10 Best Gimbals for iPhone in 2021
The Best Gimbals for iPhone to Shoot Stabilized Videos
Even though the newer models of the iPhone, including the iPhone 13 series and iPhone 12 Pro Max come with optical image stabilization and sensor shift stabilization, it never hurts to have a little extra help to get that perfectly stabilized shot. You can use these handheld iPhone gimbals to improve the quality of your videos, and get more cinematic looking shots at a relatively lower price point. Depending on your requirements, you can choose between 3-axis, and 2-axis gimbals, but I would recommend going for a 3-axis stabilization gimbal, regardless.
The OM 4 brings all the good stuff you’d expect from a high-quality gimbal, including 3-axis stabilization, a bunch of fancy zoom and focus effects, and more.
What’s more, you get DJI ActiveTrack 3.0 which lets you track subjects in your frame. Then, the gimbal can automatically pan/tilt to ensure the subjects remain in the frame while still getting you a stable shot. It’s pretty neat.
Sure, DJI has launched a new OM 5 gimbal as well, but the OM 5 isn’t the one we’d recommend you get. There have been many reports of the gimbal being unable to support the weight of bigger smartphones such as the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the iPhone 13 Pro Max, and people are, in general, not very happy with it. Plus, it’s more expensive.
Similar to most other gimbals on this list, the Smooth Q3 offers 3-axis stabilization, that’s pretty standard. However, the gimbal also comes with an LED fill-light. this is great if you want to have a fill-light on your videos — the gimbal’s built-in LED offers 3 levels of brightness and it can be rotated 180 degrees so you can use it for the rear or front cameras easily.
The Zhiyun Smooth Q3 also comes with ‘SmartFollow 3.0’ which is Zhiyun’s tracking-tech that will let you easily track subjects in a video. This way you can let the gimbal automatically pan/tilt to ensure the subject remains within the frame without having to do it all manually.
Apart from that, there’s also the cool MagicClone Pano feature that lets you clone yourself to show multiple sides of yourself; this isn’t exactly something a lot of people are looking for, but it’s a fun feature to have. The gimbal can easily support even the iPhone 13 Pro Max, so you can rest assured it’s a solid choice for your iPhone videography kit.
The Moza Mini-Mi, however, also brings a ton of other features to the mix. The gimbal supports 360-degree rotation along any of the 3 axes. You can use the software to set-up the rotation based on the shot you want, which allows for quite a lot of cinematic freedom when shooting with the Mini-Mi.
The controls on the handle include a joystick to control the pan, tilt, and roll of the gimbal, and you also get a jog-wheel to switch between shooting modes.
Moreover, the Mini-Mi comes with wireless charging built into the phone holder, so your iPhone will remain charged throughout the shoot, which is definitely a bonus.
Similar to the DJI OM 4 and the Zhiyun Smooth Q3, the Moza Mini-Mi also comes with follow-modes, and you can use the timelapse feature to shoot stunning timelapse shots as well.
The Mini-S is a very compact gimbal once folded, which makes it a great option for people who are always on the go. You get 3-axis stabilization here as well, along with automatic balancing, and advanced shooting modes. With the Mini-S you can use modes like the Inception mode, Vertigo mode, and a lot more to get some cool looking shots.
It also brings a ton of control straight to your fingertips. Mounted on its handle are buttons for controlling focus, panning and tilting the gimbal with the joystick, a playback button to quickly view the video you just shot, and a dedicated button for launching the Inception mode.
For $59, the Moza Mini-S is definitely one of the most affordable, feature-rich gimbals I can recommend for your iPhone.
Apart from that, the iSteady Mobile Plus brings modes such as the new Inception mode that’s becoming very popular across gimbal-makers, as well as an updated Sports mode that can come in handy in extremely unstable environments. Obviously, you also get manual control over the zoom and focus modes, as well as a variety of locking and following modes.
The gimbal is great for almost any iPhone out there, and can accommodate the iPhone 13 Pro Max as well, so you can rest assured your iPhone will be compatible with it as well.
This pocket-sized gimbal is also useful for people who want portability, and it comes with wings at the bottom that you can open up to use it like a makeshift tripod.
Face and object tracking is built-in, to allow for smooth, automatic tracking shots, and there’s also a selfie-mode built in, for times when you are standing in the coolest place you’ve ever been in, and you want to click a selfie.
The gimbal can easily handle any iPhone, including the latest iPhone 13 series, and if you want to use a GoPro, the gimbal is compatible with GoPro cameras as well. There’s even a counterweight included to ensure stability with GoPro cameras.
With the buttons on the gimbal, you can control many aspects of your shooting experience. Whether it’s controlling the pan/tilt of the camera, or if you want to pull focus with zoom options, the Smooth 4 lets you do all of that easily.
Moreover, there’s object tracking built-in, so you can simply select the object to track, and the gimbal will do the rest for you.
There’s gesture control here as well, so you can easily take pictures or start recording by just using palm gestures, and the leather-grain handle makes the gimbal exceedingly comfortable to hold as well.
Similar to a bunch of other gimbals on this list, the iSteady V2 also features a few cinematic modes to give you that extra edge when shooting cinematic footage. You can use the gimbal to shoot Inception mode videos, Dolly Zoom, timelapses, and more. Moreover, the gimbal supports 2-way charging with the USB-C port, so you can keep your iPhone charged up during the shoot.
Even though it’s a tiny gimbal, if you’re worried about taking selfies or group photos, it does come with an extension pole. It also supports quick switching between portrait and landscape orientations.
For $39, this is a really nice gimbal for your iPhone.
You get controls on the handle for a couple of handy features. There’s a quick mode switch which lets you between landscape and portrait modes, as well as a recording button. Plus, you can use the control jog to pan the gimbal while shooting for smooth pan shots.
The Zhiyun ZY CAMI app also brings some more advanced features, including face and object tracking, as well as dedicated options for slow motion capture, time lapse, and panorama functions.
As always, do let us know your thoughts on the best iPhone gimbals, and whether you think they are worth it, now that iPhone stabilization has gotten so much better. Also, if you know of any other iPhone gimbal that deserves to be on this list, do let us know about it in the comments section below.
