GoPro is moving beyond action cams with the Fluid Pro AI, a three-axis gimbal that uses on-device intelligence to lock onto a subject and keep it framed—and it doesn’t necessarily require a GoPro. The stabilizer is designed for smartphones and small cameras, targeting solo creators who require shaky-cam style movements without a cameraperson.
By pairing stabilization with subject tracking, GoPro is attempting to address two pain points at once: footage that’s shaky and composition that’s off. It’s a well-worn promise in phones and drones, but not so much in a handheld gimbal that can accommodate more than one type of camera.
- What the Fluid Pro AI gimbal does for subject tracking
- Made for phones and beyond, with support for small cameras
- Battery life and power features for long creator shoots
- How the Fluid Pro AI compares with rival tracking gimbals
- Price and positioning of GoPro’s Fluid Pro AI gimbal
- Why the Fluid Pro AI gimbal matters for today’s creators
What the Fluid Pro AI gimbal does for subject tracking
The Fluid Pro AI can identify faces and bodies, panning and tilting to track the action based on your movement, whether you’re behind the camera or filming yourself, GoPro said. That means walk-and-talks, dance videos, or product demos can remain centered even if you move around the frame.
The gimbal allows full 360-degree pan rotation and can tilt up to 320 degrees so creators have space for dynamic moves and smooth reframing. It’s a true three-axis design intended to smooth out footsteps, micro-jitters, and quick swings while the autotracking logic continually adjusts to keep your subject locked in.
A built-in fill light is a nice extra for creators working in low light or at dusk. It won’t replace a key light, but it can fill in shadows on faces and products when a phone’s front-facing camera or compact cameras such as the Sony ZV-1 could use some help.
Made for phones and beyond, with support for small cameras
Whereas many gimbals are designed specifically for smartphones, GoPro’s message with Fluid Pro AI is all about flexibility. The Fluid Pro AI can hold devices as heavy as 400 grams. That handles most modern phones—including some larger models, which can clock in at 221 to 240 grams—and popular vlogging compacts. A Sony ZV-1, for instance, weighs around 294 grams with battery and card inside, which leaves some space for a mic or lens adapter on top of your camera.
Having formerly offered the Karma Grip for its action cams, GoPro is reentering stabilization with a tool that fits into a more comprehensive toolkit. The phone-first stabilizers from DJI (the Osmo Mobile line) as well as Insta360’s Flow are great with handsets, but not designed to support a smaller camera.
Battery life and power features for long creator shoots
GoPro has quoted up to 18 hours of juice, a number that trumps most phone gimbals (which typically fall somewhere between six and twelve hours in hands-on use). Between long shoot days, vlogs from multiple locations, and travel excursions, this should hopefully make you worry a little less about pacing your battery meter.
It’s also a power bank for the mounted device, which means topping off your phone or action cam mid-shoot and diminishing the need for a dangling external pack—a perk when you’re working hard to keep rigs compact and balanced.
How the Fluid Pro AI compares with rival tracking gimbals
AI tracking is table stakes in some ecosystems—DJI does it with ActiveTrack on phones and drones, Insta360 calls its “Deep Track,” and standalone mounts like Pivo can follow a subject. The distinction here is that GoPro’s combining robust tracking with a high-payload, multi-camera gimbal—not just a phone cradle. That’s attractive if you’re alternating between an iPhone for vertical clips and a point-and-shoot camera for YouTube A-roll.
The real test will come in tracking precision and recovery—how reliably the gimbal re-centers after occlusions, how quickly it adjusts to sudden changes of direction, how smooth those corrections feel. And if the Fluid Pro AI can keep its cool during sprints, spins, and crowd scenes, it will win over run-and-gun shooters.
Price and positioning of GoPro’s Fluid Pro AI gimbal
It is not a budget option at $229.99, but it features a larger battery, an integrated light, and compatibility with cameras up to 400 grams—significantly more than the largest iPhone on the market.
And for creators contemplating a two-gimbal setup—one for a phone, the other for a compact—a single, adaptable rig might be easier to justify and tote.
Why the Fluid Pro AI gimbal matters for today’s creators
Mobile-first video is surging. YouTube has said that Shorts reaches over 2 billion logged-in users a month, and industry trackers like IDC and data.ai have documented a shift to creation and consumption on phones. A gimbal that recognizes a smartphone’s camera as a first-class consideration while also accommodating your compact shooter or action cam would appropriately fit that reality.
For a solo fitness instructor shooting or a travel vlogger who switches between portrait and landscape video, or the mountain biker with one day that’s an action cam day and one that’s a phone day, the Fluid Pro AI’s blend of tracking capability, stabilization performance, and battery life could simplify their entire kit bag. If GoPro’s AI is as reliable as the company’s record for action camera stabilization, this gimbal could be every modern creator’s go-to handle.
