Insta360 has launched the X6, its new flagship 360° action camera, with larger image sensors, 10-bit colour, faster 8K recording and substantially increased battery life among the main upgrades over its X5 predecessor.
The X6 is being launched as a ‘3-in-1 Camera Ecosystem’, capable of capturing a complete 360° scene, following and framing a subject like a gimbal camera, or using a single lens as a conventional action camera – each mode can be selected from the touchscreen.
For divers and underwater photographers, some of the most significant changes over the X5 include improved low-light performance, better colour depth for underwater post-processing, and a significantly longer battery life.
The X6 is waterproof to 20m without a housing, and to 60m using a new version of Insta360’s Invisible Dive Case Pro.
Larger sensors and faster 8K recording
The X6 uses two custom Sony 1/1.1-inch square sensors in place of the X5’s 1/1.28-inch sensor, providing 33 per cent more sensor area and approximately four times the light intake per frame.
Behind the sensors sits a triple-AI chip, an 8-core 3.3GHz processor paired with two dedicated imaging chips which produces 500 per cent more computing power than X5, with a 35 per cent lower power draw.
The X6 introduces 10-bit colour recording which, combined with Insta360’s I-Log profile, preserves more colour information and greater highlight and shadow detail for colour-correcting underwater footage.
Insta360 says the X6 is the first 360° camera to record Dolby Vision HDR directly in-camera, providing a high-dynamic-range video format designed to reproduce a wider range of brightness, contrast and colour on compatible displays.
Frame rate for 360 mode recording is possible up tò100fps in 4K mode, frame rate 360 resolution remains at 8K, but the X6 has increased its maximum frame rate to 50fps over the X5’s 30fps, which should produce smoother motion and provide greater scope for slowing footage during editing.
In single-lens mode, which uses the camera more like a conventional action camera, the X6 can record at up to 5K/60fps, compared with the X5’s maximum of 4K/60fps. It also offers a 170° wide-angle mode at 5K/30fps and 4K/120fps slow-motion recording.
As with its predecessors, the X6 retains Insta360’s ‘shoot first, point later’ philosophy, meaning the entire surrounding scene is captured by default, and the viewpoint can be changed in post-processing or via the AI editing software.
This removes the need to keep the camera pointed directly at a subject and allows several differently framed sequences to be produced from the same recording.
Electronic stabilisation and automatic horizon levelling features FlowState Stabilisation and 360 Horizon Lock keep footage stable and level as the camera moves or changes orientation.
Insta360 X6 for scuba divers
The X6 is IP68 waterproof to 20m without a housing, an increase from the X5’s 15m rating and significantly better than the GoPro MAX2’s 5 metres.
One of the most useful upgrades is the 10-bit colour recording, as mentioned above, aided by an upgraded version of Insta360’s AdaptiveTone system.
AdaptiveTone 2.0 meters each lens independently and records two exposures per frame to manage uneven lighting, particularly useful underwater, where one lens may face bright surface light while the other points towards deeper water or a shaded reef.
Below 20m, scuba divers can take advantage of an updated version of Insta360’s Invisible Dive Case Pro, which is rated to 60 metres as per its predecessor, but with better quality optics.
Underwater, refraction can distort the view from a dual-lens camera and interfere with the stitching used to join the images together.
Insta360 says the new housing compensates for these effects while remaining outside the camera’s stitch line, preventing the case from appearing in the finished 360° footage.
Insta360 X6 battery life and other features
The X6 uses a new 2,600mAh Xtreme Battery in place of the X5’s 2,400mAh battery, with a claimed 140 minutes recording time at 8K/30fps—51 per cent longer than the X5.
The battery can reach 80 per cent charge from empty in a claimed 24 minutes and is rated for operation in temperatures as low as -20°C.
A redesigned cooling system called ‘Star-Ridge’ and an added insulated grip have been introduced to manage heat during prolonged 8K recording, providing a claimed ten per cent greater cooling efficiency than competing 360° cameras.
The X6 comes with a new Fast Charge Case that can hold and charge two batteries and store two microSD cards, plus an optional Power Selfie Stick can supply a further 180 minutes of operating time.
For those times when the SD card has been forgotten or is too full, the X6 also has 64GB of internal storage, of which 47GB is available for recordings.
In terms of size, the X6 is wider and shorter than the X5, with a 2.32-inch OLED touchscreen that has a claimed peak brightness of 1,200 nits and an always-on display.
The camera features a built-in 360° omnidirectional windproof array of four microphones, with an Intelligent Audio Mode that reads the environment and adjusts automatically.
There’s also a Hidden Engine Mic tuned specifically for motorcycle riders that filters wind and isolates engine sound, and two Insta360 Mic Air or Mic Pro transmitters can be paired with the camera to create professional sound.
The user-replaceable lens system introduced with the X5 has been updated for the X6, with the new Replaceable Lens 2.0 kit’s lenses five times more scratch-resistant than the previous generation at 60 per cent less in terms of cost.
Zero-Edit with Insta360 PanoMind and AI Director
The Insta360 X6 introduces an artificial intelligence model named PanoMind, which has been trained on more than 10,000 hours of footage across a variety of scenarios to auto-edit footage without user intervention.
The company says PanoMind is the first 360-native AI model that understands a full spherical scene rather than a flat frame.
Once the X6 is plugged in to charge, AI Director, PanoMind’s auto-edit engine, will build a highlight edit from the footage in the camera – built on the camera, not in the cloud – and deliver the results to the Insta360 app.
A separate Auto Edit 2.0 function can combine one or more clips into a finished sequence, automatically adding framing changes, camera movements, cuts, music and transitions.
The whole package has seen a raft of improvements and updates, so it’s going to be interesting to see how these measure up to past performances – stay tuned for DIVE’s review – but the new X6 feels like a significant step forward from its predecessors.
‘X6 is the camera we always wanted to build,’ says Insta360 founder JK Liu. ‘It captures everything around you, in any light, and hands you a finished edit before you even reach for your phone.’
Insta360 X6 specifications:
- Sensor size: 1/1.1″ Square Sensor
- Lens aperture: F2.0
- Focal length: 7.78mm
- 360º video resolution:
- Video Mode: 8K up to 50fps; 6K up to 60fps; 4K up to 100fps, with 24/25/30/48fps options
- InstaFrame Mode: Flat 4K with 8K 360 backup at 24/25/30fps; Flat 4K up to 60fps
- PureVideo: 8K, 6K or 4K at 24/25/30fps
- Single-lens video resolution
- Video Mode: Up to 5K@60fps; 4K@120fps; 2.7K@120fps
- FreeFrame Video: Up to 6K@60fps
- Photo resolution: 360 Photo: 120MP; Flat Photo: 42MP
- Top features: AdaptiveTone 2.0 automatic colour and exposure optimisation; InstaFrame 2.0 reframing and composition; Zero Editing with PanoMind intelligent panoramic capture and AI Director automated shot selection; Auto Edit 2.0 automatic footage editing; Moments Pro quick highlight capture and creation
- Audio modes: Intelligent Wind Noise Reduction; Intelligent Voice Enhancement; Dolby Atmos; Engine Sound Enhancement
- Weight: 196g
- Dimensions (W x H x D): With lens: 50.0×100.0×40.0mm; without lens: 50.0×100.0×26.4mm
- Microphones: 4x 360° omnidirectional windproof array
- Battery capacity: 2600mAh
- Charging time: 80% in 24 mins; 100% in 35 mins (30W with PPS fast charging)
- Run time: 8K30fps Endurance Mode: 140 mins
- Operating temperature: -20℃ to 40℃ (-4°F to 104°F)
- Waterproof: 20m without case, 60m with Invisible Dive Case Pro
Price and availability
The Insta360 X6 is priced from US$699.99 for the Standard Bundle, with an Essentials Bundle containing additional items including the Invisible Selfie Stick, Lens Cap and Carry Case priced at US$799.99.
An Invisible Dive Bundle for the X6 is currently avaialble in the UK and Europe, preced at £828 and €942, with a US version expected soon.
More than 100 accessories are available, covering everything from everyday filming, cycling, motorcycling and other outdoor activities. Mounting systems used with the X5, X4 and Ace series cameras remain compatible with the X6.
www.insta360.com
Related articles
- Insta360 marks Shark Awareness Day with global shark protection campaign
- Insta360 X5 action camera dive bundle review
- Insta360 raises the game with new X5 Invisible Dive Case Pro
- Insta360 launches social media campaign for PADI AWARE
