DJI Osmo Mobile 2 review: the Steadicam for the SnapChat generation
A great product gets even better – and a whole lot cheaper too
Cheaper than before, much smarter and a whole lot lighter too, buying the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal isn’t a gamble.
-
+
AI-powered tracking
-
+
New portrait mode
-
-
Orientation change is manual
-
-
No mid-record flipping
Why you can trust T3
This gimbal has since been updated – check out our DJI Osmo OM5 Gimbal review for our take on the new-and-improved model.
Camera stabilisers are hardly mainstream, but that may change with the Osmo Mobile 2. Like the original it’s a superb gimbal for smartphones, enabling smoother tracking and camera movement. But it’s lighter, cheaper and even better than before. This may well be the stabiliser that goes mainstream.
- Make sure you use it with one of the best smartphones
- DJI Action 2 review: this action cam comes with stabilisation built-in
- And check out the best action cameras
Design
The previous Osmo Mobile was made of plastic and magnesium. This time out it’s high-strength nylon, which is much lighter.
The handle is more comfortable than before, and there’s a standard 1/4-inch thread for tripods and other accessories: you can add a base, tripod or extension rod among other available peripherals. It’s as flexible as a GoPro Hero 6.
Version 2 has been built with social media in mind, so you can lock it in portrait mode as well as the more cinematic landscape. You can’t flip between orientations mid-record, and the process is both manual and fiddly.
The controls have been simplified and rethought, with a new physical zoom switch and dedicated record button.
Best of all there’s a new spring-loaded clamp that grips every phone we tested – iPhone X and 8, Pixel 2 and Galaxy Note 8 – incredibly well.
Our only real niggle is that there’s nowhere to have a cold-shoe mount for a mic. That means you can get video stabilisation, but not clean audio too. That’s a shame.
Features and usability
For best results you need to install the Go camera app on either Android or iOS: this pairs with the device to enable the zoom control and to adjust settings and change modes.
It takes time to learn – don’t expect to make Goodfellas out of the gate – and it’s not as simple as the experts make it look.
Walking around is easy enough, but learning to point the camera where you want it to point is considerably trickier. The thumb pad in particular takes a bit of getting used to. We found it took around an hour to become confident in using the Osmo Mobile 2.
One of the key features here is Artificial Intelligence. Here it’s called Active Track, with three settings (low, middle and high) to automatically track a subject.
The inability to flip the camera mid-record is a shame when you consider that even Facebook Live offers that facility.
It makes vlogging more of a pain as you need to stop and manually flip the camera before restarting the recording.
Performance
The Osmo Mobile 2 works very well but sometimes has a surprising enemy: the phone you’re using. That’s because sometimes the phone’s own stabilisation battles the gimbal’s stabilisation, and while you can avoid that by turning the phone’s stabilisation off that isn’t always possible: you can’t do it in the iPhone, for example. It doesn’t happen a lot but it happened enough to annoy us.
It’s quick to start up and very responsive, and the battery is three times better than before: that’s 15 hours of steady shooting.
The battery monitor gives you plenty of advance notice when it’s nearly time for a recharge, and it charges via micro-USB.
It also has its own USB port that you can use if it’s your phone rather than the gimbal that’s running out of energy.
Verdict
The Osmo Mobile 2 improves on its predecessor in every way. It’s more affordable, weighs less, does more and lasts longer.
It’s so good we’d recommend upgrading from the previous one, and if you haven’t previously considered investing in such a device because of the high price then this is the bargain you’ve been waiting for.
Upgrade to smarter living
Get the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products straight to your inbox.
For 25 years T3 has been the place to go when you need a gadget. From the incredibly useful, to the flat out beautiful T3 has covered it all. We're here to make your life better by bringing you the latest news, reviewing the products you want to buy and hunting for the best deals. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We also have a monthly magazine which you can buy in newsagents or subscribe to online – print and digital versions available.
-
Huge sequel with 94% on Rotten Tomatoes makes Disney+ a must this November
Deadpool & Wolverine is finally on its way
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Three types of front squats and their unique benefits
Want to build killer quads? The front squat can get you there
By Bryony Firth-Bernard Published
-
MacBook Pro M4 maxes out with a 40-core GPU and 128GB RAM
Thunderbolt 5, Nano-texture display and blistering speed makes the latest MacBook Pro M4 models next-level brilliance
By Mat Gallagher Published