Zhiyun releases Smooth 5S AI gimbal for smartphones to rival the Insta360 Flow

Gimbal manufacturers Zhiyun have jumped on the ever-expanding bandwagon and released a gimbal with artificial intelligence modules.

Designed for today’s larger smartphones, the new smooth 5S Ai smartphone gimbal can hold up to loads of 300g (10.5 ounces), and has three strong axes that can handle orthogonal movement.

This means that phone content creators can take advantage of 360-degree rotation and get smooth and stable shots, even when capturing fast-paced action or Sophia Coppola-like serene landscape shots.

This could prove useful to professional mobile filmmakers looking for high-quality integrated video solutions on their phones, such as travel vloggers or live-streamers who need stable footage, good lighting and intelligent tracking on the move.

We’ve previously written about and rated the best smartphone gimbals for iPhone and Android , and how Insta360 added AI features to its phone gimbal . We’ve also  commented on its shortcomings: the vertical support on the Insta360 Flow can mess with the tilt axis range, and integrated tripod legs are flimsy and unsupportive.

So, can the new offering from Zhiyun with AI assistance give Insta360 and its associates a run for their money?

According to Zhiyun, the Smooth 5S AI gimbal features intelligent algorithms that deliver “unparalleled precision in multi-target recognition and tracking” and promises that users can create “professional-grade video effortlessly—always in focus and blue-free.”

The magnetic AI tracker supposedly allows for rapid and responsive target tracking and is “unaffected” by strong light interference “allowing users to re-identify and recover object tracking even after reframing.” The magnetic attachment also allows the gimbal to be quickly rotated between the smartphone's front and rear camera.

According to Zhiyun, “Traditional 3-axis gimbals – which often do not have such complete movement flexibility – unexpectedly freeze and let users down when they want to create the most powerful and dramatic professional effects like low-to-high transitions, 360° barrel shots, and so on.”

The tilt axis is also equipped with a high-power fill light with 650 lux peak illuminance, and two additional magnetic fill lights, which, combined with the built-in unti, provide 2040 lux at peak.

The Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI is now on sale and retails for $249 / £249.

Check out our guides to the best gimble heads for tripods , the best GoPro gimbals , and the best gimbals for mirrorless and DSLR cameras .