The Best Gimbals for iPhone and Android in 2023

Gimbals are vital for anyone looking to produce professional videos with little more than the phone in their pocket. These mechanical stabilizers keep your smartphone steady enough to shoot fast-moving scenes without the shakes or jitters that mark out most amateur footage.

Not all gimbals are created equal, however, and there’s a big difference between the best models and the also-rans. When you’re paying hundreds of dollars for higher-end versions, you need to make sure you’re getting good value for money.

That’s why we’ve put together our picks for the best iPhone and Android gimbal options that deserve a second look, from budget and compact models to high-end and vlogging-specific versions. 

Best Gimbal Overall: Zhiyun Smooth 5S

The Zhiyun Smooth 5S is a robust 3-axis gimbal with performance on par with the DJI OM series, to which it’s often compared. More than just a DJI knockoff, though, it’s an impressive pro-grade option in its own right, with features you don’t always find elsewhere. 

This gimbal gets all the basics right: long battery life (as long as your phone is well-balanced), support for virtually any phone on the market, and a number of useful shooting modes like object tracking and time lapse that you’re actually likely to use.

Beyond its strong performance, though, what we like best about the Smooth 5S is the wide range of control buttons that give quick access to most tools and shooting modes. This eliminates the need to awkwardly tap on your phone screen in the middle of shooting, disrupting both filming and concentration.

While advantageous, the one minor drawback of the abundance of buttons on the Smooth 5S is that it can be overwhelming for beginners. It’s a steep learning curve, but you’ll soon get used to them, and ultimately it’s a much more sensible and powerful way to shoot smartphone videos. 

The maximum supported phone weight is 320g (11.3oz), which means you shouldn’t have an issue with even very large phones like the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The Android version of the Zhiyun companion app isn’t as polished as the iOS version, but compatibility with Filmic Pro lets you use this (far superior) app instead, which is what we’d suggest doing.

If you’re often shooting in dim light, or just want better facial lighting for selfie footage, you’ll appreciate the integrated fill light on this gimbal. It’s reasonably bright as is, but you can add up to two additional lights (sold separately) that attach magnetically if you need even more light on the scene.

This gimbal is surprisingly inexpensive for what you get, especially given the impressive stability and amount of control on offer. Overall, it’s a great deal for both amateur and professional smartphone videographers, making the Zhiyun Smooth 5S our top smartphone gimbal pick of 2023.

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Best Gimbal for iPhone: DJI Osmo 6

Best known for its famed consumer drones, DJI also produces high-quality gimbals. The DJI Osmo 6 is one of its best, with exceptional stability, intuitive controls, and solid customer service backed by a reputable brand.

It’s also more travel-friendly than some of its predecessors, shaving several ounces off the weight of earlier models. That portability comes at the cost of battery life, however: expect a bit over six hours of use between charges.

The magnetic clamp on the Osmo 6 lets you snap in or remove your phone in a matter of seconds, which is more than can be said for most gimbals. The three-axis gimbal is one of the most stable on the market, keeping even giants like the iPhone 14 Pro Max steady enough to capture remarkably smooth video.

You can use the Osmo 6 on its own or pair it up via Bluetooth with the DJI Mimo app to open up more options for resolutions, frame rates, and advanced features. You’ll need the app for firmware updates as well, so it’s pretty much a requirement in the long run.

One of the standout advanced features is ActiveTrack 5, the proprietary tracking technology that DJI also uses in its top-of-the-line consumer drones. It works extremely well, locking onto a subject quickly and keeping it in frame for well over a hundred yards, at least if there isn’t too much other movement.

One small caveat with these tools, though, is that they haven’t all made it to the Android version of the app, and those that have don’t always work as well. None are likely to be dealbreakers, but even so, the Osmo 6 is still most worthwhile for iPhone owners.

Thus, if you’re looking for an iPhone gimbal with great performance, you can’t go wrong with this DJI option. Just be prepared to shell out more for the quality: it’s typically more expensive than others on this list. 

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Best Budget Gimbal: Hohem iSteady X2

The Hohem iSteady X2 might be a budget smartphone gimbal, but it doesn’t skimp on performance or features. Like more premium options, it uses a three-axis stabilizer that produces smooth videos, but at a fraction of the price.

The X2 is lightweight and compact, weighing under 0.6lbs, and has a decent battery life for a budget model, running for up to ten hours on a single charge.

When it comes to operation, the X2 is all about simplicity, and is ideal for beginners. You can easily rotate your phone up to 270 degrees with a single tap when it’s mounted in place, eliminating annoying readjustments.

Even the advanced features in the companion app, like dolly zoom and dynamic transitions, are easy to use thanks to the provided presets.

One drawback of the smaller size of the X2 is that if you have a big phone, it provides a slightly weaker grip compared to larger gimbals. For professionals who want the steadiest shots possible, this can be a deal breaker.

Overall, though, if you’re new to gimbals and want to shoot stable smartphone videos without shelling out a lot of money, the Hohem iSteady X2 is a great low-cost option.

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Best Gimbal for Vlogging and Filmmaking: Hohem iSteady Mobile+

The Hohem iSteady Mobile+ is a significant upgrade over the iSteady X above, adding more stability and better capability to capture fast-moving footage. That makes this a preferable option for serious vloggers or filmmakers.

This gimbal’s Sport Mode does a great job of capturing fast scenes where there’s plenty of movement going on. It can pick up even tiny movements and compensate for ultra-smooth results. This mode is beneficial for those who want to film extreme action scenes without it ending up a blurry mess in the final video.

The gimbal also has advanced modes like time-lapse, auto retouching, and slow-motion to add creative spins to your productions.

The iSteady Mobile+ is a dream for vloggers as well. It has a compact (albeit heavy) foldable form that can be easily stored in a bag or pocket, and the smartphone can be quickly snapped into the clamp for taking shots at a moment’s notice. The long 12-hour battery life is also ideal for a full day of filming without having to stop to recharge.

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Best Compact Gimbal: Zhiyun Smooth Q2

The Zhiyun Smooth Q2 is the smaller, more user-friendly version of our top overall pick, the Smooth 4. Luckily, the Q2 still retains the exceptional stability and smoothness of its big brother.

The biggest highlight of the Q2 Smooth is that it’s very lightweight, coming at only half a pound. The dimensions are also smaller than the Smooth 4, and indeed all of DJI’s offerings.

The Smooth Q2 is as easy to set up as it is to transport,  with a quick-release latch that lets you attach your phone in seconds so you don’t miss that all-important footage. It also has a run time of 17 hours, the longest we’ve seen in a gimbal.

The Smooth Q2’s controls are simplified compared to its larger sibling, removing many of the buttons of the Smooth 4. These have been replaced by a 5-way joystick, which allows you to control the gimbal’s rotation and tilt.

So, which one is better in terms of control? It depends if you’re looking for simplicity or sophistication.

The Smooth 4, with its impressive set of buttons, is geared for the professional who uses a lot of advanced features while they’re shooting. The Smooth Q2 is easier to operate and, thanks to its joystick, better in certain situations for fine tuning your gimbal’s movement.

The bottom line is that the Smooth Q2 is more than just a smaller version of the Smooth 4. It’s an solid alternative for beginners or casual users who just want the basics done right.

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Conclusion

The Zhiyun Smooth 5 is our top smartphone gimbal pick overall, since it offers the best balance of cost, features, performance, and compatibility with most smartphone models. iPhone users who are happy to spend a little more, however, are better off with the DJI OM 4 for its powerful iOS features and intuitive controls. 

If you’re a casual user just looking for a cheap gimbal to play around with or take on your next trip, however, you can’t go wrong with the Hohem iSteady X2″ link=”B0936B7HQ4″ /].

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Main image via July Prokopiv/Shutterstock.com, product images via Amazon