CheckMag | Insta360 Ace Pro shames the GoPro Hero12 Black in 5 key ways

One of the advantages of the Insta360 Ace Pro over the GoPro Hero12 Black is its ability to support higher video resolution. Unlike the GoPro Hero 12 Black which maxes out at 5.3K at 60 fps (frames per second), the Insta360 Ace Pro can record at a max resolution of 8K at 24 fps. In addition, both cameras support 4K recording at 60 fps and slow motion recording in 4K at 120 fps.

To stand out from rivals, the Insta360 Ace Pro has a flippable viewfinder that can be raised to face a user to preview shots and videos. This is also a handy feature if you intend to use the camera for vlogging. The display is 2.4 inches in size and has touch support which means you can adjust the settings even with the display facing you. In addition to the flip touchscreen, the Insta360 Ace Pro also has a smaller dot matrix display on the front that shows important info such as the battery level, shooting mode, shooting status, and storage capacity.

On the other hand, while the GoPro Hero12 Black’s 2.27-inch main display is fixed, there is a smaller (1.4-inch) color display on the front that serves as a secondary viewfinder, so users can see live preview of shots and videos. However if you want a larger viewfinder, GoPro sells a front-facing camera screen display mod with a 2-inch screen that can be attached to the Hero12 Black.

Although the 1650 mAh battery capacity of the Insta360 Ace Pro is a tad smaller than the 1720 mAh Enduro battery of the GoPro Hero12 Black, the former has the advantage of being able to charge significantly faster. According to Insta360, the Ace Pro supports 30 W USB-C fast charging, allowing it to go from empty to full in just 46 minutes. In contrast, the GoPro Hero12 Black takes a painfully long 3 hours for a full charge. This is even longer than the 63 minutes it takes to charge the Insta360 Ace Pro if you were to use a 15 W adapter.

The Insta360 Ace Pro doesn't come with a charger in the box, and if you don't have one, the Anker 313 45 W single-port charger (curr. $24 on Amazon) is a good option.

Both the Insta360 Ace Pro and the GoPro Hero 12 Black support voice commands, allowing users to  perform a variety of functions handsfree with a single command. While this is certainly a useful feature, it can be a pain to use when in a noisy environment. However, the Ace Pro provides an alternative with the addition of gesture control. Users will be able to take a photo or start or pause recording with a simple gesture such as holding out a palm in front of the camera.

Another feature that sets apart the Insta360 Ace Pro from the GoPro Hero12 Black is support for background transfer on the mobile app. When transferring files from the camera to a mobile device using the Insta360 app, users can switch to another app while the transfer goes on. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case with the GoPro Hero12 Black as the transfer stops once you switch to another app. It doesn't just stop, but you have to start afresh when you return to the app. This means users have to remain on the app screen while transferring files to their phone.