FeiyuTech Vimble 3 review

Film fun smooth Steadicam footage with your smartphone

FeiyuTech Vimble 3 review
(Image: © Future)

Laptop Mag Verdict

The affordable Vimble 3 allows users to pull off some wonderfully smooth, creative video shooting, thanks to its ease of use and user-friendly app.

Pros

  • +

    Fluid steady movement while filming

  • +

    Affordable

  • +

    Trigger recording using gestures

  • +

    App-controlled auto-tracking

  • +

    Built-in7.8-inch extension rod

Cons

  • -

    Could use a touchscreen

  • -

    Spotty time-lapse performance

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FeiyuTech Vimble 3 specs

Price: Starting Price $119

Stabilization: 3-Axis

Connectivity: 2USB-C ports

Battery life: 10 hours

Size (body): 2.5 x 6.9 x 4.5 inches (6.69 x 4.17 x 2.56 when folded)

Weight: 0.85 pounds

Feiyu Tech’s Vimble 3 is a fun, fluid smartphone gimbal that’s worth every penny of its $119 asking price. The triple-axis smartphone gimbal comes with a built-in, 7.8-inch extension rod that facilitates selfie shots It also comes with a little tripod mount, allowing you to erect a hands-free set up so it can follow you as you do your thing for the camera. 

The Vimble 3 comes with a software sidekick, a free, user-friendly companion app, that makes creating fun videos and images easier. I took a little time to shoot some stuff in my backyard to get acclimated with the VImble 3 — and I ended up having a blast.  

FeiyuTech Vimble 3 pricing and availability

Feiyu Tech’s Vimble 3 costs $119. It’s relatively expensive compared to other gimbals on the market, but you get a fair number of features for that price tag When you consider the long battery life, its lightweight design, built-in 7.8-inch telescoping extension rod, smooth filming capabilities, and solid app performance, it’s a bargain. 

FeiyuTech Vimble 3 design

The Vimble 3 is a three-axis gimbal that enables you to capture ultra-smooth smartphone camera videos as it fluidly rolls, pans, and tilts. The foldable design includes a built-in7.8-inch extension rod and a small tripod. At the bottom, you will find a ¼-inch threaded hole if you wish to mount it on a larger tripod. The sturdy, light-grey plastic Vimble 3 feels good in the hand as it only weighs 0.85 pounds, so you can use it all day without tiring. 

On the Vimble 3’s handle, you will find the battery status indicator lights, photo album button, mode button, shutter button, four-way joystick, dial, and dial function button.

FeiyuTech Vimble 3 review

(Image credit: Future)

Despite all the buttons, it feels good in the hand, and thanks to its size, it can all be controlled easily with a thumb. On the right of the handle, sits the USB-C charging cable and power button.

FeiyuTech Vimble 3 review

(Image credit: Future)

On the left of the handle, sits the zoom slider, and A and B buttons.

FeiyuTech Vimble 3 review

(Image credit: Future)

Lastly, the front trigger buttons are well-placed and easily accessible. Overall, the ergonomics of the Vimble are excellent and work in the user's favor.

FeiyuTech Vimble 3 review

(Image credit: Future)

Thanks to an attachable mini tripod, you can set the gimbal up somewhere for hands-free filming. It comes in very handy if you want to shoot some panning, time-lapse video, or images.

FeiyuTech Vimble 3 review

(Image credit: Future)

Thanks to its foldable, telescoping arm, the Vimble 3 is very compact measuring 2.5 x 6.9 x 4.5 inches (6.69 x 4.17 x 2.56 when folded)t, and once folded, it easily fits in your backpack or camera bag 

FeiyuTech Vimble 3 Performance

The Vimble 3 is quick to set up and very intuitive, making it very easy to use. It unfolds quickly, clicking sturdily into place, and the built-in, expandable clip allows you to mount your smartphone speedily. You can seamlessly toggle between the different follow modes using the mode button — and you can select the one you want using the front trigger buttons.  

Overall, the Vimble 3 captures smooth panning, rolling images, and video. Your time-lapse sequences will be filmed fluidly and give you quality footage for your creative projects. The Vimble 3 produced many hours of smooth gliding camera moves, even when we were filming wide-angle shots. And thanks to the built-in selfie stick, you can take some great selfies — and not worry about whether your arms are long enough. I see you T-Rex arms; we love you.

FeiyuTech Vimble 3 review

(Image credit: Future)

There are five different shooting modes you can select from; I started with the Pan Follow (PF), which, like its name suggests, pans to follow the movement of the operator’s hands. It also has a Pan Tilt Follow mode, which is a bit more intuitive. The gimbal panned easily left or right and tilted smoothly up or down depending on my hand movements. In FPV mode, all three axes pan, roll, and tilt, according to the movement of your hand. In the Lock mode, the camera remains in the same direction regardless of your movements. 

Lastly, the FFW mode is a Flash Follow mode that impels the gimbal to react very quickly to any movement; it’s very useful if you shoot live-action scenes (e.g., sporting events and dance performances). You can also shoot videos in portrait or landscape mode; the former is useful if you’re an Instagram-focused content creator, but if you’re a YouTube vlogger, you’ll appreciate the latter. 

FeiyuTech Vimble 3 software and warranty

The Vimble 3 comes with the Free Feiyu ON app, which expands the gimble capabilities. Once downloaded, the app quickly helps you connect your phone to the gimbal via Bluetooth. After it’s paired, the fun begins. You can now take advantage of shooting some fantastic trick videos as the gimble-mounted smartphone camera follows you around, panning, tilting, and rolling, creating cool stuff for your followers to enjoy.

There is also the option of drawing around the subject you wish the gimble to follow and focus on via your smartphone’s screen, which works great (except for occasional abrupt movements). Overall, the auto-tracking feature works well, and the app functions excellently. The Vimble 3 comes with a one-year warranty.

Bottom line

The Vimble 3 is a fun smartphone gimbal that grants users of every skill level the ability to shoot excellent, fluid footage with little effort. Thanks to the free Feiyu On app, it takes a lot of the guesswork out, making filming some smooth, tricky footage easy for anyone.  For just $119, you can create some great images and videos for your followers, friends, and family to enjoy. 

Mark Anthony Ramirez

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.