Insta360 X4 vs Insta360 X3: Does the new action cam reign supreme?

Insta360’s latest 360-degree action camera is here but how does it stack up against its already excellent predecessor? Let’s take a look.

Insta360 changed the game when it brought the Insta360 X3 to market in late 2022. Not only did the action camera represent a massive improvement over the One X2, but it also managed to leapfrog similar offerings from GoPro and DJI in several key areas. With that in mind, Insta360 was always going to have a tough job on its hands with an eventual follow-up.

Now that the Insta360 X4 is here however, we know exactly how the company has decided to focus its attention where upgrades are concerned, and there’s a fair bit that potential adopters should be aware of. With that in mind, here’s our key breakdown of the Insta360 X4 versus the Insta360 X3.

The jump to 8K is here

The big flagship upgrade of the X4 is that it has the ability to shoot 8K footage at 30fps. That’s a huge leap over the 5.7K cap on the X3, and it’ll no doubt mean that the X4 will be the go-to for professional content creators who need the highest level of detail when capturing footage.

This has also led to a bump for the resolution modes that sit below 8K, as the X4 can now shoot 60fps in 5.7K and a whopping 100fps in 4K. I think that these are the upgrades that will matter to most vloggers as 8K is still far away from being the accepted standard, but it does mean that the X4 will be future-proof for quite some time to come.

Photo resolution remains the same at 72MP so you can expect the X4 to also be handy in a pinch if you want to capture the shot of an expansive vista to then be shared on social media.

A welcome battery boost

An upgrade that’s always welcome news to any vlogger – the Insta360 X4 features a much beefier battery than its predecessor. This time making the leap from 1800mAh to 2290mAh, the X4 is now capable of filming for up to 135 minutes at 5.7K 30fps. Compared to the quoted run time of 81 minutes for the X3, that’s a huge improvement that could make the difference between capturing the shot you’re after and needing to retire early to top up the battery.

The longer run time will also come in handy for modes like TimeShift and Loop Recording which require an uninterrupted flow in order to be used to their greatest effect.

Removable lens guards are back

Interchangeable lens guards have long been a point of contention on the action camera market. Despite the fact that action cams are designed to take a beating, removable lens caps aren’t always the norm, and if your lens does get damaged then it can ruin the filming experience on your device.

Until now, no cameras in Insta360’s X series have had interchangeable lens guards but that changes with the X4 as you can easily swap yours out for a new one if you need to. This is a huge win from a consumer standpoint as it means your action camera won’t be made redundant solely as a result of any damage to the lens.

Price

This is one area that could be make or break for the Insta360 X4. Unfortunately the camera has kept up the recent action camera trend of bringing a price increase into the equation with an RRP of £499.99/€559.99 at launch.

Not only is that quite a hefty uptick on the X3’s £459.99/€539.99 launch price, but that older camera can now be picked up for £408.99/€479.99 at the time of publishing.

Early verdict

While there’s certainly a lot to like about the Insta360 X4, and it’s definitely shaping up to be the go-to flagship device in this area, it doesn’t represent quite the same monumental shift in design and feature set that the Insta360 X3 did.

There’s also the issue of the X3 now being available for a much cheaper price than the X4 which might make it the better buy for casual vloggers given that the X4’s upgrades seem more suited to professional filmmakers.