ZHIYUN SMOOTH 5S AI Review

The ZHIYUN Smooth 5S AI is a smartphone gimbal built to enhance mobile videography. For those shooting with just their phone and being limited by the shakes and judders that come in more challenging environments, gimbals like this can be a game-changer. With some impressive features, the Smooth 5S AI looks promising, but how has it fared during my review testing?

Rock-solid stabilization

With the necessary apps installed, the Smooth 5S AI is fully unlocked and ready to go. Immediately, users will be impressed by the 3-axis stabilization system which holds up tremendously well even in intense scenarios with lots of motion. There’s fully 360-degree rotation available here, meaning there’s no limit to the angles. It’s wonderful to have this level of freedom, as it’s a place where many other gimbals fall short.

The AI element

“AI” is the buzzword of the decade and it’s also here with the Smooth 5S AI. In the case of this product, AI apparently assists with the tracking. Users can track subjects using hand gestures.

Another key highlight is the built-in light. Here in the UK, it can get pretty dark earlier in the day, so it’s good to have a light ready to go for any nighttime outings. It can make the difference between super grainy footage or clips where the subject can’t actually be seen!

The wins

I’m particularly impressed by the Smooth 5S AI’s ability to stabilize even in tough conditions. It works really well. The AI tracking is also impressive, though a tad inconsistent. I’d love to depend upon this more, as the hand gestures are super convenient, but it’s just a little too wonky, at least now. Perhaps this could be tuned with a future software update.

Battery life is also a big win for the Smooth 5S AI. The claimed 26 hours held up, meaning it can last the distance on the longest of shoots.

A couple of hiccups

As for the downsides, the slightly wonky AI tracking is the main lowlight for me. This tends to happen in darker scenes, which probably challenges the tracking the most. Another downside is the Smooth 5S AI’s bulky design, which makes it difficult to fit in smaller bags.

Disclosure: Review sample provided by ZHIYUN.