By VR Pandao, Ran Qixing

New Insta360 Product Alert!

As the most unique player in the action camera market, Insta360 has been active with its dual fisheye 360-degree panoramic lens. For six consecutive years, it has ranked first in global market share for panoramic cameras. In the action camera field, the company's revenue scale surpassed the traditional giant GoPro in the first half of 2024, becoming the industry leader.

In 2024, Insta360 X4 debuted as a "consumer-grade 8K panoramic camera," quickly becoming the preferred device for creators and outdoor enthusiasts due to its high resolution, innovative anti-shake algorithm, and AI editing ecosystem. One year later, Insta360 introduced the iterative product X5, with comprehensive upgrades in lens durability, night scene imaging, battery life, and more.

(Note: To ensure reader experience, images, videos, and other content mentioned in this article will be compressed to some extent on platforms like WeChat. Actual image quality should be based on real-device experience.)

Insta360 X5 unboxing and actual shooting video showcase I. Hardware Review: How does Insta360 X5 reinforce its market position? (I) Design: Added diamond-like carbon coating, enhanced "three-proof" performance

In terms of product design, the Insta360 X5 continues the family-style cuboid shape, being very compact and easily held with one hand. The sides of the body are equipped with a non-slip texture design, ensuring stable holding even in wet environments. However, the "protruding" nature of panoramic lenses often makes users worry about accidentally scratching the lens. To address this, the X5 has made a key upgrade by applying a "diamond-like carbon coating" to the two lenses, which improves drop resistance by 100% compared to the previous generation and effectively prevents scratches from sharp objects like keys, further enhancing its "three-proof" performance (waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof).

Tested by VR Pandao: a 0.5-meter drop (accidental slip, with carpet cushioning below, not recommended for imitation), the product lens did not shatter, demonstrating initial drop resistance. Even in the event of an accident, Insta360 provides an innovative solution—replaceable lens design, ending the embarrassment of "one drop ruins all," which can be considered one of the biggest highlights of this new product. For users in high-frequency drop scenarios like skiing and cycling, this improvement is a rigid demand.

Slow-motion video playback

The back of the camera adopts a silicone-like material surface with a geometric cutting pattern design, extending symmetrically from the center to both sides, creating a unique three-dimensional visual effect. This greatly enhances grip and non-slip properties. Additionally, the increased back area also benefits heat dissipation capabilities.

On the back of the body, compared to the previous generation, the Insta360 X5 has also improved the microphone by adding a windshield design. It uses a multi-layer windproof steel mesh structure to effectively filter wind noise. The upgraded audio algorithm can further enhance human voice and stereo sound, adapting to audio needs in various scenarios.

The bottom of the camera is equipped with a 1/4-inch threaded interface. Through this screw hole, the Insta360 X5 can be compatibly installed with various accessories such as selfie sticks and tripods. In fact, to meet the differentiated needs of different users in various sports scenarios, the Insta360 X5 has an extremely rich accessory library. Optional accessories include: lens protector, storage bag, multi-function charging case, advanced protective lens, temperature-controlled clip, replaceable lens set, flash transfer partner, invisible selfie sticks of different lengths, etc.

(II) Image Quality Leap: Large Sensor Breaks the "Night Scene Shortcoming" In terms of core configuration, the Insta360 X5 is equipped with three chips: a 5nm AI chip (system-level SoC chip) and two professional imaging chips (ISP chips). Among them, the 5nm system-level main control chip provides a 140% increase in computing power compared to the previous generation. Through deep learning, it continues to enhance image details and improve image quality. The two professional imaging chips are mainly responsible for image processing, such as noise reduction, making the picture purer and brighter.

To further enhance the camera's imaging performance, the Insta360 X5 has also upgraded the CMOS image sensor, equipping it with two new-generation 1/1.28-inch large-base image sensors, which are 144% larger in area compared to the previous generation's dual 1/1.2-inch sensors.

The imaging system composed of three chips and the 1/1.28-inch large-base image sensors, coupled with Insta360's innovative shooting algorithms, allow the Insta360 X5 to achieve low-noise imaging in dim environments, providing a purer and clearer night shooting experience.

When users shoot in low-light environments, the Insta360 X5 will automatically recognize the low-light environment through the built-in light sensor and remind users that the "Night Scene" mode will produce better shooting results. There are many such detailed functional designs.

From the following "Night Scene Recording" 8K 30fps video, it can be seen that the Insta360 X5 can effectively suppress noise during night shooting, producing a higher level of purity and excellent color reproduction. In complex low-light environments, the outlines of buildings are clearly discernible, with no obvious color cast. Cluttered streets and advertising signs on both sides pose a great challenge to actual video imaging, but the Insta360 X5, with its new image chips and optimization algorithms, accurately captures the vibrant color details on the signs, while cleverly balancing the brightness between overly bright areas and surrounding darker environments, resulting in a rich, layered picture with smooth transitions during motion.

Let's analyze with a still image. This is a screenshot from a panoramic video shot by the Insta360 X5, with no post-production filters or optimization. It can be seen that the bright round window in the background and the vase and branches in the foreground form a clear contrast between light and dark, but the camera balances the exposure well, neither overexposing the bright areas to lose details nor plunging the dark areas into complete blackness, preserving a certain level of detail and optimizing the image effect in complex lighting environments. In addition, the outline of the vase and the texture of the branches are relatively clear, with no obvious blurriness, demonstrating strong optical resolution.

Image quality may be compressed to some extent

In addition to the Night Scene Recording mode, the "Time-Lapse" mode also performs excellently in low-light environments. This is an 11K 30fps 2s "Time-Lapse" video shot at night by the Insta360 X5. With complex lighting in the night environment, imaging is even more challenging for the camera. The overall performance of the Insta360 X5 is excellent, cleverly balancing overly bright and overly dark areas. Oncoming headlights are also well-handled, and the LED lighting changes of the landmark building "Ping An Finance Center" in Shenzhen can be clearly seen in the distance.

(III) Video Performance: High Frame Rate and Motion HDR Scene Adaptation

In other image content shooting aspects, the Insta360 X5 basically continues the shooting benchmarks of the previous generation, supporting 360-degree video recording at different parameter specifications such as 8K 30fps, 5.7K 60fps, and 4K 100fps. Single-lens shooting mode supports 4K 60fps, 2.7K fps, 1080P 20fps, etc.

In addition, the camera has multiple built-in recording features, such as Bullet Time, Time-Lapse, Moving Time-Lapse, Loop Recording, Starry Sky Mode, Dashcam Mode, Free-Ratio Recording, etc., so almost every user can find what they need here.

30fps can ensure basic picture smoothness, while high frame rates such as 60fps and 100fps are mainly suitable for high-speed motion scenes, ensuring picture coherence and clarity, avoiding motion blur or fuzziness. Additionally, for motion scenes, the Insta360 X5 also supports 5.7K 60fps Motion HDR, which can further enhance image quality while maintaining frame rate, making motion pictures smoother and more natural.

VR Pandao used a cycling scene as a demonstration. From the video, it can be seen that during the ride, the picture captured by the X5 is very clear with smooth transitions. The high-specification frame rate of 5.7K 60fps captures rich details in every frame of the ride, accurately rendering the rapid passage of roadside scenery without any stuttering or motion blur. Due to the uneven road surface and the absence of professional equipment like a stabilizer, the picture inevitably has slight shaking.

5.7K 60fps Motion HDR video reference, creative template video (shot at 18:40 at night)

Notably, the X5 has also added a 5.7K+ 30fps panoramic recording specification, which is close to 8K quality but with a smaller file size, striking a balance between image quality and memory capacity. Tested by VR Pandao, under the same scenario, a 63-second 8K panoramic video (7680x3840) occupies about 947MB, while a 62-second 5.7K+ panoramic video occupies 663MB, saving about 30% of space.

File information comparison

(IV) Battery Life Upgrade: Supported by 27W Fast Charging

The Insta360 X5 is equipped with a 2400mAh battery, further enhancing battery life compared to the previous generation. In terms of power consumption, VR Pandao tested different shooting functions such as 8K 30fps, 5.7K 30fps, 5.7K 60fps, and single-lens 4K 60fps in 360-degree panoramic normal recording mode. The data shows that each 60s of video content consumes 1% of battery life.

Under normal usage, the Insta360 X5 can basically meet users' fragmented shooting needs for a day, accumulating 1-2 hours of ultra-high-definition video content, with more photos. When the battery life drops to 5%, the Insta360 X5 will automatically pause and save the recording content, prompting the user to charge. Thanks to the addition of fast charging, the Insta360 X5 supports a maximum of 27W fast charging (5V 3A or 9V 3A). VR Pandao tested it and found that it took 40 minutes to charge from 4% to 100% (supporting fast charging from 0-80% within 20 minutes when turned off).

During the author's use, the camera screen and back inevitably heat up to a certain extent, and the temperature gradually rises with the increase in shooting time, with an average temperature higher than 40 degrees. Of course, this does not particularly affect the shooting process, as gimbals, various types of mounts, selfie sticks, and other shooting props are usually used for long shooting sessions. Additionally, the heat dissipation process does not cause side effects such as camera lag or reduced image quality.

Note: Camera battery consumption and charging speed are typically related to multiple factors such as ambient temperature, shooting content, battery health, screen interaction, and the camera's own temperature. These may vary according to individual usage, and the evaluation data provided above is for reference only.

II. Software Iteration: From "Professional Threshold" to "User Segmentation"

Accompanying the update of the Insta360 X5 is the significant update of the APP V2.0. Previously, Insta360's mobile APP post-production software had a certain learning curve.

The V2.0 version adopts a layered strategy of "lightweight editing on the preview page + in-depth adjustment on the editing page" to better serve both novice and professional users.

Novice-friendly improvements: When opening a video from the APP, it will directly enter the playback preview page. The playback page supports basic functions such as AI automatic tracking, free zooming to select the perspective, aspect ratio selection, and AI video generation, helping users quickly create video content. The author tested the AI video generation function, which can immediately generate a video of about 30 seconds in 2 minutes, including character capture and dynamic forward perspective content, making it a boon for "beginners".

Left: Playback preview page, Right: Keyframe editing page

Multiple video templates: The APP continues to retain and has added a large number of creative video templates, providing users with rich choices. Almost all videos with the "emotion" tag from Tuoluojun were directly called from templates, covering AI creative libraries and templates for different scenarios such as motorcycles, panoramas, outdoors, daily life, and sports.

Function display of the APP video template page

Retention of professional functions: On the in-depth video editing pages such as keyframes and clip editing, advanced functions such as keyframes, screen recording, motion tracking, multiple camera movement modes, split-screen, custom perspectives, ND filter effects, speed changes, multi-tracks, and background music are available to meet the editing needs of professional users. Although referred to as "professional functions" here, most video editing functions on the APP are mostly selection-based with a low operation threshold, which users can achieve through simple clicks and drags. Of course, to create a short video that matches one's own style, a complete editing idea is also required.

Display of some functions on the keyframe page, Left: Motion tracking, Right: Camera movement

In addition, the photo processing interface on the APP is also quite powerful, with a clear editing interface. Users can choose different photo sizes, lens modes (ultra-wide angle, distortion removal, linear), and filters on the APP, providing a one-stop solution for quickly creating videos.

Display of the photo editing page

As a user who has deeply experienced both the Insta360 X4 and Insta360 X5, the author believes that the changes in the APP V2.0 version are relatively significant. Recalling last year's APP usage experience, although the editing functions and filter options were abundant, they were not simple or direct enough for first-time users.

As Pony Ma emphasized in an interview years ago, making products should be thought of from the perspective of novice users. A product that can be easily used and frequently used by a novice user can be called a "consumer-grade" product. In the new version of the APP, we see the practical application of this concept.

From the camera's ease of use design, image quality to software experience, we can see that the Insta360 X5 is not only a product exclusive to sports professionals but also a magical tool for everyone to easily record "a better life".