Meet Insta360 X3: 360 Action Cam Makes Magic Out of the Action

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The New Insta360 X3. | Photo courtesy of Insta360

Insta360 announced today X3, a camera thatโ€™s built for the social age. Millions of people around the world now consider themselves โ€œcreatorsโ€, and thereโ€™s no better device for capturing creative and unique content for social media than a 360 action camera.

With a new 1/2″ sensor and 2.29โ€ touchscreen, Insta360 X3 is the most powerful camera you can carry in your pocket. Capture 5.7K 360 video with Active HDR and the Invisible Selfie Stick effect, or 72MP photos with stunning details. X3 doubles as a standard action cam with Single-Lens Mode upgraded to sharp, ultra-wide 4K. For editing your shots, the Insta360 app is an AI powerhouse with the intuitive reframing tools for making magic out of the action.

โ€œWith the X series, we are reinventing the point and shoot camera to make it easier for anyone to be a creator. X3 is built to help the next generation of creators take their creativity to new heights,โ€ JK Liu, founder of Insta360 said.ย 

Insta360 X3 is available to order from September 8, 2022 via Insta360.com, Amazon (U.S., Europe and Japan) and select retailers.ย 

Impossible shooting.

X3 transforms the way creators approach the creative process. By shooting first in 360 degrees and then reframing later, one video can be edited in endless different ways. Youโ€™ll always be able to capture your best moments, whether thatโ€™s catching a big wave or landing a tough trick. Simply mount up, hit record and frame later in the Insta360 appโ€”thanks to 360 capture, a 4:5 Instagram post can be turned into a 9:16 TikTok video in a tap without losing any quality.ย 

X3โ€™s 360 video quality has also gotten a boost with the new Active HDR mode, powered by the cameraโ€™s new 1/2″ sensor. Active HDR uses an innovative algorithm to stabilize action footage, minimizing ghosting and revealing details that other action cams miss in over and underexposed areas.

X3โ€™s dual lens design also enables effects like the Invisible Selfie Stick, where the stick is automatically stitched out of the footage, creating impossible third-person views. With the new Me Mode, you can now shoot epic invisible selfie shots at 60fps without reframing. This mode frames the footage to focus on you, while keeping the selfie stick invisible. Never before have invisible selfie stick shots been possible without recording in 360 first and reframing later.ย 

Photo courtesy of Insta360

Boosted image quality.

Insta360 X3โ€™s new 1/2″ sensor delivers big resolution and image quality improvements compared to its predecessor.

When youโ€™ve got a clear vision for your content that only requires one point of view, Single-Lens Mode canโ€™t be beat. Now upgraded to 4K resolution, this mode is perfect for immersive first-person views of the action, especially chest-mounted shots. A new extremely wide 170ยฐ MaxView is also available at 2.7K for even more immersive POVs.

X3 delivers the most megapixels ever in a 360 action cam with 72MP photos for ultra-detailed stills. It also captures 8K 360 timelapses, perfect for cityscapes and landscapes alike.

Bullet Time, the Matrix-like slow motion effect made possible by swinging the camera over your head in a circle, has also got a boost in resolution and frame rates to 4K 120fps and 3K 180fps.ย 

Action ready.

Throughout all the action, X3โ€™s six-axis gyroscope and FlowState stabilization keeps your video ultra-stable. Where other action cams tap out at 45ยฐ, 360ยฐ Horizon Lock keeps the horizon level even when you completely rotate the camera.ย 

Insta360 X3 is rugged and waterproof to 33ft (10m) out of the box. Lens guards are also available for action sports creators who want increased protection.

Even when you donโ€™t know when the action will happen, X3 will catch it. The new Loop Recording mode transforms X3 into a dashcam, continuously recording video but only saving the final minutes according to your set interval, saving precious space on your memory card.ย 

Easy operation.ย 

Insta360 X3 maintains the same candybar shape as its predecessors while adding key upgrades to make it easier to operate, especially during the action:ย 

  • A 2.29โ€ tempered glass touchscreen for intuitive settings adjustments and previews.ย 
  • Four buttons make it easy to control your shot even when gloved up.ย 
  • Direction Focus audio ensures the audio follows the action, even when you reframe.ย 
  • A mighty new 1800mAh battery keeps the camera powered through the action.

AI-powered editing.

The Insta360 mobile app uses AI technology to democratize content creation, putting tools and effects at creatorsโ€™ fingertips that might otherwise take years of experience to master. In Shot Lab, creators can find 30+ viral-worthy effects that can be edited in just a few tapsโ€”from the goofy Nose Mode to the new cinematic Street Lapse to the just plain cool Sky Swap.

How you choose to reframe your video is up to you, whether itโ€™s by physically moving your phone in the direction you want to point with Snap Wizard, selecting a target to track with Deep Track 2.0 or letting the AI pick out the highlights for you with Auto Frame. Photos can get the magic treatment too with the new Photo Animator, which animates a static photo for you.

For creators who prefer a desktop workflow, Insta360 Studio is also available for precise controls and maximized resolution.

Available Now

Insta360 X3 is available to order globally from September 8, 2022 via Insta360.com, Amazon (U.S., Europe and Japan) and select retailers. It retails for US$449.99. Accessories sold separately include lens guards, an invisible cold shoe, a mic adapter, and the Quick Reader.

Photo courtesy of Insta360

Key Specs

Aperture F1.9
35mm Equivalent Focal Length 6.7mm
Photo Resolution 72MP (11968×5984), 18MP (5952×2976)
Video Resolution 360:

5.7K: 5760×2880@30/25/24fps

4K: 3840×1920@60/30fps

Single-Lens Mode:

4K: 3840×2160@30/25/24fps

3.6K: 3584×2016@60/50/30/25/24fps

2.7K: 2720×1530@60/50/30/25/24fps

1080p: 1920×1088@60/50/30/25/24fps

Photo Format insp (can be exported via mobile app or desktop Studio),

DNG RAW (PureShot photos must be edited on desktop)

Video Format Single Lens: mp4

360: insv

Photo Modes Standard, HDR, Burst, Interval, Starlapse
Video Modes Standard, Active HDR, Timelapse, TimeShift, Bullet Time, Loop Recording
Color Profiles Vivid, Standard, LOG
Weight 180g
Dimensions (W x H x D) 114.0×46.0x33.1mm
Run Time 81min *Tested in lab environment under 5.7K@30fps mode
Max Video Bitrate 120Mbps
Gyroscope 6-axis gyroscope
Compatible Devices iOS Devices:

Compatible with iOS mobile devices with chips A11 or above and iOS version 11.0 or above, including iPhone SE 2, iPhone 8, and newer models, iPad Air (2020), iPad Pro and newer iPad models.

Android Devices:

โ€ข Android devices with Kirin 980 and above chips, including Huawei Mate 20, P30 or newer models.

โ€ข Android devices with Snapdragon 845 and above chips, including Samsung Galaxy S9, Xiaomi Mi 8 or newer models.

โ€ข Android devices with Exynos 9810 and above chips, including Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+, Note9 and newer models.

โ€ข Android devices with Tensor chips, including Google Pixel 6.

Live Streaming 360 Live, Reframe Live (streamer sets a fixed perspective)
Exposure Value ยฑ4EV
ISO Range 100-3200
Shutter Speed Photo: 1/8000-120s

Video: 1/8000 – to the limit of frames per second

White Balance 2000K-10000K
Audio Modes ยท Wind Reduction

ยท Stereo

ยท Direction Focus

Audio Format 48 kHz, 16 bits, AAC
Bluetooth BLE 5.0
Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, 5GHz

802.11a/b/g/n/ac

MicroSD Card UHS-I V30 speed class, exFAT format SD cards with a max storage of 1TB are recommended.
Battery Capacity 1800mAh
Charging Method Type-C USB
Charging Time 90min (5V/3A)
Operating Temperature -4ยฐF to 104ยฐF (-20โ„ƒ to 40โ„ƒ)

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