Strong Points
- excellent stability
- Convenient zoom and focus wheel
- Supports multiple cameras on many phones
Cons
- Android app not in Google Play store
- Cannot adjust zoom wheel sensitivity
- Fill light clamp is optional
our verdict
Although a little pricey, the Osmo Mobile 6 is a great phone stabilizer that combines great hardware with easy-to-use software.
In its sixth iteration, DJI has made some significant changes to the Osmo Mobile phone stabilizer.
One is the addition of a handy display that tells you which mode you’re in, and the other is a dial and button combination on the side that you can use for zoom and focus.
Another obvious change is the return to the black of the original model, but here it’s a darker gray charcoal and made entirely out of plastic.
That said, it’s well made and feels nice and light in your hand.
Of course the comparison with the original is pointless. The real question is whether, in 2023, this is his gimbal smartphone to buy.
Function and design
- auto power on
- Mimo app launches automatically on compatible phones
- telescopic pole
The Osmo Mobile 6 certainly has a lot to offer. It’s very compact when folded, so you can take it to more places than you can leave it at home.
The box includes a mini tabletop tripod for hands-free use of the Osmo Mobile 6, along with a soft bag. This is great if you want to use it to record or take panoramic photos while you are doing something. Photo from the exact same spot.
The counterpart to this is ActiveTrack 5.0, which can automatically track an object, even when walking under the shade of a tree, for example.
Jim Martin / Foundry
Additionally, gestures let you start and stop recording hands-free, which worked well during our testing.
Like its predecessor, the Osmo Mobile, the ‘6 has a joystick that lets you manually control the gimbal and pan and tilt the camera while still.
But the great thing about gimbals is that they allow you to smooth out your hand movements when you’re not standing still. If you rotate your wrist to the left, the gimbal will help isolate your phone’s camera from that movement, but will follow it slowly. This makes the video more cinematic.
The trigger on the other side of the joystick can do a few things, one of which is to lock the tilt when held down. It is suitable for moving around the subject to prevent
Depending on how many times you tap it, you can do other things like switching between video and photo modes or recentering the camera. Similarly, the mode and switch buttons have different functions.
Obviously, the mode toggles between different modes (Follow, Tilt Lock, FPV, SpinShot), but a long press toggles the gimbal on and off. It’s a little confusing until you notice the power icon in the corner of the button.
As you switch between these four main modes, a corresponding icon will appear on your display so you know which mode is being used.
The switch button toggles between the front and rear cameras, but pressing it twice rotates the phone between landscape and portrait orientations.
Jim Martin / Foundry
The new zoom/focus wheel is also a button, and a single press toggles between these modes. At the time of review there was no setting for this. That means you can’t adjust the sensitivity (I found it too sensitive, especially on zoom). The direction of zooming cannot be reversed either. Naturally, you turn it clockwise to zoom out, but by default it zooms in and zooms out counter-clockwise.
When using manual focus, you never know if your subject is in focus. So you have to rely on your eyes and phone screen.
Jim Martin / Foundry
Like the Osmo Mobile 5 and Osmo Mobile SE, OM 6 supports all recent iPhone cameras. This means that when you zoom the extent, the Mimo app will automatically change to the appropriate camera. Android support is more limited, but you can find a list on DJI’s website.
Another advantage of modern iPhones is that when you attach your smartphone to the Osmo Mobile 6 using the magnetic clamp, Mimo will automatically wake up (even though some buttons block some buttons on some smartphones). , the magnetic clamp is very strong).
Jim Martin / Foundry
Regardless of your smartphone, the gimbal automatically powers up when unfolded for faster booting and running.
Helpful in certain situations is the built-in telescoping pole that extends approximately 220mm (8.5 inches) from the handle. This makes it much easier to shoot up high for a better view if you’re in a crowd, for example, or to get close to the ground and chase a baby, pet, or other object without stooping too much. It becomes easy.
Jim Martin / Foundry
Stabilization performance is very good and can handle modern “heavy” phones without issue. DJI says it supports phones up to 290g. That said, a 240g iPhone 14 Pro Max with a case should be fine.
The included clamp can hold phones up to 10mm thick and 67-84mm wide.
Jim Martin / Foundry
mimo app
Some buttons and features of the Osmo Mobile 6 can be used with your camera app (or any app of your choice), but the full experience can only be obtained using DJI’s Mimo app.
It’s very similar to the stock camera app and much like the iPhone version. There is a mode carousel with the expected photos and videos, but also slow motion, timelapse and hyperlapse. Only the first one depends on the mobile phone’s capabilities. The second is a static shot taken over a period of time using a tripod, while a hyperlapse is a timelapse taken while in motion. For example, speed up movement.
Jim Martin / Foundry
DynaZoom is probably the mode you use least because it replicates the Hitchcock-style effect of zooming in and out while moving away from and closer to your subject. This usually requires a dolly and can be difficult to master using a handheld gimbal.
There’s also a story mode that offers dozens of shooting templates in different styles, teaches you how to shoot each shot in the story, and automatically controls the gimbal for some shots.
Jim Martin / Foundry
Android users will not be able to find Mimo in the Google Play Store (just like DJI’s other apps). The official reason for this is unknown, but whatever it is, Android users who need to get the app from DJI’s his website and change their phone settings to allow installation from “unknown” sources. It’s painful for
Pricing and Availability
The Osmo Mobile 6 is priced at $159 / £145 directly from DJI’s website, but you can also purchase it from Apple, Amazon and other retailers.
As we’ve seen before, if you want a magnetic phone clamp with built-in LED fill light for vlogging, that’s an optional extra, costing you $59 / £42.
This means that the Osmo Mobile 6 is one of the more expensive smartphone gimbals and if you don’t mind the zoom wheel or telescopic pole you can get a similar level of stability from the cheaper SE model.
The latest SE has the same small status screen, ActiveTrack 5.0 and ShotGuides, but costs just £95. The bad news is that it’s not available in the US. Buyers can only choose the older OM 4 SE.
For more options, check out our roundup of the best phone gimbals.
verdict
As is often the case, DJI has improved on its previous offerings and made them the best devices of their type.
The Osmo Mobile 6 certainly isn’t the cheapest, but it’s hard to think of a better option right now if you want to use the modes provided by both hardware and software and control focus and zoom.
It’s a real shame that you can’t adjust the sensitivity in the app, so you’ll have to carefully control the rotation, especially when zooming.
The new screen not only lets you know what mode you’re currently in, but also gives you an idea of how much battery you have left.
Although we haven’t mentioned it yet, the Osmo Mobile 6’s analog joystick is also a benefit. This is because it allows more control over the pan and tilt speed compared to the Osmo Mobile 5. / Is it tilted?
If the price is too high and you’re not in the US, the new Osmo Mobile SE is a better value alternative for under £100.
