Hohem iSteady V3 Gimbal Review

Being a solo content creator, I know how hard it is to shoot videos of myself, and it becomes even trickier when I want to add dynamic motion. That’s where a gimbal comes in handy. Whether you’re looking to enhance your phone photography or create engaging social media content, a gimbal can significantly improve your videos by reducing shake and smoothing out motion. This is the primary purpose of this accessory. Recently, gimbal brands have started incorporating AI features into their smartphone gimbals, elevating their capabilities, and Hohem is no exception.

Since 2014, Hohem has been making photography accessories and gimbals. The company’s latest offering, the affordable AI-powered iSteady V3 gimbal, is packed with useful features. This was my first time trying out an AI-powered gimbal.

I’ve been testing the Hohem iSteady V3 for the past two weeks, courtesy of Hohem, which provided a review unit. I took the iSteady V3 gimbal out to determine whether it truly has the potential to become your personal videographer. Most importantly, I want to see how it stacks up against its rivals, such as the DJI OSMO Mobile 6, Insta360 Flow Pro, and Zhiyun Smooth 5S gimbals. Let’s find out.

Pros 

• Sturdy, compact, and highly portable design
• AI tracking capabilities for seamless subject tracking
• Detachable remote 
• Built-in tripod legs and selfie stick
• Effective stabilization modes 
• 12-hour battery life 

Cons 

• Learning curve for beginners 
• Upward angle and Downward angle motion is limited to just 45° and 35° 
• AI tracker magnets are weak

Unboxing

Pricing and Availability 

The Hohem iSteady V3 Gimbal is available at Amazon for $129.99. It comes in White and Black color options. 

Design and Build 

Let me start by saying that I haven’t seen a gimbal in such a compact size. It literally fits in my palm. Unboxing the iSteady V3 gimbal was a super fun experience. Inside the box, you’ll find the gimbal, a detachable magnetic remote controller, a Magnetic AI tracker that doubles as a fill light, a nice pouch, a USB-C charging cable, and a hex key tool.

One feature I like most about the iSteady V3 gimbal is that it comes with integrated selfie stick extensions and built-in tripod legs. When I first held the iSteady V3, I was amazed by its small yet lightweight design. Finished in a white shade, the gimbal has a foldable design, which makes it highly portable. It can even easily fit into your jeans pocket, thanks to its compact foldable form factor.

The smallest form factor is enhanced by its built-in selfie stick, which extends up to 205mm. While this is relatively short compared to its immediate rivals equipped with an extension rod, it is sufficient for capturing shots from various angles. Additionally, there is a screw thread at the bottom of the gimbal, allowing you to mount it on any camera stand, which increases its versatility.

The V3 feels very lightweight in hand, weighing approximately 420 grams, and it measures 127 x 65 x 312 mm when unfolded and 98 x 44 x 160.5 mm when folded. The thickness of the gimbal’s handle is just right; it comfortably fits in my relatively large hands, allowing for smooth movements without any issues. Additionally, the grip is effective at preventing sweaty hands.

Hohem has outfitted the base of the gimbal with tripod legs that can be easily pulled out for setup on the ground. At first glance, I found the built-in tripod legs to be quite flimsy, but I was mistaken. The thin tripod legs are surprisingly sturdy and stable, easily balancing my iQOO 12 smartphone even with an extension.

The iSteady V3 features a detachable magnetic remote control that can be easily removed from the gimbal’s handle, allowing you to control all gimbal movements remotely from a distance of up to 10 meters (~32.8 feet). With the detachable remote, you can manage various functions, such as starting and stopping recording by pressing the designated record button, as well as panning, tilting, and rolling the gimbal using the remote’s joysticks, and more. More details on that will follow later.

On the top side, you’ll find a detachable AI tracker that also serves as a fill light. This fill light offers three color temperature options: 6500K cool light, 5000K neutral light, and 2700K warm light. Additionally, you can adjust the brightness levels of the fill light using a remote.

Performance

This was my first gimbal I’ve reviewed. As I found, with any gimbal, there’s always a bit of a learning curve. The same applies to the Hohem iSteady V3, but surprisingly, it is very user-friendly. Once you learn how to operate the gimbal, including all commands and gestures, it becomes second nature. Additionally, Hohem provides all the tutorials through its Hohem Joy companion app. I highly recommend watching all the tutorials, as they will teach you how to master the iSteady V3 gimbal and shoot like a pro.

Over the last two weeks, I have been testing the Hohem iSteady V3 with my iQOO 12 smartphone mounted on it. I primarily used the iSteady V3 gimbal for shooting unboxing videos, creating social media content, and taking photographs. The V3’s three-axis stabilization worked impressively during my testing, and the video footage came out very smooth, without any shakes. Hohem has integrated four native gimbal modes into the V3: POV (Point of View) mode, PF (Pan Follow) mode, PTF (Pan Tilt Follow) mode, and L (Lock) mode.

All the gimbal modes work incredibly well, and I didn’t encounter any issues whatsoever. In particular, I’m a huge fan of Lock mode, which stabilizes every axis and provides exceptional stability while shooting video. For instance, if you are walking while using Lock mode, it nearly eliminates all bobbing from the video, resulting in a very smooth, cinematic-level output. The V3’s stabilization performance truly impressed me.

Controlling the gimbal is an easy task. The gimbal features nine buttons for straightforward control. Let’s start with the detachable remote, which has six buttons: a joystick for managing gimbal movement (pan, tilt, roll), a mode button for switching between landscape and portrait modes, a dedicated shutter button to start and stop recording, two up and down buttons that allow you to roll the smartphone up to 195 degrees, and a side button for recentering the gimbal.

On the left side of the remote, there’s an orange side wheel that controls the fill light, while the power on/off button is located on the right side. Additionally, the remote features a small LED display that shows the gimbal status, including the activated mode, Bluetooth connection, different mode types, and a battery indicator.

All buttons are highly responsive and demonstrate excellent durability. I particularly appreciate the tiny joystick on the remote, which is very handy. Another notable aspect is that the Hohem iSteady V3 effortlessly balances my iQOO 12 smartphone, despite its weight of 204 grams. I did not notice any shakiness or wobbling while switching modes during shooting.

The gimbal has a maximum payload capacity of 300 grams, which means you can easily mount larger devices like the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Galaxy S24 Ultra, weighing around 227 grams and 232 grams respectively, without any issues. I’m confident that the gimbal can effortlessly handle larger phones. Additionally, there are criteria for the thickness of the smartphone; Hohem specifies that the smartphone needs to be under 12.5mm thick. Fortunately, most of the latest smartphones come in at under 10mm thick, so you shouldn’t face any difficulties here.

What makes the Hohem iSteady V3 even more enticing are its AI capabilities. The iSteady V3 features a detachable AI tracker with a built-in camera that sits next to the smartphone holder. This AI tracker works seamlessly with any smartphone, which enhances the gimbal’s versatility. However, keep in mind that the locking clips of the AI tracker aren’t particularly strong, and it can easily fall out with just a gentle touch, so exercise caution.

The AI tracker performed exceptionally well while shooting the video, consistently keeping me at the center of the frame as I moved. I even stepped out of the frame to test its tracking capabilities. To my surprise, when I returned to its range, it automatically recognized me and resumed tracking. This feature is incredibly useful for solo content creators who want to film themselves without the assistance of another person. There’s also a dedicated button on top of the AI tracker that allows you to switch off the AI tracking if needed. Impressively, the AI capabilities work seamlessly with the native camera app, requiring no aid from the official Hohem Joy app, which is a nice touch.

Additionally, you can use a few simple hand gestures to activate or deactivate the AI tracking, which is very cool. For example, a double thumbs-up gesture prompts the gimbal to switch between horizontal and vertical orientations; this feature is particularly handy. All the gestures function well overall. However, some still lack fine-tuning and require further polishing. Occasionally, the tracker failed to detect my gestures, but I would estimate that it got things right over 85% of the time.

The only drawback of the AI tracker is that it only tracks people. However, this limitation is not a significant issue.

The companion app, Hohem Joy 

Hohem also offers a dedicated companion app, the Hohem Joy, which enables several additional features. You can use the Hohem Joy app to capture time lapses, slow motion, panoramas, time warp, and more. There is also a separate editor section that provides pre-made video templates, allowing you to create impressive videos. However, the Hohem Joy app is inundated with ads, which can be quite irritating.

Battery Life

Hohem’s iSteady V3 features a 1400mAh battery cell. The company claims that it offers 13 hours of battery life with AI tracking and fill light turned off, and up to 4 hours when both AI tracking and fill light are on. In my real-world testing, the results were fairly consistent. I achieved approximately 11 hours and 45 minutes of battery life with AI tracking off, and around 3 hours and 12 minutes with both AI tracking and the fill light activated. Overall, the battery life of this gimbal is quite impressive.

This exceptional product has achieved the distinguished Pinnacle Selection award, a mark of unparalleled excellence for surpassing an average rating of 4.25 stars out of five. Recognized as the best in its class, it embodies the highest standards in innovation, design, and user satisfaction. Our review confirms its status as a leader, with virtually unmatched quality and performance.

Should you buy the Hohem iSteady V3 gimbal? 

You should buy this if…

• You want a compact lightweight gimbal with a foldable design 
• You are looking for a gimbal with AI-tracking capabilities 
• You want a gimbal with a detachable remote control 
• You need a budget gimbal with great stabilization 
• You want a user-friendly gimbal 

You shouldn’t buy this if..

• Your smartphone weighs more than 300 grams 
• You are looking for a gimbal that can easily shoot very low-angle tracking shots

Final Thoughts

Hohem has done a fantastic job with its latest iSteady V3 gimbal. I’m a huge fan of its 3-axis stabilization, which offers shake-free video footage. Its lightweight, compact, and foldable design makes it highly portable; in fact, it can even fit into your jeans pocket. What makes it even more special are its AI tracking capabilities, which are hard to find, especially at this price point.

The iSteady V3 has an edge over its direct competitors, such as the DJI OSMO Mobile 6 ($139), Insta360 Flow Pro ($149), and Zhiyun Smooth 5 ($149), all of which cost $10 to $20 more than the V2. Moreover, those competitors lack the versatility and features like AI tracking and a detachable remote control that really set the iSteady V3 apart.

However, I have one quibble: you can’t shoot very low-angle tracking shots due to the gimbal’s limited tilt range, which is between 35° downward and 45° upward.

Quibbles aside, the Hohem iSteady V3 checks all the important boxes. It has a sturdy build, an extendable selfie stick, built-in tripod legs, a detachable remote control, a fill light, 3-axis stabilization, a portable design, and AI tracking capabilities. What more could you want in this price range? If you’re looking for a well-built, feature-packed gimbal without spending a fortune, then you can’t go wrong with the Hohem iSteady V3 gimbal.

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