The $99 Hohem iSteady Mobile+ is a gimbal that helps you capture video that’s far smoother than what you can get with just your phone. We like its sturdy build, effective controls, strong motors, and good subject-tracking capabilities. That said, there’s a bit of a learning curve, and the gimbal is large and doesn’t fold for easier travel. If size isn’t an issue, the Mobile+ is a good gimbal for a reasonable price. However, we prefer the $139 DJI Osmo Mobile 6 because it folds down for easier carrying and has a more powerful app, which earns it our Editors’ Choice award.
Build: Sturdy, But Big
The iSteady Mobile+ measures 11.57 by 4.72 by 1.85 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.04 pounds. For comparison, the Osmo Mobile 6 measures 10.87 by 4.39 by 3.9 inches, but it folds down to a more compact 7.44 by 3.32 by 1.73 inches for travel, weighs 0.68 pounds and features a telescoping extension. The Mobile+ does not fold for travel but comes with a carrying case, a grip extender/tripod, and a USB-A to USB-C cable.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
The Mobile+ is made of an unspecified high-performance composite material, which feels a lot like plastic. The palm grip is textured, while the rest of the barrel is smooth. Most of the controls are located in a flat area on the handle and include a textured joystick, zoom slider, mode button, and combined power/record button. My thumb easily reaches all the controls. The top left of the control panel features lights that signal each of the four shooting modes, while the top right holds a Bluetooth indicator light. You use the knurled trigger on the rear to zoom and fire off other functions. The control layout is clear and simple. Everything you need for one-handed shooting is available whether you’re left- or right-handed.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
A USB-A and USB-C port are positioned below a standard 1/4-20 mount on the left side and are protected by a rubber hatch. A tripod mount is located at the bottom of the barrel. You charge the gimbal via the USB-C port and can power other devices, like your phone, through the USB-A port. Four battery indicator lights, located on the right side, are activated by quickly tapping the power button. Hohem says a full charge provides 13 hours of battery life. In comparison, the Osmo Mobile 6 gets just 6 hours and 30 minutes of battery life.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
The phone holder swivels to mount your handset and works in portrait or landscape orientations. The clamp expands to hold phones ranging from 2.28 inches to 3.5 inches wide. The phone clip attaches to an adjustable arm that moves laterally for balancing and to accommodate long phones. The gimbal can support phones that weigh up to 9.88 ounces.
The Mobile+ can handle most phones, including the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (7.99 ounces) and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (7.69 ounces). Keep in mind that cases add size and weight. For comparison, the DJI can handle a little more weight, with a maximum carry capacity of 10.6 ounces.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
A magnetic plate built into the phone holder can carry Hohem’s optional Magnetic Fill Light ($19.90). The light has a USB-C port for charging, though it cannot provide power to other devices. Our test unit did not include the light, but Hohem sells a kit with the gimbal and light together for $109. Alternatively, you can add accessories to the other side of the gimbal via the 1/4-20 mount. DJI sells a wide range of accessories for the Osmo Mobile 6.
Setup: Pair, Learn, and Go
Included paper instructions explain the basics to help get you started, but they are light on details. To start, you need to download the free Hohem Joy app (available for Android and iOS) and then mount your phone in the gimbal.
For testing, we used a Google Pixel 9, which has optical image stabilization (OIS) on its rear camera but not its front camera. The Hohem Joy app is organized with tabs along the bottom labeled Home, Tutorial, Camera, Editor, and Me. The Camera icon is orange and larger than the rest of the targets.
(Credit: Hohem/PCMag)
The Home section is a feed of promotional videos made using Hohem products that are seemingly meant to inspire you. The Tutorial section explains how to use the gimbal through videos that look more like user-generated content than professional instructions. The videos can be helpful, but they are not uniform in their approach. The Editor allows you to put your clips into templates to produce videos and the Me section is for creating an optional Hohem account.
I found the app’s instructions scattered and of varying levels of quality. To get up to speed on how to use the gimbal, I preferred consulting the Hohem Support page, which offers videos and text instructions.
Recording: Responsive Controls, Smooth Video
At launch, the app asks to pair with the gimbal via Bluetooth and seeks to connect with it each time you launch it. Sometimes, it’s unable to pair right away, but tapping the Bluetooth icon in the app fixes this quickly. In testing, the zoom control was unresponsive at first, and the gimbal displayed a red Bluetooth indicator light, meaning the Bluetooth connection was faulty. Closing and reopening the app fixed this problem.
Powering on the Mobile+ activates the motors, which level your phone. You can record footage using any camera app, but the camera functionality within the Hohem Joy app makes things easier. The layout is information-dense, with recording settings arranged on the left and top sides of the frame, camera modes on the right, and camera data along the bottom.
(Credit: Hohem/PCMag)
The Mode button on the handle lets you select between the four shooting modes. There’s Pan Follow, where the gimbal moves side to side to capture while locking down the other axes. Pan Tilt Follow allows the gimbal to track left, right, up, and down. A Locked mode keeps the camera level regardless of how you hold or move the gimbal’s handle, and the POV mode programs the camera to follow your movements.
Tap the yellow camera icon in the app for detailed tutorials on composing videos. This is similar to the Shot Guides found in DJI’s Mimo app. For example, the Basketball preset shows you how to shoot a highlight reel, complete with instructions on what should be in the frame, how to move the camera, shot size, and technique. Tapping Start brings you back to the camera interface with an overlay of the instructional video. I found this a fun way to get more familiar with the Mobile+.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Preset movements are also available under the Moment toggle. The presets let you quickly record a dolly zoom or rotate the camera in Inception mode. Even with all this help, though, there is still a learning curve, but it isn’t too steep.
The camera app tracks subjects quite well. Tap on the screen to bring up a green selection box and choose your subject. The gimbal will do its best to track your subject, but if it moves quickly out of frame, the gimbal may not move fast enough to find it. Also, should the subject return to the frame, the Mobile+ won’t automatically resume tracking. The tracking speed is adjustable in settings, which might help keep some erratic subjects in the frame. Otherwise, the gimbal remains locked on your subject in the viewfinder.
(Credit: Hohem/PCMag)
All four recording modes work well, and the resulting video is smoother than a video I shot using the Pixel 9 without the gimbal. Thanks to the joystick and powerful motors, which are responsive to the controls, it’s easy to make adjustments on the fly. Overall, the whole assembly feels balanced and sturdy, letting you focus on shooting.
Apart from regular shooting modes, the iSteady Mobile+ has some tricks up its sleeve. Tapping the trigger button twice resets the camera placement to its default position. Tap it four times for ultra-wide mode, where the gimbal flips its arm so the phone’s cameras aren’t obstructed by it. This mode partially blocks the screen from your view, but that’s the price for clear ultra-wide video.
Left to right: Regular mode, ultra-wide mode (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Tapping the record button once starts a recording, twice sets the app to photo mode, and three times switches the active camera (rear or front). There is also a gesture to switch from landscape to portrait orientation; just rotate the gimbal 90 degrees to the left. I found this a little finicky, but the gesture does work. Using this mode lets you pan your phone but not tilt it. For full rotational control for portrait video you need to remount your phone in portrait mode. For comparison, the Osmo Mobile 6 quickly rotates your phone to swap between portrait and landscape orientations with no remounting required.
Verdict: A Capable Gimbal for a Good Price
The Hohem iSteady Mobile+ is compatible with a wide range of phones, has a well-organized control panel with responsive inputs, offers long battery life, and delivers smooth, steady video. We wish it were easier to learn the gimbal’s basics and that it folded in half for easier transport, though we appreciate its sturdy build. If you can spend more, we recommend the Editors’ Choice-winning DJI Osmo Mobile 6 for its more powerful app, expansive ecosystem, and folding design, which makes it easier to carry around. But the iSteady Mobile+ is a solid alternative for a considerably lower price.
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The Bottom Line
The affordable Hohem iSteady Mobile+ phone gimbal helps you capture smooth video while easily tracking subjects.
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About Iyaz Akhtar
Mobile Analyst
