Essential for mobile creators like me

Most premium smartphone gimbals available today have a tracking feature. This allows you to center on a subject and then move around it (or have it move around you) while always keeping it in frame automatically. This is great, but it requires you to use a camera app made by the gimbal manufacturer. This means you do not get the same quality/features you would if you could use your phone’s default camera app. It’s a considerable compromise: if you want tracking, you must sacrifice using the camera you know and trust. Thankfully, the new DJI Osmo Mobile 7P doesn’t have this problem, making it one of the most exciting gimbals on the market right now.

Of course, the new Osmo Mobile 7P also has all the features you love from the Osmo Mobile 6 and some additional new tricks that put it head and shoulders above most competitors. It still treats Android as a second-class citizen, but the good stuff might outweigh that for most buyers. Clearly, there’s a lot to talk about, so let’s jump in!

If you’re thinking to yourself, “I don’t remember DJI ever offering a “P” version of its smartphone gimbals,” your instincts are correct. This is now the first time that DJI has split its gimbal offerings into two halves: regular and premium.

The regular Osmo Mobile 7 model is a bit strange in that it actually, in many ways, is a step down from the Osmo Mobile 6, which launched in 2022. The two most notable downgrades here are the lack of the Side Wheel and the lack of an extension rod. The Side Wheel was one of the best additions to the Osmo Mobile 6, as it gave you a tactile way to control zoom/focus, so it not being here is disappointing. Likewise, the extension rod was a nifty new addition to the Osmo Mobile 6 that allowed it to double as a selfie stick. Without these features, the Osmo Mobile 7 just feels like a nerfed Osmo Mobile 6. The price drop, though, might mean it doesn’t matter (more on that later).

Outside of these omissions, the Osmo Mobile 7 has all the same features as the Osmo Mobile 7P, with a slightly smaller and lighter body. In other words, DJI has weakened the Osmo Mobile 6 to create the Osmo Mobile 7 and then added back in the features it removed to make the Osmo Mobile 7P. Meanwhile, it also added new features to the Osmo Mobile 7 that don’t appear in the Osmo Mobile 6. This makes DJI’s lineup quite confusing. I made a table below to give you the core differences across the three gimbals:

You might be wondering what the Multifunction Module is. This is the killer feature of the DJI Osmo Mobile 7 series that differentiates it from all other DJI gimbals — and most of the smartphone gimbal industry.

As mentioned earlier, with all previous DJI gimbals, you must use the DJI Mimo app to take advantage of the Active Track feature. While you can use your phone’s default camera app with any DJI gimbal, Active Track only works when the Mimo app is up and in the foreground. So, for every shoot, you need to decide: do you want Active Track with Mimo photos/videos, or do you want all the features and reliability of your phone’s native camera app without Active Track?

The Multifunction Module makes it so you don’t need to make this choice. The module is a tiny box that snaps onto the side of the phone clamp. Depending on how you connect it, it can either point toward you or away from you. Once connected, a tiny camera inside will do the tracking, so the Mimo app doesn’t need to be open on your phone. Now, you can track your subject and use whatever camera app you like!

The Multifunction Module has no display and can’t be controlled from your phone. Instead, it uses hand gestures to function. To start tracking, you (or the person you’re filming) would hold up your palm. A light on the Module will turn from red to green, signaling that you are now being tracked. Once tracking begins, you can move the gimbal around (and/or the subject can move around), and the gimbal will always be locked onto the subject. To stop tracking, you can just hold up your palm again, which turns the light from green to red.

If you’re a mobile videographer who likes to compose your shots in a certain way, you might be concerned that the subject’s face will simply always be in the center of the frame. DJI solved this problem through a different gesture: the “double L” (make an “L” shape with your left thumb and pointer finger, make the same shape with your right hand, and connect them to create a “frame”). When you have activated tracking, you can perform this gesture, and the light will turn solid yellow. While it’s yellow, frame your shot the way you like. Do the “double L” gesture again, and tracking will continue, but now your subject will always be framed as intended.

I tried this out and was absolutely blown away by how easy and effective it is. Getting it to track you is dead simple with the palm gesture, but it’s astounding how well it does its tracking. I tried to fake it out by hiding and then showing my face — basically playing peek-a-boo. Each time my face came back, it re-tracked me instantly with the framing composition I wanted. I also tried to confuse it by having my partner enter the shot, but the module stayed focused only on me and ignored her.

You can also use gestures to stop/start recording or take a photo. By using your fingers to make a “V” sign (aka, “peace”), you can start a recording countdown. The light on the module flashes yellow for a bit and then goes back to green, showing you that you are recording (or a photo is taken). By flashing the “V” sign again, the recording stops. This just mimics a remote shutter button using Bluetooth, so it should work on any phone and in any camera app.

With these gestures, you can do everything you need without touching the gimbal. You could set up the gimbal on a tripod using the standard 1/4-inch connector on the gimbal’s handle. Once set up, you could start tracking, frame yourself properly, and then start/stop recording from where you’re standing, allowing you to walk around a room and always be in the frame. It’s like having a camera operator around at all times!

The Multifunction Module doesn’t only do tracking, either (it is multi-functional, after all). It also has a built-in fill light that can get as bright as 40 lux (measured from a distance of 0.6m from the subject). You can also change the color temperature from 2,500K to 6,000K with a few stops in between.

The Multifunction Module is also a receiver for the DJI Mic Mini ($169.99 at Amazon) system. Using a supplied short USB-C cable, you connect your phone to the module. You then wirelessly connect your Mic Mini transmitter to the module, and boom: your body mic is now transmitting to your phone, giving you terrific vocal audio while you record. Unfortunately, this only works with the Mic Mini and not the superior DJI Mic 2 ($349 at Amazon).

Finally, when you are using the Multifunction Module as a mic receiver, it will also charge your phone. It really is an incredible little box.

As shown in the table in the previous section, the module also works with the DJI Osmo Mobile 7 (i.e., the regular model). However, with the 7P, the module comes in the retail box with the appropriate phone clamp. With the standard model, you’ll get a phone clamp without support for the Multifunction Module. If you want to use the module, you can buy the DJI OM 7 Series Tracking Kit ($49.99 at Amazon) separately, which comes with the module and replacement phone clamp. Remember, though, that the Osmo Mobile 7 also doesn’t have the Side Wheel or the extension rod. So, if you really want the module, shelling out for the Osmo Mobile 7P is the only way to go.

Although the Multifunction Module is the most significant new addition to the Osmo Mobile 7 lineup, DJI didn’t just stop there. Here are some other new features that make these devices better than the Osmo Mobile 6:

• ​Easier folding: The gimbal can be folded with the magnetic smartphone clamp attached, so you don’t need to remove it before folding it up.
• One-tap tracking: If you are tracking someone with the Mimo app (i.e., not using the Multifunction Module), you can now hot-swap between subjects with just one tap. While recording in the Mimo app, you can simply tap on what you want to track, and the gimbal will start following that subject. Previously, you would need to stop tracking the current subject and then start tracking the new one, but now it’s just a one-tap process.
• Built-in tripod: Previously, with the DJI Osmo Mobile 6, the mobile tripod legs came as a separate part that you would screw onto the base. With both the Osmo Mobile 7 and Osmo Mobile 7P, the legs are built into the handle itself, so you don’t need to worry about lugging around that separate part anymore.

• More camera support: The Mimo app supports more lenses and resolutions for the best Android camera phones. If you use the Mimo app over your native camera app, there’s a higher chance Mimo will support all your phone’s lenses at up to 4K/60 quality.
• Bigger battery: The battery inside the Osmo Mobile 7 and 7P is much larger at 3,350mAh. Of course, the Multifunction Module eats up more battery, especially if you’re using the fill light, so this will likely be a wash if you plan to use it a lot.
• Apple Watch support: If you connect an iPhone to the Osmo Mobile 7/7P and that iPhone is connected to an Apple Watch, you’ll be able to control gimbal functions from the smartwatch. This includes framing, starting/stopping recording, swapping from portrait to landscape, initiating Active Track, and more. This works on Apple Watch Series 7, 8, 9, and 10; Apple Watch SE 2; and Apple Watch Ultra 1 and 2.

With all these new features, the Osmo Mobile 7 series also supports all the things you saw on the Osmo Mobile 6 and earlier:

• Timelapse: Your phone sits in a stationary position and records footage for a set period of time. When finished, the software speeds up the footage to create a fast-paced edit.
• Hyperlapse: A timelapse shot that adds extra flair by moving the camera from one point to another very slowly while recording.
• Panorama: The camera takes photos while it moves from one point to another automatically and then pieces the photos together to make one extra-wide photo. A “Clone Me” option within this feature also allows you to digitally add yourself to various spots within the final photo.
• Story Mode: The software instructs you on how to record three or four different shots. You shoot those shots, and then the app edits them all together into a professional-looking video complete with music and even title cards. This is an easy way for anyone to create stunning social media videos without any video editing expertise.
• Dyna-Zoom: While you physically move backward, the zoom on your camera zooms in at a similar pace. This creates a slightly disorienting shot that is used for dramatic effect in TV, movies, and commercials. It’s especially helpful for product reviews and food videos.
• Shot Guides: A more advanced version of Story Mode. Rather than create the edits for you, Shot Guides gives you an example shot (using AI to determine your environment) so you can then try to mimic it.
• Parents & Kids Mode: Keep children and parents in the frame. As you record, the Mimo app will note the important interaction moments and then instantly create a montage video from this filming session.

I have been reviewing DJI’s smartphone gimbals for years now. Every time a new one launches, I end up calling it the best smartphone gimbal you can get. Well, things are no different in 2025: Unless you’re looking for something really niche that the DJI Osmo Mobile 7P doesn’t provide, there’s no reason to get anything else.

Honestly, I would have given the Osmo Mobile 7P a perfect 5/5 score if it weren’t for the fact that a really cool feature — being able to control the gimbal from a smartwatch — is locked to the Apple Watch. This, combined with the fact that you still need to sideload the DJI Mimo app on Android phones (it is not available on the Play Store), continues to make it feel like Android is an afterthought in the Osmo Mobile world. Seriously, though: that’s my only gripe here.

Of course, it’s easy to say, “This is the best smartphone gimbal,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best for you. Because of its feature-richness, the DJI Osmo Mobile 7P is quite expensive for a mobile gimbal, starting at $149. While that might seem high, keep in mind that that’s actually less expensive than the DJI Osmo Mobile 6, which launched at $159 — and that didn’t have the Multifunction Module and all the other new features of the Osmo Mobile 7 series!

The existence of the DJI Osmo Mobile 7 — which lands at $89 — is a nice consolation, as it gives folks who might balk at spending $150 for a gimbal a nice alternative option. However, considering it doesn’t come with the Multifunction Module, doesn’t have a Side Wheel, and lacks an extension rod, you are losing quite a lot of functionality. Thankfully, with the Osmo Mobile 6 inevitably coming down in price, if you don’t want/can’t afford the Osmo Mobile 7P and don’t much care about the Multifunction Module, going with the Osmo Mobile 6 ($149 at Amazon) might be your next best option.

DJI also makes one of my favorite gadgets in recent years: the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 ($519 at Amazon). This is an all-in-one solution for creators, essentially duplicating what an Osmo Mobile gimbal does but without needing a smartphone. It’s smaller, easier to use, and has a better ecosystem of accessories. However, the Osmo Pocket 3 only has one lens, and that lens might not be as good as the one on your $1,000 smartphone. Still, the creator ecosystem universally accepts that the Osmo Pocket 3 is an essential piece of gear, so if you don’t like the Osmo Mobile 7 or Osmo Mobile 7P for some reason, the Osmo Pocket 3 is definitely worth a look — assuming you don’t mind spending way more than you would on a gimbal.

Outside of DJI, your best bet for something comparable to the Osmo Mobile 7P would be the most recent Zhiyun flagship: the Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI ($169 at Amazon). Like the Osmo Mobile 7P, the Smooth 5S AI has a module that allows for tracking without needing to use the gimbal’s app (it even uses the exact same gesture controls — clearly an inspiration for DJI). It also has more lights, with a fill light built into the gimbal’s arm and the option to put more fill lights on the smartphone clamp. However, it does not fold up for easy transport, does not have built-in tripod legs, does not have an extension rod, and the module does not support wireless mics. It also has a much weaker app that is heavily geared towards Asian audiences, so those of you used to DJI’s Mimo will probably be disappointed with it. Finally, it has a much higher MSRP at a whopping $219 (although it is on sale quite often).

For me, I am heavily considering leaving my DJI Osmo Pocket 3 behind and going all-in on the Osmo Mobile 7P. Being able to use my Google Pixel 9 Pro’s camera without needing to sacrifice tracking is a big plus that the Osmo Pocket 3 simply can’t provide. Of course, the Pocket does have a simpler setup, and I can use the superior full-sized DJI Mic system. I’ll give it a whirl and see what happens, but the very notion that I’m even thinking of dropping the Osmo Pocket 3 for this should show you just how good it is.