hohem iSteady V3 vs hohem iSteady X3 SE Plus

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.

The hohem iSteady X3 SE Plus is the gimbal most people buy first, and its 2,600-plus reviews show why: three motorised axes, a detachable Bluetooth remote, a fold-out tripod and a price that a decent selfie stick asks. It folds flat and weighs about 260 g.

The limits are the payload and the tracking. It is rated for about 280 g, which is a phone in a slim case and nothing else; add a mic receiver and it struggles. The face tracking works only inside hohem's app, so a stream or a third-party camera app gets no tracking at all.

Battery is about 9 hours. Owners rate it 4.2 across more than 2,600 reviews.