DJI Mobile 8P Reviewed - A Gimbal That Had Me Seeing Yellow

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I had high hopes for the DJI Mobile 8P. After all, how hard can it be, right? Right. But before we get into the review, let’s talk specifications first!

This smartphone gimbal is packed with energy and high-tech fun, bringing you next-level tracking, a super-intuitive built-in touchscreen control module, and smooth, flexible pan-and-tilt movement that lets you capture every wild, creative angle effortlessly!

What is the DJI Osmo Mobile 8P?

The DJI Osmo Mobile 8P is a smartphone gimbal designed to stabilise your videos, track your movements, and help you capture smoother footage from creative angles. With intelligent tracking, a built-in extension rod, and a detachable touchscreen remote, it’s designed to make filming yourself and your surroundings easier.

Core Specifications & Features

Design & Build

Dimensions: Unfolded: 291 × 110 × 101 mm | Folded: 196 × 105 × 38 mm
Weight: ~386 g (gimbal + tripod + clamp + module + FrameTap)
Payload Capacity: Supports phones weighing 170–300 g, with a thickness of 6.9–11 mm and a width of 67–84 mm
Built-in Tools: Integrated 215 mm extension rod and an 82 mm tripod base

Gimbal Performance

Stabilisation: 3-axis mechanical gimbal with 8th-gen stabilisation algorithms
Movement Range: Unlimited 360° pan rotation, roll from -52° to 256°, and tilt from -37° to 55°
Tracking System: ActiveTrack 8.0 (tracks people, pets, and objects)

Osmo FrameTap Remote & Display

Screen: 1.4-inch OLED touchscreen (240 × 240 resolution, 800 nits brightness)
Functionality: A detachable wireless remote for viewing and controlling the camera, allowing you to frame selfies or low-angle shots with a Wi-Fi range of up to 25 m.

Battery & Power

Battery Capacity: 3350 mAh Li-Po 1S
Operating Time: Up to 10 hours (standalone) | ~4–5 hours (using the tracking module and fill light)
Charging Time: Approximately 2.5 hours via USB-C
Phone Charging: Supports reverse charging to power your smartphone during long shoots.

Connectivity & Intelligence

Wireless: Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz / 5.8 GHz)
Ecosystem Integration: Apple DockKit native tracking support, NFC tap-to-pair, and gesture control.

Now, let’s get down to business!

Getting started was a breeze! Connecting to the app? A piece of cake. Done and dusted within minutes. I was happy, I was excited, I was positively gleeful.

And then came the first problem.

I looked at myself through the app’s camera view, and I was yellow.

*Insert me singing Yellow by Coldplay.*

Here’s a clip of me wearing yellow and looking yellow, frowning as I try to figure out why the gimbal isn’t tracking my movements.

Please… why am I yellow??? I am not jaundiced, y’all.

And if that wasn’t enough, here’s me again, trying to get the gimbal to move.

AND WHY IS THE FILTER DOING THAT????

So much for a smooth, fuss-free start.

To be fair, getting the gimbal connected to the app was easy enough. That wasn’t the problem. The trouble began when I actually tried to use it. Between the strange colour filter and the tracking issues, my initial excitement quickly turned into confusion. I wanted to test a gimbal, not audition for a Coldplay music video.

We try again!

This time, I brought the DJI Mobile 8P to East Coast Park and made sure to switch off all the filters. Surely, without those pesky filters messing with my footage, things would go more smoothly.

It should work better, right?

RIGHT???

Watch first.

Thankfully, once the tracking was working, things started looking up. The gimbal was actually pretty good! The zoom was sensitive, it picked up the conversations around us well, and I genuinely liked how the background looked. The blue sea, the green trees—they were positively glowing.

There was something quite lovely about how the scenery came across. When the gimbal was doing what it was supposed to do, I could see the appeal. Being able to move around while the camera tracks you is useful, especially if you’re trying to capture yourself without having someone else constantly manning the camera.

But, of course, there’s a but.

Why was the video quality so pixelated?

Is it my phone? Is it the app? Is it something else entirely? WHY???

The tracking was finally working, the colours looked great, and I was actually enjoying the footage—until the pixelation became a problem. It’s difficult to get excited about capturing beautiful scenery if the resulting video doesn’t look as good as you’d expect.

And honestly, that’s what makes this frustrating. The Mobile 8P showed me glimpses of what it could do, but I was left questioning the quality of the final result. I couldn’t confidently say whether the issue came from my phone, the app, or the recording process itself. Whatever the cause, it was enough to put a damper on the experience.

The irony of this review came when we compared the footage we captured with the DJI Mobile 8P against footage from the DJI Osmo Nano belonging to my SIL.

They are both DJI products. Both are supposed to help you capture great footage. So why was one so much easier to use and capable of producing better-looking results in our experience?

Someone, PLEASE explain.

I know that a smartphone gimbal and a standalone camera aren’t necessarily designed to do the same things, so this isn’t quite a straightforward apples-to-apples comparison. Still, as someone who simply wants to capture decent footage without jumping through hoops, the difference was hard to ignore.

The Mobile 8P had its moments, but the Osmo Nano left me with a much more positive impression. And when you’re deciding what equipment to use for your videos, that ease of use matters just as much as the impressive specifications on paper.

The Bottom Line.

The DJI Mobile 8P has plenty going for it. The setup was easy, the tracking worked once I got it going, and the scenery looked great when everything came together. There’s clearly potential here.

Unfortunately, my experience wasn’t entirely smooth. The strange filter behaviour, the initial tracking problems, and the pixelated footage left me with more questions than answers. I also couldn’t establish exactly what was causing the video-quality issues, which makes it difficult to give the gimbal an unconditional recommendation.

If you’re happy to spend time editing your videos and troubleshooting a few things along the way, the DJI Mobile 8P might still be worth considering. But if you’re like me and prefer to upload your videos with minimal editing and fuss, you might want to skip this one—or at least investigate the video-quality issues before committing.

Would I get the gimbal for myself?

Probably not.

However, the DJI Osmo Nano, on the other hand…

Now THAT’S something I’d consider!

TLDR:

Easy to set up, but strange filters, tracking hiccups and pixelated footage left me seeing yellow. The DJI Osmo Nano is looking mighty tempting instead!

The Good:

Easy and quick setup.
Responsive tracking once it was working.
Vibrant-looking scenery with beautiful blue seas and green trees.
Sensitive zoom controls.
Built-in extension rod and tripod for more flexible shooting.

The Bad:

Strange filters caused unwanted colour changes.
Initial tracking issues affected the filming experience.
Pixelated video footage raised concerns about image quality.
Video-quality issues were unresolved, making the overall experience less reliable.