Tag Archives: gimbal

Honor Robot Phone Hands-on: Bold Phone With A Moving Camera Few Can Buy

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After many teasers and demos, the Honor Robot Phone has finally and officially launched in China. It is also staying exclusive to the Chinese market for now, with Honor not planning an international release at this stage. That alone will make it a frustratingly out-of-reach device for many, because this is one of the rare smartphones that feels genuinely different at first glance.

Part of the reason the launch has drawn so much interest is that Honor first revealed the Robot Phone at MWC earlier this year, where it quickly became one of the event’s biggest conversation pieces. Even in a show packed with concept hardware and camera claims, this was the device that made people stop, stare, and ask how it actually worked. Now that it has moved from trade show reveal to commercial launch, the Robot Phone still feels just as unusual.

Designer: HONOR

Rather than chasing attention with another familiar camera bump or an incremental spec upgrade, Honor has built a robotic gimbal directly into the phone itself. The result is a camera system that can physically move, track, tilt, and stabilize in ways a conventional flagship simply cannot. After spending time with the device, it is clear the Robot Phone is not just trying to be another premium handset with a long feature list. It is trying to pitch a new idea for what a creator-focused smartphone can be.

The big story is movement, not just megapixels

The core pitch behind the Honor Robot Phone is easy to understand once you see it in person. Honor has integrated what it calls a 4DoF Titanium Agile Gimbal into the phone, effectively turning the camera into an active moving system rather than a static sensor setup. The company says the module is 65 percent smaller than traditional gimbal solutions while also offering a 200 percent increase in structural strength, allowing it to fit inside a premium smartphone body without turning the device into a bulky experiment.

That change in hardware philosophy is what makes the Robot Phone immediately stand out. In practice, the moving camera module is meant to deliver smoother stabilization and more dynamic motion than a normal smartphone can manage on its own. Honor is also building in multiple movement modes, including Tilt Lock, First Person View, FPV Vertical, and AI SpinShot, all of which are designed to make mobile footage look more deliberate and more cinematic.

Honor is aiming this squarely at creators

The second half of the launch story is imaging. Honor says the Robot Phone is the first major product from its Cinematic Imaging Partnership with ARRI, bringing selected elements of ARRI Image Science and professional cinema workflow ideas into a smartphone. That includes ARRI LogC3 recording in ARRI CINEMA mode on the main gimbal camera, alongside ARRI Wide Gamut 3 and ARRI Looks.

On paper, the camera hardware is also extremely ambitious. The rear setup pairs a 200MP Agile Gimbal Main Camera with a 1/1.28-inch sensor and F1.6 aperture with a 200MP periscope telephoto camera using a 1/1.4-inch sensor and 2.7x optical zoom. A 50MP ultra-wide camera completes the setup. Honor is also claiming AI noise reduction improvements, up to 14 stops of dynamic range, and a video pipeline designed to preserve more usable information for post-production.

That is a lot of technical language, but the broader message is straightforward. Honor does not want the Robot Phone to be seen as a novelty. It wants this to be taken seriously as a compact filmmaking and creator tool.

Hands-on: The Honor Robot Phone feels different right away

The most striking thing about the Robot Phone in person is that its main feature is visible. So many smartphone launches revolve around internal improvements that are difficult to appreciate without extensive testing. Here, the big idea is immediately obvious. The camera module moves. It tracks. It gives the phone a sense of physical intention that most handsets simply do not have.

That makes the Robot Phone more memorable than most new flagships before you even get into image quality. Instead of relying entirely on software stabilization and fixed hardware, Honor is trying to introduce actual camera movement into the smartphone experience. In a short hands-on session, that makes the device feel less like a standard phone with a flashy camera and more like a compact production tool that happens to fit in your pocket.

The tracking and movement features are also easier to appreciate in person than they are on a spec sheet. AI Live-Tracking, gesture controls, and voice-directed movement all sound abstract on paper. Once you see the phone physically following a subject or repositioning itself, the concept becomes much easier to understand. Whether that turns into something essential in everyday use is a bigger question, but as a first impression, the idea lands more convincingly than I expected.

Using the on-screen virtual joystick, I was able to adjust the gimbal with surprising precision. The interface crams in a lot of features, so it does take some time to learn. Even so, the gimbal feels very responsive, which helps the controls feel more intuitive once you settle in.

There is still a full flagship wrapped around the concept

Outside the headline camera hardware, Honor is still treating the Robot Phone like a proper premium device. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, backed by a custom cooling system that is meant to keep performance stable during longer recording sessions. There is also a 7060mAh silicon-carbon battery, with support for 120W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.

The rest of the hardware sounds suitably high-end too. Honor is using an all-metal unibody design paired with a 6.31-inch LTPO OLED display, an adaptive 1 to 120Hz refresh rate, and a claimed peak brightness of 6800 nits. On paper at least, this is not a concept phone built around one attention-grabbing trick. Honor is trying to package an experimental camera idea inside a full flagship experience.

China-only for now, and that is a shame

For now, the Honor Robot Phone is launching only in China, where it might be staying indefinitely. Honor is not planning to release the device outside China at this stage, which means this unusually creator-focused phone is set to remain a domestic-market curiosity rather than a broader global play.

That is disappointing, because the Robot Phone feels like exactly the kind of launch the smartphone market needs more of. It may not be for everyone, and there are obvious questions about durability, long-term usefulness, and whether creators will trust a built-in robotic camera system over dedicated gear. Even so, it is difficult to dismiss because the concept is so easy to understand once you see it in action.

Early thoughts

After a brief hands-on, my early take is that the Honor Robot Phone feels niche but genuinely fresh. The robotic gimbal is not just a visual gimmick for launch-day headlines. It changes the way the device presents itself, and potentially the way some people shoot with it. Whether that translates into a truly great camera phone will need more time to answer, but as a statement of intent, Honor has made one of the boldest smartphone moves of the year.

The bigger frustration is that, for now, it is a bold move that most of the world will only be able to watch from a distance. First teased at MWC earlier this year and now officially on sale in China, the Robot Phone is not about to become the next mainstream global flagship. Still, even as a limited-market release, it stands out as one of the most unusual and ambitious smartphones to arrive this year.

The post Honor Robot Phone Hands-on: Bold Phone With A Moving Camera Few Can Buy first appeared on Yanko Design.

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Review: Finally a Pocket Camera That Flatters Faces

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PROS:


  • Dual cameras can handle any kind of occasion or scene

  • 10-bit D-Log 2 color profile better supports professional needs

  • Easy-to-use ergonomic controls

  • Coherent design language across Vlog Combo accessories

CONS:


  • Slightly heftier and top-heavy than previous Osmo Pocket models

  • 10-bit D-Log 2 isn't available on the 60mm med-tele camera

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is a camera worth carrying, and more importantly, worth reaching for.

Compact cameras have gotten remarkably capable over the past few years. Smartphones shoot impressive footage, action cameras have become tiny powerhouses, and entry-level mirrorless setups deliver results that would have seemed professional a decade ago. But most of these smaller options share a common visual limitation: they default to wide-angle perspectives that capture environments and movement well, without always doing the most flattering things to faces and portraits.

That’s the gap the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P is designed to close. Building on the stabilized pocket-gimbal formula that made earlier Pocket cameras popular, this fourth-generation model adds a dedicated 60mm medium-telephoto lens alongside the wide camera, with an f/1.8 aperture purpose-built for more flattering, more cinematic portrait shots. It’s a design decision that shapes not only how the camera performs, but also how it makes you think about framing. But is that enough to make a significant difference, or does the Osmo Pocket 4P have other surprises in store? Read on to find out.

Designer: DJI

Aesthetics

At a glance, the Osmo Pocket 4P still belongs to the same family as its predecessors, with a compact upright body, a small rotating touchscreen, and a stabilized gimbal head on top. Look a little closer, though, and the dual-lens arrangement immediately sets it apart. There’s something more camera-like about it now, in the best possible sense, rather than a gadget that happens to record video.

DJI offers the Pocket 4P in two finishes, classic black, which was our review unit, and pearl white, both of which carry a premium, polished feel without going into flashy territory. The materials have that familiar blend of structured plastic and matte-finish surfaces that DJI tends to do well, feeling solid without being unnecessarily heavy. Neither colorway draws attention to itself in an obvious way, which actually works in the camera’s favor as a daily-carry tool.

What makes the design feel complete is how the accessories extend the camera’s visual language rather than disrupting it. The fill light clips on cleanly, the handle and tripod give it a more grounded foundation, and the FrameTap remote adds a secondary screen without making the whole setup look like a patchwork rig. Fully assembled for a shoot, the Pocket 4P has the coherent look of a purpose-built creator system, not a Frankenstein of parts.

The presence of two lenses changes what the camera communicates even before it’s switched on. Earlier Pocket models read as action-friendly video tools. The Osmo Pocket 4P reads as something closer to an intentional image-making device, and that shift comes almost entirely from the addition of the portrait lens. Rather than simply adding more specs, DJI gave this camera a more considered point of view, and that reads clearly in the design.

Ergonomics

One of the best things about the Osmo Pocket line has always been how easy it is to grab and go, and the Osmo Pocket 4P keeps that up. It slips into a jacket pocket or small bag without fuss, and it’s ready to record almost immediately. Twisting the touchscreen to power it on takes barely a second, which matters more than it sounds when something worth filming is happening right now.

Handling the Pocket 4P day to day is comfortable, especially once the threaded handle is attached. It gives the camera a stable grip and a flexible mounting solution for tripods and other accessories. The touchscreen is compact and works well for quick adjustments, though it favors speed and simplicity over deep menu navigation. That’s a natural consequence of the body’s slim profile and carry-first design philosophy.

The dual-lens head makes the camera noticeably heavier and more top-heavy than earlier Pocket models, and you’ll feel that difference during longer sessions. But that added mass is a physical consequence of housing a second optical system in such a compact body, which makes it a worthwhile trade. The included handle and mini tripod become genuinely useful for that reason, giving the whole setup a more balanced, natural feel.

Performance

At the heart of the 4P’s imaging system is a 1-inch CMOS sensor paired with a 20mm wide lens, and alongside it, a 1/1.28-inch sensor powering a 60mm medium-telephoto lens with an f/1.8 aperture. Together, they give the camera two genuinely different visual identities: the wide camera for movement, environments, and establishing shots, and the telephoto for faces, details, and compositions where subject isolation matters most.

20mm, f/2.0

60mm, f/1.8, 3x zoom

The 1-inch sensor on the wide camera carries 17 stops of dynamic range, which means tricky lighting situations, such as backlit faces, strong sunsets, or mixed indoor light, tend to resolve more naturally than you’d expect from something this small. Colors look accurate and grounded rather than oversaturated, and skin tones in particular come through with a warmth and believability that most compact cameras don’t typically manage.

20mm, f/2.0

60mm, f/1.8

The 60mm telephoto lens is where the Pocket 4P starts telling a more complete story. At f/1.8, it creates a natural compression and background separation that a wide lens simply can’t replicate, which makes portrait shots, talking-head videos, and product close-ups look considerably more flattering and cinematic. Wide-angle lenses can make subjects look slightly distorted, particularly around the edges of the frame. The telephoto doesn’t, and that difference is immediately noticeable.

20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8 (Bottom)

Video recording shows how seriously the Osmo Pocket 4P takes its professional aspirations. It supports 10-bit D-Log 2, a color profile with enough tonal latitude to recover highlights and lift shadows in post-production without the footage falling apart, making grading feel genuinely flexible. The standard color profile also deserves credit for looking natural and grounded straight out of camera, giving creators who don’t want to grade a polished result with minimal effort.

20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8 (Bottom)

Stabilization comes from a 3-axis mechanical gimbal rather than electronic cropping, keeping footage smooth in a way that feels physically grounded. ActiveTrack 8.0 handles subject tracking reliably enough that solo creators can set the camera up, step in front of it, and let it do the work. Slow-motion recording is equally impressive, with the wide lens supporting exceptionally high frame rates that transform ordinary moments into something far more dramatic.

20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8 (Bottom)

The telephoto camera is best treated as a specialized portrait and close-up lens rather than a full duplicate of the main sensor. It doesn’t support D-Log 2, only 10-bit D-Log, so that color workflow difference is worth planning around before a shoot. The 103GB of built-in storage, fast transfer speeds, and a quick-charging battery that holds up through hours of shooting on a single charge make the overall experience feel refreshingly low-friction.

20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8, 3x zoom (Bottom)

Sustainability

There’s a practical case for the 4P being a more sustainable choice than it might first appear. A compact camera that handles wide landscapes, tight portraits, slow-motion action, and stabilized everyday shots is genuinely harder to outgrow. That kind of versatility tends to extend a product’s useful life, making it less likely that a single creative limitation will push someone toward a hardware upgrade they don’t actually need.

DJI’s ongoing firmware support has already added meaningful features since launch, including 10-bit HDR recording and auto media transfer to compatible iOS devices. The 103GB of built-in storage also means one less memory card to buy, lose, or eventually replace, and the broad accessory ecosystem lets the camera adapt to new shooting scenarios without requiring a full hardware upgrade. That’s a quieter form of sustainability, but a genuine one.

Value

Although available solo, the Osmo Pocket 4P also comes in a Vlog Combo that packs significantly more than just the camera itself. The box includes a threaded handle, FrameTap remote with its own screen, fill light, DJI Mic Mini 2 wireless microphone, mini tripod, and carrying accessories. Pricing it as an assembled creator kit rather than a standalone camera body makes the overall cost feel far more proportionate to what’s actually being offered.

Compared to a smartphone, the Pocket 4P offers better stabilization and a more cinematic image. Compared to an action camera, it brings a portrait lens and a significantly more refined look. And compared to a mirrorless kit with a separate gimbal and microphone, it’s dramatically smaller and faster to deploy. It won’t replace a dedicated mirrorless setup in every scenario, but for most creators, it comes close enough to matter.

Verdict

What makes the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P worth noticing goes beyond better hardware or higher specs. DJI made a considered design decision to add a second lens that genuinely changes how the camera approaches perspective. That 60mm portrait focal length lets it tell more complete visual stories, handling the wide context shots and the tighter, more flattering moments that a single wide lens simply can’t manage as naturally.

For travel creators, vloggers, portrait-focused photographers, and anyone who’s wanted something that shoots more like a serious camera without the bulk, the Osmo Pocket 4P makes a genuinely strong case for itself. There are trade-offs, but they’re manageable, and the overall package in the Vlog Combo configuration is one of the more thoughtfully considered compact creator kits available right now. It’s a camera worth carrying, and more importantly, worth reaching for.

The post DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Review: Finally a Pocket Camera That Flatters Faces first appeared on Yanko Design.

DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Review: A $486 Pocket Camera That Earns Its Price

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PROS:


  • Handy 107GB internal storage

  • Excellent low-light performance

  • Bright screen and creator-friendly controls

CONS:


  • Portrait mode tops out at 3K

  • Low-light mode for video is 1x zoom only

  • No formal water and dust resistance rating

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 doesn't ask you to compromise between portability and quality. It just delivers both.

The gap between smartphone convenience and dedicated camera quality has never been more complicated to navigate. Smartphones shoot impressive footage, but the moment you start walking, panning, or filming yourself without a stabilizer, the limitations show. Shaky handheld video, compromised low-light performance, and the inconvenience of carrying a larger camera rig have pushed creators to look for a smarter middle ground.

The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is designed to solve that exact problem. Building on a line of compact gimbal cameras that have quietly become a go-to tool for vloggers and travel creators alike, the fourth generation pushes the formula further with an improved sensor, smarter tracking, and a handful of practical upgrades that address the friction points that have always come with shooting on the go.

Designer: DJI

Aesthetics

The Osmo Pocket 4 doesn’t try to look exciting. Its silhouette is tall and narrow, with a small three-axis gimbal head sitting at the top. It’s a restrained design that communicates precision rather than personality, and that’s part of the appeal. The matte black finish and clean lines make it look purposeful without being flashy, which is exactly the visual confidence that good industrial design earns.

What makes it visually distinctive is the tension between the utilitarian body and the delicate gimbal mechanism at the top. The rotating touchscreen adds a layer of mechanical thoughtfulness to the otherwise straightforward form. Up close, the camera looks precise and well-assembled, with tight tolerances and a consistent finish across its surfaces. It’s the kind of object that rewards a closer look.

The Creator Combo accessories, including the magnetic fill light and the wide-angle lens, add functional range without dramatically changing the camera’s character. They fit onto the device with minimal fuss and are compact enough to carry without much extra bulk. The wide-angle lens introduces some edge distortion, a minor tradeoff, and it needs to be removed before powering the camera down, making it a small but notable habit to build.

Ergonomics

At 190.5g and measuring 144.2mm x 44.4mm x 33.5mm, the Osmo Pocket 4 genuinely fits in a pocket. That sounds like a marketing line, but it’s one of the more meaningful things you can say about a dedicated camera. It’s light enough to forget you have it and small enough that pulling it out feels no more dramatic than reaching for your phone, which is completely the point.

Operating the Osmo Pocket 4 is intuitive. Rotating the screen starts recording automatically, a shortcut that makes spontaneous moments actually capturable. Two new buttons below the screen handle zoom and custom presets, while the 5D joystick lets you reposition the gimbal or flip the camera orientation without going into menus. The controls feel deliberate rather than crowded, and that discipline counts in a device this compact.

The 2.0-inch touchscreen is bright at 1000 nits, visible enough for outdoor framing, though it could benefit from an anti-reflective surface under harsh direct sunlight. The gimbal clamp that protects the camera head during storage is usefully low-profile, but it’s also easy to misplace precisely because of that. A lanyard attachment helps solve that problem and keeps the clamp reliably on hand whenever the camera needs to be put away.

Performance

The core of the Osmo Pocket 4’s appeal is its improved 1-inch CMOS sensor, paired with an f/2.0 lens and 14 stops of dynamic range. In practice, that combination produces video with noticeably more texture and tonal depth than a typical smartphone sensor can manage. Highlight retention in bright outdoor scenes holds up well, and shadow detail in mixed-light interiors stays controlled rather than collapsing into noise or flat gray.

1x (Top) | 2x (Bottom)

1x (Top) | Wide Lens Attachment (Bottom)

Low-light performance is one of the Pocket 4’s stronger points, both for still photos and videos. The dedicated low-light video mode produces clean, well-exposed footage in dim environments where smartphones typically struggle with noise and color accuracy. Sadly, the latter comes with a hidden cost: low-light video mode only works at 1x zoom.

The magnetic fill light from the Creator Combo is a helpful companion for indoor portraits and evening setups, adding enough brightness to make skin tones look clear, though it’s more of a useful enhancement than an absolute necessity. The Osmo Pocket 4 works well enough on its own for nighttime photography and low-lit environments, but in pitch-black situations, the fill light snaps on in a flash, pardon the pun.

Panorama

Landscape

Vertical

For video enthusiasts, the 4K/240 fps slow-motion mode is a genuine highlight. Capturing slow motion at that resolution opens up detailed, cinematic-looking sequences that would have required bulkier equipment not long ago. Sadly, that 4K upgrade doesn’t apply to vertical portrait mode, which remains in 3K land. The 10-bit D-Log color profile adds post-production flexibility, capturing a wider tonal range for those who want to grade their footage in editing software. It’s a meaningful upgrade from the lighter D-Log M available on the previous generation.

With Fill Light

No Fill Light (top) | With Fill Light (bottom)

The three-axis stabilization is the product’s most compelling advantage. Walking footage stays smooth without the warping that aggressive digital stabilization sometimes produces, and ActiveTrack 7.0 tracks subjects confidently through movement at up to 4x zoom. The 107 GB of built-in storage, transferable at up to 800 MB/s via USB 3.1, removes the need for a memory card on most shoots and makes offloading footage back at a desk genuinely fast.

Pitch Black

With Fill Light

Night Shot (Without Fill Light)

Night Shot (With Fill Light)

Sustainability

The Osmo Pocket 4 doesn’t make bold claims about eco-friendly materials, and that honesty is more useful than hollow greenwashing. What it does offer is a well-built product that feels designed to last. The body has no creaking or flex, and the feature set is current enough that it isn’t likely to feel obsolete quickly. That kind of longevity is a meaningful sustainability argument for a consumer electronics device.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with any water or dust resistance guarantee, let alone a formal IP (ingress protection) rating. The Osmo Pocket 4 is best used with a bit of care outdoors, since its gimbal-based design doesn’t lend itself to the kind of weather resistance you’d expect from a rugged action camera.

Like most compact gimbal cameras, the Pocket 4 isn’t particularly serviceable at the consumer level. Tightly integrated components make independent repair difficult, so long-term ownership depends on careful handling more than easy maintenance. That said, the modular accessory system means you’re less likely to replace the camera because one peripheral breaks or becomes outdated. The accessories extend the product’s useful life without requiring a full device swap.

Value

At $486, the Osmo Pocket 4 sits at a price point where expectations of serious performance are fair, and for the most part, it delivers. What you’re paying for isn’t just a feature list but the engineering that concentrates stabilization, a 1-inch sensor, internal storage, and creator-focused controls into something pocketable. That concentration costs more than a simpler compact camera, and the footage quality shows where the money went.

The $607 Creator Combo version adds genuine value through the DJI Mic 3 transmitter, the fill light, and a handful of supporting accessories. The wireless microphone alone is a meaningful addition for anyone who records dialogue, since the built-in setup works well but can’t match a properly placed lapel mic. Together, these accessories shift the package from a capable camera into a more complete creator kit.

For creators who shoot on the go regularly and want footage that looks better than what a phone can deliver, the Pocket 4 sits in a position few other devices can match cleanly. The form factor eliminates excuses for not having the camera out, the stabilization removes the need for post-production smoothing, and the image quality means you’re not apologizing for what you captured.

Verdict

The Osmo Pocket 4 is a thoughtfully resolved compact camera that does its intended job with real consistency. The stabilized footage looks clean and confident, the low-light performance holds up better than the size suggests, and the built-in storage removes a quiet but persistent inconvenience. These aren’t small things for a device that has to fit in your jeans pocket while still competing with cameras twice its size.

There are tradeoffs, as there always are with a device optimized this tightly. Portrait shooting tops out at 3K rather than full 4K, the low-light mode locks to 1x zoom, and the lack of weather sealing limits it in unpredictable outdoor conditions. These aren’t dealbreakers so much as parameters, and understanding them is all it takes to decide whether the Pocket 4 fits the footage you actually want to make.

The post DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Review: A $486 Pocket Camera That Earns Its Price first appeared on Yanko Design.

Oppo and Vivo Are Both Building Gimbal Cameras To Take On DJI’s Osmo Pocket Series

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Somewhere inside BBK Electronics, two product teams are independently building the same camera. Oppo has a pocket gimbal codenamed “Fuyao” in development. Vivo has the “Vivo Pocket,” reportedly fitted with a 200MP Sony sensor, headed for a late 2026 launch. Whether BBK’s leadership views this as healthy internal competition or an organizational blind spot depends entirely on your read of how the conglomerate actually operates. What’s undeniable is that both devices are aimed squarely at the same target: DJI’s Osmo Pocket series, the device that has owned the pocket gimbal category for years.

The timing, whether coordinated or coincidental, lands at a genuinely vulnerable moment for DJI. Regulatory pressure in the US has made retailers and creators skittish about long-term investment in the DJI ecosystem, and Insta360, the most credible challenger until now, is going aggressively upmarket with its Leica-partnered Luna Ultra. That leaves a real gap in the premium-but-accessible bracket, and BBK, intentionally or otherwise, has two horses racing toward exactly that gap simultaneously.

Designers: Oppo & Vivo

AI Representational Concept

Oppo’s Fuyao centers on a 3-axis stabilized gimbal in a compact form factor, with the brand leaning heavily on its AI-driven video computational technology to bridge the gap between high-end smartphone imaging and dedicated vlogging hardware. That’s a credible pitch. Oppo’s Find X9 Ultra stuffed two 200MP cameras and a sophisticated computational pipeline into a phone chassis, so the engineering muscle is demonstrably there. The question is whether that expertise translates cleanly when the form factor constraints change and the buyer’s expectations are shaped by years of DJI’s famously polished shooting experience.

Vivo is taking a more overtly spec-aggressive approach, with its prototype packing a 1/1.1-inch Sony LYT-901 sensor capable of 200MP stills, a significant departure from the current gimbal camera standard of 1-inch sensors with lower megapixel counts. That sensor is the same one powering Vivo’s current flagship phones, which means the lossless zoom headroom and low-light performance should be genuinely competitive. Vivo is targeting DJI-level hardware quality, suggesting a premium build rather than a budget-friendly entry point, and content creators are reportedly already getting early units for testing.

The deeper strategic story here is what BBK is actually betting on. DJI’s regulatory headaches in the US aren’t going away quietly, and Insta360’s Luna Ultra, co-developed with Leica and priced accordingly, is drifting toward a buyer profile that everyday creators can’t comfortably afford. That middle ground, premium imaging credentials at a price that doesn’t require a business justification, is exactly where Oppo and Vivo are parking. Whether BBK planned this pincer movement or stumbled into it, the instinct is sound. The execution is all that’s left to prove.

The post Oppo and Vivo Are Both Building Gimbal Cameras To Take On DJI’s Osmo Pocket Series first appeared on Yanko Design.

Oppo and Vivo Are Both Building Gimbal Cameras To Take On DJI’s Osmo Pocket Series

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Somewhere inside BBK Electronics, two product teams are independently building the same camera. Oppo has a pocket gimbal codenamed “Fuyao” in development. Vivo has the “Vivo Pocket,” reportedly fitted with a 200MP Sony sensor, headed for a late 2026 launch. Whether BBK’s leadership views this as healthy internal competition or an organizational blind spot depends entirely on your read of how the conglomerate actually operates. What’s undeniable is that both devices are aimed squarely at the same target: DJI’s Osmo Pocket series, the device that has owned the pocket gimbal category for years.

The timing, whether coordinated or coincidental, lands at a genuinely vulnerable moment for DJI. Regulatory pressure in the US has made retailers and creators skittish about long-term investment in the DJI ecosystem, and Insta360, the most credible challenger until now, is going aggressively upmarket with its Leica-partnered Luna Ultra. That leaves a real gap in the premium-but-accessible bracket, and BBK, intentionally or otherwise, has two horses racing toward exactly that gap simultaneously.

Designers: Oppo & Vivo

AI Representational Concept

Oppo’s Fuyao centers on a 3-axis stabilized gimbal in a compact form factor, with the brand leaning heavily on its AI-driven video computational technology to bridge the gap between high-end smartphone imaging and dedicated vlogging hardware. That’s a credible pitch. Oppo’s Find X9 Ultra stuffed two 200MP cameras and a sophisticated computational pipeline into a phone chassis, so the engineering muscle is demonstrably there. The question is whether that expertise translates cleanly when the form factor constraints change and the buyer’s expectations are shaped by years of DJI’s famously polished shooting experience.

Vivo is taking a more overtly spec-aggressive approach, with its prototype packing a 1/1.1-inch Sony LYT-901 sensor capable of 200MP stills, a significant departure from the current gimbal camera standard of 1-inch sensors with lower megapixel counts. That sensor is the same one powering Vivo’s current flagship phones, which means the lossless zoom headroom and low-light performance should be genuinely competitive. Vivo is targeting DJI-level hardware quality, suggesting a premium build rather than a budget-friendly entry point, and content creators are reportedly already getting early units for testing.

The deeper strategic story here is what BBK is actually betting on. DJI’s regulatory headaches in the US aren’t going away quietly, and Insta360’s Luna Ultra, co-developed with Leica and priced accordingly, is drifting toward a buyer profile that everyday creators can’t comfortably afford. That middle ground, premium imaging credentials at a price that doesn’t require a business justification, is exactly where Oppo and Vivo are parking. Whether BBK planned this pincer movement or stumbled into it, the instinct is sound. The execution is all that’s left to prove.

The post Oppo and Vivo Are Both Building Gimbal Cameras To Take On DJI’s Osmo Pocket Series first appeared on Yanko Design.

Canon Is Stealing DJI’s Content Creator Crown With Its Own Osmo Pocket Rival

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DJI built the pocket gimbal camera market almost entirely by itself, and for years nobody credible showed up to contest it. The Osmo Pocket line became the default recommendation for vloggers, travel creators, and anyone who wanted stabilized footage without strapping a gimbal rig to their wrist, and DJI knew it. Then the US government started making noises about Chinese drone manufacturers, DJI’s core business landed on security watchlists, and suddenly the ecosystem that looked impenetrable started looking like a liability. Canon has been watching all of this, and a newly published April 2026 patent suggests the imaging giant has decided this is exactly the moment to move.

The patent describes a compact handheld camera with a fully integrated three-axis gimbal, a fixed lens, a grip with a screen, and a folding mechanism that protects the stabilizer head during storage. Canon has actually filed three gimbal-related patents since 2021, each one progressively more practical than the last, and this newest filing is the first that reads like an actual product brief rather than a thought experiment. The key engineering detail is a smart shutdown sequence that guides the gimbal into a safe folded position before cutting motor power, using magnetic sensors and image analysis to confirm the camera is no longer in use. It sounds minor until you realize that mechanical wear from limp-motor shutdowns is one of the more quietly frustrating failure modes in the category.

Designer: Canon

That three-patent arc maps almost perfectly onto how Canon typically approaches a new product category. The 2021 filing was the moonshot, an interchangeable-lens gimbal camera with cinema-level mechanical ambition that would have been extraordinary if Canon could have made the economics work. It could not, at least not at a price point a travel vlogger would stomach. The 2025 follow-up introduced an auto-flipping mechanism for continuous shooting without interruption, solving a specific operational frustration rather than reimagining the whole device. This latest filing drops the interchangeable lens entirely and focuses on fixed-lens portability with intelligent behavior baked into the motor control system. That progression from wild ambition to refined practicality is Canon doing what Canon does: taking its time, watching the market develop, and showing up when it has something worth shipping.

The competitive timing could not be more pointed. DJI launched the Osmo Pocket 4 in April 2026 with a 1-inch sensor and 4K at 240fps, confirmed a dual-lens Osmo Pocket 4P with 3x optical zoom, and faces the Insta360 Luna Ultra coming in May with a Leica-tuned dual-cam system and 6x in-sensor zoom. Canon is walking into a category fight that has never been more crowded or more technically advanced. The honest question is whether intelligent power management and Canon’s legendary color science, the warm, true-to-life rendering that photographers have trusted for decades, can compete against DJI’s hardware spec escalation and Insta360’s modular innovation. Canon’s answer, reading between the patent lines, seems to be that smarter behavior and a name creators already trust is a more durable advantage than chasing the highest frame rate number.

None of this guarantees a product ships. Patents are promises Canon makes to itself, not to consumers, and the 2021 interchangeable-lens concept never made it past the drawing board. What separates this filing from that one is the granular specificity of the engineering detail. When a patent document gets precise about magnetic sensor placement, motor position thresholds, and the exact sequence of a shutdown routine, it suggests the people writing it have thought about tolerances and failure modes, which tends to happen closer to a factory floor than a whiteboard. Canon has spent five years doing the homework on this category. The timing, with DJI’s business under regulatory clouds and the content creator market larger than it has ever been, suggests it may finally be ready to hand it in.

The post Canon Is Stealing DJI’s Content Creator Crown With Its Own Osmo Pocket Rival first appeared on Yanko Design.

DJI RS 5 First Look: The New Sweet‑Spot Gimbal For Solo Creators And Mirrorless Rigs

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DJI’s gimbal lineup has always operated on a clear hierarchy. At the bottom, the Osmo Mobile series keeps smartphone creators happy with pocket-friendly stabilization. At the top, the RS 4 Pro hauls cinema camera rigs with carbon fiber arms and 4.5kg payload capacity. The middle ground, though, has been trickier to nail down. Too light and you’re pushing mirrorless setups to their limits. Too heavy and solo operators end up fatigued halfway through a wedding shoot. The RS 5 arrives as DJI’s latest attempt to find that sweet spot, and judging by the spec sheet, they might have actually figured it out this time.

Weighing 1.46kg with a 3kg payload capacity, the RS 5 matches the physical footprint of the standard RS 4 while claiming a 50% boost in peak motor torque and 14 hours of runtime on the standard battery. More interesting is what DJI has prioritized here: the RS Enhanced Intelligent Tracking Module (borrowed from the RS 4 Mini’s debut), an Electronic Briefcase Handle for high and low angles, and significantly faster charging that gets you back to work in an hour instead of waiting around for half a day. This isn’t about raw specs anymore. It’s about keeping solo commercial videographers moving efficiently through shoots without needing a full crew or endless battery swaps.

Designer: DJI

It’s one thing to hold a 3kg payload steady during a slow pan, but chasing a subject through a crowded event is a different beast entirely. That 50% peak motor torque improvement is where the RS 5 starts to justify its existence, especially when paired with their fifth-generation stabilization algorithm. This is the kind of power that prevents micro-jitters when you’re running or making sudden direction changes. It also means the native vertical switch, which lets you flip to a 9:16 aspect ratio in seconds, doesn’t come with a performance penalty. That’s a huge deal for anyone delivering social content alongside traditional horizontal video, as you’re not compromising stability just to get the shot framed for TikTok.

All that stabilization doesn’t mean much if your subject keeps drifting out of frame while you’re focused on your own footwork. The RS Enhanced Intelligent Tracking Module, pulled from the RS 4 Mini and beefed up, handles the tracking with aplomb. It tracks more than just people; you can lock onto vehicles, pets, or any object you tap on the screen from up to 10 meters away. Even better, it can re-acquire a subject if they’re temporarily obscured, saving you from a ruined take. The fact that it attaches magnetically without needing extra adapters is a smart touch, acknowledging that setup time is a real currency for solo operators. It’s a clever bit of product strategy, bringing a killer entry-level feature up to the commercial tier where it’s arguably needed most.

The dirty secret of every solo videographer’s kit is a bag overflowing with batteries and a constant, low-grade anxiety about runtime. DJI seems to have finally gotten the message. The RS 5 hits a full charge in just one hour with a 65W PD charger, which is a massive quality-of-life improvement. The standard battery gives you 14 hours of juice, but the optional BG70 High-Capacity grip pushes that to a claimed 30 hours. Even if real-world use cuts that down significantly, it’s enough to get you through the longest wedding day without a panic. They’ve also expanded the Bluetooth shutter control to include Panasonic and Fujifilm cameras, a long-overdue nod to the fact that the camera world doesn’t just revolve around Sony, Canon, and Nikon.

You’re probably a good candidate for the RS 5 if you’re shooting paid work with mirrorless cameras and your current gimbal makes you want to throw it into a lake by hour three. Event videographers, wedding shooters, small production houses, anyone who’s working solo but needs results that look like a full crew showed up. If you’re hauling around a RED Komodo or a cinema rig that pushes past 3kg, skip this and go straight to the RS 4 Pro with its 4.5kg capacity and carbon fiber construction. On the flip side, if you’re still shooting with your phone or occasionally pulling out a compact camera for vlogs, the Osmo Mobile or Osmo Pocket lines will serve you better. Those devices are far more portable, cost a fraction of what the RS 5 demands, and honestly, DJI will probably refresh them in the coming months with similar intelligent tracking features trickling down from this generation. But if you’re already committed to proper camera gear and tired of fighting your equipment, this sits right where it needs to.

So this all sounds great, but it always comes down to the hole it leaves in your wallet. The standalone gimbal runs $671 (£485), which plants it firmly in that prosumer middle ground. The real conversation, though, is about the Combo kit at $856 (£619), which adds the tracking module and the electronic briefcase handle. For a working videographer, that’s the package that makes sense. You’re not just buying a stabilizer; you’re buying back time and reducing on-set frustration. It’s a tool built for the specific pressures of the one-person crew, and that focus is what makes it a compelling piece of hardware.

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First Look at HONOR’s Robot Phone at CES 2026: How is this real?!

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Tucked away in a suite at the Encore Hotel lay perhaps the most interesting phone of all. No, not Samsung’s trifold, not even TCL’s NXTPaper phone, not some absurd rolling phone concept, nothing from Motorola. Away from the chaos of CES, in this room, on one table, lay a prototype of HONOR’s Robot Phone. Unlike the video we saw months back, this time, the phone was literally inches from us, showing exactly how HONOR managed to cram an entire 3-axis gimbal and a camera into a smartphone’s bump.

There were a few mandatory guidelines, though. Nobody could touch the phone, and this phone was just a prototype – a taste of the actual device that HONOR plans on revealing at Mobile World Congress. Even though the device wasn’t operational, or even switched on, just seeing a physical prototype was enough to get a VERY clear picture of what HONOR managed to build. Needless to say, it felt unbelievable just yesterday… but today, it was absolutely real. For what it’s worth, HONOR really did manage to engineer a camera and gimbal small enough to tuck itself away into a smartphone’s camera bump.

Designer: HONOR

It’s worth noting. The device isn’t a static model. The camera actually rotates, and goes right back into the phone’s bump. The mechanics work, but for now, they were just manual given that the phone was just a prototype. Physically, HONOR’s prototype is a working proof of concept, which is way more reassuring than a video which most people will assume is a bit of CGI. Knowing that fitting a gimbal into a phone is a pretty important milestone because now that HONOR’s proved at least the first step, it’s interesting to see how other tech companies will respond (if DJI makes a smartphone I will absolutely lose my mind).

The gimbal results in a fairly chunky camera bump, but the tradeoff is really small if you think about what you’re getting. A camera that can point anywhere, track subjects, respond to gestures, and work without a tripod or a gimbal. It’s autonomous in every aspect, which means for the first time in history, you don’t control the smartphone’s camera. It controls itself. And it can literally follow you around the room, turning probably anywhere up to 360° to do so. HONOR’s team mentioned that this would change content creation almost overnight, especially in its home market of China, which sees a massive number of livestreamers using fancy smartphone rigs to film video in realtime. Here, all you need is a phone and a surface to place it on.

The details are otherwise incredibly scarce. There’s no availability timeline, no pricing structure, not even anything on the camera’s quality or the phone’s battery life. For now, this proof-of-concept does two things, ushers in HONOR’s ‘Alpha’ era, with the company making great leaps in their new AI division (the phone has an Alpha logo on the back to mark this new era too)… and secondly, proves that electronic/optical image stabilization is probably dead when your phone literally packs a goshdarn 3-axis gimbal that can point anywhere and move on its own.

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MagSafe phone stand concept adds hands-free face tracking for perfect framing

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Video calls have become a staple of online communication today, whether it’s for meetings or even just personal one-on-one calls. Unfortunately, the devices we use for video calls haven’t caught up quickly with the trend, and we’re only recently seeing webcams with better sensors or phone stands with better angles. Even then, however, there is still some missing aspects to make these videos more engaging and natural.

This simple-looking phone stand tries to deliver that missing piece by making sure that the user’s face is always within the frame during those video calls. It isn’t a one-trick pony, though, and can keep your phone’s battery topped up or be an interesting piece of desk decor even when not in use.

Designer: Kunal Wagh

Webcams are admittedly getting more sophisticated, both in terms of hardware as well as software. While those integrated into laptop screen bezels are limited to simply upgrading their imaging sensors, external cameras are now sporting stabilizers and gimbals. There are also apps that do automatic focus, zooming, and framing. That’s all fine if you’re using your computer, but not if your smartphone is your device of choice.

Orbit is a design concept for a phone stand that brings those features to mobile devices. It’s practically a MagSafe-compatible charging stand with a unique, minimalist design that makes it look good even when not in use. It pretty much looks like a miniature trophy, with a dome-like shape on top held aloft by two thin arms.

Simply place the phone on the stand and go about your video call or even watch videos. Orbit will simply follow your face to make sure that you always have a clear view of the screen or that your face is always in frame. The concept doesn’t exactly explain the software that makes this possible, but it’s not that difficult to pull off given today’s technology.

Of course, it also functions as a charger to make sure your battery never goes empty, whether you’re on a call or not. Unlike a phone gimbal, Orbit’s simpler design makes it suitable for use almost anywhere, even when away from your desk, as long as you have a power source to keep that charger and internal motors running.

The post MagSafe phone stand concept adds hands-free face tracking for perfect framing first appeared on Yanko Design.

Forget the iPhone 16 Camera Control, this Gimbal Attachment gives any smartphone a DSLR experience

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A shutter button, a built-in gimbal for landscape and portrait shooting, a zoom wheel, an integrated LED ring light, a tripod setting, and even an external battery pack to boost your phone’s battery. The Snappy offers way more for photography enthusiasts than the iPhone 16 does. It attaches onto any smartphone, giving you a bona fide DSLR-like experience, complete with an ergonomic grip. When you don’t need to shoot content, the Snappy pops right off, turning your handheld camera back into a daily driver smartphone.

Designer: Buddiesman

Click Here to Buy Now: $89 $149 (40% Off) Hurry! Only 21 of 520 left. Raised over $101,000.

Just three weeks ago, Apple debuted the iPhone 16 line-up, adding one crucial new hardware feature to their phones – a Camera Control ‘button’. Designed to help intuitively capture photos without having to fiddle with on-screen controls, the capacitive button lets you perform a variety of actions from zooming, switching between presets, adjusting focal length, or even accessing other key camera features. With the Camera Control, Apple’s reinforced its idea that the smartphone is a great camera first, and then a good mobile device… the only problem is that great cameras are more than just fancy lenses and sensors. Enter the Snappy mobile grip, a device designed to transform the way we take photos on our phones. With its motorized gimbal providing single-axis stabilization, Snappy quickly becomes a trusted companion for anyone tired of blurry images or shaky videos. Unlike larger gimbals such as DJI’s Osmo, Snappy brings stabilization in a small, portable form—making it a solution that fits right into your pocket.

Designed by Buddiesman, a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of photographic gear, Snappy’s centerpiece is its motorized, spring-loaded clamp that securely grips your smartphone. This clamp adjusts easily to accommodate a range of phone sizes, so you won’t have to worry about removing your phone case to make it fit. The ergonomic grip attached to the clamp gives the device a comfortable feel, while an articulated arm allows the phone to be rotated seamlessly between landscape and portrait modes with the flick of a thumbwheel. Powered by a brushless motor, this feature also gives the Snappy stabilizing gimbal-like abilities, ensuring your phone stays level, even during handheld video shoots.

Plug your phone in and it literally feels like a professional camera-mimicking rig for your phone. Use any phone you want with the Snappy and it gives you the added benefit of being able to intuitively capture content the way you would with a more pro-facing device like a DSLR or mirrorless camera. A shutter button on the top lets you easily take photos and record videos without fumbling to touch the screen or hit a volume button to take the shot (like you would with most smartphones). The grip feels instantaneously comfortable, allowing you to point and shoot with a single hand. Worried you’ll accidentally drop your phone? The Snappy has a built-in strap that lets you secure it to your hand too, so even the largest, heaviest of phones don’t put too much strain on that wrist of yours.

If there’s something a photographer hates more than phone cameras, it’s the flashlight on phone cameras. The flashlight is way too coarse, and no self-respecting photographer uses it unless absolutely necessary. To fix that, the Snappy comes with its own multi-LED built-in ring light. Located just beside the phone’s lenses (where you’d expect the MagSafe ring to line up), users can toggle between cool and warm light settings simply by tapping the touch-sensitive zone inside the ring, adjusting brightness to get the perfect shot regardless of the lighting conditions. This feature is perfect for low-light environments where smartphone cameras traditionally struggle.

For even greater flexibility, Snappy allows users to detach the grip from the main body, turning it into a wireless remote. With a range of up to 10 meters (33 feet), you can take photos and videos from a distance, offering a new level of creativity and control in framing your shots. With the remote detached (or even with the remote unit still on), the Snappy can be used as a tripod of sorts, propping your phone up so you don’t need to hold it in your hands. Perfect for using as a phone stand while reviewing the footage you’ve shot, or propping your phone up to take a remote video/photo while you stand away from your camera, this feature gives the Snappy one remarkable ability that neither phones nor DSLR cameras have, barring actually buying a tripod of course. And just in case you’re a tripod purist, the Snappy has a tripod mount too. Want to add accessories to your smartphone camera? The Snappy also includes a cold shoe mount for attaching additional peripherals like microphones or even external lights just in case the ring light on the device isn’t enough.

The Snappy relies on a built-in battery that powers this entire experience. Although the battery’s capacity (and use time) is a bit of a mystery, the folks at Buddiesman tout that the Snappy can transform into a power bank for your smartphone when you’re running low on juice. Just connect your phone to the Snappy’s charging port via a USB-C cable and it instantly begins recharging your phone, giving you the benefit of a gimbal that also enhances your phone’s battery life along with its camera capabilities.

Currently available on Kickstarter, early adopters can secure a Snappy with a pledge of $89, while the retail price is set to be $149 once it hits the market. The $89 kit includes the Snappy itself, although you can upgrade to a bundle that also includes an add-on tripod and an external light that mounts into the Snappy’s cold shoe adapter. With its combination of user-friendly design and professional-grade features, Snappy could very well bridge the gap between smartphones and traditional cameras, bringing the best of both worlds to your pocket. They say the best camera is the one that’s in your pocket. No matter whether it’s the Google Pixel, a Samsung Galaxy, or even older variants of the iPhone, the Snappy turns your phone’s camera into a makeshift pro-grade shooter that’s perfect for turning average photos and videos into polished content.

Click Here to Buy Now: $89 $149 (40% Off) Hurry! Only 21 of 520 left. Raised over $101,000.

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