The best iPhone gimbal in 2023

A shot of a user using the best iPhone gimbal outside
(Image credit: DJI)

If you own an iPhone and love making video content, the best iPhone gimbal is a fantastic accessory to elevate your footage up to a professional standard. Gimbals offer excellent stabilisation and remote control of your phone's camera, meaning you can smooth your phone's videos to look seamless. Modern iPhones already have their own Cinematic mode, so pairing that powerful software with the best iPhone gimbal is a fantastic way to become a true videographer.

But what exactly is a gimbal? These great pieces of tech use a mechanical arm to stabilise your device in order to smooth out your footage whilst the camera is moving. The gimbal steadies any jerky movements, so say goodbye to that pesky camera shake! Most standard gimbals use a three-axis stabilising system, but the more advanced models have five-axis compatibility. This impressive technology differentiates between unintentional and intentional camera movements. 

Overall, this makes the best iPhone gimbal a fantastic tool for any budding videographer who enjoys creating video content. Gimbals allow you to smoothly pan over landscapes and track fast moving subjects whilst on the go, all whilst steadying your footage and erasing any unsteady movements. This gives even your phone videos a much more professional finish.

Our below list detail the best iPhone gimbals available on the market today. We've made sure to include a wide range of the most popular brands like DJI and Zhiyun that make top-of-the-range products designed for professionals, as well as some cheaper alternatives as we know most gimbals aren't cheap. We'll list features like build quality, value for money and battery life to help you quickly compare each listing. If you're a budding photographer and also an Apple fan, check out our guide to the best iPhone for photography. Make sure you're fully powered up when filming with your phone on the go with the best power banks around.

The best iPhone gimbals available now

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Best iPhone gimbal: DJI OM 5

(Image credit: DJI)

01. DJI OM 5

The best iPhone gimbal overall

Specifications

Compatibility: Phones 67-84mm wide; 6.9-10mm thick; 170-290g weight
Stabilisation: 3-axis
Weight: 326g (with magnetic clamp)
Battery life: Approx. 6 hours

Reasons to buy

+
Superb stabilisation
+
Elegant, extendable design
+
Good subject tracking

Reasons to avoid

-
Smaller size = reduced battery

The DJI OM5 is a small gimbal with big potential. Versatile and portable, with a built-in extension rod, it uses a 3-axis system to provide the kind of class-leading stabilisation DJI has become known for. The footage we've seen shot on phones using this gimbal is super-smooth in a huge variety of situations. And as an added plus for newcomers to this style of shooting, you can download the DJI Mimo app to make use of the ShotGuides feature, which gives you some handy tutorials.

It’s not a replacement for the OM4 exactly, and some users may prefer that earlier iPhone gimbal with its bigger battery and power bank capability – if this sounds like your bag, we’ve included this gimbal further down the list. But we love the OM5 for its sublime marriage of price and performance, and its improvement of DJI headline features like ActiveTrack 4.0, which allows you to command the gimbal to follow moving subjects (again, you’ll need the Mimo app for this, as it works via the phone’s touchscreen). 

The magnetic group system is secure and well-designed, and the extendable selfie-stick functionality of the OM5 makes it especially good for vloggers and TikTokers. 

Best iPhone gimbal: Zhiyun Smooth 4

(Image credit: Zhiyun)

02. Zhiyun Smooth 4

An affordable gimbal for iPhone with pro-level features

Specifications

Compatibility: Phones 65 to 82mm wide; 75-210g weight
Stabilisation: 3-axis
Weight: 560g
Battery life: Approx. 10 hours

Reasons to buy

+
Intuitive controls and focus wheel
+
Great battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
No face tracking
-
Can’t carry iPhone 12/13/14 Pro Max

The Zhiyun Smooth 4 is a hugely popular gimbal – indeed Zhiyun has a general reputation for making high-quality and affordable iPhone stabilisers. You’ll see a few more from them on this list. It produces super-smooth footage via its 3-axis stabilisation system, and the well laid-out control panel is a winner. We especially like the intuitive focus/zoom ring, which is easy to use and feels just right in practice. 

Connect your phone to the ZY Play app and you’ll be able to take advantage of several fun shooting features, including time-lapse, long exposures, panoramas and more. It’s an especially good choice for those who want a gimbal that will open up new options for photography as well as video.

Our only reservation with the Zhiyun Smooth 4 is its somewhat slender payload; it is only rated to take phones weighing up to 210g, which rules out the Pro Max series of the iPhone 12 and above. However if you own any other model, this is a great gimbal for a host of uses available at an impressively competitive price. 

Best iPhone gimbal: MOZA Mini-S

(Image credit: Gudsen)

03. MOZA Mini-S

One of the best iPhone gimbals for value

Specifications

Compatibility: Phones 57-88mm wide; 280g weight
Stabilisation: 3-axis
Weight: 490g
Battery life: Approx. 8 hours

Reasons to buy

+
Folds down nice and compact
+
Great value for money
+
Intuitive control layout

Reasons to avoid

-
Hollow, plasticky build

The Moza Mini-S is one of the best smartphone gimbals for travel. With a lightweight build, it folds down to 130mm by 195mm, making it easy to slip into a small travel bag. The build of the unit might feel a little plasticky and cheap, but this is what has kept the cost down, and in use the Moza Mini-S acquits itself really well. The 3-axis stabilisation is smooth and stable in a broad range of conditions, and the gimbal provides loads of useful extra modes, including Object Tracking for following moving subjects. The eight hours of battery life is pretty generous too, giving you more than enough ammunition for a day’s shooting marking the Moza Mini-S as a great option for travel. 

Best iPhone gimbal: FeiyuTech VLOG Pocket 2

(Image credit: FeiyuTech)

04. FeiyuTech VLOG Pocket

The best iPhone gimbal for pocket-sized portability

Specifications

Compatibility: Phones 41-89mm wide; 250g weight
Stabilisation: 3-axs
Weight: 272g
Battery life: Approx. 9 hours

Reasons to buy

+
Converts to mini tripod
+
Tiny and portable

Reasons to avoid

-
Shallow holder
-
Zoom function is jerky

Another eminently portable gimbal, the FeiyuTech VLOG Pocket is great for sticking in a bag (or, yes, a pocket, albeit probably quite a baggy one) and taking everywhere you go. It’s capable of holding phones weighing up to 250g, which should cover all but the largest – though the shallow holder means you’ll definitely need to remove a case if you habitually use one. The 3-axis stabilisation is smooth and reliable, and while it doesn't require use of the FeiyuTech On app in order to work, you’ll find plenty of extra features at your fingertips if you do download the app, including Object Tracking and Gesture Control.

Best iPhone gimbal: Zhiyun Smooth Q3

(Image credit: Zhiyun)

05. Zhiyun Smooth Q3

The best iPhone gimbal for TikTokers

Specifications

Compatibility: Phones 55-90mm wide; 7-10mm thick; 280g weight
Stabilisation: 3-axis
Weight: 340g
Battery life: 15 hours

Reasons to buy

+
Built-in fill light
+
Excellent battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Feels flimsy
-
Handle on the small side

With its built-in 4300K fill light, the Zhiyun Smooth Q3 is an obvious play for the attention of TikTokers and other types of users who are going to be getting a lot of use out of their phone’s selfie camera. If you don’t want to buy a gimbal and a ring light, this is a good way of combining the two by giving your phone some stability and your face a little fill light. And this doesn’t mean it’s a basic gimbal – the Smooth Q3 has a sophisticated 3-axis stabilisation system, with an intuitive control layout that includes a well-designed, easy-to-use joystick. 

Best iPhone gimbal: DJI OM4

(Image credit: DJI)

06. DJI OM4

A classic iPhone gimbal for a reason

Specifications

Compatibility: Phones 67-84mm wide; 6.9-10mm thick; 170-290g weight
Stabilisation: 3-axis
Weight: 434g (with clamp and holder)
Battery life: Approx. 15 hours

Reasons to buy

+
Superb stabilisation 
+
Great battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Comparatively expensive
-
App can be unreliable

We've placed the lighter DJI OM5 at number one on our list, but its bigger, beefier brother the DJI OM4 still gets great customer reviews and remains one of the most well-regarded smartphone gimbals around. It is expensive compared to the competition, and yes, it has some oft-discussed issues like its interference with phone volume rockers or general incompatibility with phone cases, the fact remains that it does what it does extremely well, with some of the best stabilisation you can get for a smartphone. 

It’s bigger and heavier than many iPhone gimbals on this list, but there is a purpose to all that weight, housing as it does an extremely sophisticated 3-axis system that puts smooth, cinema-like movement in the palm of your hand. The DJI Mimi app also lets you play with different modes and effects (though some users do report a bit of unreliability and jank, especially on Android).

Best iPhone gimbal: Zhiyun Smooth X

(Image credit: Zhiyun)

07. Zhiyun Smooth X

The cheapest iPhone gimbal if you're prepared to accept compromises

Specifications

Compatibility: Phones 50-90mm wide; 200g weight
Stabilisation: 2-axis
Weight: 246g
Battery life: Approx. 5.5 hours

Reasons to buy

+
Amazingly affordable
+
Palm-sized

Reasons to avoid

-
Only 2-axis stabilisation
-
Limited payload

If you’re not looking to spend too much on a gimbal then definitely take a look at the Zhiyun Smooth X, which is the cheapest on our list and provides pretty amazing value for money. True, you don’t get a stabilisation system as advanced as others – only a 2-axis system rather than 3-axis – but it’ll still do the job, and its telescopic handle means it also works as a selfie stick. You’ll want to watch the compatibility though – it’s only rated to carry phones weighing up to 200g, and many of the more sophisticated iPhones will exceed that. 

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Jon Stapley

Jon is a freelance writer and journalist who covers photography, art, technology, and the intersection of all three. When he's not scouting out news on the latest gadgets, he likes to play around with film cameras that were manufactured before he was born. To that end, he never goes anywhere without his Olympus XA2, loaded with a fresh roll of Kodak (Gold 200 is the best, since you asked). Jon is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq, and has also written for in Digital Camera World, Black + White Photography Magazine, Photomonitor, Outdoor Photography, Shortlist and probably a few others he's forgetting. 

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