FaceTime, I leave it plugged in at my desk throughout the workday. I'm constantly on my phone, so the battery is often low. Every morning, I'll sit down and snap it onto the charging pad and keep it there while scrolling through social media, checking in on texts, or answering calls. When I'm not using my iPad, I'll also use my iPhone to stream YouTube videos or watch Netflix in the background while I work. The stand keeps it at a nice height for a comfortable viewing angle. If your workday is filled with video calls, you can also use it to take meetings on video conferencing apps like Zoom or Google Meet—the rotating features will work with those apps too (who needs a pan-tilt-zoom webcam!).

I wouldn't drop $150 on Belkin's stand—I don't use it enough to get my money's worth. I think it really shines for anyone regularly taking video calls while doing something else and recording videos with an iPhone on a tripod. If that's you, this is well worth the investment. Between the seamless setup, connectivity, and ease of use, it's hard not to like and recommend.