DJI changes name, style of its smartphone gimbal

DJI, the drone and aerial photography tools company, has taken a radical redesign to its popular line of Osmo smartphone gimbals, adding in a new name as well, OM.

But you can't say goodbye to Osmo altogether, as Osmo is still the brand name for the small GoPro like action camera and portable Pocket tiny camera device.

DJI is the no. 1 manufacturer of drones, which use 3-axis motorized gimbal tools on them to smooth the action. DJI began making portable, handheld gimbals several years ago to reproduce the look on land.

Gimbals are beloved by fans of smartphone video to help smooth the action and give them steadier shots. The new device, OM 4, is the fourth in a line of DJI phone stablizers. It replaces the Osmo Mobile 3, which sold for $119. The new OM is priced at $150.

One of the pain points with gimbals is fitting the phone into the cradle and balancing it.

With DJI's new design, it attempts to solve that with a new round magnet that snaps to the camera, and then back to the gimbal. DJI says the new device is smoother than previous editions because it uses "robust motors and the absolute latest in 3-axis stabilizer technology."

A side benefit of the snap device is that the phone is no longer locked to the cradle attachment, and there's more room on the sides to let the camera roam free. This enables attaching a microphone to a phone on a gimbal, which prior editions wouldn't allow.

One new feature of last year's Osmo Mobile 3 which remains with the new version is the ability to fold it up and put it your pocket.