Best advanced gimbals for smartphones

The Gudsen MOZA Mini-MX mobile steadicam is on par with advanced solutions from DJI and Zhiyun, but will cost a little less. The model is compatible with smartphones weighing up to 280 g.

The device provides stabilization of the position of the installed smartphone along 3 axes. At the same time, the mobile phone is securely held in the tenacious claws of the stabilizer. Its turns are possible at an angle of up to 340°, tilts up to 140°, and rolls up to 300°. To quickly flip your smartphone from landscape to portrait orientation, you need to press the gimbala power button three times. The first option will come in handy for recording videos on YouTube, the second is more suitable for filming stories on social networks (Instagram, TikTok, etc.).

The gimbala communicates with a smartphone via Bluetooth wireless network. Using the Moza Genue mobile application, the user has the right to control gestures, shoot time-lapses and videos in slow motion. Deep Red anti-shake algorithms ensure smooth, cinematic-quality shooting. The stabilizer also offers shooting modes with tracking an object in the frame, Slow-Mo and Timelapse recording is possible, and creative video recording options are provided (Inception, Sport Gear, Dolly Zoom).

Gudsen MOZA Mini-MX is one of the record holders for autonomy. It's no joke, a full charge of a 2000 mAh battery is enough for 20 hours of operation of the stabilizer. The folding design of the mobile gimbala and the inclusion of a removable tripod stand deserve special praise. Through the ¼” tripod socket, you can attach any other suitable accessories for photo and video recording to the device’s foot.

One of the best stabilizers for smartphones are gimbalas from DJI. The best confirmation of this in practice is the functional model Osmo Mobile 6.

The mobile steadicam is housed in a matte plastic case weighing 309 g. The telescopic handle of the gimbala extends 23 cm, and the included tripod stand with a 1.4” thread adds another 13 cm of additional length. At the same time, the tripod will serve as a support point for the stabilizer when placed on any flat surfaces. Smartphones weighing from 170 to 290 g and thickness from 6.9 to 10 mm can be accepted on board the steadicam.

The mobile phone is attached to the “head” of the stabilizer using a magnetic clip. But the magnetic rings on the “back” of the smartphone will need to be purchased separately - they are not included in the package of the gimbala. However, balancing the phone is done literally in the blink of an eye and you will only need a couple of seconds to prepare for shooting. Tilts of the mobile phone left and right are possible in the range from -101° to 78°, turns from left to right are in the range of -120° - 211°, and tilts forward and backward are carried out in the range from -161° to 173°.

The model provides an advanced tracking system Active Track 5.0, which automatically tracks moving objects, even if they disappear from sight for some time. The DJI Osmo Mobile 6 has a trigger, three buttons, a joystick, a zoom and focus wheel, and a tiny screen. In addition to zoom and focus, other shooting parameters such as exposure, white balance and light sensitivity cannot be changed in any way (in any mode). The operation of the stabilizer is controlled by the DJI Mimo mobile application. The gimbal is powered by a built-in 1000 mAh battery with a declared autonomy of about 6 hours - this is relatively little, but it is more than enough for the vast majority of cases of shooting on a smartphone.

The advanced Hohem iSteady M6 handheld stabilizer allows you to shoot smooth videos on your smartphone. The model easily copes with shooting at an angle and in motion.

Powerful motors in the design of the device are capable of moving a load weighing up to 400 g - the gimbal will handle work even with heavy-duty smartphones that are encased in a protective case. The stabilization system of the iSteady 7.0 model is responsible for compensating for displacements of the installed smartphone along three axes. Moreover, the mobile phone can rotate around its axis within 360°, and its tilts and rolls are carried out at an angle of up to 335°. This opens up space for creative imagination and allows you to shoot from non-standard angles.

The gimbal comes with an AI Vision magnetic sensor - it is magnetic to the top of the smartphone holder. The smart sensor is capable of tracking objects in the frame without the need to connect a mobile phone to the Hohem Joy proprietary application. It also features gesture recognition and a customizable LED lighting system. Adjustment of the color temperature of the light source is possible in the range from 2700K to 6500K.

The control panel of the gimbal is equipped with an OLED information screen to display the selected operating mode, remaining battery charge level and other important parameters. On a separate note, it is worth mentioning the multi-function control wheel, which is used to adjust the offset of the mounted smartphone, manual focusing and the aforementioned change in the color temperature of the LED backlight system. Finally, an important role in the gimbala is played by a 2600 mAh rechargeable battery with a power bank function - you can charge your mobile phone directly from it during filming. In general, a full battery charge is enough for 18 hours of autonomous operation of the stabilizer.

The compact Insta360 Flow stabilizer is convenient to take with you on an everyday basis. When folded, its length is about 16 cm, but the telescopic handle increases the size of the device by another 21.5 cm, and a small tripod is built into the base of the gimbala.

In operation, the mobile steadicam relies on Deep Track 3.0 artificial intelligence algorithms, which help center and tenaciously keep moving objects in focus. In total, the model provides four main operating modes: Auto, Passage, Panoramic Passage and FPV (First Person View). Quickly switching between them is carried out through touch control - you just need to slide your finger over the touch surface of the round black disk. And by double tapping the Switch button on the control panel, you can quickly flip the smartphone from landscape to portrait orientation and vice versa. Zooming and manual focusing are assigned to the SmartWheel ring.

The Insta360 mobile application opens up the widest possibilities for customizing the parameters of the filming process. It is available for gadgets running Android and iOS. The program also recognizes gesture control commands: just raise your palm and the recording will be automatically activated; show it again and the recording will pause. Moreover, the application provides the ability to edit footage based on artificial intelligence.

The smartphone is fixed to the stabilizer using a quick-release magnetic holder. The model also included a “cold shoe” to accommodate additional accessories (for example, an external microphone). The energy core of the gimbala is a rechargeable battery with a capacity of 2900 mAh, which provides up to 12 hours of autonomy for the steadicam on a single charge. If necessary, the battery can share the accumulated charge with a smartphone, powering the connected gadget to extend the filming process.

Zhiyun Smooth-5S Combo is a professional-grade three-axis gimbal. This is a large and heavy gimbal (weighing 625 g) for mobile cinema.

The model is capable of holding smartphones weighing up to 300 g in its paws. Rotations of the installed mobile phone are possible within 360°, but the tilt and roll angles here are more modest, but also very large. When you grab the stabilizer in your hand, your fingers immediately rest on the push-button control panel with a push-button settings wheel, a clickable joystick and a trigger on the back. By the way, inside the settings wheel there is a light control button.

In the Combo package, the mobile gimbal comes with a tripod stand, a transport case, a magnetic LED spotlight and four color filters for it. The backlight will help you set the correct exposure of the frame, and you can install it from any suitable side (be it on top of the smartphone, below or on the side). An additional line marks the tripod socket with a 1/4" thread on the side of the stabilizer body (in addition to the same socket at the base of the handle).

The full potential of the gimbala is revealed when using the StaCam mobile application with a bunch of settings for flexible adjustment of the filming process. A little less functions are provided in the ZY Cami program, but it has the ability to set presets for the movement of the stabilizer and shoot in modes like Timelapse. Some features in these applications are only available for a fee. The model’s strongest asset is also its long battery life (up to 24 hours in a row). And the stabilizer is able to share the accumulated energy reserves in the battery cells with the installed smartphone.