I see 5.7K resolution...
30 frames per second...
and hold on -
a game-changing feature
of...
an... what?
An invisible selfie stick?
Just kidding.
Not again.
So let's talk about the inevitable release of the Insta360 X4.
I've seen a lot of people talking and speculating about it recently,
so I wanted to add my two cents.
I've been pretty accurate with my predictions over the years,
and from having used every Insta360 camera since 2015,
I've got a pretty good idea of what to expect.
So in this video, I'll share my predictions for the X4,
what the release date will be, as well as some of the features and specs.
So, if you're considering buying an X3 but you're not sure whether
to wait until the X4 comes out, you'll want to pay close attention.
Now, in order to predict the future, first, you need to take a step back into the past.
Here are the release dates of every 360-capable camera
that Insta360 has released since 2015. In it, we can find some very strong hints.
The first four cameras, the 4K, the Nano, the Air, and the one I would say we could
call experimental cameras, Insta360 weren't really a well-known company at that point,
and I was still finding their place in the market.
Then they released the Nano S in early 2018, which also didn't find much success.
Enter the One X; this was their first camera that really hit the mark
with the wider action camera community. That was released back in 2018,
and while there was a new camera released after that, the Evo,
it wasn't necessarily an update or upgrade;
it was just a secondary kind of camera,
which had the exact same specs as the One X; it could just do different things,
But it wasn't the next generation of One X. Next, they released the One R in January of 2020,
and surely this was the successor of the One X, right?
Again, wrong.
It had the same specs and a different kind of way that you would use it.
Instead of just being a 360 camera,
this was a modular camera that you could also turn into a GoPro-type action camera,
but it wasn't a follow-up to the One X.
Now, the follow-up to the One X came in October of 2020 with the One X2, which also happened to be
exactly two years from the One X to the One X2. See any patterns starting to form?
There were no consumer 360 camera releases in 2021, but in 2022,
a brand new camera, the One RS, was released.
And this camera was a successor to the original One R with slightly upgraded features.
The One RS came roughly two years from the original One R.
Still though, it was not part of the One X line.
In June of 2022, Insta360 released the One RS 1 inch,
which was the best consumer 360 camera Insta360 had released to date.
Main reason being it had a one-inch sensor and it was also modular,
meaning you could use it as a 360 camera with a one-inch sensor for use cases like virtual tours,
as well as significantly better video quality, especially in low light,
or rebuild it as an action camera in the One RS form.
Again, still not in the One X line.
Next, in August of 2022 came the X3,
precisely one year and ten months after the release of the One X2, AKA roughly two years.
That date also happens to be one year before I posted this video.
So, will the X4 be coming soon?
I think you can connect the dots.
No, it won't be coming for up another year.
Insta360 has a release schedule of their various builds of 360 cameras
roughly once every two years.
Therefore, the next scheduled release should be an update to the One RS,
which will very likely be coming in early 2024, followed by the X4 in mid to late 2024.
If you were to take it exactly two years from the X3,
then it would be August of 2024.
I can say with 90% certainty it's going to be within a few months of that.
There's a very small chance that they may release something sooner,
but it's unlikely since the X3 has been so successful in really capturing the attention and
creativity of a global market, and for Insta360 to completely undermine that just 12 months later,
it's not going to happen.
The X3 is literally the most successful Insta360 camera to date, so they'll likely want to give
it as long of a life as possible, which means they're very likely to keep releasing firmware
updates over the next year to continually improve the X3 experience for users in order to increase
the lifespan and relevance of the camera. If you do want my in-depth review of the
X4 when it comes out around August 2024, then be sure to hit the Subscribe button
down below, hit the bell, you know the rest. Now, what kind of specs can we expect from the X4?
Well, in case you hadn't noticed, Insta360 is very much like GoPro in
that with every new release, they don't update everything a significant amount.
If there are any spec updates, it's usually by 5 or 10%
So, you'll get slightly more video quality, slightly higher frame rates,
slightly more shooting modes, but it's never a night and day difference.
That said, I do think there's a chance that they could go up
to 6K resolution with the X4 since that is what the One RS 1 inch has,
and they seem to be able to make it work in such a small camera.
I don't think they're going to go with 8K with the X4 for a few reasons.
Firstly, the actual engineering achievement to build a camera so small that it fits easily in
your pocket and can shoot 8K video, but not just that, 8K 360 video without overheating
and performing really well is a really tough task. And to be honest, I think if they did, they'd need
to expand the camera body, so it's bigger, it has more fans, and just all-around more capable
of shooting 8K, which I personally see as a downside because I love the portability of the X3.
8K will happen one day, but not next year.
The other reason is a lot of people use really old phones and computers,
and even with 5.7K, you see people complaining that the videos aren't working,
the software is freezing, the stitching and editing workflow is really slow.
But the reason is they're using 10-plus-year-old technology to edit high-quality video. So,
if Insta360 released an 8K camera and people are still editing on their 20-year-old computers,
can you imagine the level of complaints they'd be getting?
So, I think the only workaround to that would be Insta360 finding a really good proxy workflow that
would allow high-quality files being able to be edited on older computers,
older phones without those major freezing and slow performance issues.
They do use proxies already in the LRV files that you'll find on the SD card.
However, when you're dealing with 8K,
this workflow will have to be on a whole 'nother level.
So, that said, with the X4, I'm predicting 6K up to 50 FPS since that's a nice marginal upgrade
that will lead to substantially higher quality without them evolving too fast
that their user base can't keep up.
Every other spec of the camera will get some kind of small upgrade, but it won't
necessarily be that noticeable. In terms of features of the X4,
I do think they'll improve the sensor as well as the lenses to produce even better video quality.
Again, this won't be a night and day difference.
They're not going to upgrade to a one-inch sensor because that would
make the camera much more expensive, but it will be a little bit bigger than the X3.
No doubt they'll also add a few exclusive shooting or editing modes to the X4,
making it more enticing to buy. Again, though, this video is 100% speculation.
So, should you buy the X3 now or should you wait for the X4? Well,
it's going to be up to a year wait,
so you just need to evaluate.
Do you need a better 360 camera now, or can you wait?
If you have something that is somewhat recent, you probably don't need to upgrade.
If you're coming from a much older model or you've never owned a 360 camera before,
then the X3 is still the best consumer 360 camera available right now as of late 2023, and waiting
a whole year for a new camera that is likely only a 10% upgrade probably won't be worth it.
However, if you're into the modular line, the One R, One RS, or One RS 1 inch,
then I do anticipate something coming just before the X4 that you may want
to wait for instead if you prefer that kind of offering instead of a 360 action camera.
I also predict they'll drop the "One" from the name of the camera,
just like they did with the X3.
I also just want to say that it's not all about Insta360.
I know they are in most conversations around 360 cameras,
but that is simply because they put themselves there, and they are the only company consistently
releasing cameras year after year, whereas the others don't. Companies like Ricoh, Kandao,
and GoPro are a lot more unpredictable with their release schedules; therefore,
you just never know when their next camera is going to come. I do think all three of
those companies will be releasing 360 cameras, though, within the next one to two years for sure.
Now, what are your predictions for the X4? Let me know down below.
If you already own an Insta360 camera and you bought it with the intention of
using it to capture amazing shots on your next vacation, there are some important
mistakes you'll want to avoid making that could potentially ruin your travel video.
So, watch this video here to learn my five simple steps that will practically guarantee
that you make an amazing travel vlog on your next holiday with whichever Insta360 camera you own.