It’s 2024 and content creators are spoilt for choice when it comes to gear. Belkin’s newly announced Auto-Tracking Stand Pro is a MagSafe compatible stand that essentially turns your iPhone into a pan-and-tilt studio camera, and, according to the brand, is “unlike any other Belkin product we’ve created.” So, how does it work, and what makes it stand out?
Once paired with an iPhone, Belkin’s Auto-Tracking Stand Pro uses Apple’s own algorithm to track and follow subjects within the iPhone camera’s frame. It does so via interfacing with DockKit, Apple’s latest framework for connecting supported accessories and allowing them to fully utilize the iPhone camera’s tracking algorithm, becoming the first such product on the market. It works directly through the iPhone’s native camera app, as well as supporting a variety of other apps.
Belkin, a California-based brand, has been working with its nearby neighbor Apple since the early 1980s, starting with cables that helped to connect Apple computers to non-Apple printers. The Auto-Tracking Stand Pro promises to make the most of recent generation iPhone cameras (Phone 12 or above, running iOS 17) and should help to open new creative possibilities for solo users and groups alike. It offers face, body and movement tracking with 360 degrees of rotation and 90 degrees of tilt, and Belkin claims it does this with a “silent” motor. It is activated by one button for a seamless experience and can run on both its built-in battery (with up to five hours of power) or by being plugged into a wall outlet. If it’s your iPhone in need of a charge, the Auto-Tracking Stand Pro features fast 15W wireless charging. In the box you’ll find a 5ft USB-C cable along with a 30W power supply.
Belkin’s Auto-Tracking Stand Pro is dropping in late February and will be priced at £170 GBP / $180 USD.
