With the best smartphone gimbals, you can turn your phone into a cinematic filmmaking tool.
Top 5 Best SmartPhone Gimbals Of 2024 The image stabilization capabilities of your camera alone are greatly surpassed by the greatest smartphone gimbals. A gimbal takes charge of the phone’s movement, allowing for smooth panning, sweeping motions, and even the capacity to track moving things within the picture, while the former can help lessen the worst of your unsteady movements. Put another way, you can record film that looks professional without lugging around bulky, complicated gear if you mount your smartphone on a gimbal.
The top smartphone gimbals on the market right now are listed below. These are mechanical stabilizers that rotate the camera on at least two, usually three, axes to maintain stability. They use motors to accomplish a variety of actions, which can function separately or in tandem. For example, while following modes enable smooth vertical tilting and point-of-view (POV) modes permit horizontal tilting for more dynamic angles, all while retaining flawless stabilization, pan follow mode will keep the camera level as it moves.
Moreover, the top smartphone gimbals include companion apps that allow the gimbal to seamlessly integrate and give additional functions like automated panoramas, subject tracking, and more. Check out our dedicated guides for the best gimbals for DSLR and mirrorless cameras, as well as the best GoPro gimbal, if you’re not using a smartphone.
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Best SmartPhone Gimbals Of 2024
NO.1 : DJI OM 6
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Pros
- Analog focus/zoom wheel
- Improved ActiveTrack subject tracking
- Mode selection from the handle
- Engaging motion timelapse effects
Cons
- Not the cheapest
- Phone clip prevents wireless charging
The DJI Osmo Mobile 6 is a professional, incredibly durable selfie stick/gimbal with many advanced capabilities, including easy-to-use analog zoom/focus wheel, motion timelapse, and subject tracking. Even though it’s not a cheap option, if steadiness is your primary concern, this is hands down the greatest selfie stick available.
Using one of the heaviest smartphones currently on the market, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which our reviewer used to test it, allowed the gimbal to keep up with some really forceful movements while still producing remarkably smooth footage. With ease, he could raise the gimbal to about 180˚ without the horizon being lost in the normal setting.
For action film, the choice of an FPV mode—in which the camera skillfully leans into the movement—is a terrific addition. Auto-stitched panoramas are also available. All things considered, this is a great selfie stick/gimbal, but the price is significantly more.
NO.2 : Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI
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Pros
- Becomes your camera operator
- Easy to balance
- Performs cinematic moves
Cons
- Blocks phone’s mic socket
In terms of functionality and cost, the Hohem iSteady M6 that is included in this tutorial is extremely similar to the Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI. However, since the Hohem is a more recent model, you may be able to find it cheaper if you browse about.
The Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI, like the Hohem iSteady M6, comes with a magnetic sensor that hooks into the gimbal directly above your smartphone. The sensor recognizes movements that set off a variety of operations using AI. To maintain your face in the frame while you walk and speak, for instance, the gimbal automatically tilt and pan the connected smartphone if you make the OK motion. Because of this, it’s a useful tool for presenters or vloggers who wish to incorporate gestures into their speech (without having to pay for a camera operator).
There is a small LED fill light on both the iSteady and the Hohem, however the Zhiyun’s LED is brighter than the other. The Zy Cami app offers additional gesture control over native smartphone Camera apps, since the AI sensor allows you to initiate and stop recording with a simple motion, eliminating the need to manually hit the record icon.
NO.3 : Hohem iSteady MT2
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Pros
- Auto tracks faces and objects effectively
- Performed smooth pans and tilts
- App adds additional functionality
Cons
- Expensive
- AI sensor sold separately
Does money not matter? The Hohem iSteady MT2 is then something you should look into. Because you can do a lot with it, even though it costs considerably more than our top choice. It also feels and looks a lot more like a professional gimbal than other gimbals.
With a 1.2 kg payload capacity, this premium 3-axis gimbal is compatible with mirrorless cameras, action cameras, and cellphones. It’s loaded with capabilities and designed to deliver fluid, professional-looking camera motions including tilts, pans, and tracking views.
These include the ability to instantly convert between horizontal and vertical orientation, manual tilt angle adjustment, and AI-powered face and object tracking via the Hohem Joy app or an extra AI sensor device. Fine control is provided by physical controls like a joystick and zoom dial, and special capabilities are added by creative photography modes like “Inception” mode and “CloneMe” panoramic.
While the gimbal motions were seamless, our reviewer noticed that the AI tracking had some issues in certain lighting situations. All things considered, this is a fantastic option for smartphone users who want to give their footage more dramatic movement.
NO.4 : Hohem iSteady V3
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Pros
- You need a budget stabilizer
- You want to travel light
- You need to track your movement
- You need to control it remotely
Cons
- You have a payload over 280g
- Need to shoot very low angle tracking shots
Although there are many stabilizers in this buying guide, the iSteady V3 is among the least expensive gimbals available and has a few more tricks up its sleeve compared to the others.
First of all, it’s arguably the smallest gimbal we’ve reviewed; when folded, it fits into the pocket of your trousers (provided you remove the AI sensor). The tripod legs are cleverly positioned inside the gimbal’s shaft, as opposed to being attached via a single thread as other stabilizers do, which allows for its compactness.
When the gimbal has to be freestanding, you may extend its legs. Then, using the AI sensor, you can use your smartphone to pan and tilt in sync with your every move, much like a camera operator would. A variety of control gestures are recognized by the AI sensor, such as a double-handed thumbs-up that switches the orientation from portrait to landscape.
The iSteady V3 also has a special detachable control panel that allows you to operate the gimbal remotely via Bluetooth. This allows you to pan and tilt the gimbal while taking a selfie from a distance and to start and stop recording using the Camera app on your smartphone. The one significant drawback is that shooting very low-angle tracking shots is more difficult due to the tilt angle’s smaller range than that of many other gimbals.
NO.5 : Zhiyun Smooth X
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Pros
- Great stabilization
- Small and compact
- Affordable
Cons
- Plastic build
- ZY Cami app isn’t compatible with every phone
The Zhiyun Smooth X is a lightweight, portable phone gimbal that lasts for 5.5 hours on a single charge. Even though it is made of plastic, it feels well-built, and anyone looking to get better at filming smartphone videos would find it to be a very attractive purchase given its low cost.
The gimbal head can be rotated 90 degrees into portrait mode, which makes it ideal for recording videos for Instagram or TikTok. The ability to spin the phone while moving to produce something a little more dynamic was quite appealing to our reviewer.
The incompatibility of the ZY Cami app, which is required to set up the gimbal, is our only complaint regarding the Zhiyun Smooth X. Nevertheless, the majority of phones can operate the app; if you’re not sure, see this compatibility list.
How we test smartphone gimbals
In order to evaluate smartphone gimbals’ practicality and functionality, our team of knowledgeable evaluators subjects them to a demanding testing procedure. To guarantee the best possible weight distribution and seamless operation, they first meticulously balance the gimbals. The multiple shooting modes are then put to the test, and the effectiveness of the gimbal in maintaining phone stability under various movement scenarios and camera angles is assessed.
The quality of any companion apps is rigorously scrutinized, as is the controls’ accessibility and intuitiveness. Our testers evaluate how features like tracking algorithms, fill light, and zoom/focus mechanics improve the overall filmmaking experience. The gimbal’s capacity to withstand usage and transportation in various conditions is another way that its durability is evaluated. The entire value proposition is finally taken into account. Do the features and performance match the price point?
Top 5 Best SmartPhone Gimbals Of 2024 : FAQs
Q. What is a smartphone gimbal?
A smartphone gimbal is a motorized apparatus designed to combat wobble and maintain a steady camera on your smartphone through the use of motors and sensors. This enables you to record fluid, polished videos using your phone.
Q. How do smartphone gimbals work?
Smartphone gimbals maintain your phone level and steady even while you move by continuously adjusting its position using brushless motors. Smooth footage is the consequence of them detecting and counteracting undesirable motions.
Q. What are the benefits of using a smartphone gimbal?
The smooth, steady video that is produced by a smartphone gimbal is its primary advantage. Your films will look more polished and professional once you get rid of the shaky footage. Low-light photography also benefits from gimbals. You may use slower shutter speeds to capture more light without worrying about grainy movies because the gimbal maintains your phone absolutely still. In addition to these fundamental advantages, a lot of smartphone gimbals come equipped with functions like object tracking and pan follows, which let you experiment with a variety of artistic camera motions.
