Insta360 X5 Review: The Most Versatile Action Camera Available

To usher in the next generation of its 360-degree action camera, Insta360 didn’t go back to the drawing board. Instead, it turned to the community, taking stock in what its customers liked, but also didn’t like about the brand’s X4 action camera. With the arrival of the new X5, Insta360 beefed up the camera’s sensors and battery, incorporated new editing tools into its app, and transitioned to a stronger, replaceable lens cap to help the camera rebound from falls, crashes, and other intense sequences.

Did the improvements X4 owners wanted actually make it out of the comment section? We took the new X5 on a multi-state test run to find out.

Insta360 X5 Review: About the Camera

The X5 promises video capture at up to. 8K at 30/25/24 frames per second (FPS) and can capture photos at up to 72MP (11,904 x 5,952 pixels). It is IP68, which means it is waterproof up to 49 feet without protective housing and has an operating temperature range of -4 degrees to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 to 40 degrees Celcius). It measures 46 x 124.5 x 38.2 mm and weighs 200 grams.

For those unfamiliar with Insta360’s lineup of X-series cameras, they are complex gadgets born out of a simplistic idea: what if you could shoot everything, all the time? Armed with a pair of lenses, the X5 (and all the X’s before it) is equipped to shoot 360-degree footage, which affords you the luxury of hitting record and not worrying about whether or not you got the shot. Once you’ve stopped recording, you can choose the exact angle, aspect ratio, and view you want as you edit footage in Insta360’s companion app. In other words, it’s like two GoPros bound together and working in unison, only to make you do the work to find the shot you want on the back end.

Insta360 X5 Review: Design

At first glance, the X5 doesn’t look all that different from its predecessor. It still sports a shape that’s more akin to a candy bar than an action camera, with its dual-lens setup staring back at you regardless of which direction you turn it. The intuitive touchscreen was brought over from the previous model, as were the camera’s onboard controls. If you and I didn’t know any better, Insta360 really didn’t change much.

Of course, that’s not the case with the X5. In response to fairly widespread feedback it received with the X4, Insta360 made a pair of subtle, but significant design updates to this new flagship camera. First, the X5 has been outfitted with high-strength glass that Insta360 says is 100 percent more drop-resistant than the X4. More importantly, the X5 now has replaceable lenses. With the X4, if you took a hard crash on, say, a mountain bike and scratched the lens, you were out of luck – don’t ask me how I know. Now, for about $35, you can swap out a damaged lens and return the camera to its ideal shooting condition.

The second update came in response to concerns about the X4’s audio capture capabilities. The X5 now has a built-in wind guard for its microphones, and it’s a bit of a game changer if you are in the habit of recording fast-flowing action. The X5 has quickly become a staple for me on mountain bike rides, and I was absolutely impressed with how it handled audio at speed on particularly windy days in the park.

There’s a few other updates on the hardware side of the X5, namely sensors that are 144 percent larger than the X4, the addition of three AI chips for a major boost in computing power, and a beefed-up battery that Insta360 claims can last up to 185 minutes while also boasting fast charging technology that nets you 80% battery after 20 minutes on the charger.

Insta360 X5 Review: Features

Insta360 brought back most of the X4’s lineup of standout features with the X5, with some enticing new additions worked into the mix. It’s capable of shooting in 8K at 30fps, with supporting features like Insta360’s FlowState Stabilization (meant to reduce any resemblance of shaky footage) and 360-degree Horizon Lock (essentially Insta360’s way of ensuring level videos, regardless of the angle you shoot at) serving as a rock-solid foundation for the action camera. Just like the X4 before it, it’s insanely easy to hit record on the X5 and shoot great footage by accident.

There are some other neat features back in action, such as being able to shoot in single-lens mode at 4K for more traditional action footage, or Insta360’s invisible selfie-stick feature, which somehow completely erases the selfie stick from your 360-degree footage. It’s the X5’s new modes, though, that are of particular note. For instance, shooting in InstaFrame will simultaneously shoot an auto-framed flat video alongside a full 360-degree video, giving you flexibility to post a quick clip from the flat video with minimal editing, then dive into the immersive 360 version to reframe and edit to your personal taste. You can choose from a Fixed View or Selfie View option with InstaFrame, with the latter identifying and intelligently tracking a subject throughout the video.

A second new mode that Insta360 is excited about is the X5’s Pure Video Mode, which leverages AI technology in an effort to reduce noise and deliver clear footage even when good lighting isn’t available. Insta360 says its community raised concerns about the X4’s ability to shoot good footage at night, so the X5 (as well as the Ace Pro 2) was outfitted with this new evening-centric mode to theoretically remedy the issue. More on that in a moment.

Beyond the new modes, a significant portion of Insta360’s innovation comes in the form of the X5’s accompanying app and desktop suite. Like many tech brands, Insta360 has leaned heavily on AI, retooling its app to showcase helpful perks like thumbnail previews that automatically recognize and highlight subjects in each video. Insta360 has also spent considerable time on offering ways to skip the editing process, with options like picking set views (Fixed or Selfie, for instance) or letting AI automatically reframe your entire video for you. All the extra tools do make sense, seeing as the most tedious part of shooting with the X5 (or X4, for that matter) is the editing process.

Insta360 X5 Review: Performance

When I first got my hands on the Insta360 X4, I was both enamored by what it was capable of and reserved about how and when I used it. It was a camera that offered a ton of utility, something that could literally be used as a traditional action camera, a replacement for drone shots (with Insta360’s massive extended selfie stick), or even a multi-camera setup all by itself for things like vlogging or podcast recordings. At the same time, I used it somewhat sparingly compared to my GoPro, or even my Insta360 Ace Pro 2. Those cameras were just more rugged, and far more likely to take a beating and get back up. Insta360 offered a lens guard for the X4, but I wasn’t satisfied with the footage when the guard was in use. So it took a back seat for anything even slightly intense.

Now, with the X5 equipped with a more durable — and most importantly — replaceable lens cap, I took the training wheels off. I went mountain biking in Oregon with the X5 strapped to my chest, held it out the window of our car as we cruised the countryside in Big Sky, Montana, and accidentally exposed it to some jagged rocks with some unintended falls back home. What I found was a camera that excelled in moments of intensity. I captured probably the most stable, clear mountain biking footage I have to date, with exceptional audio thanks to the built-in wind guard for the X5’s microphone. And when it was time to slow things down, I got some detailed, up-close footage of a bison without, y’know, actually getting up close. When we went for a casual walk in downtown Kona, Hawaii, it picked up some awesome footage of waves crashing against the rocks below.

The camera’s new modes add to the streamlined experience of recording with the X5, especially Pure Video mode. We went for a long twilight drive looking for moose (meese?) our last night in Montana, and I hung the X5 out of our truck in an attempt to take in the last few minutes of natural beauty before night set in. Insta360 chalks it up to its new mode, its larger 1/1.28” sensor, and its triple AI chip for assisting in capturing more light even in moments when there wasn’t much to go around. Whatever the case may be, the X5 easily beats out the X4 in low-light situations. And it shot a memorable sunset in Big Sky.

There are some caveats, of course. While in many ways the X5 trumps a standard GoPro when it comes to things like pointing and shooting, it’s not without a curveball or two in the mix. Both the X4 and X5 have something called a stitch line, which is essentially the point in the video where both the front and rear cameras meet. It’s generally not very noticeable, and Insta360 advises you to point at least one of the cameras wherever the action may be to avoid the stitching issue altogether. I learned that lesson the hard way mountain biking in Oregon, coming away with a stitch line that shot up the middle of my footage because of how I angled the X5. It didn’t make the recording completely unusable, but it definitely made it more annoying.

Elsewhere, Insta360’s desktop app is worse than I remember it. It helps that its mobile app is much improved and shines as an intuitive tool for editing and posting clips on the go. But the desktop suite hasn’t gotten the same treatment, offering a somewhat clunky experience that will likely go way over the heads of anyone unfamiliar with video editing. I’m sure my own desktop hardware plays a part in my dissatisfaction with the app, but I found myself editing short clips on my phone far more than long-form content on my laptop purely because of how cumbersome the latter seemed to be.

The Insta360 X5 Stands Out in a Crowded Action Camera Market

The GoPro Hero 13 is an excellent action camera; so is the Insta360 Ace Pro 2, as well as the DJI Action 5 Pro. That said, the Insta360 X5 might beat all of them at their own game while offering a far deeper repertoire. It nails the combination of smooth, detailed action footage and exceptional audio recording, and it does it while also having the innate ability to adapt to whatever the scenario calls for.

With that being said, the X5 also isn’t for everyone. For all of the anti-editing tools Insta360 has crammed into its app, you still need to put time into learning to edit if you want the best results from this camera. If you are truly after a simple, record-and-post setup, a GoPro or Ace Pro 2 might make more sense. They would certainly be easier on the wallet.

If you’re willing to invest the time and money, though, the X5 is a powerful action camera, drone substitute, and selfie shooter all wrapped into one. More than any action camera before it, it’s in a class all its own.

Are There Alternatives?

Talking about competition for the Insta360 X5 is a little tricky, because Insta360’s only real competition in the 360-degree action camera space is itself. The camera that rivals the X5 most closely is its older sibling, the X4. After that, the next best thing is a distant relative, the X3, and so on…you get the point. The GoPro Hero Max technically still exists, but it’s years behind the X family in terms of technology and features.

Between the X5 and X4, the most impactful differences have to be the X5’s improved, replaceable lens cap and built-in wind guard for audio. The X4 shoots great footage that’s arguably only a step or so behind the X5. But the durability of the X5, most notably the assurance that a scratched lens won’t permanently alter your image quality, makes the X5 a better buy all by itself. Whether it’s worth an almost $200 price hike is certainly up for debate. But on the longevity front, the X5 is a clear winner.

Should You Buy It?

Yes, because it’s the most useful action camera available today.