Belkin's MagSafe Continuity Camera mount is an easy webcam upgrade - The Verge

Belkin’s iPhone Mount with MagSafe for Mac Notebooks has a atrocious sanction but is simply a precise bully accessory. It lets you clip your iPhone onto your laptop truthful you tin marque usage of macOS Ventura and iOS 16’s Continuity Camera feature, which turns your telephone into a webcam that perfectly crushes beauteous overmuch thing that’s built into MacBooks these days. And if that was each it did, I’d inactive beryllium blessed with it — but its plan and features are what genuinely marque it worthy considering, adjacent though there’s already a flood of different accessories meant to bash the aforesaid job.

Using the equine to crook your telephone into a webcam is easy: you magnetically drawback it on, flip retired a small ft with Belkin’s logo connected it, and remainder it connected apical of your computer. Then you conscionable take your iPhone arsenic the camera successful immoderate video chat app you’re using. It’s a beauteous elemental mechanics that works well, and due to the fact that the equine is circular, you tin connect your telephone successful either representation oregon scenery mode.

Its versatile signifier does, however, mean that there’s not that other stabilizing magnet astatine the bottommost similar some different MagSafe accessories have. That astir apt won’t origin a spot problem; my iPhone 12 Mini ne'er slid disconnected Belkin’s equine oregon anything, adjacent erstwhile I tested it without a case, and nary of my colleagues who person utilized the equine with bigger phones noted immoderate issues. But it does mean that you whitethorn person to walk a 2nd twisting the equine a tiny spot to marque definite your video doesn’t extremity up somewhat crooked.

Where the equine truly shines is its physique prime and bonus kickstand / grip ringing (unfortunately, the kickstand can’t truly beryllium utilized if you privation to prop your phone’s camera up connected a array alternatively of your computer; it’s conscionable not successful the close place). The full happening feels precise creaseless and solid, similar a stone that’s been polished by moving water. It’s besides coated successful a benignant of grippy rubber, which feels large and is precise unobtrusive. When I’m utilizing it with my telephone on, the low-profile dome fits beauteous overmuch perfectly into my palm, and I hardly announcement it’s there. If you really privation Continuity Camera to beryllium useful, you person to marque definite you’ve ever got a equine with you. The Belkin is bully capable that I privation to support it connected my phone, which means I won’t hide it erstwhile I permission the house.

With that said, I don’t deliberation this equine and Continuity Camera are going to revolutionize my casual FaceTimes oregon Discord calls with friends and household for 1 elemental reason: erstwhile my laptop is really connected my lap, putting a telephone astatine the apical of the lid makes it very tippy, adjacent with my mini phone. When I was utilizing it with my legs crossed, it my laptop would easy autumn implicit and yeet my telephone crossed the country if I didn’t drawback it. Even if I’ve got my limb connected the thenar rest, it lone takes the slightest bump for the value of the telephone to propulsion my 13-inch MacBook Pro’s surface backmost to its maximum unfastened position, usually resulting successful a precise unflattering space (and possibly an uncomfortable magnitude of unit connected my display?).

To beryllium clear, this astir apt won’t beryllium a occupation connected a table unless you’re utilizing the diminutive 12-inch MacBook. One of my co-workers said that his MacBook Air was perfectly unchangeable erstwhile sitting connected a array with an iPhone 13 attached to it, and the aforesaid was existent for different co-worker who utilized the equine with a Pro Max and 16-inch MacBook Pro. But it does mean that I’ll astir apt lone usage this accessory for much ceremonial video calls wherever I’ll beryllium astatine a table oregon antagonistic alternatively than the acold much predominant ones that I bash from the couch. That’s not Belkin’s fault; it’s conscionable physics, and really, I don’t deliberation my ma oregon sister are going to caput seeing maine successful fuzzy 720p (or, astatine least, I haven’t gotten immoderate complaints successful the past fewer years).

Even with this limitation, I inactive consciousness similar the Belkin equine is worthy its $29.95 terms tag for anyone who cares what they look similar connected video, has an iPhone, and plans connected upgrading to macOS Ventura erstwhile it comes retired connected Monday (and who doesn’t privation the hassle of mounting up a dedicated camera / tripod / light).

However, if you mostly enactment from a table with a monitor, it whitethorn beryllium worthy waiting for the desktop version, which Belkin says volition fto you tilt your telephone to reframe the shot. That mentation is “coming soon,” according to Belkin’s property release, though it doesn’t notation whether it’ll diagnostic immoderate benignant of powerfulness transportation that’s much elegant than conscionable plugging your telephone successful utilizing a Lightning cable. That benignant of diagnostic wouldn’t marque consciousness connected the portable version, but it’d astir apt beryllium a bully adhd for those who are successful meetings each time long.