Zoom Am7 Rotating Mid-Side Stereo Microphone for Android Reviews

Used this to record a performance of the hand bell choir my wife directs. This the best sound I have ever gotten through my Samsung Galaxy S9. Very happy with it

This mic is easy to use, has flexible configuration options, and sound quality is great. I had to order an adapter (USB-C extension) due to my Note20 Ultra 5G being in an Otterbox Defender case, so you may wish to keep this in mind. The mic does has built-in ability to extend slightly, but it was not enough for my case.

It worked well with the built-in Android "Camera" app. Short of adjusting levels, it was a fairly fuss-free process. It's definitely worth the purchase!

My initial reaction to the mic was it is garbage. It clicked every 5 seconds or so. Every app and the Zoom app was just awful. So I tossed it in to my shame pile that will eventually get garaged sale.

Several months later I read this article that said turn on Airplane mode to rid signal noise...and yep it worked great, better than hoped for. The Zoom app still sucks but the mic is pretty freaking good.

Zoom clearly states that this microphone transforms your android smartphone into a field recorder and improves your phone video's audio quality and that is what the Am7 does not more.
As a FIELD RECORDER the quality sound matches that on the Zoom H1n so you shouldn't be disappointed. If you are into MUSIC RECORDING the mid-side stereo feature is a great add. Same as the H1n the Am7 is more emphatic on the treble side and it is very noticeable but that does not mean that it lacks low frequencies as many reviewers say. If you follow the standard mic placement techniques used in music and field recording this is a great add for your tool box.
If what you want is to improve the sound quality in your PHONE's VIDEOS as in an interview or casual video recording of your garage band the Am7 is for you, but then that is it because if you want studio quality sound of your acoustic guitar while shooting video you will have trouble getting both a good video angle and a good mic placement because the further you shoot your video from the sound source the less sound quality you will get(obviously) and since 6 to 12" is the recommended distance for a studio audio recording, at that distance it might be an inconvenience for a good video take.(It might not be the case if recording loud instruments.)
I Personally have trouble using THE APP for the Am7 but my phone model is not listed as compatible with the Am7(that might be the reason.) I didn't get the slide for the mid-side stereo image adjustment in the app so I'm stuck to whatever default configuration the Am7 is set to. The audio in my videos becomes mono which I don't mind but stereo image could be something you might be looking for, so be warned. (Compatible devices might not have this issues.)
PORTABILITY and DURABILITY: Obviously because of its size the Am7 is very portable period. On durability, many reviewers complain about the Am7 being fragile, any manufacturer tries as hard as possible on using the cheapest materials they can find to maximize their profits so I cannot argue on that. The bright side is that cell phone's are not designed to carry any attachment but the charger cord right? So, any third party manufacturer needs to figure out how to get their designs to fit their gadgets into this tiny small slots and keep them there. In my opinion the attachments need to be lighter than the phone device otherwise the gadget attached to the phone will easily detach from the phone unit while swinging the phone, simple as that! (the Am7 is lighter than my cell phone.) Even if the Am7 was built in the phone you still would need to be careful while operating it. There is no other way, the Am7 needs to be handle with care.
Two reasons why I got my Am7, first I wanted a mid-side stereo configuration mic for my audio recordings, second the price dropped from $100 to $50 during the holidays of '22. If not for that I wouldn't be interested in getting the Am7.
I got the Am7 with my own money, OK? This is my experience so far with the Am7 and only that. As with many things there is no right or wrong it is up to what you are looking for.
I got my Am7 from SweetWater

A good solution for live band recording on an Android device. I've been using this to record band practice for the last few weeks, and with a bit of experimentation on mic placement and gain setting, it's working well, mostly (cymbals are a bit hot and bass frequencies get a bit muted.) I'm still playing with EQ/mastering effects in the Handy Recorder app, and there isn't an export-to-MP3 option, so my current workflow is to export to Google Drive, do EQ/normalize in Audacity, and save as MP3 to share with the band (hopefully Zoom can save me a couple steps in the future.)

I bought this to record room sounds including normal conversation, but mixed in with music streaming into the room from a stereo system with old-school cabinet speakers. I was jamming along with this on my electric bass. Even with the music kept fairly medium-low so I could talk over it, I found that with the gain up it was very capable, but it clipped every time the subwoofer hit. It was so close to what I needed, but not quite. I needed it to pick up that thump a little better from the sub, but it just couldn't meet that expectation when I plucked a note on my bass at the same time. But, to be fair, my expectations may have been too high. Turning the gain down helped, but it has its limits for tolerating higher sound pressures at the really low frequencies (say, 100 Hz or less). For all other frequencies, it sounded quite good and very reasonably warm. For reference, the unit was recording in the middle of a room which is 14 feet on a side, and at about eye-level. The stereo speakers are against one wall and my bass amp at the opposite wall. With the external music turned off and the gain all the way up, I could easily record large dogs barking that were at least a mile away. The sensitivity is there for sure, and it was quite surprising. It picks up voice and acoustic guitar extremely well, and has excellent clarity. There's some expected hiss in the recording with the gain maxxed-out, but this is always to be expected. Mid-posion gain is probably quite suitable for most applications. The signal to noise ratios are fantastic. The built-in switchable stereo separation works beautifully in all three positions, and in mid-side mode, it sounds really wide, like 180 degrees, which is amazing. When used with the free Zoom Handy Recorder app on a Samsung S21 5G Android phone, it beats the quality of sound over the phone's built-in mic, but that's to be expected. Two minor issues I had were the inability to playback recordings with the unit still plugged into the USB port on the phone, so I simply unplugged it for playback. The other issue is that it was picking up some radio interference, so I ran the phone in airplane mode while recording, which solved the problem. Overall, it's a great little "daily driver" microphone, even without the Zoom app. It's probably great for the majority of vloggers and influencers needing portability and stereo quality who are operating under most "normal" circumstances.

Had several issues out of the gate.

The easiest way to avoid them, don't try and use the stock camera. I could not figure out how to get the internal microphone to recognize the Am7. Downloaded a different camera and problem solved.

The warmth is lacking but the clarity and definition are enhanced.

Solid little mic.

I needed a better simple microphone for my Android phone for quick videos. This was the only option I could find and I was hesitant to order this given all the reviews of issues.
I took a gamble and am glad I did. This review is mostly to let others know that the problems some are experiencing are not universal.

Using this with a Samsung Galaxy S10+ and I am not experiencing any of the noise, or inability to use with built in apps others talk of. I have mostly used it with the built in video camera and it does provide an improvement on the audio from the stock microphone. Most importantly others who say this combo doesn't work, I don't know WFM. It may be because you did not download and run first the Zoom app. There was a recent major firmware update from 1.x to 2.x but I did not have any issues before either.

I love the fact that the microphones can be turned and I have both 90 degree and 120 degree options.

That said there are a few minor issues.
1) I have to remove the case to plug it in. This is a near show stopper so I found a 8" USB-C extension cable on that egg site and use that so I don't have to remove the case. This makes it hard to hold straight so I wish there was some other way to mount it on the phone or a stand.

2) The audio width feels wider than my high end Mid Side microphone even in 90 mode. So I wish it had a more forward center with less side. Maybe a 30 or 60 degree mode so I mostly get forward with some side ambiance. This would be great for interviews or more distant sound sources.

3) The built in headphone amplifier does not work in recording mode so there is no way to live monitor.

Honestly this mic is great, sounds really good for guitar set on 90°. My only problem is that as I was turning the mic the base where it turns snapped. And yes I was twisting it the correct way.

Has some electron noises about every 20 seconds weather in the zoom app or the camera video app. Hopefully a firmware update can fix it. Useless at this point.

During setup to record I switched direction and the switch broke. Call Sweetwater and after lots of hold time was told it would be me writing out emails, I might get a replacement in 3 to 4 weeks... Not standing behind products sold for professional use doesn't induce me to be a faithful/loyal customer. (btw, audio that was recorded sounds very good!)

I did some testing, recording videos with and without this mic attached to my phone. I heard no improvement as a result of this mic. If anything, bass response was better and the sound just felt "fuller" without it. This mic picked up extra electronic noise (even with phone in airplane mode) which made things worse. It also didn't seem that the gain dial was doing anything, when using it for video. When using the Handy Share app it did make a difference, but that doesn't help as my main purpose here is for videography. I'm returning this item.

I have a Google Pixel 6 Pro phone; perhaps for a lesser phone this mic would be useful.