Is it the best selfie stabilizer?
The smartphone stabilizer market is not as crowded as it is in other areas of the tech industry. This means the few names that compete with each other need to do more to get noticed. The Feiyutech Vimble 2S has a very great trick up its sleeve that lets it compete with the popular smartphone gimbals from DJI and Zhiyun. We have put the Vimble 2S through its paces and are ready to give you our verdict. For more information, see this review from Feiyutech Vimble 2S.
See also: The 5 best smartphone gimbals you can spend your money on
What you need to know about the Feiyutech Vimble 2S
Recognition: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
- Feiyutech Vimble 2S (VIMBLE-2S): $ 89 / £ 89 / € 89
The Feiyutech Vimble 2S looks and feels similar to other smartphone gimbals, but can do a little more. The arm can be extended to serve as a selfie stick. This puts it against devices like the Moza Mini S and the Zhiyun Smooth XS (and the older Smooth X).
The Vimble 2S is $ 89 and offers 3-axis stabilization that covers tilt, roll, and pan. It has a 1,300 mAh battery that should last 12 hours and should be charged in about two hours. The product weighs 428 g and measures 118 x 111 x 317 mm when unfolded (it can be extended by up to 183 mm). The maximum payload is 150 g and the bracket supports devices with a width of 85 mm. It is also only available in “midnight black”.
See also: These photography tips will help you take your photos to the next level
What is good?
Recognition: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
The ability to expand a smartphone gimbal fundamentally changes the experience and opens up a multitude of possibilities. It makes shooting yourself and taking selfies a breeze, and offers added stability. Not to mention, it’s easier to capture certain angles and get into hard-to-reach areas. The triaxial stabilization is another plus that the Zhiyun Smooth XS lacks (it only supports pan and tilt stabilization).
The ability to expand a smartphone gimbal fundamentally changes the experience and opens up a multitude of possibilities.
The image stabilization went very well. Engines are fast and run smoothly. The ability to rotate 300 degrees in all directions offers a lot of freedom of movement.
While the design isn’t much to tell, we have to admire the simplicity of the Feiyutech Vimble 2S. It has a joystick, a zoom rocker, some shortcuts, and a trigger button. That’s it! It’s a very easy to use device and has almost no learning curve. Competing devices can be a little tangled with so many options.
A big plus in the application is the automatic connection function. I’ve written at length about how other gimbal apps only manually connect to the stabilizer. Feiyutech has finally picked up on this lack of ability. Simply launch the Feiyu ON app, wait a few seconds and it will automatically connect to the Feiyutech Vimble 2S.
I’m not a fan of gimbal apps, especially Zhiyun, DJI, and Moza. The Feiyu ON app has its problems, more on that later, but at least it’s easy to understand. It also has surprisingly good tracking capabilities. You can drag your finger anywhere on the screen to tell the app to follow an object. The dynamic feature could see the object as it left the image and returned to the frame. Other cool features in the app are gesture control, filters, beauty mode, HDR recording, timer, panorama mode, light rail mode and much more.
The battery life performed well on a single charge during our nine-hour test. We are sure it can handle a full working day of recording. However, we expect a shorter duration if you use it to charge your phone – another cool feature.
Overall, there’s a lot to like here, but nothing is perfect!
What’s not so good?
Recognition: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
As mentioned earlier, the app is not perfect. For starters, the video quality will be compromised. The movement seems nervous, as if there weren’t enough frames per second to keep the content running smoothly. The nervous movement wasn’t there when using the gimbal with a standard camera app. The zoom function isn’t great either. It gradually jumped in and out as we tested, while competing devices offer smoother transitions.
With a 150g payload, this device worked well with smaller devices like my wife’s Pixel 4a. However, you could feel the motors shaking and struggling as soon as I installed a larger device. Keep this in mind if you own a heavier phone.
Recognition: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
While the design and build quality isn’t bad, they aren’t the best either. The comfortable handle has a rubberized texture. While this makes it easier to hold, it doesn’t feel as solid as others. The Feiyutech Vimble 2S, for example, is better built than the cheaply made Zhiyun Smooth X, but Moza does a better job with its competing Mini S, which costs as much as the Feiyutech Vimble 2S.
Feiyutech Vimble 2S Review: Should I Buy It?
Recognition: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Thanks to its 300-degree coverage in all directions, the Feiyutech Vimble 2S offers excellent tracking, a relatively good app, excellent stabilization and great freedom of movement. It’s fun to use despite its cons and serious competition.
The Feiyutech Vimble 2S is a unique smartphone gimbal with excellent tracking, excellent stabilization and great freedom of movement.
Personally, I prefer the Moza Mini S which is the same price and has a better design and higher payload capacity. The Zhiyun Smooth XS is also a much cheaper alternative to the Feiyutech Vimble 2S and Moza Mini S.
That said, the Feiyutech Vimble 2S is a really cool, expandable smartphone gimbal that offers something different from the rest of the package.
Feiyutech Vimble 2S
A fun smartphone stabilizer that doubles as a selfie stick.