Belkin Stand Pro Review: A Face Tracking Phone Stand That Uses Apple’s DockKit IP
The catch is that it has to be an iPhone 12 or higher variant; It also acts as a charging station if plugged in
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Belkin really does make some of the most interesting products and their exclusive deal with Apple does come in handy. This time around, we will be talking about the new Belkin Stand Pro, which is essentially a mobile phone holder for content creators that tracks you and swivels as you move around with the sole intention of keeping you at the centre of the frame. I’d have to admit that this sounds really cool. However, this is only limited to iPhones which limits the potential user base of this product by a huge margin.
Is it worth the purchase? Let’s find out.
The Belkin Stand Pro utilises Apple’s Dock Kit IP to power its face-tracking technology. The Stand Pro has a clean look and very minimalistic aesthetics. It has a sturdy base and a strong arm. The Stand Pro comes along with a 5-foot-long UCB type C charging cable. Belkin also claims that this product is made from 75 per cent post-consumer recycled materials.
The Stand Pro has a cylindrical base, which apart from being really sturdy, is also capable of rotating 360 degrees. The MagSafe-equipped motorized arm, on the other hand, can tilt up and down with 90 degrees of movement. The stand and the phone pair via NFC. The good thing is that any camera app such as Facetime, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and WhatsApp can be used to utilise the Stand Pro’s tracking feature.
360-degree face, body and movement tracking makes this product a great everyday companion if you are dealing with content on a daily basis. The motorized auto-tilt aids in automatic video angle adjustments. This is something I’ve witnessed for the first time and it is mind-boggling. The hardware works with FaceTime which makes the video calling experience all the more interesting. There is a button at the back that activates and deactivates tracking. The motor is especially quiet which makes little to no noise while operating. Last but not least, the 15W MagSafe wireless charging is a welcome add-on. You’ll have to plug the Stand Pro in, though.
The Stand Pro comes equipped with 5-hour rechargeable batteries that allow it to operate even without being plugged in. The holder stays secure even when the Stand Pro is powered off which I found to be quite useful. Finally, we have the NFC tap feature for easy device pairing. This works well, however, you'll need to put the iPhone down so that it comes into contact with the Stand Pro. First time pairing might take a few more seconds but once it is paired, subsequent usage becomes seamless.
The Apple DockKit is essentially a set of technologies built into Apple MagSafe-compatible phones starting with iOS 17. DockKit technology allows MagSafe-compatible iPhones and iOS apps to connect with and control DockKit motorized stands, which then are able to track people who appear in a video frame. The Belkin Stand Pro is able to leverage this technology and track people with both the front and the back cameras.
An innovation that I didn’t know even existed, that is how I described the product upon first seeing it at a showcasing event hosted by Belkin at Ambience Mall, Gurugram. Mind you, what makes this product unique is that this is the first product not only from Belkin but overall to make use of the Apple DockKit framework. This tech was unveiled back in June 2023 at Apple’s software event WWDC.
The very idea of a phone stand/ phone dock which is able to do what the Stand Pro is able to is fascinating, to say the least. It isn’t out of the box, exactly when you really think about it. Belkin is positioning this product for content creators and it makes sense. With content creation on the rise and creators looking for every way to make their content creation processes more efficient and innovative, the Stand Pro makes a good case for itself. However, the IP used for this product seems to have the potential to be used for a much more diverse user base. For instance, corporate purchases come to my attention. Video conferences or video calls are a space where this product could find a good fit. The question that stands now is how will Belkin make this rather unique product visible to potential customers.
Whether you should buy it or not is still a question that I am struggling to find an answer to. There are plenty of tripods and stands in the markets that hold a phone or a camera well enough to get the job done. Given this, would you still buy a really advanced phone stand just because it can track your face? The answer to that question would really depend on your priorities as a content creator.
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