hohem iSteady M7 vs hohem iSteady V3

The hohem iSteady M7 is the flagship and the only hohem with a detachable touchscreen remote. Pull it off the handle and it shows the phone's camera view, so you can frame a shot with the gimbal on a tripod and yourself in front of it, or hand the gimbal to someone else and keep the framing.

The payload goes to 500 g, which is a phone with a case, a wireless mic receiver and a clip-on light together. The battery runs about 24 hours and charges the phone, and the handle has a built-in extension rod. AI tracking is on the gimbal and works in any app.

It costs about twice the V3, and for a phone with only a mic on it the V3 or M6 does the job. Owners rate it 4.2 across more than 1,300 reviews.

The hohem iSteady V3 is the model that made the line worth recommending. The payload rating went up to 300 g, which is the number that lets a phone wear a case and a wireless mic receiver at the same time without the motors complaining. The AI tracker is a small module that magnets onto the phone clamp and follows a face with its own sensor, so it works in the camera app, in a streaming app, in anything.

The handle hides a fold-out tripod and the battery runs about 13 hours, long enough for a full day of clips. Gesture control starts and stops recording with a raised palm, which is more useful than it sounds when the phone is at arm's length.

The catch is the extension: there is none, so a higher angle means a longer arm. Owners rate it 4.4 across more than 500 reviews, the best score in the line.