Insta360 launches new 8K action camera with refreshed design and built-in storage

Insta360 has officially launched its latest generation, 360-degree camera, the Insta360 X6, in the global market. The company’s 8K 360-degree action brings some notable upgrades over the last-generation model, the X5, in terms of design, battery, sensor, and new advanced camera-centric features, such as AI Director, Dolby Vision support, and more.

The most notable upgrade is the design. Insta360’s latest X6 is now more compact and tiny than the X5. Speaking more precisely, the X6 measures 2 x 3.9 x 1.6 inches (50 x 100 x 40 mm) and weighs around 196 grams (6.9 oz). In contrast, the X5 (curr. at $549.99 on Amazon) comes in at 1.8 x 4.9 x 1 inches (46 x 124.5 x 26.2 mm) and 200 grams (7.01 oz). This time around, the brand has included custom dual Sony 1/1.1-inch square sensors in the X6, which offers 33% more sensor area than the X5 and around four times the light intake per frame, said Insta360 in its press release.

Under the hood, the X6 is powered by a triple AI chip (one 8-core 3.3 GHz 4 nm flagship processor paired with two dedicated imaging chips). The new image processor promises to offer better image performance than the X5. Another notable upgrade is that the X6 can now record footage at up to 8K/50 fps, a step up from 8K/30 fps of the X5. Interestingly, the action camera now comes with native in-camera Dolby Vision support and built-in 47 GB onboard storage.

The battery capacity of the X6 is now bigger than before, featuring a 2,600 mAh battery. The Xtreme battery is officially rated for up to 140 minutes of runtime when recording footage at 8K 30 fps 360° on a single charge. Additionally, it is claimed to offer 51% longer recording time compared to the X5. It has a 2.32-inch OLED screen with a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. Insta360 has also introduced a new auto-edit engine called "AI Director," and according to the brand, the engine builds a highlight edit from the footage on the camera and delivers the final output to the Insta360 app.

Other features include FlowState stabilization, a 360 omnidirectional windproof array of four mics, 20 m (2 bar) water resistance, NFC touch-to-connect fast connectivity, WiFi 6.0, 10-bit I-Log, gesture support, and 100+ accessories support. The latest generation 360 camera supports interchangeable lenses 2.0, which are said to be five times more scratch-resistant and 60% cheaper to replace than the previous generation's.

As for price, the X6 standard costs $120 more compared to the X5. Interested buyers can now purchase the Insta360 X6 Standard version for $669.99/£619/€699 and the X6 Essential version for $799.99/£709/€799 directly from Insta360’s official website and Amazon.