The Insta360 Go 3 Comes with a GoPro-Like Pod with a Flip-Up Screen
Insta360’s new Go 3 action camera is probably the company’s most versatile yet, as it mixes a tiny thumb-sized main camera unit with a GoPro-like pod base that features 170 minutes of battery life and a flip-up selfie screen.
The company’s Go line of action cameras are some of the smallest on the market, and that doesn’t change with the Go 3. The camera unit maintains its tiny literal thumb-sized, 1.2 ounce (35 gram) form factor with a magnetic back that allows it to stick to a variety of surfaces.
But to go along with the camera unit of the Go 3, Insta360 is including what it calls an Action Pod, a GoPro-like body that turns the Go 3 into a more powerful camera thanks to a much larger battery and a 2.2-inch flip-up touch screen.
The Go 3 Camera Unit
The functionality of the Go 3 camera unit follows the previous iterations Insta360 has released. Recording starts easily by pushing the front of the body and the small size and low profile allows it to be mounted in hard-to-reach places without sacrificing image quality.
Speaking of which, the Go 3 features a 11.24mm f/2.2 camera (35mm equivalent) and is capable of shooting up to 2.7K video (at 24/25/30 frames per second) and photos in four resolutions including 2,560 x 1,440 (16:9) and 2,936 x 1,088 (2.7:1) as a DNG RAW. The camera can also shoot at 1440p and 1080p at 24/25/30/50 frames per second. Timelapses can be recorded to 1440p, but slow motion 120 frames per second video is restricted to 1080p.
The Go 3 comes with three accessories. The Magnet Pendant is designed to be worn around the neck and sit beneath clothing, allowing the camera to just clip to the front of the wearer.
The Easy Clip is designed for hats, and lets the Go 3 mount on the brim. Finally, the Pivot Stand is a reusable sticky mount with an adjustable design and it also has a 1/4-inch mounting point for attaching to a tripod or selfie stick.
Insta360 says that software optimizations and a resolution upgrade to 2.7K results in crisp, clear videos. Additionally, there are no clip length limitations and a larger 310mAh battery allows it to shoot continuously for 45 minutes — a 50% increase compared to the previous generation.
The tiny camerea also has dual microphones that the company says results in clearer and crisper audio than the Go 2 and comes with Voice Control 2.0 that enables hands-free operation of the camera.
New recording modes are also present, including Pre-recording, Loop Recording and Timed Capture. The last feature allows the camera to be set to start recording at a specific time — particularly helpful for early-morning timelapses.
Of note, storage is internal to the camera unit, so whatever is purchased is locked to the camera.
The Action Pod
The Insta360 Action Pod is a housing, remote control, and charger for the Go 3 camera all in one unit. The Go 3 fits into a slot on the front and connects with the Pod using Bluetooth — that means that the Action Pod can control the camera even if it’s not actively attached.
The Action Pod features a 2.2-inch touchscreen that allows for real-time remote control and live preview of the Go 3 and the unit is compatible with the same magnetic mount as the Go 3 unit by itself. When the Go 3 is mounted to the Action Pod, the battery life of the camera is dramatically expanded to 170 minutes.
Both the Go 3 camera and the Action Pod have waterproofing, but to different degrees. The Go 3 is rated to IPX8 while the Pod is only rated for IPX4.
Pricing and Availability
Insta360 GO 3 is available for purchase starting today and ships with the Action Pod, Magnet Pendant, Easy Clip, Pivot Stand, and Lens Guard included. Three storage options are available: 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB models, priced at $379.99, $399.99, and $429.99 respectively.
