The latest camera from Insta360 has just launched – the new Insta360 GO 3S. If you are thinking, “didn’t they just release a GO series last year?”, you would be correct! That was the GO 3 and this is the GO 3S. But, it offers more than the name may suggest as it has finally brought 4K resolution to the incredibly tiny package.
The New Insta360 GO 3S
Link: Insta360 GO 3S – $399 for 64GB bundle | $429 for 128GB bundle (these are affiliate links that support the site – thanks for the support!)
I was not paid or compensated by Insta360.
Insta360 continues to roll out the cameras and what they have been doing in the last year with how they upgrade their models is impressive. The Ace Pro is their premier action camera, pretty much replacing their modular action camera and offering 8K in a package that is as rugged as it is compact. Their X4 also brought 8K resolution but to a 360 camera for consumers to make it the most versatile action camera ever.
The New Insta360 GO 3S Has 4K!
And now we have the GO 3S which brings 4K to its tiny footprint. I own the GO 2, the X4, and the Ace Pro and I can tell you that the most fun of them all tends to be the GO series. They are so small and compact and they offer a magnetic back as well as other mounting tools so it is so easy to put it places to capture things you would never get with any other camera.
Now, you can capture all of that in 4K resolution. I can’t wait to try out this one (my model will arrive tomorrow) as the 4K is something I was really missing. I had tried out the GO 3 last year but felt that I was still good to go with my GO 2 (in spite of the fact that they released the Action Pod which is an excellent tool for the GO 3 series). But, 4K is a missing piece for me and the tested battery life shows that it really doesn’t take a hit in the delivery and capture of 4K.
Battery life for the GO 3S is recorded as follows:
- 38 minutes for 1080p @30fps
- 32 minutes for 4K @ 30fps
- With the Action Pod – 140 minutes for 1080p @ 30fps
- With the Action Pod – 122 minutes for 4K @ 30fps
For those clips where you want some slower motion, you can now get up to 200fps in 1080p or 100fps at 2.7K. Both of those are great, especially for a camera this small.
Insta360 has also improved the image quality by adding a new MegaView FOV (field of view) to make the image have less distortion and look straighter and cleaner. In addition, you can simply move it from horizontal to vertical to change the video perspective, making it a quick motion to change the perspective, depending on the social media platform you want to upload it to.
With the magnetic back, it opens up all kinds of interesting mounting ideas and to help you with that, Insta360 provides the following mounts with the new Insta360 GO 3S:
- Magnet Pendant – Snap on for easy first-person views.
- Easy Clip – Clip on your cap with additional magnetic strength and even can incorporate the magnet pendant for some interesting angles.
- Pivot Stand – Stick it anywhere and capture unique angles. It also will now work on curved surfaces for even more perspectives.
The GO 3S has waterproofing that will let it go down to 33ft, double that of the GO 3.
Lastly, what happens when you have such a small camera and it gets lost? Well, Insta360 has now incorporated Apple’s Find My technology into the camera. This way, if it does fall off or out of your pocket, you can easily just pull up your iPhone and track it down to where you left it. This will definitely help adventurers breathe a sigh of relief at not having to replace it if they lose it somewhere.
Speaking of replacing, if you already have the Insta360 GO 3, you don’t need to buy the whole 3S package. You can just buy the 3S body at a discount compared to the full bundle and use it with your current GO 3’s Action Pod. The cost for just the camera itself is $239 for the 64GB or $269 for the 128GB. I would definitely spend the extra $30 for the 128GB since the built-in storage is the only way to record – there is no slot for a memory card.
Bottom Line
While I love all my Insta360 cameras, the GO 3S will be one of my favorites due to its compact size, stick-anywhere design, and now the 4K resolution. While I love having my quality X4 for 360 content or my Ace Pro for action on my runs, being able to just slap the GO 3S on my chest using the magnetic pendant makes for a lot less to think about while running the trails or in a race.
It is also great for things like capturing video for reviews of an airplane or airline lounge since it is so small and inconspicuous. Basically, it is the go-anywhere camera that people like me who do not want to be flaunting a big camera around would want.
For $399, it lands at the same price as the recently discounted Ace Pro. It can be a hard decision to make over which one because, while they are both action cameras, they serve different functions for action. It comes down to your use case and if the unique mounting options are what will work best for you – and if the mini size is what you need to capture your adventures. For me, I will have both and use whichever one is best for a particular activity.
