For the past week, I’ve been testing the Belkin Stage PowerGrip. It’s an iPhone accessory that adds a DSLR-like grip to your iPhone while simultaneously charging it. Belkin isn’t the first company to make an accessory like this, but the Stage PowerGrip delivers a bigger battery at a more affordable price than its competitors. That’s why it initially caught my eye. However, what I didn’t expect was for the device to make a compelling case to become part of my everyday on-the-go setup, which it absolutely has. Here’s why.
The iPhone’s camera is excellent, but a mobile phone is a slab of glass that’s designed more for viewing information than taking photos or videos. Just compare it to any “serious” camera you can buy. It’s no accident that modern DSLRs largely preserve the form factor of their film-based predecessors, especially when it comes to their grips.
A camera’s grip is integral to taking good photos. It makes it easy and comfortable to hold onto your camera for extended periods. It also helps stabilize the camera to minimize camera shake and makes it possible to operate your camera one-handed.
The same is true of Belkin’s Stage PowerGrip, which has been designed to make an iPhone look and feel a lot like a DSLR. The device, which retails for $79.99, attaches using strong MagSafe magnets that transform the two devices into a single sturdy unit. It’s such a solid connection that I’ve never felt like my iPhone 17 Pro Max was in danger of falling off of the Stage PowerGrip, which is crucial for using it like you would a standalone camera. It also helps that the bottom of your iPhone extends close enough to the grip that when you aren’t taking a picture, you can use your thumb to hold onto your iPhone while your other fingers wrap around the grip and hold the two parts together.
The grip’s magnets may hold everything together, but it’s Bluetooth that connects the Stage PowerGrip’s physical shutter button to your iPhone. The same button is used to pair your phone to the grip with a long press during setup. After that, pairing will happen quickly the next time you press the shutter button to turn on the grip.
By default, the 9,300 mAh battery in the Stage PowerGrip is turned off, but pressing a second button on the top of the grip turns the battery on, along with a small LCD screen on the front that shows how much charge remains in the battery. When the two are connected, your iPhone will charge at 7.5W over MagSafe. That’s lower than some competing grip accessories, but because the Stage PowerGrip’s battery is so much larger than other grips, it can keep your iPhone going for a very long time.
The Stage PowerGrip has a couple of other ways to charge, too. There’s a USB-C port on the top of the accessory and a retractable USB-C cable neatly wound around the MagSafe housing that extends 29.5 inches (.75 m). Both the port and the cable deliver 20W of charging power and can be used to charge the Stage PowerGrip’s battery. The result is a versatile device that can charge three things at once and doesn’t require that you carry a separate cable for two of them.
Belkin has clearly put a lot of thought into the design of the Stage PowerGrip. There’s a decorative ring on the front that echoes the look of a camera lens, and the tiny battery meter screen looks like a viewfinder. On a more practical note, the grip can also be used as a magnetic stand for watching video horizontally or vertically, tilting back just a little to provide a good viewing angle. That big battery also makes it an excellent way to enjoy an iPhone in StandBy mode. Rounding things out are a standard tripod mounting point on the bottom of the grip and a lanyard attachment point on the corner.
What’s more, Belkin accomplished all of this at a price point that other iPhone grip makers haven’t. For example, the ShiftCam Pro is $150, and the Leica Lux Grip is $395. Both of those devices have smaller batteries, too.
However, the Stage PowerGrip’s price point does come with a few compromises. I’ve already mentioned that wireless charging is limited to 7.5W because it uses an older Qi standard that is fine for maintaining your iPhone’s charge but won’t top it off quickly. Also, other iPhone grips offer rotating mount points to make it easier to switch between horizontal and vertical shooting, although you can rotate your iPhone manually with the Belkin grip. For a device that costs substantially less than its competitors, those are tradeoffs I’m willing to make.
When the Stage PowerGrip arrived at my door, I expected it to be the kind of accessory that I’d only use occasionally when I left home with the intent to take photos or video. Instead, I’ve found myself carrying it along in my bag whenever I go out. I was already carrying a battery with me to charge devices. With the Stage PowerGrip, I now have a battery that can charge three devices at once, act as a stand for watching video or using StandBy, and also serve as a camera grip if I feel like shooting photos or videos. That’s the genius of the Stage PowerGrip. By filling non-camera needs, it’s always there, ready to be used as a grip, just like the iPhone’s camera is always there to capture an unexpected moment.
The Belkin Stage PowerGrip is available from Amazon and directly from Belkin.
