(Image credit: DJI)

Best drone manufacturer DJI has unveiled the Osmo Mobile 8, a new smartphone gimbal designed to give creators more freedom.

It features a 360-degree horizontal pan rotation, a new ultra-comfortable grip for low-angle shots, and improved AI subject tracking that can now follow pets as well as people.

The gimbal runs on DJI’s seventh-generation, three-axis stabilisation system, keeping shots steady even during fast movement.

It weighs 370 grams, offers up to ten hours of operating time, and can even charge your phone while filming.

Smarter tracking and stronger audio

The Osmo Mobile 8’s headline update is its new Multifunctional Module, which magnetically clips onto the gimbal.

It adds a microphone receiver compatible with DJI Mic 3, Mic 2 and Mic Mini transmitters, as well as an adjustable fill light with eight brightness and colour-temperature levels.

Hand-gesture controls let you start or stop recording, switch subjects, or take photos without touching the phone.

(Image credit: DJI)

The gimbal supports three advanced tracking systems. The first is Apple DockKit integration, allowing iPhone users to access tracking directly in the native Camera app or hundreds of compatible iOS apps.

The second uses the new Multifunctional Module to recognise and follow pets such as cats and dogs, which is a first for the Osmo Mobile line.

The third is DJI’s own ActiveTrack 7.0.1 system, accessed through the DJI Mimo app, which combines a phone’s wide and telephoto lenses to keep subjects locked in frame even in busy scenes.

A warm welcome (with caveats)

Early reviews have praised the OM8 for refining what mobile filmmakers already love about DJI’s gimbals.

Our sister site, Tom’s Guide, called it “a significant step forward” with “refined stabilisation, intelligent AI tracking, and ergonomic design,” adding that the new module “removes the need for extra accessories.”

(Image credit: DJI)

The Verge described it as “a meaningful upgrade for smartphone filmmakers,” pointing out that its ability to track pets and deliver full 360-degree rotation “sets a new benchmark for mobile content creation.”

The overall consensus is that DJI hasn’t reinvented the smartphone gimbal, but it has made it smarter, smoother and more creator-friendly.

The DJI Osmo Mobile 8 is available now from DJI and authorised retailers.

It’s priced at £135 in the UK and from €159 in Europe, with accessories including the OM Magnetic Quick-Release Mount, DJI Mic Mini and OM 8 Tracking Kit sold separately. US and AU price and availability TBC.