DJI Osmo Mobile 2 Price is $129 USD! Zhiyun Smooth Q Inspired?!

As some of you know, a few days ago, I bought a Zhiyun Smooth Q smartphone gimbal (among other gadgets for work and play) to start 2018 right. I got it for Php 5,600 or around $110 USD with current conversion.

I thought it was a great deal considering that its main competitor - the aging DJI Osmo Mobile 1st Gen - is still priced at $299 (or around Php 15,000 here in the Philippines) and has far shorter battery life.

Today, however, I learned that DJI officially announced the second generation Osmo Mobile at CES 2018 and when I saw its price and features, I felt a slight pinch in my heart.


The all-new DJI Osmo Mobile 2 dons an official suggested retail price of just $129 USD or Php 6,520 with current conversion and before taxes. And based on everything I've seen, it appears to be largely inspired by the Zhiyun Smooth Q.




I mean, sure, you can say that Zhiyun merely copied the first Osmo Mobile in crafting the Smooth Q. But you can't deny the fact that the Chinese company greatly improved upon the initial template.

To be specific, Zhiyun Smooth Q has a 12-hour battery life on a single charge compared to the 5-hour uptime of DJI Osmo Mobile. The Chinese model can also take portrait-oriented photos and videos, charge a smartphone while mounted, and has a screw mount at the bottom so you can place it on a tripod; All of which, the original Osmo Mobile from 2016 lacks. On top of all that, Smooth Q dons a far more affordable price tag.


Well, DJI has clearly addressed all that in the 2018 refresh to their device.

DJI Osmo Mobile 2 has an uptime of 15 hours on a single charge, which is a massive improvement coming from its predecessor. Additionally, it can now take portrait or vertical stills and clips, smoothly track objects and people while in motion, and works with a new camera application that allows the user to zoom in and out of the subject, take panoramic shots, and even timelapse videos.

I told you; It works a lot like Zhiyun Smooth Q!

Actually, this is what's good about competition. Products become better, prices are lowered, and consumers benefit from all of it.

If anything, Zhiyun should be proud that DJI has flattered them by incorporating so much of Smooth Q into the Osmo Mobile 2. It can only mean that the Chinese company made a great product worth emulating.

Anyway, I'm now also looking forward to getting my hand on the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 just so I can compare it to my Zhiyun Smooth Q and see their subtle differences for myself. I just hope that DJI's distributors here in the Philippines won't price this new model well beyond the its global suggested retail price.

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