The Best Smartphone Gimbal

We analyzed 7,608 reviews from 25 websites to find the best smartphone gimbal. Sources included:
WalmartBest BuyDigital TrendsB&H Photo VideoKohl's
+20 More

Top Smartphone Gimbals

Best for Most People
Best Smartphone Gimbal DJI Osmo Mobile 3 Gimbal
$102 from 16 stores
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Why Consider This:
The camera in your phone is pretty good, and even capable of shooting 4K video. But one of the biggest challenges in getting professional results from your phone is camera movement. Shaky handheld footage just isn’t going to cut it. Enter the DJI Osmo Mobile 3, a lightweight handheld gimbal that creates perfectly smooth shots and can even track subjects.
People Like:
  • Incredibly portable
  • Competitively priced
  • Excellent face tracking
People Dislike:
  • Mediocre object tracking (not faces)
  • Android app inconsistencies
  • Some key features are iOS-only
91
Owner Score
1,919 Reviews from 12 Sites
95
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Buy On Amazon.com
Best Value
Best Smartphone Gimbal Zhiyun Smooth 4 Gimbal
$99 from 4 stores
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Why Consider This:
The Zhiyun Smooth 4 offsets shaky hands and jerky movements, which comes in handy when you’re snowboarding, vacationing, or shooting video for a social media post. The compatible apps offer more fine-tuning of settings, such as aperture and filters, than the competition. The apps also integrate smoothly with the handle’s buttons (which are more numerous and configurable than those of DJI’s Osmo Mobile 3) if you don’t want to touch your phone screen as often.
People Like:
  • Good image stabilization
  • Highly responsive and quiet motors
  • Wide range of video and photo shooting modes
People Dislike:
  • Some functions only work when using the ZY Play app
  • Too many controls will be confusing for so
  • Mobile App Requires lots of permissions
82
Owner Score
1,403 Reviews from 2 Sites
86
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Buy On Amazon.com
Top Performance
Best Smartphone Gimbal DJI Osmo Pocket Gimbal
$300 from 4 stores
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Why Consider This:
The DJI Osmo Pocket puts video stabilization in the palm of your hand, with a small camera that smooths out your footage thanks to a 3-axis gimbal. It's pocketable, like the name suggests, and doesn't hog your smartphone, like the larger DJI Osmo Mobile 2. The fluid 4K resolution is ideal for anyone who uploads to YouTube, yet hates the idea of being shackled to professional-sized camera stabilization equipment.
People Like:
  • Easily portable.
  • Crisp, stable 4K video at up to 60fps.
  • Time-lapse and panoramic stitching options.
People Dislike:
  • Autofocus issues.
  • So-so low-light performance.
  • Requires phone or add-on control wheel for best experience.
89
Owner Score
2,445 Reviews from 3 Sites
75
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Buy On Amazon.com

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Our reviews of the best smartphone gimbals were based on 7,608 reviews from 25 websites.
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How to Find the Right Smartphone Gimbal

Smartphones that shoot 4K video are now common enough that even amateur videographers can capture high-quality videos. A gimbal—a pivoting suspension device that mechanically stabilizes a camera—can replace an expensive tripod or dolly to make cinematic video effects accessible to anyone. Primarily, gimbals smooth out hand tremors or a bumpy gait if you are filming while walking. They can also make pans look smooth and consistent, or automate time-lapses and other tricky shots. Additionally, they can serve as souped-up selfie sticks that allow you to hold a phone farther away from your face for better framing. Gimbals consist of two parts: On the bottom is a handle, which you hold much as you do a selfie stick. The handle usually includes a mix of buttons, joysticks, and wheels. The gimbal sits on top of the handle and looks like an arm with a gripper that holds your phone or attaches to a built-in camera. When you wiggle the handle, the phone or camera stays in place. If you like filming video with your existing smartphone and don’t mind spending around $100 to achieve more professional-looking results, a gimbal can be a good choice. It’s a nice tool to bring along for filming scenery on vacation or for an active hobby like snowboarding. The ability to film yourself also makes it useful for social media and live streaming.

Smartphone Gimbals We Eliminated

We research and analyzed 6 smartphone gimbals. Here's what we concluded about the ones that didn't make the cut.
Dji Osmo Mobile 2 Gimbal
Runner Up
Highly rated (89 owner score, 85 expert score), but a slight notch below the best.

Sources & Methodology

Critic.ly uses a combination of machine learning and human editors to help you find the best products.
We start by aggregating and analyzing reviews from real owners and industry critics. We remove spam, sponsored reviews, and other forms of bias to make sure you get the best possible sense of what people actually think about products.
We convert every review to a weight average score from 0 to 100.
For this article, we analyzed 7,608 reviews from 25 sites to find the best smartphone gimbal.