Insta360 X5 Camera Brings 3 Key Upgrades Over The Insta360 X4
The Insta360 X5 is the latest flagship 360-degree camera from Insta360's most versatile range.
Insta360's X5 arrives with some compelling spec upgrades that don't just prove its worth against the Insta360 X4, they rather show up the GoPro 360 Max — at least on paper.
There are three top line upgrades worth looking at first.
The Insta360 X5 has much larger sensors than its predecessor, with a 1/1.28-inch sensor chip on each side of the camera. These compare favourably with the 1/2-inch sensors of the Insta360 X4 and the 1/2.3-inch sensors of the GoPro Max 360.
This will give Insta360's latest much higher native light sensitivity than those alternatives.
The second major feature is an AI-enhanced low-light mode. While some of you may be sick of hearing about AI features in tech, it's this sort of software enhancement that finally made phones pretty good low-light stills shooters a handful of years ago. This mode is called PureVideo.
My other top change in the Insta360 X5 is more of a practical design tweak. Now only does the manufacturer claim the lens is stronger, made of a 'high strength, scratch-resistant' glass, you can replace the outer lens element too. Insta360 claims the X5 is the 'the toughest 360 degree camera ever.'
The vulnerability of the fisheye lenses of these 360-degree cameras can make you feel nervous while using them, which is at odds with how you ideally want to use an action camera. That's less of an issue with the Insta360 X5.
The top capture mode remains 8K30, and the Insta360 X5 uses oversampling to turn 11K's worth of raw image data into the 8K file. This matches the Insta360 X4, but it's reasonable to expect a noticeable improvement in less optimal light conditions thanks to the larger sensor size.
Insta360 says you can expect 88 minutes of capture time at this top resolution, or up to 185 minutes when shooting at 5.7k resolution, 24 frames per second. This is lab testing, so real-world conditions may see a drop in stamina, but it's clearly better than the 90-105 minutes of a GoPro Max 360.
The Insta360 X5 is available now for $549.99, or with an Essentials accessory package for $659.99.
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