Insta360 has announced a new version of its 360-degree action camera that won’t immediately become e-waste should your extreme adventures end up breaking a lens. Last year’s Insta360 X4 introduced a removable guard to protect its two lenses, but the X5 goes one step further with a new hardware design making its lenses user-replaceable should they get damaged.
The Insta360 X5 is available today from the company’s online store and other retailers. Pricing starts at $549.99 for a standard version that includes basic accessories like a charging cable and pouch, while a $659.99 essentials bundle adds an extra battery, a 45-inch long extending selfie stick, lens guards, lens caps, and a carrying case. A replacement lens kit costs $29.99, while additional batteries are $44.99 each.
In addition to the replaceable lenses made from a “new ultra-durable glass,” Insta360 has also upgraded the X5 with larger 1/1.28-inch sensors — the ability to capture more light will potentially improve the X5’s low-light performance. Further improving low-light performance is a new PureVideo mode the company says uses “advanced AI noise reduction and dynamic range optimization” to “deliver clear, vibrant footage in low light.”
Like the Insta360 X4, the X5’s video capabilities max out at 8K/30 fps, even when using that new PureVideo low-light mode. The framerate jumps to 60 fps with the resolution reduced to 5.7K, and can go as high as 120 fps for capturing slow motion video with the resolution set to 4K. That’s a small step from the X4 that maxed out at 4K/100 fps. Still photos are still captured at 72-megapixels.
To make it easier to immediately share videos on social media without processing or editing, the Insta360 X5 has another new mode called InstaFrame that captures two videos simultaneously. One is a flat video that either follows a constant direction or keeps your face in frame the entire time, while the other is a full 360-degree clip that records everything happening around you.
Battery life has been improved thanks to a slightly larger 2,400mAh power pack that’s removable so you can keep extras on hand. The X4 maxed out at 75 minutes of capturing 8K/30 fps footage, but the X5 bumps that to 88 minutes. Dropping the resolution to 5K/30 fps extends the recording time to up to 135 minutes, or up to 185 minutes at 5K/24 fps.
Water-resistance has been improved to an IP68 rating allowing the Insta360 X5 to be used under water as deep as 49 feet without the need for an additional dive housing. And to make it easier to start recording in situations where you can’t reach the X5 and it’s too noisy for voice commands to work reliably, a new Twist to Shoot lets you twist a selfie stick back and forth to begin capturing.
