Hohem iSteady X, a cheap, compact and very practical gimbal

We tested hohem's iSteady X gimbal, a compact stabilizer with a very attractive price and with functions that will give your videos a professional touch without having more than your iPhone in your hands.

An essential accessory for your mobile videos

Smartphone cameras have improved dramatically in recent years, with better videos and photos in unfavorable situations, and they have also improved a lot in stabilization, but a gimbal will always improve your videos, not only by offering stabilization. greater, with smoother movements, but also They offer us other functions such as access to the video and photo control buttons from the gimbal itself, and very "pro" effects. thanks to smartphone applications.

All this is possible with this small stabilizer from Hohem, with a very compact size and also very light, which will allow us to take it anywhere thanks to the small bag included in the box. It also includes a charging cable, a wrist strap that will prevent it from falling out of our hands, and a tripod base that we can place on the lower thread so that in addition to being a timpani it can act as a totally stable support.

This compact size is achieved thanks to a small hinge on the arm where the iPhone is placed, which we will have to unfold before placing our phone, and fix it with a wheel that we will have to tighten. A minor inconvenience that is more than compensated by the fact that it is much more compact For transport. Its lightness is achieved thanks to a plastic construction, which creates a feeling of "less quality" than other more expensive gimbals, which is also logical given its price. However, the plastic does not make the construction bad, it is only something "visual". It has an integrated battery with autonomy of up to 8 hours and rechargeable via USB-C.

Easy to use

The first thing we have to do is place the iPhone on the iSteady X clamp. It is a conventional clamp, like that of any selfie stick or stabilizer, it grips the phone well, even the huge iPhone 13 Pro Max that is with which I have done this review. We must be careful to place the iPhone well balanced, otherwise the gimbal will not calibrate well and it will not work correctly. You don't have to be pinpoint, just take a little care to place it in the center. In addition, as you place the sticker on the clamp, the camera must be located on the left.

We can now turn on the gimbal, which will emit a sound, turn on some LEDs and place the iPhone in a horizontal position. Now is the time to connect the iSteady X to the Bluetooth of our iPhone and also open the Hohem Pro application (link) to get the most out of this stabilizer. It is also available for Android devices. This application is a substitute for the iOS Camera application, and with it we can use the physical controls of the Gimbal to modify the Zoom, focus, apply effects ...

The physical controls of the Gimbal include a joystick to move the iPhone, buttons to capture photos or videos, change the camera, change the zoom and focus, change the position of the iPhone from horizontal to vertical, etc. Better watch the video to see how each button works. In a few buttons many functions are achieved thanks to the fact that we can press once, twice, etc. The controls are very accessible and easy to learn.

Special effects

In addition to all these controls and the stabilization that the gimbal offers us, we have a good handful of additional functions that manage to use the harmonic and smooth movements of the gimbal to get really curious effects with which your videos will raise their level. Panoramas, Dolly Zoom, Time Lapses, turns ... in the video I show you some examples of what can be done with the iSteady X and the iPhone application. These effects added to stabilization, zoom controls, filters, etc., that we can easily perform with one hand, result in videos that will impress your friends.

Editor's opinion

Hohem's iSteady X gimbal get the advanced functions of other much more expensive stabilizers in a device that is lighter, very compact and very easy to use, all this at a very low price thanks to a plastic construction. Its stabilization, effects and filters functions, as well as its mobile application are really good, and make it a very interesting copy for those looking to improve their videos without having to spend a lot of money on other more expensive devices with very similar functions. You have it available on Amazon for € 75 (link).