Insta360 Flow Pro vs Zhiyun Smooth 5S: Everyday vs Professional Gimbals

By Naila Syifa
Updated July 2024

The Insta360 Flow Pro and the Zhiyun Smooth 5S are both popular handheld gimbal stabilizers designed to capture smooth, professional-looking video footage with smartphones. Both devices offer advanced features and capabilities, but there are some key aspects that users should consider when choosing between the two.

Key Takeaways

Both gimbals offer 360° panning capability, but what mainly sets the Insta360 Flow Pro apart is its advanced subject-tracking Deep Track 3.0 technology and third-party app integration, especially for iPhones. Meanwhile, the Zhiyun Smooth 5S stands out more with professional-level camera controls and an all-day battery life.
In sum, Insta360 Flow Pro is more versatile for everyday use, while the Zhiyun Smooth 5S is better suited for professional-level video production.

Insta360 Flow Pro

Dedicated Gimbal for iPhone

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

Buy on Amazon

Zhiyun Smooth 5S

Professional Gimbal

✓ 3-Axis Stabilization
✓ Smart Follow
✓ 24 Hours Runtime
✓ Built-In Fill Lights

Buy on Amazon

#1 Price

Insta360 Flow Pro

Both gimbals are considered premium options for mobile videography, but the Zhiyun Smooth 5S is generally more expensive at US$169, while the Insta360 Flow Pro is priced at US$149.

However, as an older model released in 2022, the Zhiyun Smooth 5S may often be found on sale, making the price difference less significant. Insta360 Flow Pro is a new model launched in July 2024, so don't expect a price drop so soon, at least until the next generation model is released.

#2 Design

Portability

Zhiyun Smooth 5S

When it comes to portability, the Insta360 Flow Pro wins. It is around 1.7x lighter than the Zhiyun Smooth 5S, and it also folds more compactly for easier storage and transportation, measuring only 79.6 x 162.1 x 36 mm when folded.

Zhiyun Smooth 5S, on the other hand, is bulkier and heavier, measuring 168 x 311 x 52 mm and weighing 625 g. It may be more cumbersome to carry around compared to the Insta360 Flow Pro.

Use & Control

Insta360 Flow Pro

Insta360 Flow Pro has a quicker and easier starting mechanism. Simply unfold the handle once and the gimbal will automatically power on, re-connected to the paired smartphone, and ready to use. With Zhiyun Smooth 5S, we need to unlock all the three tilt, roll, and pan axes first before mounting the phone, and we also need to manually hold the power button to turn on the device.

The phone clamp that comes with the Flow Pro is separated from the gimbal and attaches to it magnetically. This makes it easier to mount and unmount the phone, and we can easily detach it from the gimbal to answer calls and more. In contrast, Zhiyun Smooth 5S has a fixed phone clamp that is integrated into the gimbal body, making it less convenient for quickly attaching or detaching the phone.

Insta360 Flow Pro

Insta360 Flow Pro also excels in the convenience of its SmartWheel control panel, which includes a touch panel for swiping between modes, a joystick, a shutter button, a power button, a switch button, and a zoom wheel.

These dedicated buttons allow for easy control of the gimbal. For example, double pressing the switch button will quickly rotate the phone to switch the aspect ratio, while in Zhiyun Smooth 5S we will need to manually mount the phone vertically or horizontally to achieve the same result.

However, the control panel of Zhiyun Smooth 5S is slightly more advanced. Besides the basic controls like a joystick and power button, it offers a dedicated focus/zoom wheel, an ISO/Exposure adjustment button, a DISP button for selecting display effects of the interface in the StaCam app, a photo album button, a trigger button, and more. These controls provide more advanced functionality and customization options for professional videographers.

Added Design Function

Zhiyun Smooth 5S

Insta360 Flow Pro boasts an all-in-one design that integrates a 215mm selfie stick and an 80mm tripod into the design, so we won't need to carry these accessories separately. Zhiyun Smooth 5S doesn't offer a selfie stick, but it includes an attachable tripod in the box that we can screw onto the bottom of the gimbal when needed.

Insta360 Flow Pro also integrates a Tracking Ring Light on top of its handle, which will flash green to indicate that tracking is active. It can be useful visual feedback for users, especially for solo content creators who need to know that they are being properly tracked while recording.

Zhiyun Smooth 5S lacks this feature, but it sets itself apart with a built-in fill light integrated into the gimbal's tilt axis arm, which can provide additional illumination when shooting in low-light conditions. If you need more lighting, two additional magnetic fill lights can be purchased separately, and then attached easily to the phone clamp.

A fill light, known as Spotlight, is also available for the Insta360 Flow Pro at US$24.99. It snaps easily into the phone clamp and is rotatable to accommodate rear and front-facing cameras, but it needs to be plugged into the gimbal's port for power.

#3 Features

Stabilization & Tracking

Deep Track 3.0 in the Insta360 Flow Pro

Insta360 Flow Pro and Zhiyun Smooth 5S offer a 3-axis stabilization mechanism that keeps the camera steady and smooth during filming, as well as accommodating various motion and camera movements. Both gimbals offer the same 360° panning, but roll and tilt ranges differ slightly.

Insta360 Flow Pro
Tilt: -100° to 82°
Roll: -150° to 180°
Pan: 360°

Zhiyun Smooth 5S
Tilt: 349°
Roll: 300°
Pan: 360°

When it comes to subject tracking, the Insta360 Flow Pro is more advanced. Its AI-powered Deep Track 3.0 technology works more reliably in a complex environment compared to the Zhiyun Smooth 5S's Smart Follow tracking feature.

The Flow Pro's Deep Track 3.0 can keep tracking the subject even if they're momentarily blocked, can recognize a subject from different angles, and works even in slow motion and zoom modes. Additionally, it can track a person, animal, or object with high accuracy and consistency.

In-App Features

Auto Editing in the Insta360 app

Insta360 Flow Pro comes with the Insta360 app, which can be used to control the gimbal's settings and access advanced features like Deep Track, Panorama, Dolly Zoom, and more. Shot Genie is a unique in-app AI feature that recommends shooting techniques depending on the scene and subject.

The Insta360 app also comes with a suite of built-in editing tools. One of the most useful ones is Auto Editing, which can automatically edit together several clips to generate a polished video with just a few taps.

Meanwhile, the Zhiyun Smooth 5S offers two companion apps. ZY Cami app accommodates basic filming, while the StaCam app is meant for professionals who want more advanced controls and customization options for their videography.

#4 Compatibility

Phone Compatibility

Zhiyun Smooth 5S

Both the Insta360 Flow Pro and Zhiyun Smooth 5S are compatible with most Android phones and iPhones. However, different phone models may have varying compatibility levels, meaning that some features may be limited or unavailable for certain phone models.

It is important to make sure your phone is compatible with the chosen gimbal before making a purchase.

Check smartphone compatibility with Insta360 Flow Pro here.
Check smartphone compatibility with Zhiyun Smooth 5S here.

Third-Party App Integration

Insta360 Flow Pro

Insta360 Flow Pro is the first gimbal that offers Apple DockKit integration, allowing it to integrate seamlessly with the iPhone's native Camera app and other iOS apps. The DockKit support means that we can use the gimbal's subject-tracking functionality across a range of iOS apps beyond the Insta360 app.

Imagine attending a Zoom meeting and having the Insta360 Flow Pro follow your movement, or using it to capture smooth, subject-tracking videos directly within your favorite social media apps.

Unfortunately, Android users won't be able to enjoy such a deep level of integration, but subject-tracking in a limited number of third-party apps is still possible via the Live Mode feature within the Insta360 app. The downside is that it only works in portrait mode and requires connection to the Insta360 app first, unlike in iPhone where users can directly launch their favorite apps.

Zhiyun Smooth 5S also offers some degree of integration for both iOS and Android, though not as advanced as the Flow Pro. The gimbal can work with a native camera app on any phone that supports photo-taking using the volume button. The supported control varies depending on the phone model, but the most extensive control includes photo taking, video recording, front/rear camera switching, photo/video switching, and zoom function.

Though the Zhiyun Smooth 5S can work with the native camera of certain phones, it doesn't support subject tracking on those apps as the Insta360 Flow Pro does with its Apple DockKit integration or Live Mode. To use subject tracking functionality with Zhiyun Smooth 5S, we can only rely on the ZY Cami app.

#5 Battery

Zhiyun Smooth 5S

Catering to professional use cases, Zhiyun Smooth 5S offers an all-day runtime, claiming to last for up to 24 hours on a single charge. However, this was measured when the gimbal was on standby mode, so the actual battery life during active use may be shorter.

Meanwhile, Insta360 Flow Pro is powered by a large 2900mAh battery capacity, which lasts for up to 10 hours on a single charge.

Charging time for the Flow Pro takes around 2 hours at 5V/2A rated power, which is shorter than the Zhiyun Smooth 5S which takes 3 hours and 40 minutes to fully charge at 5V/2A. However, when charging with a 15W fast charge, the Smooth 5S can be fully charged quicker in 2 hours.

Both gimbals can serve as an emergency power bank to charge your connected smartphone, so you don't have to worry about your phone running out of battery during long shooting sessions.

Insta360 Flow Pro vs Zhiyun Smooth 5S

Final Thoughts

Insta360 Flow Pro

Overall, Insta360 Flow Pro is more versatile and convenient, offering easy setup, intuitive controls, a built-in selfie stick and tripod, advanced AI subject tracking with Deep Track 3.0, a user-friendly Insta360 app, and wide third-party app compatibility on both iOS and Android. Subject tracking on third-party apps means we can use the gimbal's tracking feature during video conferencing, live streaming, and recording in various social media apps.

Zhiyun Smooth 5S may offer a lower degree of convenience in setup and versatility in function compared to the Insta360 Flow Pro, but it provides more advanced customization options and professional-grade features for serious videographers. It also has a long-lasting battery life, which may be more suitable for extended filming sessions.

Eventually, the choice between the Insta360 Flow Pro and Zhiyun Smooth 5S will depend on your specific needs and preferences as a content creator.

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

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