The Three Best Mobile Gimbals for Smartphone

There are dozens of smartphone gimbals on the market today and tested most of them to find out which ones work. Presenting the two best, most relevant gimbals.

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Out of the dozens of gimbals we tested, only a few brands deliver the hardware and software quality we can rely on when shooting, including the Osmo Mobile 6 from DJI, or the Smooth 5S from Zhiyun. While others are sold on the market, we found that these few are the only ones worth adding to your camera bag for smartphone projects. 

Smartphones pack a lot of power into their small size, making them excellent cinematography tools and prone to camera shake, especially during moving shots. Gimbals bring buttery footage to smartphone videos that create truly cinematic effects. Although new gimbals come out every year, the improvements from here forward will be nominal compared to the unique features you get in the best smartphone gimbals of our time.

Any one of them will elevate your mobile filmmaking to the next level. Each one has its strengths, but there’s no wrong choice on this list. There’s an option for every budget and payload that can bring buttery, cinematic footage from your smartphone to the big screen.

Our Top Picks

Best For Content Creators
Moment DJI CP OS 00000213 01 Osmo Mobile 6 thumbnail

DJI

Osmo Mobile 6

  • Built-In Selfie Stick
  • Compact & Super Portable
  • Just Roll to Control
The Most Added Features
Moment Zhiyun C030118 G3 Smooth 5 S Combo Gray thumbnail

Zhiyun

Smooth 5S Combo - Gray

  • Attach a front light with color gels.
  • Pair with the app for manual control.
  • Pairs w/ all Moment lenses and filters.
Best For Serious Filmmakers
Freefly Movi Gimbal Stabilizer 01

Freefly

Movi - Cinema Robot Smartphone Gimbal

  • A fan-favorite.
  • Trusted ruggedness and quality.
  • Designed for accuracy.

To Know:

Osmo Mobile 6 is an intelligent smartphone stabilizer packed with innovative features. It's compact and easily foldable to fit in your palm and launches automatically once unfolded to capture shots at a moment's notice. Get dynamic angles and perfect selfies by using the built-in extension rod. A whole host of intelligent functions and guides are at your disposal. The DJI App facilitates efficient shooting, editing, and sharing, allowing you to catch every unforgettable moment.

What We Love:

Portable

Carry your Osmo Mobile 6 on exciting adventures. The compact and foldable design is easy to pack, and with the quick-release magnetic phone clamp, you can get going without the hassle of removing your phone case. Snap-in or out­–you're ready to shoot or take a call at a moment's notice.

Selfie Stick:

Save space and shoot selfies conveniently by just extending the built-in selfie stick. It's not just for selfies though, you can get interesting angles with it from above, or very low to the ground, with ease

Just Roll to Control:

Effortlessly and fluidly control zoom and focus with Osmo Mobile 6's new side wheel. Roll the wheel to adjust the focal length for flexible composition and zoom in and out with buttery smoothness.

The Details:

Brand: DJI

Product Type: Mobile Gimbal

Best For: Plug-and-play ease, occasional videographers, and anyone who loves DJI products.

 

What We Rate

Packability

Large Pocket Small Backpack Larger Backpack Pelican Case

Weight Limit

Mobile Phones Point & Shoot / Some Mirrorless Mirrorless & DSLR Cinema

Advanced Features

Basic A couple of advanced features Most Features Cinema Level Features

Budget

Less than $150 Less than $400 Less than $700 Less than $1000

Setup Time

Seconds 1-2 Minutes 5 Minutes 10 Minutes
Moment DJI CP OS 00000213 01 Osmo Mobile 6 thumbnail

DJI

Osmo Mobile 6

Looking for a convenient hassle free smartphone gimbal? The DJI Osmo Mobile 6 is building on years of knowledge and is the go-to folding phone gimbal for most.

Buy for $159.00

To Know:

The Zhiyun Smooth 5S builds on the already great Smooth 5. It's upgraded with a powerful built-in fill light and two modular magnetic ones, providing an integrated yet simplified filmmaking experience for everyone. With the simplest devices, you can create inspiring content on your own.

What We Love:

Great 3-Axis Stabilization

This gimbal stands out with its professional structure of 3 orthogonal pivot axes that bring you more room for movement. The more expansive space between each axis lets you film in low and super-wide angles.

Pro Feel

It feels and looks like a mini-pro stabilizer and offers customizable buttons and controls.

The Details

Brand: Zhiyun

Product Type: Smartphone Gimbal

Best For: Anyone who wants to shoot with Moment lenses. Works with plus-size phones, lenses, filters, and our Universal Counterweight.

 

What We Rate

Packability

Large Pocket Small Backpack Larger Backpack Pelican Case

Weight Limit

Mobile Phones Point & Shoot / Some Mirrorless Mirrorless & DSLR Cinema

Advanced Features

Basic A couple of advanced features Most Features Cinema Level Features

Budget

Less than $150 Less than $400 Less than $700 Less than $1000

Setup Time

Seconds 1-2 Minutes 5 Minutes 10 Minutes
Moment Zhiyun C030118 G3 Smooth 5 S Combo Gray thumbnail

Zhiyun

Smooth 5S Smartphone Gimbal

Looking for a great smartphone gimbal? The SMOOTH 5S makes cinematic filming easy with 3-axis stabilization and intuitive controls straight from the handle.

Buy for $219.00

To Know:

Movi is a smart, capable cinema robot designed to bring professional camera moves to your smartphone. Movi’s incredible stabilization technology is the same found in our professional rigs, only smaller, more portable, and easier to use. Pair with the free Movi™ iPhone app and make your Movi even smarter, adding pro-style modes including Majestic, Echo, Timelapse, Smartpod and more. Pair with the Movi Counterweight to use with Moment Lenses.

What We Love:

Ultimate Control

Pair with the Movi Counterweight to use with Moment Lenses.

Accurrate and Intentional Movements

Innovative one or two-handed form factor for precision control

Take It Anywhere

Rubberized flat bottom for smooth set-down

The Details:

Brand: FreeFly

Product Type: Mobile Gimbal

Best For: The serious mobile filmmaker looking to manually control how smoother their cinematic footage can be.

 

What We Rate

Packability

Large Pocket Small Backpack Larger Backpack Pelican Case

Weight Limit

Mobile Phones Point & Shoot / Some Mirrorless Mirrorless & DSLR Cinema

Advanced Features

Basic A couple of advanced features Most Features Cinema Level Featureset

Budget

Less than $150 Less than $400 Less than $700 Less than $1000

Setup Time

Seconds 1-2 Minutes 5 Minutes 10 Minutes
Freefly Movi Gimbal Stabilizer 01

Freefly

Movi - Cinema Robot Smartphone Gimbal

We are in stock again with the best selling Movi mobile gimbal by Freefly. Movi’s stabilization technology brings professional camera moves to your phone.

Buy for $249.99

How We Tested

Mobile filmmaking is how Moment got it's start — we wanted to provide a highly-curated shop of only the best products to create a stellar smartphone driven project. There are tons (and even discontinued gimbals) out there on the market, but these two above have proven to be the best ones to date. Available in our shop, now you have access to the gear we use for the art we make.