Insta360 Flow Pro vs Hohem iSteady M6: Which Gimbal Has Better Third-Party App Integration?

By Naila Syifa
Updated July 2024

Insta360 Flow Pro's key selling point seems to be its integration with third-party apps in iPhone, allowing users to use the gimbal's tracking functionality across various apps like camera, editing, video conferencing, and social media platforms.

Compared to most other gimbals on the market, which solely work with their own proprietary apps, the Flow Pro's third-party app integration may seem like a significant leap, but not until the Hohem iSteady M6 is brought into the conversation.

Released in March 2023, the Hohem iSteady M6 has been offering third-party app integration long before the Flow Pro comes into the game in July 2024.

The mechanism for third-party app integration is different on both gimbals, and each has its own unique capability and features to offer. So, which one is the better choice for users seeking seamless third-party app integration with their smartphone gimbal?

Key Takeaways

Both gimbals have impressive third-party app integration, but the Insta360 Flow Pro has an edge on iPhone while the Hohem iSteady M6 is more flexible across iOS and Android. Insta360 Flow Pro also wins in terms of portability, all-in-one design, and advanced in-app subject tracking. Meanwhile, the Hohem iSteady M6 has a superior battery life and professional-level controls.

Insta360 Flow Pro

Dedicated Gimbal for iPhone

✓ 3-Axis Stabilization
✓ Deep Track 3.0
✓ 360° Infinite Pan Tracking
✓ Apple DockKit

Buy on Amazon

Hohem iSteady M6

Versatile Gimbal for Professionals

✓ 3-Axis Stabilization
✓ Professional-Level Controls
✓ 360° Infinite Pan Tracking
✓ AI Vision Sensor

Buy on Amazon

#1 Price

Hohem iSteady M6

Both gimbals are on the premium end of the smartphone gimbal market, but the Insta360 Flow Pro is generally more affordable at US$149.

Meanwhile, Hohem iSteady M6 retails at US$159 for the gimbal set and US$229 for the combo kit. The gimbal set includes a tripod, charging cable, and carry case, while the combo kit adds a fill light with AI Vision Sensor, a key accessory that enables the ability to use subject tracking feature across various third-party apps.

If you're on a tighter budget, the Insta360 Flow Pro is the more cost-effective choice for third-party app integration.

#2 Design

Portability

Insta360 Flow Pro

Insta360 Flow Pro boasts a portable and lightweight design that makes it a great travel companion. The gimbal folds thoroughly, measuring only 79.6 x 162.1 x 36 mm when folded, and is quite lightweight at 366 g,

Meanwhile, the Hohem iSteady M6 is more bulky and heavier, measuring around 300 x 165 x 53 mm and weighing 551 g. The iSteady M6 is also not foldable, making it less portable and convenient for travel.

Control

Hohem iSteady M6

While the Hohem iSteady M6 features a traditional control panel layout with protruding buttons, the Insta360 Flow Pro introduces a modern touch panel known as SmartWheel for intuitive control and navigation. SmartWheel integrates all key controls in one place, and it allows for seamless adjustment of various settings with simple touch and swipe gestures.

While the controls for the iSteady M6 look more conventional, it does offer more advanced professional controls like a multifunctional trigger, an A-B motion button for timelapse shooting without app or Bluetooth, a control wheel to adjust roll axis, focus, and cold/warm/RGB fill light control, and more.

Hohem iSteady M6 also integrates a 0.91" OLED screen into the gimbal, which displays information about the gimbal's working status, Bluetooth status, battery level, gimbal mode, and more. It is a more comprehensive and informative display interface compared to the Insta360 Flow Pro, which relies only on its 4 indicator lights to show the gimbal's mode and battery level.

Added Design Function

Insta360 Flow Pro

Another advantage that the Insta360 Flow Pro has is the built-in selfie stick and tripod functionality, which makes it convenient to use the gimbal in a variety of ways without having to carry additional accessories. There is also an integrated Tracking Ring Light on top of the gimbal's handle, which serves as a visual cue that the subject is being successfully tracked.

While the Hohem iSteady M6 lacks a selfie stick, it includes a separate tripod in the box, which can be attached to the gimbal when needed. It also has a tracking light indicator in the magnetic AI Vision Sensor accessory, but it is far smaller than the Flow Pro's ring light, so it may not be as visually prominent.

The AI Vision Sensor of the Hohem iSteady M6 Kit is integrated with a fill light, which attaches magnetically to the gimbal for improved lighting. Insta360 Flow Pro also offers a snap-on Spotlight sold separately for US$24.99, but it needs to be plugged into the gimbal to work.

#3 Features

Hohem iSteady M6

Both gimbals use a 3-axis stabilization mechanism for smooth and stable video capture, but the Hohem iSteady M6 adds another iSteady 7.0 anti-shake algorithm to further enhance stabilization performance.

Both gimbals also offer the same 360° panning capability, but their rolling and tilting range differs slightly. While the Hohem iSteady M6 offers 335° rolling and tilting, the Insta360 Flow Pro supports rolling from -150° to 180° and tilting from -100° to 82°.

Both gimbals come with a companion app, which allows users to control various settings and features of the gimbal. Some common features found in both the Insta360 app and the Hohem Joy app are Panorama, Motion Timelapse, Dolly Zoom, shooting templates, and more.

One feature that stands out in the Insta360 app is Auto Editing, which automatically creates a polished video from your footage with just a few taps. Shot Genie is also a great one for beginners, which provides recommendations on shooting techniques based on the scene or activity.

Deep Track 3.0 in the Insta360 Flow Pro

Insta360 Flow Pro also takes pride in its advanced AI-powered subject-tracking capabilities known as the Deep Track 3.0 technology, which is accessible in the Insta360 app. It can track a person, animal, and object reliably in complex environments and dynamic situations, even when the subject is partially obscured or if the angle changes. Tracking during slow motion and zoom modes is also supported, making it a highly versatile and powerful tracking solution.

Hohem iSteady M6 relies on its magnetic AI Vision Sensor accessory for face and object tracking. It may not be as advanced as the Flow Pro's Deep Track, and the AI Vision Sensor needs to be attached to the gimbal and turned on first to work.

However, AI tracking using a separate sensor module instead of relying on an in-app AI tracking algorithm frees up the iSteady M6 from the limitation of having to use the companion Hohem app exclusively for tracking functionality, allowing it to integrate with a wider range of third-party apps. We'll discuss this more in the next section on third-party app integration.

#4 Third-Party App Integration

Hohem iSteady M6 with the AI Vision Sensor

Hohem iSteady M6 uses the AI Vision Sensor for subject tracking, a separate sensor module that can be attached and detached from the gimbal. Because the tracking functionality is built-in on the gimbal, not on the companion app, we can use a wide range of third-party apps and native camera apps on both iOS and Android phones for subject tracking.

In contrast, Insta360 Flow Pro uses an in-app AI algorithm known as Deep Track for subject tracking, which means its tracking functionality is limited to the Insta360 app.

Within the Insta360 app, there is also a Live Mode feature, which overcomes the limitation and allows iOS and Android users to use the Flow Pro's tracking capabilities in third-party apps. However, the supported third-party apps are very limited, it only works in portrait orientation, and it requires users to use the Insta360 app first instead of launching the third-party app directly.

The good news for iPhone users is that the Insta360 Flow Pro is Apple DockKit-enabled. Apple DockKit is an automated subject-tracking technology found on iPhones with iOS 17 and later. Because the subject tracking is built into the iPhone's operating system, it allows the Flow Pro to leverage this native tracking capability across various third-party apps on iOS, without the need for the Insta360 app's Live Mode feature.

Insta360 Flow Pro

With Apple DockKit support, Insta360 Flow Pro's tracking capability can be used across a wide range of iOS apps, including the iPhone's native Camera app, as well as popular video conferencing, social media, and creative apps. It also works seamlessly without the need to launch the Insta360 app first and supports both portrait and vertical orientation, unlike the limited Live Mode feature.

The downside is that DockKit currently only supports tracking of human subjects. Advanced tracking capabilities that the Flow Pro offers, such as object or animal tracking, all-angle tracking, person re-identification, and subject recovery are all tied to the Insta360 app's Deep Track 3.0 AI tracking technology, so we still have to use the Insta360 app for those advanced features.

The conclusion is that both the Insta360 Flow Pro and Hohem iSteady M6 offer impressive third-party app integration capabilities, but the approach and implementation differ between the two gimbals. While Hohem uses a separate AI Vision Sensor module to enable third-party app tracking on iOS and Android, the Insta360 Flow Pro leverages Apple's DockKit technology on iOS to provide seamless third-party app integration, albeit with some limitations on the advanced tracking features. Meanwhile, Android users will still need to rely on the Insta360 app's Live Mode feature for third-party app integration, which is not as flexible as the Hohem iSteady M6's approach.

#5 Battery

Hohem iSteady M6

Hohem iSteady M6 has a smaller battery capacity of 2600mAh, compared to the Insta360 Flow Pro with a 2900mAh battery capacity.

However, the iSteady M6 claims a longer battery life of up to 18 hours, while the Insta360 Flow Pro is rated for up to 10 hours of runtime. This makes the iSteady M6 the better choice for long shooting sessions.

Smaller battery capacity leads the Flow Pro to offer a shorter charging time of 2 hours, while it takes around 3 hours with the iSteady M6.

Both gimbals support reverse charging, meaning that we can charge our phone by plugging it into the gimbal. This acts as a portable power bank to keep your device charged on the go.

Insta360 Flow Pro vs Hohem iSteady M6

Final Thoughts

Insta360 Flow Pro

Insta360 Flow Pro stands out with portability, built-in selfie stick and tripod functionality, advanced Deep Track 3.0 technology, an Auto Editing feature in the Insta360 app, and a more budget-friendly price.

Meanwhile, Hohem iSteady M6 offers professional-level controls, a built-in fill light, an OLED display, and a longer battery life.

When it comes to third-party app integration, both gimbals offer impressive capabilities. However, Insta360 Flow Pro's third-party app integration is more seamless and flexible on iPhone than Android thanks to its Apple DockKit support, while the Hohem iSteady M6 takes a more flexible approach by using a standalone AI Vision Sensor module that can integrate with a wider range of apps on both iOS and Android platforms.

If you like to read more on Gimbals, check out our other relevant guides here:

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