Zhiyun has been teasing their new Zhiyun Smooth 4 for the last few days. they even recently announced that its going to be retailing for $139 dollars. So before we test that gimbal out I thought we would compare the Smooth Q with the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 cause the Smooth Q recently got a price discount as well to compete with the Osmo Mobile 2. 

The DJI Osmo 2 is the newest gimbal of the two and it currently retails for $130, a significant price reduction from the original Osmo which used to retail for $200. The Zhiyun Smooth Q used to retail for $140 but its now going for $99. If you want to pick either of these gimbals up I’ll have links in the description below, and if you use the links it really helps out the channel. Check them out cause DJI Products routinely go on sale so you might get lucky. 

First lets go over whats the same on the gimbals. Both of these gimbals come included with a carrying case but personally I prefer Zhiyun’s case. It take up way less space in your bag. Both of these gimbals charge via a micro USB port, they both have a USB out so you can charge your own phone, they both have a universal mount on the bottom so you can attach them to a tripod or any other accessory, they both have a spring loaded clamp that holds your phone, and they both can hold your phone vertically or horizontally. They also both have onboard controls to control your camera but they have significantly different layouts and I find that DJI’s lay out is much more ergonomic. Their battery lives are also very similar, the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 has an advertised battery life of 14 hours and the Zhiyun Smooth Q has an advertised battery life of 12 hours. They also weigh almost the same as well, with an iPhone 8 Plus installed I found the DJI weighing in at 686 grams and the Zhiyun Weighs in at 642 grams. 

Obviously what you want to know about either of these two gimbals is which one stabilizes your video the best. And after taking both of them out into the field and getting some video samples I have to say the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 does a much better job of stabilizing your video than the Zhiyun Smooth Q. Even though both of these stabilizers still have a lot of undulation when walking, you can clearly see there is much less of a shock every time I take a step with the DJI Osmo Mobile than the Smooth Q. Just in general theres a lot of shakyness with the Smooth Q than the Osmo Mobile 2. 

But even though the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 does stabilize your video better than the Smooth Q, its not perfect. First up, the Osmo Mobile 2 doesn’t have as much range of motion as the Smooth Q.  With the Osmo 2 I found that if you move around too much then the camera will mess up and ruin the shot. Where as the Smooth Q has a lot more range of motion and I never really had an issue with the phone getting out of balance and running the shot. 

Now the main reason a lot of people say Zhiyun gimbals are still better than the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 is because the Zhiyun can rotate 360 degrees while the DJI can’t. DJI has gone on record and said that the reason they don’t allow 360 degree rotation on their Osmo 2 is because it end ups breaking down the motor much quicker. And if you look at forums a lot of people complain that Zhiyun gimbals end up wearing out much faster than they’d like. 

But in general the DJI Osmo mobile 2 has better build quality than the Zhiyun Smooth Q. Its not extremely better, but it is better none the less. Body panels are better aligned, the joystick feels much better, and it easier to get a grip on the DJI than the Zhiyun. The Smooth Q has very smooth plastic so it can be slippery at times. Where as the DJI has something like a powder coating on it so its easier to get a grip. Don’t get me wrong, I still feel that both of these gimbals should have a wrist strap, but non the less its easier to hold on to the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 than the Zhiyun smooth Q. And even though I absolutely hate both of these gimbals spring loaded clamps, the clamp on the DJI opens and closes much easier, where as the clamp on the Zhiyun likes to get stuck a lot of the time making it harder to pry my phone out.  

The last thing I want to talk touch on these gimbals is their mobile apps. Since both of these companies are from china some stuff can get lost in translation sometimes. First up lets talk about connection issues first. I found that pairing the Zhiyun with its mobile app was hit or miss sometimes. What really annoyed me was actually getting the Zhiyun to connect but for some reason the Zoom switch and the shutter button wouldn’t work on my phone so you have to restart the gimbal. DJI’s app also isn’t perfect and there is room for improvement but I prefer their app over the Zhiyun. 

Ok, lets wrap this simple versus video up. Even though the Zhiyun Smooth Q has gotten a price reduction all the way to $99 I think you’re still better off getting the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 for now. Its able to stabilize your video much better and build quality is much better. Sure you’re giving up the 360 rotation, but the Zhiyun Smooth Q is notorious for breaking down. But we’re going to have to revisit this versus video when the Zhiyun Smooth 4 is available. We’re going to have to see how that gimbal stack up against the DJI Osmo Mobile 2.