Review: OBSBOT Me auto-tracking phone mount

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Our world is increasingly becoming one in which video is the dominant platform for communication and consumption.

Social media, conference calls, and video calls with friends are a large reason for that trend. The OBSBOT Me looks to capitalize on this growing trend with its artificial intelligence (AI) powered phone gimbal.

The company already has an AI-powered webcam and smartphone gimbal, but the Me is more versatile and lets you easily move around.

By utilizing AI, the OBSBOT Me can lock onto a person and automatically track someone’s movements with its built-in camera.

This gives them the freedom to create their content, while giving the video the feel of having a hired cameraperson.

Short on time? Jump ahead

But before we move forward, let’s discuss who this is good for and save anyone’s time before we truck ahead.

What’s a smartphone gimbal?

A smartphone gimbal is like a tiny robot for your phone that attaches to your phone.

Smartphone gimbals feature advanced stabilization tech that helps keep your phone’s camera steady and level, ensuring your videos and photos look polished, not like you’re running a marathon while filming.

And with most options, you can control the camera, angle, and more with the gimbal’s handle or app.

Design and setup

The OBSBOT Me has a two-piece design that does its best to get out of your way. The plastic capsule-shaped body features a button, a camera lens, and a foldable phone holder.

It has a small, foldable three-legged stand to get you started, but the ¼-inch mount is compatible with most tripods. With the stand closed, it turns this device into a handheld gimbal.

The button on the OBSBOT Me has a few functions depending on what you are doing. It will power the device on if you are just getting started.

If it is already on, a quick press will let the camera pair with the person in front of it, and a long press will turn the OBSBOT off. 

The bottom half of the body is stationary, while the top half is where the magic happens.

The device can rotate 150 degrees in either direction from center, for 300 degrees of rotation. Thanks to the spring-loaded phone holder, the OBSBOT Me should be able to hold just about any smartphone. 

The phone holder can be rotated, allowing your phone to be positioned vertically and horizontally. It can also be titled up and down.

The phone holder is attached to a foldable arm allowing the device to maintain a small footprint while traveling or when not in use. 

One of the best aspects of the OBSBOT Me is that all you need is the device itself and a phone. There is no app and no account to set up. It doesn’t even connect to the internet.

All of the magic happens on the device itself. Not only does this allow for lightning-fast setup, but it keeps your privacy intact.

Performance

The OBSBOT Me performed well during my testing, and the camera never had trouble locking onto me.

Thanks to the brushless motor, the auto-tracking was smooth and steady. It was nice to see that the video recording was smooth, not jumpy or jarring.

The 300 degrees of rotation was more than enough for my needs. Unless someone plans to run around in circles, it should be more than enough for most people. 

You have two options to get the camera to lock onto you. You can either trigger it with a gesture (by raising your hand near your face) or push the only button on the OBSBOT.

I typically defaulted to the button, but the gesture worked well enough.

When you first turn the device on, a green light lets you know it is ready to be paired. It will blink blue while acquiring a target and remains solid blue once it’s locked on.

If it loses its target, it will light up orange, letting you know it ran into a tracking issue. This only happened when testing if I went beyond 300 degrees of rotation. It was even able to track me 20 feet away.

The OBSBOT doesn’t have the best battery life. It can make it almost two hours between charges.

The good news is that you can use it while plugged in, which you will need to do for longer recording sessions.

It charges through a USB-C cable and can take up to 75 minutes to reach full power.

Potential issues

What can be frustrating for some is the lack of any vertical movement. While the device works quite well on a horizontal plane, there is no automatic vertical movement.

You have to manually tilt the phone, which may work for a video call, but would otherwise likely ruin your shot. It also can’t track anything but people, so don’t try it with your pets.

It also struggled a bit if someone walked into my shot. During testing, my kids would jump in and out of the shot.

There were times when the AI got confused and accidentally locked onto my son’s or daughter’s face.

It would quickly adjust back to me, but it would result in a bit of a bounce in the video. This is particularly important for people who record with multiple individuals.

Another issue I found was that the phone holder is made of hard plastic.

When trying to open the clips to get my Pixel 6a into it, it marked up the back of my case. Not a huge deal, but something that should be known.

Alternative options

While the OBSBOT Me is great with its automated AI tracking, other options can get similar results.

There are traditional gimbals for DSLR and Mirrorless cameras, AI-powered webcams that stay stationary on the desk, and non-AI-powered handheld gimbals for smartphones.

The OBSBOT Tiny 4K is an AI-powered webcam. It features 4K video, HDR, and 4x zoom. While it offers similar AI-powered features, it is stationary and can’t be easily moved around. Read our review below:

The Zhiyun Weebill-S is a great choice for people who need a gimbal for their DSLR or Mirrorless camera.

It has a lot of different accessories to expand its capabilities and has a lightweight and strong motor. Again, here’s some more reading material below.

Lastly, the Hohem iSteady gimbal is perfect for people who want to spend a bit less or don’t need the AI features.

This smartphone gimbal has steady tracking and 12 hours of battery runtime. And it’s built like a rock, says Kevin, our editor-in-chief, “It really has some weight behind it,” he claims.

While each of these offers similar functionality in its own right, only the OBSBOT combines the power of AI for smooth automatic tracking and the convenience of a battery-powered package.

Final verdict

My time with the OBSBOT Me was a pleasant surprise. From the minimal setup to the overall performance, the device generally just worked.

It wasn’t perfect, and it definitely had some tracking hiccups. But maybe all hope isn’t lost.

The good news is that OBSBOT makes a tool that allows for firmware updates, so I hope that can be fixed in a future software update.

You can find the OBSBOT Me at Amazon, OBSBOT, B&H, or Walmart.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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• Review: Polar Ignite 3 fitness watch
• Review: Infinix Zero Ultra
• Review: Lockly Vision Elite smart lock

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.