The Belkin Auto-Tracking Stand Pro is a battery-powered, 360-degree rotating and tilting Phone mount. It’s built around DockKit, a developer SDK in iOS 17. This is one of the best iPhone accessories since it can connect directly to your iPhone's cameras and track your head movements without the need for third-party apps. But is it worth spending $180 for you? Here are the biggest pros and cons.
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00:00Should you buy or skip the Belkin Auto Tracking Stand Pro?
00:03I'm Kate Kozich and I've tested this face tracking tripod.
00:06Let's talk about whether I think you should spend $180 on it.
00:10The Belkin Auto Tracking Stand Pro is essentially a battery-powered,
00:15360-degree rotating and tilting iPhone mount that unlocks a lesser-known iOS feature.
00:21That feature is called Docket, a developer SDK Apple released as part of iOS 17.
00:27Docket-compatible accessories are able to connect directly to the iPhone's cameras,
00:31both front and back, and track your head movements without the need for third-party apps.
00:35In general, these kinds of products can seem a bit niche to content creators,
00:39but there's actually a lot more ways you can use the Auto Tracking Stand Pro,
00:43such as for FaceTime calls or having your iPhone be your camera for meetings at your desk.
00:48And I can just get this out of the way. It works as advertised.
00:51That said, it definitely sounds kind of pricey at $180. So, is it worth it?
00:57The first reason I think you should buy the Belkin Auto Tracking Stand Pro is the fact that you don't
01:02need to download any type of third-party or additional apps or anything to get it to work.
01:06You just have to bring your phone to it to initiate pairing, and once you give the stand
01:10permission to connect to your phone via the Docket framework I mentioned earlier, you're in business.
01:15Now, I've tried other face tracking stands before, but they all make you record in third-party apps
01:20and then download it to your camera roll, which can be a big holdup depending on what
01:24type of content you're filming. I find this way more convenient.
01:29Another reason you should buy the Belkin Auto Tracking Stand Pro is because it has
01:33a rechargeable battery, meaning you can pick it up and take it with you when you travel
01:38or go out to record content without worrying about tethering it to a charging cord.
01:42The device can run on battery power for up to five hours before needing to be recharged,
01:46which should be more than enough for whatever you have planned.
01:49And if you're just leaving it at your desk, you can keep it hooked up to the charger.
01:53A final reason I'd recommend the Belkin Auto Tracking Stand Pro is that there are some
01:57added perks for Apple Watch users. As you might know, there's a camera remote app on the Apple
02:02Watch that lets you control the camera, well, remotely. And if you have your phone on the stand,
02:07you can easily switch between using the rear or selfie camera, and it'll just define your face
02:12automatically. If you have an Apple Watch Series 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2, you can also use the
02:17double tap feature to conveniently control the camera. Now, all those things sound great,
02:22but there are also some limitations with a product like the Auto Tracking Stand Pro,
02:26and that might mean for you that it's not worth the money.
02:29I think you can skip the Auto Tracking Stand Pro if you're just looking for a MagSafe charging
02:34stand. While it's true that this will charge your phone over 15 watts, which is the max
02:38wireless charging speed for an iPhone, it needs to be plugged into the power outlet for that to work.
02:44I think it's convenient enough if I'm leaving the stand stationary, but there are far more
02:48affordable charging stands. This doesn't charge your phone if it's running on battery power,
02:53which is kind of a bummer. I think if it did double as a portable charger,
02:56this would be a different story. People who have an iPhone 11 or earlier, or basically anything
03:01that's not an iPhone 12 or newer, will want to avoid the Auto Tracking Stand Pro as well.
03:07It's only compatible with a MagSafe-equipped iPhone, and while I could argue that most users
03:12who would even be considering this are probably up to date with their phones, it's still a setback.
03:17Finally, if you're someone who likes to travel light, I don't know that the Auto Tracking Stand
03:21Pro is right for you. You know, I've seen creators who travel with heavy equipment,
03:25but if you just like to record on your iPhone, there are more compact phone tripods. I could
03:30see tossing this in my car, but if I were packing for a flight, this feels kind of bulky. I wouldn't
03:35say this is a huge con, but it really depends on what you're looking for from a phone tripod.
03:40If it were me spending my $180, I might still be on the fence about the Auto Tracking Stand Pro.
03:46As someone who does a lot of content creation, I have no shortage of tripods, and I usually
03:51look for ones that have some kind of integrated light as part of the setup. That said, I love
03:56how easy it supports dynamic content shot directly on the iPhone's native camera app.
04:01I could even see myself using it for conducting meetings or FaceTiming while I'm moving around,
04:06more than just recording video. Again, if you're just looking for a charging stand,
04:10this isn't the thing to get, and be sure to check your phone's compatibility. Otherwise,
04:14this is a very neat iPhone accessory, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see more gadgets
04:19using Docket very soon. Either way, I've linked the Belkin Auto Tracking Stand Pro
04:24in the description of this video if you're interested. As always, you can see the latest
04:28tech we're testing on our socials everywhere at Tom's Guide. And as for me, I'm at Kate Kozich.
04:34Thanks for watching, I'll catch you next time.