Insta360 X3 could be the world’s most versatile camera
Can the Insta360 X3 finally make 360 cameras mainstream?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Insta360 has made some of the most fun and interesting cameras of the past few years – and the new Insta360 X3 is no different. In fact, it might just be the most versatile action cam (or camera) you can buy right now.
Like itsInsta360 One X2predecessor, the X3 is a 360-degree camera with two super-wide lenses that capture everything around you, allowing you to ‘reframe’ the footage into a standard movie later. But a host of upgrades mean it’s also now much more usable as a traditional action camera in ‘single-lens’ mode.
One of our biggest gripes with the Insta360 One X2 was that it could only shoot in 1080p resolution when using one lens. But on the X3 you can now shoot in4Kresolution in this ‘single-lens’ mode, making it more like having two cameras in one.
The main appeal of the X3, though, are its versatile 360-degree modes. It brings some upgrades here too, including a new 1/2-inch sensor (a step up from the 1/2.3-inch one on the X2) plus a new ‘ActiveHDR’ mode. While its predecessor did offer an HDR video mode, this seems to use extra processing to help minimize ghosting and boost stabilization.
The X3 doesn’t deliver a resolution boost for its 360-degree footage (that’s still capped at 5.7K/30p) and its video bit-rate is still 120Mbps. But there are upgrades for its slow-motion modes, with the X3 capable of shooting at 4K/120p or 3K/180p. The equivalent mode on the one X2 topped out at only 3K/100p.
The X3 is likely to be a big hit with social media creators too, because its wide-angle footage can be easily turned into a 4:5 Instagram post of a 9:16 TikTok video without any major quality loss. Its larger 2.29-inch screen also looks like a boon for usability, compared to the X2’s small circular display.
It’s hard to think of another camera that has a list of shooting modes as long as the Insta360 X3, which is waterproof to 10m and available to buy now for $449. It can do invisible selfie stick effects,8Ktimelapses, 72MP photos, looping dash cam videos, and much more in the ‘Shot Lab’ found in its companion app. But the big question is how smoothly these all work in reality…
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Reality check
The main issues we’ve had with Insta360 cameras in the past, particularly immediately after launch, are relatively minor software bugs. During our brief time with the Insta360 X3 so far, this appears to be the case again.
When editing in the Android app, for example, our 360-degree video has sometimes automatically started panning to the right (unless we switched on direction lock). Downloading some footage like Starlapses to our phones has also proved tricky, with the process stalling indefinitely.
Insta360 is looking into these issues and they’re very likely pre-release bugs that’ll get ironed out eventually in firmware. We’re also impressed with the X3 overall, particularly its new screen and the sheer range of shooting modes on offer.
Naturally, it’s mainly designed for producing unique social media clips and won’t trouble thebest video camerasfor outright video quality. But it’s also more flexible than pretty much any camera we can think of, from GoPros to smartphones and full-frame beasts.
360 cameras have steadily grown from niche beginnings to become powerful tools in the arsenals of all kinds of creators. One TechRadar writer evensuccessfully used a 360 camera as their wedding videographer, to complement their human snapper.
Their unique benefit is being able to decide where the camera is pointing in the scene after your video has been shot. We’ll let you know whether the Insta360 X3 is indeed the best 360 camera you can buy in our full review very soon.
Mark is TechRadar’s Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he’s contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph’s Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London’s Square Mile.
The leaked DJI Osmo 360 looks like very bad news for the delayed GoPro Max 2
DJI tipped to launch its first 360-degree camera to rival Insta360 and GoPro
A newly reported iPhone phenomenon could be bad news for both cops and robbers
