NEW 8K INSTA360 X4 RAISES THE BAR FOR 360 CAMERAS

Successor to X3 brings serious upgrades to resolution and battery life

Insta360 has unveiled the new 8K video-equipped Insta360 X4 – and as well as setting a new benchmark for 360 cameras, the brand is pitching the X4 as the only action camera you’ll ever need.

The X4 is the follow-up to the popular Insta360 X3, and arrives packing some notable upgrades. In addition to 8K video, the camera boasts dramatically improved battery life, offering up to 135 minutes of shooting time. This is the company’s first 360 camera that’s capable of shooting 8K video. Utilising two 180-degree (approx) cameras, the X4 is capable of a shoot first, edit later workflow, because you know that all the action around you will be captured – and, thanks to the new camera’s increased resolution, in greater detail. The single-lens mode can now shoot 4K video up to 60fps, too.

The X4 boasts Insta360’s excellent FlowState image stabilisation, and 360-degree horizon lock. Add in the fact that the camera is waterproof down to 33ft / 10m without the need for an additional housing, and you can see why Insta360 is also positioning the X4 as a highly capable action camera, and the only camera that adventurers and extreme sports fans will need to take with them in addition to their phone.

The X4 can even serve as a dashcam for motorcyclists, who can position the camera freely with one of Insta360’s

mounts, control it hands-free from a compatible Bluetooth headset, and capture their journeys automatically with Auto Dash mode and loop recording.

The Insta360 X4 is available to buy now, priced at £499.99 / $499.99, which we think is a reasonable markup over the X3’s launch price of £459 / $449 given the upgrades on offer (although the X3’s price has dropped since launch, and it’s likely to see further reductions in the weak of the X4’s arrival, making the older model a tempting buy).

A range of optional accessories are available for the X4, including various selfie sticks – one of which is designed to enable you to capture Matrix-style Bullet Time effects – and mounts.

2024 is set to be a bumper year for 360-degree cameras. In the last few years Insta360’s impressive offerings haven’t faced much in the way of competition, but in addition to the Insta360 X4, GoPro has a

GoPro Max successor in the works, while Canon is poised to launch an intriguing 360-degree / 180-degree 3D Powershot concept. However, the Insta360 X4 already looks like it’s going to be the 360 camera to beat.