Best Advanced Smartphone Gimbals

The Aochuan Smart XE stabilizer offers good functionality for amateur and semi-professional filming, creating unique and original videos for social networks, and generally enhancing the quality of content shot during active recreation, picnics, hiking, or traveling by various modes of transportation. The motorized three-axis system stabilizes the screen position when the hand tilts in three planes, ensuring a static horizon line and eliminating the shaky effect. The reaction speed is good, while maintaining smooth actions. The model is designed for smartphones weighing up to 250 g and is complemented by a mobile app that helps expand capabilities through intelligent modes — face tracking, object, body movement, Hitchcock, auto panorama, inception, gesture control. The manufacturer also provided detailed sensitivity and position change angle settings, additional software stabilization, and much more. The package includes a tripod stand for independent installation on flat surfaces and implementation of specific shooting scenarios. The smartphone mount is equipped with a magnetic insert for attaching lighting or filters.

The stabilizer syncs with the phone via Bluetooth and interacts with it without delays or glitches. All control elements are at hand, allowing quick adaptation to conditions. Positioning is done using a joystick. Automatic horizontal or vertical orientation, auto-centering, zoom changes, and manual focus with a wheel are provided. The gimbal stands out for its budget-friendly price and is perfect for children and teenagers practicing creative video making with dynamic scenarios — dance, parties, aerial gymnastics, aero stretching, bungee fitness. The gadget's weak point is its autonomy of up to 10 hours.

Some of the best stabilizers for smartphones are rightfully considered to be the DJI gimbals. Proof of this in practice is the functional model Osmo Mobile 6.

The mobile stabilizer is made in a matte plastic case weighing 309 g. The gimbal's telescopic handle extends 23 cm, while the complete tripod stand with a 1.4" thread adds another 13 cm of additional length. The tripod also serves as a support point for the stabilizer when placed on any flat surface. The stabilizer can hold smartphones weighing from 170 to 290 g and with a thickness of 6.9 to 10 mm.

The smartphone attaches to the stabilizer's "head" using a magnetic clip. However, magnetic rings for the back of the smartphone need to be purchased separately as they are not included with the gimbal. Nevertheless, phone balancing is done almost instantly, and it only takes you a couple of seconds to prepare for shooting. Tilts are possible in the range of -101° to 78°, rotations from -120° to 211°, and forward-backward tilts from -161° to 173°.

The model features an advanced Active Track 5.0 tracking system, automatically tracing moving objects, even if they disappear from view for a while. The DJI Osmo Mobile 6 has a trigger, three buttons, a joystick, a zoom and focus wheel, and a tiny screen. Apart from zoom and focus, other shooting parameters like exposure, white balance, and light sensitivity cannot be adjusted (in any of the modes). The DJI Mimo mobile app is responsible for controlling the stabilizer's operation. The gimbal is powered by a built-in 1000 mAh battery with a stated autonomy of about 6 hours — it's relatively little, but more than enough for the majority of smartphone shooting scenarios.

The advanced handheld stabilizer Hohem iSteady M6 provides the ability to shoot smooth videos on a smartphone. The model easily handles shooting at a tilt and in motion.

Powerful motors in the device's design are capable of moving a load weighing up to 400 g — the gimbal will even handle work with heavyweight smartphones encased in a protective case. The iSteady 7.0 stabilization system compensates for shifts of the installed smartphone along three axes. Meanwhile, smartphone rotations are possible around the axis within 360°, and its tilts and rolls are performed up to an angle of 335°. This opens the door for creative imagination and allows for shooting from unconventional angles.

The gimbal comes with a magnetic AI Vision sensor — it attaches to the top of the smartphone holder. The smart sensor can track objects in the frame without needing to connect the phone to the proprietary Hohem Joy app. It also features gesture recognition and is equipped with an adjustable LED backlight system. The color temperature of the light source can be adjusted in the range from 2700K to 6500K.

The suspension control panel is equipped with an OLED information display showing the selected operating mode, the remaining battery charge level, and other important parameters. It's worth mentioning separately the multifunctional control wheel, which is used to adjust the position shift of the installed smartphone, manual focus, and the aforementioned color temperature changes of the LED lighting system. Finally, an important role in the gimbal is played by the 2600 mAh battery with a power bank function — from it, you can charge your phone directly during the shooting. Overall, a full battery charge is enough for 18 hours of stabilizer autonomy.

The compact Insta360 Flow stabilizer is convenient to take with you on a daily basis. When folded, its length is about 16 cm, yet the telescopic handle increases the device dimensions by another 21.5 cm, and a small tripod is built into the gimbal's base.

In action, the mobile stabilizer relies on Deep Track 3.0 artificial intelligence algorithms to help center and tightly hold moving objects in focus. The model provides four main operating modes: Auto, Walkthrough, Panoramic Path, and FPV (from the first person). Quick switching between them is done via touch control — you only need to swipe your finger across the touch surface of the round black disc. And double-tapping the Switch button on the control panel quickly flips the smartphone from landscape to portrait orientation and vice versa. Zooming and manual focus are handled by the SmartWheel ring.

The Insta360 mobile app offers extensive possibilities for setting shooting process parameters. It is available for gadgets running Android and iOS. The app also recognizes gesture control commands: raising your palm automatically activates recording, showing it again pauses the shooting. Moreover, the app provides the capability to edit captured materials based on artificial intelligence.

The smartphone is fixed on the stabilizer using a quick-release magnetic holder. The model also includes a "cold shoe" for attaching additional accessories (such as an external microphone). The gimbal's energy core is a 2900 mAh battery, which ensures up to 12 hours of stabilizer autonomy on one charge. If necessary, the battery can share its accumulated charge with the smartphone, providing power to the connected gadget to extend the shooting process.

The Zhiyun Smooth-5S Combo is a professional-level three-axis stabilizing gimbal. It's a large and heavy gimbal (weighing 625 g) for mobile cinematography.

The model can hold smartphones weighing up to 300 g. Rotations of the installed mobile phone are possible within 360°, but the angles of tilt and roll are somewhat smaller, though still quite large. When holding the stabilizer in hand, the fingers immediately land on the button control panel with a pressable setting wheel, clickable joystick, and trigger at the back. By the way, the light control button is located inside the setting wheel.

In the Combo package, the mobile suspension comes with a tripod stand, a carrying case, a magnetic LED projector, and four color filters for it. The lighting helps to set the correct frame exposure and can be mounted on any suitable side (be it above, below, or beside the smartphone). There's an additional tripod socket with a 1/4" thread on the side of the stabilizer's body (in addition to the same socket at the base of the handle).

The gimbal's potential is fully revealed when using the StaCam mobile app with many settings for flexible shooting process adjustment. Slightly fewer functions are provided in the ZY Cami program, but you can set stabilizer motion presets and shoot in modes like Timelapse. Some functions in these apps are available only for an additional fee. The model's strongest advantage is its long autonomy (up to 24 hours in a row). The stabilizer can also share its stored energy with the installed smartphone.