Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount review: A secure fit

Upgrade your old treadmill

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount
(Image: © Mike Sawh)

iMore Verdict

The Belkin Fitness Mount is a really simple and reliable way to make sure you’ve always got somewhere to put your phone to follow workouts if you’re struggling for storage space on a treadmill.

Pros

  • +

    Does securely hold iPhone

  • +

    Rotates to varying viewing angles

  • +

    Easy to position

Cons

  • -

    Could benefit from additional size strap

  • -

    Treadmill positioning not always ideal for Fitness+ running workouts

  • -

    Just the one color option

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Not all treadmills are built equally, especially when it comes to the room they leave you to place your phone when you get moving. That’s where Belkin’s fitness mount comes to your aid, making sure you can strap it onto a treadmill and always have a spot for it that handles some shakier treadmill time.

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount: Price and availability

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount

(Image credit: Mike Sawh)

The Belkin iPhone Magnetic Fitness Mount costs $34.95/£34.99 and can be picked up directly from Belkin. You can also grab it from the Apple Store and it’s available at retailers like Amazon and Walmart.

It hasn’t generally dropped in price since launch and is priced in and around what you’d expect to pay for similar mounts, though those mounts aren’t typically designed exclusively for use with gym equipment.

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount: Specs and features

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount

(Image credit: Mike Sawh)

It’s a pretty straightforward affair here with this mount. It’s designed to work with the iPhone 12 or newer iPhones and plants magnets into the main mount part to cling onto the back of your iPhone. 

Attached to that is a stretch, non-removable strap, which uses a pretty simple clasp mechanism to wrap around the bars of a treadmill. It’s designed to fit around poles that measure 1-inch to 1.5-inch in diameter. The mount hosts a ball joint inside, which means you can rotate the orientation of your phone depending on your viewing preference. It’s a mount that’s designed to handle vibrations from calls or a bumpy indoor run.

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount: Build and Performance

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount

(Image credit: Mike Sawh)

The mount is relatively sleek-looking and small enough to slip into a bag and won’t hog up space if you’re planning to use it on a treadmill in the gym. There’s just the one black version available, but that does mean you have an option that blends in with most predominantly black treadmill setups. 

The stretchy nature of the strap part means it’s got a bit of give to pull it around the front bar on a treadmill. I’ve tested on two treadmills at varying running paces and had no issues in terms of my iPhone 14 staying put. My main issue however is that sometimes the most suitable area to mount means you’re glancing down at the screen and it’s not sitting in front of you, which isn’t always ideal for following along with workouts.

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount: Competition

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount

(Image credit: Mike Sawh)

Similar mount setups are generally the fixed kind that you put on your bike and this one is really about letting you move it from place to place so it’s not dedicated to one spot. That makes it ideal if you don’t have your own treadmill and the simplicity of strapping it on and removing definitely gives it strong appeal.

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount: Should you buy it?

You should buy it if...

  • You don’t own your own treadmill
  • You have a screen-free treadmill
  • You have a clear area to connect it to

You shouldn’t buy it if…

  • You have your own treadmill and it has a phone holder
  • You don’t have a MagSafe iPhone
  • You ideally want a mount that sits in your eyeline

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount: Verdict

Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount

(Image credit: Mike Sawh)

The Belkin Magnetic Fitness Mount is a really simple and well-built accessory that ensures you always have somewhere to put your phone if you’re taking your Fitness+ time to another space. It securely holds an iPhone place even when you pick up the pace and the strap should work well with most treadmill setups. 

The rotational ball to adjust the viewing angle is a nice touch if you’re battling with glare and it’s small and light enough to chuck in a pocket too. Just keep in mind that positioning it might mean you’re going to have to look down at your screen, which does slightly interfere with the experience of following a workout on your iPhone when running.

Michael Sawh

Michael is a freelance journalist who has covered consumer technology for over a decade and specializes in wearable and fitness tech. Previously editor of Wareable, he also co-ran the features and reviews sections of T3, and has a long list of bylines in the world of consumer tech sites.

With a focus on fitness trackers, headphones, running wearables, phones, and tablet, he has written for numerous publications including Wired UK, GQ, Men's Fitness, BBC Science Focus, Metro and Stuff, and has appeared on the BBC Travel Show. Michael is a keen swimmer, a runner with a number of marathons under his belt, and is also the co-founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers.