Insta360 X6 offers significant upgrades with a higher price tag

The Insta360 X6, a more ambitious and feature-rich successor to the X5, promises improved image quality, durability, and performance, but at a premium cost , raising questions about its value for existing owners and new buyers alike.

Insta360’s X6 arrives as a clear step up from the X5, but it is also a much more expensive one. Trusted Reviews says the new model starts at £619 for the standard bundle, compared with £519.99 for the X5, while wider launch coverage places the base US price at about $699.99. That puts the X6 firmly in premium territory for an action camera, even before accessories and bundle upgrades are considered.

The redesign is not just cosmetic. The X6 uses a squarer body to accommodate larger dual 1/1.1-inch sensors, while the X5 keeps the older, slimmer profile. Trusted Reviews notes that the X6 also switches to a 2.32-inch OLED display with always-on support, whereas the X5 uses a 2.5-inch LCD panel. Both cameras retain the same mounting approach, but the X6 is the more ambitious piece of hardware and is rated for dives to 20 metres without an additional case, versus 15 metres on the X5.

Performance is where the X6 pulls away most decisively. TechRadar and other reviews say the larger sensors give it a meaningful gain in light capture, which translates into stronger detail, cleaner night footage and better handling of harsh contrast. The X6 also raises 360 video to 8K/50fps and stills to 120MP, well above the X5’s 8K/30fps and 72MP. That makes it far better suited to users who want the sharpest possible 360 output rather than simply a compact action camera.

Battery life and thermal control are also improved. Trusted Reviews found the X6 could run for about 136 minutes, close to Insta360’s own claim of 140 minutes, while TechRadar reports longer runtimes in real use and better cooling than the X5. That matters because the earlier model could become warm during extended 8K recording, which limited confidence for long shoots. The X6 also adds onboard storage, though reviewers note that the built-in space still fills quickly if you shoot heavily in 8K.

Software remains the one area where the story is less straightforward. Trusted Reviews said its beta version of the X6 mobile app felt unstable on some devices, although the desktop Insta360 Studio app was described as more dependable and better suited to editing. By contrast, the X5 had the more polished app experience at the time of testing. That means the X6 currently looks stronger as a camera than as a complete shooting-and-editing package, even if Insta360’s AI Director and other workflow tools point to where the software is heading.

Taken as a whole, the X6 is the better camera. It brings superior image quality, stronger low-light performance, improved waterproofing, better audio, longer endurance and a more versatile feature set that includes 10-bit colour across modes and support for professional workflows such as Dolby Vision and DaVinci Resolve compatibility. Yet the X5 still makes a lot of sense for buyers who want most of Insta360’s core experience at a lower cost. For existing X5 owners, the upgrade only becomes compelling if the new sensor performance, durability and video improvements are central to their use case.