When the Osmo Mobile 3 is folded in half (right), it becomes much more compact than rival smartphone gimbals such as the popular Zhiyun Smooth 4 (left). Photo: Ben Sin
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DJI Osmo Mobile 3 review: smallest smartphone gimbal of its kind, light and folds into your pocket
- Strong and more manageable than just about any other smartphone three-axis gimbal, the Osmo Mobile 3 folds to roughly six inches by three inches
- Its clever arm design allows it to shoot wide-angle camera modes without getting the arm in the frame
DJI moved the hinge of the Osmo Mobile 3’s motor arm to the side of the phone instead of in front of it, so phones with wide-angle cameras can shoot freely. Other gimbals’ motor arms tend to obstruct the view of wide-angle cameras. Photo: Ben Sin
DJI’s latest smartphone gimbal, the Osmo Mobile 3, is unique in two crucial ways: it can fold into pocketable size and its clever arm design allows it to handle wide-angle cameras too – the latter an issue with many other models on the market.
Design and hardware
The gimbal’s construction and design is reminiscent of DJI’s other Osmo products such as the Osmo Pocket and Osmo Action.
It’s almost entirely plastic and grey-coloured, with the usual buttons for controls, including a trigger button, a rubber analogue nub and shutter button.
Even in its full operational form, the device is smaller and lighter than rival smartphone gimbals such as the Zhiyun Smooth 4. It can also fold in half to a size that is smaller than any gimbal I’ve seen. In folded form the dimensions are roughly six inches (15cm) by three inches, which is compact enough to fit inside some of my trouser pockets.
When in use, the gimbal behaves like the hundreds of three-axis gimbals already on the market, allowing a smartphone camera to pan left to right, tilt up or down, or move forward and backward without the typical shakiness that comes with handheld recording.
The DJI Osmo Mobile 3 is a small and lightweight smartphone gimbal that folds in half. Photo: Ben Sin
But because DJI cleverly moved the motor arms to the side of the phone instead of in front of it – the latter of which is a design used by virtually all smartphone gimbals – the smartphone can use its wide-angle camera without accidentally getting the motor arm into the frame.
This is a big deal for me, and I suspect for many aspiring YouTubers or vloggers as well, as a wide-angle camera is often the preferred framing for cinematic videos. I own a Zhiyun Smooth 4, and its motor arm is consistently an obstacle for wide-angle shots.
The Osmo Mobile 3’s phone grip also switches between landscape or portrait orientation with just a press of a button, so those who prefer to shoot vertical videos for Instagram or Snapchat can do so easily.
Software and features
The Osmo Mobile 3 can be used as a stand-alone gimbal, but it’s best to pair it with the DJI Mimo app that is available for iOS and Android.
With the app, users can control recording with the gimbal’s shutter button, and also pull off trick shooting modes such as time-lapse video, panoramic shots and motion tracking. The latter is especially impressive. Simply highlight a person or an object in frame within the Mimo app and the gimbal will lock on to the subject and the gimbal will pan and tilt around (as much as it can) to keep the subject in the centre of the frame.
The DJI Osmo Mobile 3 has all the usual control buttons, including a trigger for quicker panning movement, and a dedicated shutter button to record without needing to touch the phone screen. Photo: Ben Sin
Performance and battery life
Obviously, a video’s sharpness or colour science is only as good as the smartphone’s hardware, but stability was absolutely not an issue. I tested the gimbal with multiple phones of varying sizes, from a petite handset like the iPhone XS to the relatively large and heavy OnePlus 7 Pro. The gimbal’s motors were able to handle each one.
Charging is done via USB-C and a full battery operates the gimbal for around 15 hours. That can change depending on the weight of the phone – the heavier it is, the more the motors have to work to achieve balance.
Conclusion
At HK$759 (US$97), the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 is priced competitively against rivals – the nearly two-year-old Zhiyun Smooth 4 currently retails for HK$799. That the Osmo Mobile 3 is also more portable and can do things few other gimbals can do – support wide angle cameras – this makes DJI’s latest product a clear winner. For anyone looking for a smartphone gimbal, this is the one to get.