DJI OM 4 review - A smartphone gimbal that might take things too far - Android
Last year, DJI bowled us over with the launch of the Osmo Mobile 3. It quickly became our favorite smartphone gimbal, mostly due to its novel ability to fold up. Now, in our DJI OM 4 review, we’re taking a look at the follow-up.
Thankfully, DJI left the bulk of the new gimbal’s design unchanged. However, it added one big new feature: a magnetic mount on the gimbal arm. This allows for quick access to your phone without needing to reset the gimbal.
The big questions are whether or not this magnetic mount works as well as DJI hopes it will — and whether or not it’s worth the price increase.
The only significant difference between the DJI OM 4 (DJI Osmo Mobile 4) and last year’s Osmo Mobile 3 is the new magnetic arm mount. The OM 4 has a slightly different color and different button placements, but otherwise, the two models are nearly identical.
With that in mind, the magnetic mount is the true selling point for the OM 4. If you love the idea of being able to snap your smartphone onto your gimbal and then easily snap it off, you likely are already sold. I’ll get into the specifics of the magnetic mount in a bit.
Related: DJI OM 4 is here: The latest gimbal tweaks the gold standard
For anyone who doesn’t understand why a magnetic mount would be advantageous, it all comes down to calibration. For the gimbal to know your smartphone is level and correctly positioned you need to calibrate the gimbal using its companion app. Every time you take the phone off, you need to re-calibrate when putting it back, as it is inevitable that you won’t re-attach it in the exact same position. The magnetic mount, as I’ll discuss later, solves this problem by ensuring that your phone does, in fact, go back exactly where it once was. As such, you’ll only need to calibrate once per filming session.
Due to the DJI OM 4 and the Osmo Mobile 3 being so similar aside from this mount, though, I’m not going to repeat a lot of the stuff I covered in last year’s review. I highly recommend giving that a read if this is your first time shopping for a gimbal or if you are unfamiliar with DJI’s lineup. We also have an article going over the best smartphone gimbals on the market, which is also essential reading for first-time buyers.
Unlike last year, there is only one version of the DJI OM 4. For the Osmo Mobile 3, DJI offered a regular kit with just the basics and then a Combo kit with a hardshell case, a tripod stand, and more. This year, however, the OM 4 comes in just one package — and it doesn’t contain a hardshell case.
The lack of a hardshell case is disappointing, though DJI probably has a reason for leaving it out. Regardless, it does simplify your purchase as you don’t need to decide between a regular or deluxe package. What you see is what you get.
As with the Osmo Mobile 3, the DJI Osmo Mobile 4 is almost entirely made of plastic. However, it doesn’t feel at all cheap — there’s no question that the gimbal is a premium device when you are holding it.
DJI upgraded the internal motor of the gimbal, which allows the gimbal arm to handle larger, heavier phones. Last year, the limit was at 230g for compatible smartphone weight, but the OM 4 can handle a phone that weighs over 300g.
I used the gimbal with a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, which is one of the bigger phones on the market (220g). The gimbal had no issues handling it.
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