Insta360 X4 is a new $500 360° camera that can record 8K at 30fps, 5.7K at 60fps, or 4K at 100fps.
The device is 200 grams and fits in your pocket. The company claims its internal battery lasts for over 2 hours of recording time at 5K or over 2 hours at 8K, and charges to 100% in less than 1 hour via USB-C.
At 8K resolution, 2D 360° videos have enough pixels to almost match a Meta Quest 3's display angular resolution but will still fall far short of Apple Vision Pro's.
The X4 features two F1.9 aperture lenses with 1/2'' sensors and records at up to 200 Mbps bitrate to an up to 1TB microSD card. The four microphone array features automatic active wind reduction thanks to an onboard 5nm chipset.
The footage is stabilized by a six-axis gyroscope which the company claims "keeps the horizon level even when completely rotating the camera".
Insta360 claims the camera is rated for temperatures between -20°C and +40°C (-4°F to 104°F) and is waterproof down to 33ft deep, with the $100 Invisible Dive Case accessory increasing this to 164ft.
The device can be controlled by the integrated 2.5" touchscreen, the smartphone app, hand gestures, or voice commands. The company then provides a Insta360 Studio PC application for reviewing and editing captured footage.
Previous 8K 360° cameras cost thousands of dollars, so Insta360 X4 makes 8K 360° recording available to a much wider market. While the footage won't be 3D, it can still make for compelling playback in a VR headset, especially given you'll be watching your own memories and experiences.
Insta360 X4 is arriving just as YouTube added support for 8K video playback on Quest 3, making it an ideal way to share videos captured with this device.
