I took this camera on 5 trips, and it is now my must-have travel essential

3 hours ago 4
Insta360 X5 successful  hand.
Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET

The Insta360 X5 is my favourite question camera. I emotion it for its versatility, easiness of use, and user-friendly app. It is much costly than its predecessor but offers amended video quality, replaceable lenses, improved artillery backup, and more. I started utilizing this 360-degree enactment camera successful May, and wrong 3 months, it has earned a imperishable spot successful my question backpack. And it is present connected merchantability for Labor Day.

Review: Insta360 X5

The Insta360 Labor Day sale brings a $30 discount to its latest 360-degree camera. It mightiness not look similar much, but this woody closes the terms hike spread betwixt the caller X5 enactment camera and its predecessor. You tin present get it for $520 instead, which is conscionable $20 much than X4's motorboat price.

I travelled with the Insta360 X5 to a fistful of enactment trips and a solo trip. Here's wherefore I deliberation I person recovered a near-perfect question camera.

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The easiness of usage amazed me

Insta360 X5 successful  hand.
Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET

When I got the Insta360 X5, I went successful with debased expectations, due to the fact that astir enactment cameras deficiency an awesome artillery backup, execute poorly successful thing little than agleam sunlight, oregon marque it truly hard to edit the footage. The past 360-degree enactment camera I utilized was the GoPro Max, and portion I person spent a bully magnitude of abrogation clip with the newer GoPro Hero 13 Black and different Insta360 cameras similar the Go 3s and Ace Pro, they deficiency X5's versatility and easiness of use.

I recorded astir of my footage successful InstaFrame mode (because I wanted to effort the caller mode), which shoots q 360-degree footage arsenic good arsenic a modular video successful 5.7K+ oregon 5.7K portion automatically tracking you. Thanks to the upgraded 1/1.28-inch sensors (over  1/2-inch sensors connected the X4), the footage looks sharp, afloat of details, and large for a 360-degree camera. If you are with a radical of people, signaling successful the 360-degree video mode is simply a amended idea.

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The Insta360 X5 tin sprout 8K 30 fps and 5.7K 60 fps astatine the precocious end. That said, an 8K 360-degree footage means 4K solution in-app video connected your phone. I compared a fewer shots to the last-gen X4, and they were considerably better. It offers fantabulous dynamic scope with much details successful the clouds and much pleasing-looking bluish skies. It tin besides grounds HDR footage without overprocessing your videos (in 8-bit and BT 709 colour abstraction alternatively of DCI-P3).

While I tin get a amended prime video connected an Insta360 Ace Pro 2, the X5 gives maine the flexibility to conscionable crook the camera connected and framework my changeable aboriginal -- without losing representation quality, which wasn't imaginable successful the past. Plus, it records wide audio, unless there's beardown wind. 

The full editing process is precise intuitive, too. I tin simply link the X5 to my phone, transportation footage wrong the app, and crook a standard-looking video to 360-degree footage with a pinch-out action. With conscionable a fewer swipes and pinches, I tin framework the changeable to springiness maine perspectives I could ne'er imagine. Add to this the built-in transitions and effects marque it easier than ever to edit my enactment camera footage. 

The Insta360 X5 is tiny and convenient to carry

Hands connected  the Insta360 X5 camera

Hands connected the Insta360 X5 camera

Ant Pruitt/ZDNET

The Insta360 X5 isn't the smallest enactment camera around. It is overmuch bigger than the likes of GoPro Hero 4K oregon the Insta360 Go 3s. However, for a 360 camera, it is inactive casual to carry. The slim signifier origin helps maine store it conveniently successful 1 of my bag's tiny pockets. It besides supports lens replacement now. So if you hap to interruption your Insta360 X5's lens, you tin regenerate it with a $30 replacement kit -- alternatively of replacing the full camera. 

I urge buying an other artillery since a azygous compartment won't past you for a full time outdoors. Unfortunately, the Insta360 X4 artillery isn't compatible with the X5, truthful immoderate aged batteries lying astir won't work. Oh, and the caller Insta360 enactment camera is present compatible with GoPro-style mounts, acknowledgment to the caller magnetic quick-release system. 

Overall, I emotion this camera for its quality to connection 360-degree footage without losing the sharpness and dynamic scope of a regular enactment camera. From getting unthinkable lawsuit shots astatine the Galaxy Unpacked to making my Vietnam vessel rides memorable, the Insta360 X5 has made everything better. If you are successful the marketplace for a 360 enactment camera, you should decidedly see the X5.

Based upon the 5-6% disconnected savings being offered, ZDNET's standing strategy gives this a 1/5 Editor's woody rating. However, this is the champion connection we've seen for Insta360's flagship X5 camera since launch. It mightiness not beryllium the astir enticing discount but thing disconnected connected this susceptible camera is worthy grabbing, truthful I've bumped up the rating.

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Insta360's Labor Day merchantability is unrecorded till September 1, 2025. Although, Deals are taxable to merchantability retired oregon expire anytime, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the champion merchandise deals for you to people the champion savings. Our squad of experts regularly checks successful connected the deals we stock to guarantee they are inactive unrecorded and obtainable. We're atrocious if you've missed retired connected this deal, but don't fret -- we're perpetually uncovering caller chances to prevention and sharing them with you at ZDNET.com

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