Insta360 X6 review: My first experience with a 360 action camera surprised me

Let me quickly admit that this is my first proper experience with an Insta360 action camera. I have never used the X5, nor any of the earlier X-series cameras, so I went into the new Insta360 X6 pretty much a newbie. Even as a seasoned cyclist and runner, I’ve always wondered if a 360 camera was nothing more than a novelty – I’m already happy and capable enough to shoot video with my GoPro Hero.

It did not take very long for the X6 to make me see the errors of my way.

The X6 is essentially a three-in-one camera designed into one body. Its main trick is, of course, 360-degree videos that are captured through two ultra-wide cameras on opposite sides. Together, they record almost everything around the camera at up to 8K and 50 frames per second. Meanwhile, in single-lens mode, the X6 turns it into a more conventional action camera that can capture 5K videos at 60fps. Then there’s its tracking gimbal – InstaFrame 2.0, that can automatically people, pets or objects and then convert the footage into a flat 4K video without the need for a physical gimbal.

At the heart of its camera system are two custom 1/1.1-inch Sony sensors, which are paired with a 2.32-inch OLED touchscreen. For storage, there’s a pretty sizeable 47GB of built-in storage too. Should you need more storage, there’s an SD card slot as well. Insta360 says the camera is waterproof to 20m without the need for an additional case, while the protruding lenses are replaceable if they become scratched or overly damaged.

What I liked about the Insta360 X6

The biggest thing I enjoyed most about the X6 was how it changed my approach to video recording. As odd as it sounds for a camera that costs almost a grand in Singapore, the X6 feels very liberating to use – especially for someone new to 360 videos.

With a normal camera like my GoPro, I usually have to decide what I wanted in the frame before pressing the record button. This doesn’t leave any room for errors or hesitations, so if something interesting happens outside of the frame, for example, that opportunity is gone. The X6 removes much of that pressure. I could hold it on a selfie stick, walk around and decide what the video should look like afterwards. I could frame myself, turn the view towards something in front of me or use a sweeping movement that would have been difficult to achieve with a regular action camera like the GoPro Hero.

This freedom is particularly useful when the camera is moving. Insta360’s FlowState stabilisation and 360 Horizon Lock keep footage impressively steady, even when my hand movements were anything but. The invisible selfie-stick effect also creates the illusion that the camera is floating slightly ahead of or behind me. It is an old Insta360 trick, admittedly, but it was new to me, and I can understand why it has become so closely associated with the company.

More importantly, the reframed footage looks good enough that it no longer feels like a novelty. The 8K recording can be slightly misleading because that resolution is spread across the entire 360-degree view rather than the smaller section eventually used in a conventional video. Even so, the larger sensors give the X6 enough detail to crop into a scene without everything immediately becoming soft and indistinct. It also handles bright and dark portions of the same scene rather well, while colours generally look lively without requiring much post-processing.

Impressively, the X6 also supports 10-bit colour recording, along with Dolby Vision and I-Log for those who want more control during editing.

I also spent time taking 360-degree photographs. The 120-megapixel number sounds impressive, but it’s important again to remember that all those pixels cover the complete sphere. You’ll be surprised how fun it was to take these photos, as it allows me to look through them, say, after a cycling session, and then product several different compositions from it – this gives you plenty of options to pick and decide which frame looks best when I couldn’t do so while riding.

What I did not like

The X6 may let you shoot first and think about framing later, but the thinking still has to happen eventually. Every 360 clip needs to be reviewed, reframed and exported before it can be used as a normal video. Insta360’s automatic editing tools in its app can shorten this process, but they do not always choose the angle or timing I would have selected myself. Once the novelty of moving a virtual camera around wears off, editing a large batch of clips can become quite laborious. In short, the X6 is an action camera for serious enthusiasts.

Speaking of app, while the Insta360 app is pretty powerful, there is so much packed into it that it can feel unnecessarily overwhelming. I’ve also encountered quite a few crashes, and it can become frustrating when I have to start a video edit from scratch again. Insta360 makes some pretty good hardware like the X6, but I’m not as impressed when it comes to their software.

Then there’s the perpetual fear of damaging the two lenses, because they protrude from both sides of the camera and cannot be placed face-down safely. Insta360 says they are more scratch-resistant than those on the X5, and being able to replace them is reassuring, but I still found myself reaching for the included protective pouch whenever I stopped filming. I could throw my GoPro Hero into a bag without a second thought. The X6, on the other hand, will demand that bit more care.

Final thoughts

The Insta360 X6 costs S$939 for the Standard Bundle, while the Essentials Bundle is S$1,039 and includes a second battery, invisible selfie stick, lens cap and fast-charge case. The Standard Bundle does not include the invisible selfie stick, which, to me is already a deal-breaker compared to the Essentials Bundle. If you want those recognisable Insta360 shots where the camera appears to be floating around you, that stick is literally essential – hence the bundle name, I suppose. For another S$100, the additional battery and charging case also make the Essentials Bundle the more sensible purchase.

The problem is that S$1,039 makes the X6 considerably more expensive than its direct competitors. The DJI Osmo 360 Standard Combo costs S$569, while its Adventure Combo is S$729 and includes three batteries, a charging case and an invisible selfie stick. The GoPro Max 2, meanwhile, has an official retail price of S$700, while its accessories bundle – which includes two batteries, an extension pole and a 64GB microSD card – costs S$770 before any discounts. In other words, even the more complete packages from DJI and GoPro cost substantially less than the X6 Essentials Bundle.

I should make it clear that I can compare them only on price because I have not tested either the DJI Osmo 360 or GoPro Max 2. I cannot say from personal experience whether the X6 produces better footage, has more effective stabilisation or offers a more polished editing workflow. What I can say is that the difference is large enough that the X6 needs to be considerably better to justify it.

So, is the X6 worth buying? I think so, for a very specific user. if you regularly create travel, action or social-media videos and like the freedom to record everything first before deciding on the framing later. The ability to capture a moment without first deciding exactly where the camera should be pointing is genuinely useful, and not merely a party trick. With that said, DJI and GoPro will also be launching their Osmo 360 II and Max 3 respectively very soon. So if you’re not tied to the Insta360 ecosystem, then perhaps it makes sense to wait and see how these two action cameras compare.

The Insta360 X6 is now available for $939 (Standard Bundle) and $1,039 (Essentials Bundle). Click here to buy.