Auto Tracking With Any Phone, Any App Is A Game-Changer

The very first DJI gimbal I tested was the Osmo Mobile 3 back in 2019, and it’s impressive to see how much the gimbal category has improved in half a decade too. The newest DJI gimbal, the Osmo Mobile 7P, is lighter, thinner, yet has more reach and a higher payload than the Mobile 3. Okay, okay, it’s silly for me to compare a seventh-generation product to a third-generation product, but even if I compare to other recently released gimbals from competing brands like the excellent Insta360 Flow 2, the Mobile 7P has one new thing that’s a game-changer.

That is a small tracking module that allows the gimbal to track the user using any phone, any app. Previously, DJI gimbals could only track if using DJI’s own app, and Insta360’s recent gimbal added to that by supporting Apple DockKit, meaning it could track using its own app and any native iPhone apps on an iPhone. DJI’s latest is the first gimbal to be able to track regardless of app or phone model.

This module can attach to the bottom of the gimbal’s phone clamp (connection via magnetic pogo pins) for ease of use.

The module also doubles as a receiver for the DJI Mic Mini, which means users could film themselves with much better audio than using just the phone’s built-in mic.

The gimbal itself? It performs well, of course, but most modern gimbals can do that. It’s a three-axis gimbal that stabilizes a phone’s x, y, and z-axis and with a payload of 300g maximum, that’s enough to cover 99% of phones on the market.

The Mobile 7P folds at the midway point to be pocketable (at least in a coat or baggy pants), and weighs about 300g on its own.

Another clever design of the Mobile 7P is it has built-in tripod legs, so the device can essentially be an autonomous camera operator. Just prop it up on a surface, enable tracking, and the gimbal and camera will follow your movements.

Controlling tracking is also very easy with hand gestures: an open palm will begin tracking. By default the camera tracks you in center frame, but if you put up two index fingers with thumbs out as if you’re making a frame, you can reposition yourself within the frame, so it tracks you in the rule of thirds, for example.

The module also has a light so it can double as a fill light. You can adjust the temperature of the light, but I rarely used this feature as I really do not like the look of a light shining on my face in low light videos. I’d rather my face have shadows on it along with the real world scene. But I am likely in the minority, as other vloggers would want their face front and center.

DJI’s software has also matured, with ActiveTrack 7.0 being able to keep track of you even if you momentarily step out of frame. Or keep track of you even if a crowd of people suddenly step into frame. You can also adjust the gimbal to track an entire group of people, and it will do its best to keep everyone in frame if people were to move further apart.

Being able to connect to a DJI Mic Mini is a big deal for me, as I am about to head off to Spain for the Mobile World Congress, and I intend to shoot most of my content with a phone and gimbal (as opposed to bringing a “real” camera). From my testing so far, connection is easy — you do have to plug in a cable from the module to the phone’s USB-C port — and the audio quality is great.

Priced at $149, the DJI Osmo Mobile 7P is a great companion for any solo content creators or vlogger, whether they’re professional or aspiring.