Zhiyun - Smooth-Q 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer - Black

The overall quality of the product is decent, for the price it’s hard to expect anything else. When I compare with the DJI Osmo Mobile the quality of the DJI gimbal is far superior. This one feels a bit cheap in the hand. The app is a bit glitchy but gets the job done. Overall I would say if you found a deal and got this for under $100 then it’s worth it, but anything over $100 just get the Osmo mobile.

It's not the best, but it's serviceable once you figure out some of the quirks. The big issue, bought a separate go pro adapter, which fits fine, and works great when shooting in Narrow, but when using Normal or Wide, the weight in the front is in the shot. See the photo. First time I used it in this manner was a couple weeks ago at Disneyland. Super frustrating, and I have no clue how to fix it before we go on our next vacation. Usually I shoot narrow, but on trips, I go wider. Would take it back if I could.

Best budget smartphone gimbal! My only complaint is my 11Pro Max is a little too heavy for it so I had to buy a counterweight but other than that it operates great.

My review title pretty much sums this up. This is a relatively cheap gimbal, as most similar gimbals can easily be over $200. I bought this to use on multiple trips to Big Sur, Yosemite, and Lake Tahoe. Coupled with the brilliant camera on the Galaxy S8 (I'm writing this review 1.5 years later), this thing is GREAT for the purpose. Standing alone as a product (in other words, excluding the app, I will address that later), this is great for phones and will get you beautiful smooth footage almost every time. As long as you dont accidentally turn it on without the phone installed (which I did a couple times.....oops), the motors are silent and work very well. The joystick is extremely helpful, and its awesome the thing can be used as an external battery pack. And the the tripod thread on the bottom is a godsend. I would attach this thing to a mini flexible tripod I had and could get great group photos on a timer, perfectly stabilized left-right pans, and good standing footage anywhere. If you buy this, I highly recommend having a mini tripod too. Some criticisms I have are: 1) I wish it could be extended just a little farther out, as sometimes I will catch the tail end of the gimbal in some shots when panning around. 2) Had a rubberized grip or something that wasnt matte plastic. When hiking with this, sweaty hands make this slippery. 3) It came with a PLASTIC attachment/adapter for gopros. I know this is not necessarily the products fault, but all the gopro attachments Ive seen with this are metal of a solid slab of metal. And coupled with a gopro hero 6, its too heavy. A plastic adapter + weight of gopro is basically equivalent to a phone. Why does it have to be metal?! Aside from that, I just wish Zhiyun sold an adapter made by them. All these 3rd party attachments have such shady and spotty reviews, I dont trust them. If Zhiyun sold their own, Id gladly buy one from them, knowing it was from a company that knows the capabilities of its own products. So a couple other things to address about this. The charging cable is flat which is a nice plus!! The carrying case is a great plus as well! Its not the highest quality case ever and can get scuffed pretty easily. But better the case than your gimbal right? The fact its included is something I love. Battery life is great as well. I've gone a whole week, using this thing throughout every day, without charging it. And it still seems to hold up fine. The one thing I will say is that knowing its battery life is a little mysterious. I went a whole month without charging it and it still trudged on just fine and never would blink yellow for a charge. Then one day it just wouldnt turn on. So I charged it, then it was fine. Idk, what Im saying is, I wish there was a better way for battery life indication. Like 5 dot lights on the side or something. Lastly, the app. Yikes.....the dreaded app. Simply put, dont use it. Dont download it, dont even bother. Its just downright terrible. The tracking is a cool idea, and being able to use the zoom in/out button on the gimbal is enticing, but honestly. The frustration the app brings is not even worth it. I tried it on both an iphone and my own galaxy, and it sucked for both. If the app was as amazing as the product itself, this would be a 7/5 star thing!!!!! But because the app is just flatout garbage, its a -1 star for a 5 star product. I do recommend this for anyone who wants their footage to look more professional and smooth!

Not designed for the latest bigger phones. Can't handle the weight and size. It doesn't tell you these details until you open the box and read the manual. With my phone and case...I guess it exceeds the maximum payload. 201g+ Note9 512GB plus the case. The gimbal won't even respond but it tries to. It just hesitates and twitches when you try to move the joystick... because the phone and case exceeds the weight. Other than that...it's perfect for soneone with a lighter phone with a screensize under 6.0". Note 9 is 6.3 or 6.4 with the case.

Just began in the mini-camera mode with a Hero 5 Black. After trying it out with its related accessories, there is a compelling need for a gimbal stabilizer if you plan out taking decent shots. Most are priced around the $300+ mark. After reading many reviews and videos, the Zhiyun made good sense @ $100 for just starting off and most reviews were positive for the hobbyist. So, why not? I can upgrade later if I stick with the hobby. I have not had it long enough to test durability but just the fact that it could also be used as a power source to extend shooting time is a big plus. So far the only negative is mounting the Hero. Standard mounting will cover the camera screen so you need to buy a bracket (cell phone size and weighted) to compensate but you need to use mode 3 exclusively for the correct orientation forward and screen viewable. Not Zhiyun's fault since it was designed for a cell phone not a GoPro. But it does the job and when using my cell it does work as well with the 3 different modes. However, if you use your cell phone as a monitor with the Hero screen blocked, that works. But you're burning two batteries along with the added drain for bluetooth so you may be limited in a long shoot with just basic power sources. Add more!

Good gimbal, not great. This is my FIRST gimbal. Wanted one to use my iPhone 11 Pro Max for vlogging on the move. It does that job very well, BUT the phone is pushing the gimbal 100% all the time. It doesn't like the big heavy phone, and sometimes doesn't balance right, which is frustrating trying to re-set everything up especially if you were trying to get a quick shot. Also claims to be able to charge the phone while using the gimbal, but the charging port on your phone is jammed against the rubber bumper, so you cannot plug it in... Overall, I wouldn't buy this again, I would spent a few bucks more on a much smaller, feature packed better gimbal.

1) Upon charge up the indicator light just flutter vs. steady on. Called Zhinyu for replacement. Ended up taking to Best Buy for exchange. Unit was taken in and UPC code scanned to complete process. Replacement unit to be shipped to me. 2) Found out that my confirmation of return was a black unit but what I turned in was grey. Went to have this clarified and BB said that "Jet Black" was being picked up on SKU # label. 3) I was told to order one (grey) thru BB and would complete an exchange upon bringing in the original replacement that was being shipped to me...are you following all of this? 4) I get notification that my ordered grey unit was ready for pick up. So went in and had this ordered grey unit to be used to take the place of the black replacement unit...which has yet to arrive. Furthermore I was routinely checking UPS tracking number it was last seen in San Pablo, CA and handed over to USPS for delivery. Most recent check of USPS tracking number indicates..."NoTracking"...I presumed lost(?). Regardless all is good I was able to get credit on the ordered unit and was able to keep it as my replacment unit...got it? So how's Zhihyu gimbal? Well folks it's O.K. but there are a couple of things that should be done to improve the unit. 1) provide the ability to add weights to achieve center of gravity with the heavier iPhone Plus units especially if you opt to charge your iPhone while using gimbal 2) position of USB should be located at top of handle (like the newly introduced Osmos Mobile 2). Other than that I need to really complete a deep dive into using this...spent too much time waiting for replacement ~ 1 month.