Insta360 is on a roll this summer. First in June, there was the Luna Ultra, an 8K gimbal camera for vloggers, and then on August 12 they launched Insta360 X6 Action Cam. Starting at $700, it supersedes the X5 Action Cam, as it superseded the X4 before it, and so on. Real straight-down-the-middle stuff. And so you can see why I’ve been eagerly looking forward to the X6 ever since the X5 came out in April 2025.

A Leap forward, not just a step

The Insta360 X5 was—no, still is—a fine action camera. You can still pick one up for $550 if you want to save $150 off the X6’s price and don’t care about having the latest and greatest. The X6 includes a few significant upgrades, though.

Chief among the upgrades is the X6’s dual 1/1.1-inch sensors, compared to the X5’s 1/1.28-inch. Don’t want to do the math? You don’t have to. That’s about 33% more real estate on the X6 in total, which means greater video quality. Both are 8K, however the X6 gets the edge in video quality.

Battery life grows by 50%, too, to 140 minutes of shooting before the electrical juice runs out. It also comes with 47GB of internal storage for when you don’t have (or forget) the SD card, which the X5 lacks entirely. Not a bad batch of new tricks for Insta360’s new-best action cam.

more action cams worth looking at

As Insta360’s natural competitor in the action camera habitat, DJI’s Osmo 360 is the most obvious direct competitor to the Insta360 X6. Also capable of shooting in 360 degrees and 8K video, the X6 has the edge in image sensor size.

Remember when GoPro was shorthand for action cam? They’re still around and going strong, and if you’re looking for a 360-degree competitor to the Insta360 X6 and DJI Osmo 360, the GoPro Max2 is on a pretty hefty discount right now for $300, down from its usual $500 asking price.

Annnd last but, well, least: the Insta360 X5. Yeah, it’s being nudged out by the X6, which is more advanced, but for now there’s no shortage of stock in the stores, and at $150 less than the X5, you still get a great 360-degree 8K action cam that won’t be outdated anytime soon.

Also from Insta360

Insta360 enters entirely new territory with the Luna Ultra. As the company’s first handheld, gimbal video camera made especially for vloggers, it joins Insta360’s entry into drones with Antigravity, as well as its long-standing position in the action cam space.