Insta360 is celebrating a decade in existence and they have done a lot in 10 years! With technology making huge leaps each and every year, Insta360 has certainly been at the forefront of pushing 360 degree video and photos for the consumer. Now, they are taking all the customer feedback and their decade of knowledge to introduce their best 360 action camera yet, the Insta360 X5.
The Brand New Insta360 X5 is Here!
Link: Insta360 X5 – $549 (this is an affiliate link)
The Insta360 X4 released last year brought 8K capture to a 360 consumer device – which was awesome. They also included lens guards to help protect the lenses which can be quite costly to replace. They also took the battery life from 81 minutes to 135 minutes from the X3 to the X4, a great improvement indeed.
So, what did the X5 introduce this year to make it even more special? Well, they again showed that they listen to their customers and one of those things that people had talked about was how the lens guards, specifically the premium lens guards, didn’t keep the video as sharp as it was without the guards. Another thing was that people had wished that the low-light performance was better since people aren’t just using their 360 action cameras in bright sunshine all the time. Let’s see what Insta360 has done with the X5!
The Insta360 X5 Has Improved Low Light Performance
For starters, Insta360 introduced larger sensors for the X5. They went from 1/2″ sensors on the X4 to 1/1.28″ on the X5. If those numbers don’t make a ton of sense, here are some easier to understand numbers. This is a 144% increase of sensor size and is close to the sensor used in the single sensor Insta360 Ace Pro 2.
What does this mean for us? It means much better low light performance because the larger the sensor size, the more light that it lets in. If you normally use something like an iPhone for video or pictures at night, consider that the iPhone 16 Pro has a 1/1.14″ sensor, which is considerably less than the new X5 sensors.
But, it isn’t just sensor size that is giving the X5 better low-light performance. They have also introduced a Triple AI Chip system which gives the 5 nanometer AI chip and two new chips – two Pro Imaging chips for the system. This means that their AI system is better able to reduce the noise that is present in smaller sensors in low light scenes. Plus, it also has 140% more computing power so the scenes the camera captures will be clearer and brighter.
And, then there is a third component that helps improve on low-light performance with the X5 and that is Insta360’s PureVideo mode. This is the first time that has been brought to the 360 lineup of cameras and it is something that is possible thanks to the new chip system. Having used this quite a bit on my Insta360 Ace Pro 2, I can tell you that it is really amazing at how well it boosts light in the low-light scenes you may be capturing. It also helps to make it more vibrant, thanks to the muscle of the AI chip system.
The Insta360 X5 is Tougher Than Ever
While the lens guards by Insta360 did answer a lot of customer concerns, whenever you put anything over a lens, you will always lose some quality of your image/footage. So, this time, Insta360 went a different way and they have their Replacement Lens kit that will let you replace the lens itself – all by yourself. This means that you don’t have to send them in, you can just swap them out if something bad does happen.
But, it is going to be less likely that something bad will happen since they have created an even stronger, scratch resistant lens glass so it should stand up better than any of the other 360 cameras before it. For a 360 camera to work, the dual lens system naturally is a bit bulbous and protruding from the body which makes it highly susceptible to damage. Now you don’t have to worry about that as much with the new Insta360 X5.
Better Battery Life
The spec sheet shows (mentioning this because this is controlled numbers so comparing these for now) that battery life goes from 135 minutes in 5.7K resolution on the X4 to 185 minutes of battery life on the new X5 when using it’s Endurance Mode. It will charge from 0% to 80% in just 20 minutes, meaning you may not need as many batteries as you did before.
The best thing about the 360 degree footage is to be able to pan around and see all kinds of views – as well as reframing on the fly after you are done before you share a regular “flat” video.
But, sometimes you want to be able to share that flat video right away without having to reframe. Now, you can with the new InstaFrame mode that will record two separate files – one is a flat video that you can share to anyone/social media right away and the other is the 360 degree footage that you can work with. Cool advance for sure to be able to take advantage of the multi-use capabilities that this camera provides.
Other Improvements
Here is a list of the other things that Insta360 has changed in the X5 to make the camera better than ever:
- Built-in wind guard and improved audio algorithm – a multi-layer steel mesh Wind Guard silences wind noise, while the boosted algorithm offers sharp, immersive sound.
- IP68 waterproofing to 49ft (15m) – go even deeper without a dive housing.
- Magnetic mounting system – allows for quick accessory swaps so you’re always prepared for the next shot.
- FlowState Stabilization + 360° Horizon Lock – still industry-leading for the smoothest shots possible.
- Convenient ways to “hit record” – the new Twist to Shoot feature enables shooting just by twisting a selfie stick back and forth. Other options include Voice Control 2.0, Gesture Control, or pairing with a wireless remote.
Cost
So, what does all of this improvement and technology come to in terms of pricing? With the tariffs in place and the unknowns related to that, it can be a very difficult time to launch something for a Chinese company. One would expect the price to likely go up with all of this anyway, without the tariff uncertainty (action camera competitor DJI just hiked their Pocket 3 by $100). But, the price has only gone up $50 from the Insta360 X4 launch price – so you will pay $549 for the standard package. For all that this camera does, that is still a great deal for anyone that likes to capture action, travel, and much more!
I will have my Insta360 camera shortly so I will be putting it through its various paces and publishing my review then.
