The best small action camera on the market just got a 4K upgrade
Thumb-sized Insta360 Go 3S brings in a fistful of improvements
Last year’s Insta360 Go 3 action camera made a humongous impression on me – mainly due to its far-less-than-humongous size. There aren’t many action cams I’d class as choking hazards, but this one was so tiny that at least one content creator used it to shoot sequences from inside his own mouth. Yummy.
Appealing as I found the Go 3 (I awarded it a full five stars in my review), I managed to keep it out of my own gob. But temptation is about to strike again, courtesy of an updated and improved edition: the new Insta360 Go 3S.
The Insta360 Go 3S’s headline feature is probably its resolution bump. Thanks to a new processor, the camera can now record 4K video at up to 30fps (in addition to 2.7K and 1080p at up to 50fps). It can also record slow-motion 2.7K video at 100fps and 1080p at 200fps.
The other imaging advantage this offers over the original Go 3 is a new lens, which promises less distortion at wider fields-of-view than the previous one. There’s also an option to shoot in Dolby Vision HDR for better dynamic range and colour detail, and the maximum bitrate for video has increased from 80Mbps to 120Mbps. Other than that, video quality-wise everything seems similar to the Go 3, which is no bad thing.
More waterproof, less losable
There are other improvements too, with the waterproof depth doubling from 5m to 10m, the addition of AI gestures to start/stop shooting and the ability to switch between horizontal and vertical aspect ratios by twisting the camera. It’s also the first Insta360 camera to be compatible with Apple Find My; a useful addition I think, given its tiny size.
The size, thankfully, remains the same: a mere 25.6 x 54.4 x 24.8mm when removed from its Action Pod. A look at the spec comparison confirms that the Insta360 Go 3S is 4g heavier than its predecessor (39.1g opposed to 35.5g), which isn’t likely to cause anyone any issues. The Go 3’s portability and built-in magnet – which allowed it to be mounted on hat brims, t-shirts and stuck to any metal surface – was its biggest asset, and I suspect the same will be true of the Go 3S. It’ll just have better video quality too.
The Insta360 Go 3S is available to order now (priced from US$399.99/£349.99/€399.99) from the Insta360 online store, Amazon and select other retailers. The Standard Bundle includes the camera, Action Pod, Magnetic Pendant, Easy Clip, Pivot Stand and Lens Guard. 128GB and 256GB storage options and Artic White and Midnight Black colour options are available.
Sam Kieldsen
Contributor 
