Most smartphones come equipped with onboard image stabilization, either OIS and/or EIS, which help compensate for shakiness while shooting and recording footage hand holding a phone. While OIS and EIS work well for the most part, the buttery smooth footage you get with a smartphone gimbal is hard to beat!
You can get mechanical gimbals and motorized gimbals such as the Hohem iSteady X, which is a 3-axis gimbal much easier to use since it does not require practice like mechanical gimbals do.
The iSteady X features a brushed aluminium control panel that integrates a low-profile thumb joystick, battery status leds, bluetooth status led and a dual function power button, which activates bluetooth pairing connection, as well as switch between landscape mode and portrait mode.
The button next to the power button is also multi-functional and lets you take still photos, start/stop video recording and switch between selfie and rear camera. On the left hand side of the control panel, there is a switch for zooming in and zooming out.
The Hohem iSteady X phone gimbal stabilizer measures 18cm tall (folded) and 23cm (unfolded). The widest part at the top, which holds the phone cradle weighs 8cm.
The weight is 260 grams, which is lighter than the Samsung Galaxy Fold which weighs 276 grams. The iSteady X phone gimbal stabilizer folds shut securely via a magnetic snapping closure.
The iSteady X stabilizer also integrates a single 18650 li-ion battery with 2000mAh capacity that can provide up to 8 hours of playtime and recharges via 5V/1A input in 2 hours.
Being a 3-axis gimbal, the Hohem iSteady X stabilizes the phone on all 3 axis (pan, pitch and roll), allowing the phone to be rotated up to 320 degrees up/down (pitch) and left/right (pan), as well as roll side to side at an angle.
The iSteady X phone cradle can accommodate a range of smartphones, as long as they are 11mm thick with a width between 50mm and 90mm. Maximum payload is up to 280 grams in weight; hence you can accessorize your phone with a snap-on case lens to improve your photography.
The cradle, basically, can accommodate most, if not, all smartphones, including one of the widest smartphones on the market - the iPhone XS Max - which is 77mm wide and weighs 208 grams.
In terms of construction, the Hohem iSteady X is slightly heavier than a 2-axis phone gimbal stabilizer. It is made mostly of solid hard plastic with subtle rubbery finish and aluminium accents, one of which is black coated. The cradle is internally rubberized while the adjusting mechanism is made of metal.
The thumb knob, which locks/unlocks the rotating arm is made of hard plastic. The zoom in/out slider switch is also made of hard plastic with the letters W (Wide angle) and T (Telephoto) etched on in the center.
The joystick is made of plastic and has a short neck pivot with circular groove texture for added grip. There is a large X etching on the back side of the rotating arm and a small laser printed grey iSteady logo. On the base of the Hohem iSteady X, there is a gold plated female tripod thread.
The Hohem iSteady X phone gimbal stabilizer works via the Hohem Pro app, which is needed in order to take pictures since you will not be able to use your phone's own camera app software.
The Hohem Pro app is available to download from the App Store of Google Play Store and supports iOS 10.0 and later and Android 6.0 and later. You can alternative download the app by scanning the QR code inside the user guide.
After downloading the app, you need to first mount the phone in the cradle before launching the app and powering up the iSteady X stabilizer.
Despite the current review ratings, the Hohem Pro app works well without issues, although the user interface is a bit cluttered with information, making the app not as intuitive. That said, the information on the app is useful as it includes video tutorials and a FAQ document.
 The Hohem Pro app is both a camera app as well as an interface for accessing more functionality that would otherwise clutter the iSteady X device.
You can adjust the joystick speed (from slow, medium and fast), the tilt/pan/roll speed (between four speed modes), as well as the sensitivity of the motor response from low, medium and high. If you are using a bulky and heavy smartphone, you will want to select low motor sensitivity.
The included mini tripod legs fold inwards into the shape of a tube, allowing you to use it as a handy extension for extra grip and extra reach during aerial photography.
The Hohem Pro app also integrates cool "moment" modes such as "inception" which automatically rotates live video recording in various angles to create the rotating room effect seen in the movie Inception. The app also features automatic face tracking so, when the app detects a face it will trigger the gimbal to follow the direction of the face.
Accessories included inside the box are a drawstring suede-like pouch, a nylon wrist lanyard and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable (28cm long).
The mini tripod is Hohem branded and has the following dimensions: 9cm height and 33 grams weight. It has a fixed plate and standard male thread with rubberized surface. You can buy the Hohem iSteady X 3-Axis Gimbal Stabilizer on amazon