Insta360 has announced the Flow Pro gimbal, the first AI gimbal to use Apple's DockKit API.
Last year, Insta360 introduced the Flow gimbal, which was a great little device that interfaced with your iPhone. However, it had one major drawback in that it had to be used with Insta360's own app to allow for AI tracking. This meant that if you wanted to take advantage of the latest iPhone's cinema modes or ProRes recording, you were a bit stuck.
Now, Insta360 has announced the Flow Pro, which Insta360 claims is the first AI gimbal to use Apple's DockKit API. In practice this means that users will be able to access all the advanced AI tracking features of the gimbal from within Apple's native camera app, as well as others, including FaceTime, TikTok, and Zoom.
The Flow Pro has some useful features that are not often seen on other similar devices, including infinite 360-degree pan tracking without stops, a built in 215cm selfie-extension stick, tripod base, and a tracking ring light. One tap pairing means that after the first connection, the iPhone's NFC system will connect to the gimbal from then on automatically. The Flow Pro also makes use of the iPhone's MagSafe mounting system for fast mounting and dismounting to the device.
If you are self shooting using the phone's main camera, the tracking ring light on the Flow Pro tells you if the gimbal is successfully locked on and tracking. The 2900mAh battery can act as a power bank, charging your phone while in use. The Flow Pro apparently folds down small enough to fit into a pocket, and Insta360 claims that the battery gives enough juice for 10 hours continuous use.
In order to make use of the Flow Pro AI functionality, you will need an iPhone 12 or later with MagSafe and iOS 17.4 or later.
The Insta360 Flow Pro is available now for US$149.