Sure, you already have your GoPro, your phone, your vlogging camera, your smart glasses, and every other lens you may use to record your antics. Insta360 imagines the new X6 360 camera could replace all those other recorders in your daily life, and I can honestly say that—this time—the company may have a point.
For starters, the new X6 starts at $700 for the standard bundle. That’s $150 more than the launch price of the previous X5 360 camera. For the extra cost, Insta360 promises you’ll see a huge boost in image quality thanks to the new dual 1/1.1-inch sensors over the X5’s 1/1.28-inch lenses. Insta360 also stuck a new Qualcomm 8-core processor inside alongside two extra dedicated imaging chips. All the extra processing horsepower is supposed to offer the camera the ability to better recognize lighting conditions and automatically adjust settings for the best result.
I’ve had my hands on the X6 for several weeks. We’re still finishing up our testing, but what I can tell you is that the camera’s low-light capabilities were honestly impressive. Even in some extremely dreary settings, with the lights tuned to dingy basement levels, the X6 can still capture some detailed footage. It also lasts a surprisingly long time thanks to a beefed-up 2,600mAh battery. The company claims you can get 140 minutes of straight recording at 8K and 30 fps. We’ll share more details in our full review.
The three-chip setup enables other features we haven’t seen on this type of camera before, including the ability to shoot with Dolby Vision HDR enabled. The 360 camera is meant to analyze the metadata for every frame and tune the footage to boost brightness without needing to fix it in post. Turning on this setting limits you to 8K and 30 fps, instead of the maximum 8K and 50 fps.
There are a few other amenities to the new camera, including multiple microphones that can help it pick up audio in 360 degrees alongside the twin fisheye lenses. The other major additions are on the software side. Insta360 imagines you’ll use this camera as a regular action camera and even a vlogging camera as well.
While you can shoot in linear format (without any of the wide-angle distortion) at 4K and up to 100 fps, you can enable the “InstaFrame 2.0” mode that enables face tracking for vlogging scenarios. Insta360 is also pairing its new cameras with a separate “Foldable Selfie Stick Remote Kit” built for those selfie scenarios.
Insta360 really wants to break away from the expectation that 360 cameras require more work to get the shot you wanted. It’s pushing a new “PanoMind” AI-enabled app feature that will turn your footage into usable video while the camera charges. Of course, if you want full control of your shots, it will inevitably take longer. That’s why a gimbal camera like Insta360’s $770 Luna Ultra may make more sense for dedicated vloggers than any 360 camera.
Either choice of recorder will be expensive. Insta360 still plans to keep selling its older X4 Air as an entry-level 360 camera. There’s also more competition now than ever, with both DJI and GoPro featuring their own fish-eye lens-based devices. At $670, you’ll want to make sure this is true going to be a one-of-a-kind cam for all your needs, or else just get multiple other specifically-designed devices. The Insta360 X6 is available starting Wednesday, Aug. 12.
