Insta360 took us by surprise last year when it released the Link webcam with an integrated 3-axis gimbal, but we had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the brand’s last product with some kind of gimbal technology incorporated.

However, while we suspected something akin to the DJI Osmo Pocket 2 might be on the cards, Insta360 surprised us again by releasing a smartphone gimbal instead.

The Insta360 Flow features a design unlike any that we’ve seen before, and it has some brilliantly clever, and practical, aspects like a built-in tripod and extension rod.

The hurdle that trips most smartphone gimbals is the app experience, but we’ve been consistently impressed with Insta360’s software for a while now, so we’ve got high hopes for what this gimbal can accomplish. Let’s find out how it performs.

Design

• Weight: 369g
• Folded dimensions: 79.6 x 162.1 x 36mm
• Unfolded dimensions: 73.6 x 269.4 x 69.9mm
• Integrated mini-tripod and extension pole

The Insta360 Flow has a cool look about it, with more than a few styling similarities to products from the Nothing brand. Our review unit is mostly made from white plastic (a grey option is also available) with a transparent panel on the arm that reveals a black PCB underneath.

There’s even Insta360’s “think bold” slogan printed in a dot matrix font, just like you’d find on a Nothing product. So, it might not be the most original design direction, but it looks great, so we’re not complaining.

The gimbal is deployed using a single 180-degree hinge, which is the simplest and fastest method that we’ve seen so far. The phone is attached via a magnetic metal clamp, and the clamp design is heavily inspired by the one on DJI’s Osmo Mobile gimbals.

We’ve always been frustrated by DJI’s clamp, not because of its functionality, but simply because there’s nowhere to store it on the gimbal itself, so it could easily get lost. With the Insta360 Flow, however, the clamp can remain attached while the gimbal is folded, and we love that.

The whole product is exceptionally well thought out. It manages to incorporate tripod legs as well as a sizable extension pole, all while being one of the most pocketable gimbals on the market today.

This is because Insta360 has moved the battery pack into the arm of the gimbal, which allows for more space in the handle for these nifty hidden features, all without sacrificing battery life.

The integrated tripod isn’t the most sturdy thing around, but its extendable legs do a good enough job on a flat surface, and the fact that you don’t have to carry an extra accessory makes the whole thing so much more portable. For times when you need the utmost stability, though, a 1/4-20 tripod thread is also present, so you can easily attach it to some more professional legs.

The extension rod can be pulled out to a maximum length of about 8.5 inches, and it has a tilting hinge at the top. Just as we saw with the DJI Osmo Mobile 6, this hinge needs to be used to achieve certain angles, as the gimbal is fairly limited on the tilt axis as standard.

We were sent the Creator Kit for review, which comes bundled with a very nostalgic early-2000s style transparent carry bag as well as a spotlight attachment and a silicone grip sleeve for the handle.

We weren’t too impressed with the spotlight, it’s quite a small light source, and can’t get especially bright, so it’s not something that we found ourselves using very much. For what it’s worth, it does have colour temperature and brightness adjustments, which does make it a little more versatile.

Software and features

• Insta360 app for iOS and Android
• DeepTrack 3.0
• Gesture controls
• Shot genie and auto-editing

The Insta360 Flow uses the same app as the brand’s action cameras, so we’re quite familiar with the interface. As we’ve found with other Insta360 products, pairing is quick, easy and reliable on both Android and iOS platforms.

Depending on your phone, however, you might find that your available options within the app differ quite significantly. For example, on our Vivo X90 Pro we could only record at up to 4K 30fps, whereas on our Google Pixel 6 and iPhone 12 Mini, we could select up to 4K 60fps.

Only the iPhone allowed us to access lenses other than the main and selfie cameras, too. So, if you want to use the ultra-wide, which we always think looks great on a gimbal, you’ll need to be using an iOS device (or switch to the standard camera app). The physical control wheel can be used to zoom digitally across all devices, but again, only iPhones will switch between cameras, as far as we can tell.

One of the most impressive, and useful, features of the Insta360 Flow is its ability to track subjects. Of course, this feature is present on the majority of gimbals, but we’ve never seen it perform quite so well as on the Flow.

Insta360 has years of experience with subject tracking, as it’s the primary way that 360 camera users reframe their footage for delivery. As a result, its algorithms have gotten quite advanced, and that means that Flow can track people and objects much more reliably than the competition.

We were most impressed by its ability to track a person when they turn their back or go behind something and emerge again. Other gimbals from the likes of DJI and Zhiyun give up much more quickly, it’s infinitely more reliable and useful on this device.

The Insta360 Flow also supports gesture control, using mostly the same commands as the Link webcam. This is great if you’re filming yourself, as you can activate the tracking and recording without needing to touch your phone. When the gesture has been recognised, your phone’s flash will, erm, flash, to signal that the recording has begun.

The gesture recognition worked pretty flawlessly throughout our testing. That’s not too surprising, though, it worked perfectly on the Link, and presumably, some of the same software magic is at play with the Flow.

The app is very user friendly and guides you through all of the controls on first use. We were surprised to see that the gimbal’s physical controls can even be used to review and play back your footage – that’s something we’ve not seen on a gimbal before, and it makes a lot of sense in practice.

While shooting with the app, you’ll often see pop-up prompts from Insta360’s Shot Genie (these can be disabled, too). This is a feature that walks you through some creative shot ideas if you’re new to filmmaking, or just want a bit of inspiration. The tutorials are quite detailed, too, so beginners could find them very helpful.

Plus, when you’re done shooting, FlashCut can automatically edit your footage using AI algorithms to pick out the highlights and sync them to the music. This also works well, but we’re control freaks, so we stuck to editing the old-fashioned way. Still, it’s nice to have the option if you’re not quite so picky.

Performance

• Compatible phone weight: 130-300g
• Max width/thickness: 84mm/10mm
• Run time: 12 hours
• Charge time: 2 hours

Setting up the Insta360 Flow is the quickest and most hassle-free experience we’ve ever had with a smartphone gimbal. As we mentioned earlier, you only have to unfold a single axis for deployment, which makes setting it up even quicker than the already-fast DJI Osmo Mobile 6.

There are limitations to this kind of design, however. Just as we found with DJI’s latest gimbal, the Insta360 Flow is quite limited on the tilt axis, so you’ll need to use the hinge of the extension rod in order to access certain angles.

It’s serviceable, but coming from the Zhiyun Smooth 5S, with its vast range of motion, we were frequently hitting the limits in general use. As with most things in life, it’s a trade-off, you can either have something super portable and pocketable, or you can have a sizable bit of kit that offers a wider range of motion. We can’t help but wish for a larger gimbal with Insta360’s smarts behind it, though.

When it comes to stability, despite its simplified design and lack of balancing, the Flow does an excellent job of keeping things smooth. The motors had no issues with heavy phones like our 240g X90 Pro and the clamp accommodated a variety of smartphone sizes and shapes with ease.

The Flow is a vertical-first approach, just like the Osmo Mobile 6, but both can be quickly switched into landscape mode with a couple of button taps. We think most users will be very satisfied with the stability, but as usual, you need to be a little careful with Z-axis movement, and a well-practised ninja walk will give the best results.

Most of the physical controls are based around a circular panel on the front of the handle, which is called the SmartWheel. Here you have three buttons, a joystick, a jog wheel around the edge, and you can also swipe around the surface, a bit like an old iPod.

It’s another clever bit of design, and it’s very functional. The swiping motion isn’t the most natural feeling, but you can change a setting and double-tap on one side instead to switch modes, which is what we chose to do.

Our only real gripe with the controls is that the joystick isn’t pressure sensitive, so you can’t use it to do super-slow panning shots. There are three speed modes to choose from, which is good, but more granular control would be even better.

Verdict

Considering this is the brand’s first attempt at a smartphone gimbal, we think Insta360 has knocked it out of the park with the Flow. In fact, we think it’s probably the most well-rounded smartphone gimbal you can buy today.

This is largely due to Insta360’s fantastic software, along with its AI tracking expertise. We think subject tracking is one of the most appealing aspects of a smartphone gimbal, and no other brand comes close to the accuracy and reliability of the Insta360 Flow.

Another factor is the outstanding design. Not only is this one of the smallest and most pocketable gimbals you can buy, but it’s also the most versatile, with a tripod and extension pole built into its tiny frame.

Of course, it’s not perfect, we’d love a wider range of motion, especially on the tilt axis, and a more consistent experience across Android phones would be welcomed, too. However, these criticisms can be extended towards the market-leading Osmo Mobile 6, as well.

There are other gimbals that are better in specific areas, but none offer as complete a package as the Insta360 Flow. In our view, this is the gimbal to buy in 2023.