LIVE: Follow the Insta360 "8K era is here" launch event Live here
Insta360 is gearing up to launch a new camera live – let's watch the stream together here...
OK, we've known something exciting to do with 8K is coming for a while, but here it is – and this carefully choreographed launch event will be starting on the stream in the window right below exactly half an hour before the officially scheduled launch, so perhaps we'll get a sneak peak...
[UPADATE: This product – The X4 – has now been released and I have written a Insta360 X4 review and tested it.]
[Scroll further for full stream]
It's a fair bet that we're looking at another 360-degree consumer camera given all the launch events. Insta360's leading device at the moment is the Insta360 X3 – which has just had a price cut. Just saying ;-)
The Insta360 X3 is also already our favorite 360-degree camera in our guide of the best 360-degree cameras and let's look at the company's name – it feels like this is the kind of tech they'd make a big deal about, even if it werent' for all the other rumors and leaks that mention, well, shall I just say it...?
Huh – well I guess I shouldn't be surprised that "the new era" is starting a few minutes later than I expected while ads for all the other Insta360 products are shown on the feed, though I've got to admit that the X3 was a bit of a surprise (even if it was with X3 Invisible Dive Case underwater housing that I reviewed last summer).
Oooo... the ads have gone... something is happening...
Well, things look to be a little embarrassing for Insta360 as their feed has failed, and it isn't just us who're no longer receiving juicy news.
On the other hand, the company seem to have just gone for it and announced the (surprise surprise) X4 on their website under the heading 'Magic in action' and added a new feed...
Brandon Li talks about the new features, emphasizing AI, and making it clear how easy it'll be to do shots on the go. Cache Bunny (seen in the beginning tapping on the screen from the other side) continues the emphasis on 'Shot Lab' – editing on the phone, but also the new Premier Pro plugin (less exciting for me, I've been using the FCPX one for a while...)
We're reminded of the possibilities of using the device as a dash-cam with loop mode (with a big cool BMW motorbike!)
There will also be a new Invisible Dive Case for the X4 at launch rated to 50m which will work like the previous one, and will still have the post-production Aquavision 2.0 filter.
And that's it, the price is announced at $499/£499 and the device is shipping immediately.
I should probably also say that I can now admit I've had an early device from Insta360 to review and I've been testing it for a few days so I've just posted my Insta360 X4 review (yep, you'll see I'm very definitely not a model – see how I look in my tests!!)
Order the X4 at Amazon now - and see all the kits available
The full summary of the Insta360 X4 is that the camera can deliver 8K 30fps 360-degree video – enough resolution for a good bit more detail when shooting first and pointing the camera later – but the device can also manage 4K60fps in 'single camera' mode.
Like its predecessor it's still a 1/2-inch image sensor on both sides, so 72MP is the limit for stills, but the processor is upgraded (as well as the battery) which is the real oomph behind most of the improvements. It is also why it looks like Insta360 are being very clear that this might be the only action camera people need and they might have a point.
Other than that, there were a lot of examples in the announcement of simply listening to users – something I do approve of. For example the X4 has removable lens guards so you don't have to stick them on permanently. No longer do you choose between the camera's durability and quality.