Insta360 GO3 announced: Huge new features and better battery life

Insta360 has announced the GO3 a successor to its popular GO2 camera, taking the concept of a tiny action camera even further than before.

The Insta360 GO2 was a great camera. It was absolutely tiny, and its protective pod made it easy to put in your pocket for charging. Incredibly, it also produced some great quality imagery, too, although it did have its limitations. For one thing, the battery life of the camera outside the recharging pod was very low at around 20 minutes or so, and the storage capacity was also limited to 32GB. Not long after its release, Insta360 produced a slightly upgraded version of the GO2 with a larger capacity of 64GB, although it didn't address the battery life.

Now the company has announced the GO3, which aims to solve many of the issues that limited the previous camera.

The Insta360 GO3 features the same magnetic mount system as the GO2, but it can also now make use of a new clip system for more secure attachment. Image: Insta360.

Insta360 GO3 specifications

The new GO3 is ever so slightly larger than the GO2, but not by much, and it still only weighs a featherweight 1.25oz (35g). However, this very slight increase in size has allowed for a larger 310mAh battery, giving around 45 minutes of use without the pod. Other changes to the physical design of the GO3 includes the addition of clip points, very similar to the mounting system of the DJI OSMO Action 3. This is in addition to the same magnetic back that was on the GO2, so there are now two different methods of mounting the camera, giving much more versatility.

The charging pod of the GO3 is the biggest change. No longer is it the size of an ear bud charging case. Instead, the GO3 charging pod has been turned into a useful action camera and vlogging style affair, complete with a large LCD on the back. The LCD screen is fully reversible for selfie shots, and also makes the user interface easier to use than on previous Insta360 cameras and includes haptic feedback for settings changes. Furthermore, it functions even when the camera is detached and mounted elsewhere, giving easy access to settings and also image framing. The pod can also use the same clip style mounts as the GO3 camera body itself. The downside is that the system is now more bulky than the GO2, but the additional functionality should be worth it. Finally, the charging pod features a 1270mAh battery, giving 170 minutes of use of the camera when it is attached.

The GO3 body itself is full waterproof down to 5m depth, while the charging pod is weatherproof, although only with the GO3 camera body attached to it. Sound has been improved on the GO3 with an additional microphone, and additionally voice control has also been added.

The GO3 charging pod can operate the camera remotely. Image: Insta360.

New GO3 capabilities

The GO3 has been given many more capabilities than the GO2. For one thing you can now record 2.7K video resolution (2720x1536) at up to 30fps in normal video mode. Video mode doesn't require any extra work on the part of the user, and bakes in the virtual lens mode (Ultra wide, Action, Linear, Narrow) and stabilisation.

FreeFrame video mode records video in a similar way to 180 degree video, which lets users decide their lens mode and stabilisation in post production using either the phone app or the Insta360 Studio desktop software. FreeFrame gives a lower resolution output of 2560x1440, but gives users the most creative flexibility. If you want different outputs for the same video for social media, this will be your go-to mode.

Self framing makes the GO3 much more useful for vlogging. Image: Insta360.

Ultra slow motion is limited to 1080p resolution, although it can go up to 120fps. This might seem very limited compared to some action cameras these days, but the GO2 used to produce some very high quality slow motion, despite the resolution limitation.

The GO2 featured Hyperlapse, but it didn't allow for other basic functions such as stills photos. All this has changed with the Insta360 GO3, offering a full gamut of modes, including TimeShift, Timelapse, Pre-record, Loop Record, Starlapse, Interval Record (Timelapse using still photos, RAW or INSP format), Still Photo and HDR photo. The GO3 can even be set up to turn itself on at a given time to begin recording using any of the above modes with its Timed Capture function.

All of this together makes the GO3 a much more versatile prospect than the GO2 could ever hope to be. We've got one in our hands and are currently putting it through its paces, so stay tuned for our review!

The Insta360 GO3 is available now with three storage options of 32GB, 64GB and 128GB priced at $379.99, $399.99, and $429.99 respectively.