00:00Should you buy or skip the new Insta360 GO 3S?
00:03Let's get into it.
00:04The GO 3S is the latest tiny action camera
00:07in the Insta360 GO lineup.
00:09And with all the new upgrades and features it packs in,
00:11it might as well be called the GO 4.
00:13Speaking of 4, 4K recording is the big new feature this year,
00:16along with support for higher frame rates,
00:18better waterproofing, and some other cool tech,
00:20all for the same starting price.
00:22The GO 3S continues to be one of the best action cameras
00:24that you can buy in 2024,
00:26and personally, one of my favorites.
00:28Its modular magnetic design
00:30allows it to be so much more than just a traditional camera
00:32or even pocket camera.
00:34But it also introduces a few limitations
00:36that you should keep in mind before picking one up.
00:40Starting things off, the first reason to buy the GO 3S
00:43is that it's arguably one of the biggest upgrades
00:46in the GO lineup ever.
00:48The Insta360 GO 3S can now shoot 4K video
00:51up to 30 frames per second,
00:52which is a big step up over the 2.7K 30 frames per second
00:56maximum that the GO 3 offered.
00:58The GO 3S also features a higher
01:00120 megabits per second bit rate
01:02versus 80 megabits per second on the GO 3,
01:05giving your footage noticeably more sharpness and detail.
01:08With that bump in quality,
01:09the GO 3S feels more capable as a travel pocket camera
01:12rather than just an ordinary action camera.
01:15So from walking around, doing time lapses and time shift,
01:18which is really cool and you should try it out,
01:20everything looks super clean and punchy
01:22without it ever feeling overdone and over-processed.
01:25But what about slow motion?
01:27The GO 3S can now shoot 1080p at 200 frames per second
01:30versus 120 frames per second on the GO 3.
01:33240 frames per second would have been great here,
01:35but at least we can now do eight times slow motion
01:38when it's conformed to a 24 frame per second timeline.
01:42While the GO 3S does have its share of quirks,
01:44which we'll get into, what makes it so special
01:46is that you can pretty much stick or mount it anywhere.
01:49Trying to find all the things that are magnetic
01:52just to see what I can stick this to now.
01:55It's small size, magnetic design,
01:57and its support for several different mounting options
01:59means a lot of really cool things that you can do with this.
02:02And without any additional gear,
02:04I've got my own tripod set up on basically any surface.
02:08And as they like to call it,
02:09the 3S is a truly no-hands camera.
02:13It unlocks a new way of filming unique angles,
02:15which aside from being really fun,
02:18also helps you be more creative with your storytelling,
02:21something not a lot of cameras help you do.
02:25And because of how small and inconspicuous this is,
02:27makes it really easy to record in areas
02:29where you don't wanna draw a lot of attention to yourself.
02:32Combine that with this really good built-in microphone,
02:34and you have a really awesome setup.
02:36But while it's not gonna be as smooth
02:38as something like the Osmo Pocket 3
02:41that we've been filming this video on,
02:42for something this small, you really can't beat it.
02:45Now, if that wasn't enough, also new for this year,
02:47the GO 3S is Insta360's first camera
02:50to work with Apple Find My.
02:51This is easily the most underrated feature
02:53for any gadget, camera, or otherwise.
02:56The GO 3S is small and easy enough to misplace as is.
02:59And as someone who is always switching bags
03:00or leaving things behind,
03:02being able to keep tabs on the GO 3S is awesome.
03:05And while this doesn't make it theft-proof,
03:07this is also a great way to keep the camera
03:09a little bit more secure,
03:10especially if you're a solo creator like myself,
03:13and you like to set the camera up in other locations.
03:15That way you can capture those behind the scenes
03:17or maybe more candid shots
03:19without really ever leaving it behind.
03:22A final reason to buy the GO 3S
03:24is that it returns with the ActionPod,
03:25which was first introduced on the GO 3.
03:28It feels a little bit more solid
03:29while still offering the same 2.2-inch flip-up display,
03:33which is what you'll use for framing your subject,
03:35changing all your settings,
03:37and it's also the perfect tool
03:38for vlogging and taking selfies.
03:40It's one of the best displays I've tested
03:41on any action camera or small pocket camera.
03:45It's the perfect combination of size,
03:47brightness, and functionality.
03:49My biggest complaint with the GO 2
03:50was how frustrating it was,
03:52is to change your different video modes, settings,
03:55not to mention I have to rely on a smartphone
03:57to make sure everything looks good.
04:00And even though the HERO12 Black
04:01that you've seen a few shots of already
04:03has a larger 2.27-inch rear display,
04:06its front is only a 1.4-inch.
04:08It's not nearly as convenient to use.
04:10But as you can imagine, with more moving parts,
04:13especially a display like this,
04:15it could be another point of failure.
04:17So, let's actually get into the first reason
04:19you may wanna skip out on the GO 3S.
04:23As great as the GO 3's small and modular design is,
04:26it also introduces some limitations.
04:29When detached, the camera itself is IPX8 waterproof,
04:32which is good up to 33 feet or 10 meters
04:35with its lens guard attached.
04:37The pod itself is not waterproof, it's only splash-proof.
04:40So, no taking this by the pool or to the beach.
04:43That is unless you buy Insta360's Dive Case,
04:46which is another $60.
04:47It's another accessory you need to remember to install.
04:50But it does give it a waterproof rating
04:52up to 197 feet, which is great.
04:55That said, when compared to something
04:57like the GoPro HERO12 Black,
04:59which has a waterproof rating of 33 feet,
05:01and it's built-in and doesn't require
05:03any additional accessories,
05:05it's something worth considering.
05:06The GO 3S also might not be the best choice
05:09if you're looking to record nonstop all day long
05:12and you don't have time to back up your footage.
05:15Just as with its predecessors,
05:16including the original GO, the GO 2 I have,
05:19the GO 3S still lacks support for external storage.
05:22Given its smaller size,
05:23it's a little bit more forgivable and understandable,
05:26but unlike other action cameras
05:27with removable micro SD cards,
05:30it does mean you're stuck with whatever capacity
05:33you buy from day one.
05:34So, that either means the 64 gigabyte model,
05:36which is $399, or 128 gigabytes for $429.
05:42The 3S isn't available in 32 gigabytes
05:45like the 3 was, but given how much more storage
05:47your 4K clips are now going to need, it makes sense.
05:52I also think the extra 30 bucks to upgrade
05:54to 128 gigabytes is worth the peace of mind,
05:56knowing you're not gonna run out of storage as fast,
06:00but let me know what you think about that.
06:01Although Insta360 does offer
06:03a new quick transfer accessory for another $44,
06:07which does feature a micro SD card slot
06:10and connects to the GO 3S camera,
06:11allowing you to free up its internal storage on the move,
06:14it's nowhere near as quick or convenient
06:17as simply swapping out for a fresh new micro SD card.
06:21And as you can imagine, for a lot of people,
06:22this is one of the GO 3S's biggest letdowns.
06:25For my next point, I'm gonna start this off by saying
06:27it's super impressive that Insta360 managed
06:30to add 4K to the GO 3S,
06:32but maybe this makes me seem a little bit spoiled.
06:35It has me craving more.
06:37Again, max resolution on the 3S is now 4K 30P,
06:40which is a nice jump up,
06:42but it's still underwhelming when compared
06:44to the likes of the Hero Black 12,
06:46which can do a ridiculous 5.3K at 60,
06:504K at 120, and 2.7K at 240.
06:54I love filming at higher frame rates
06:56and slowing down my footage later
06:57for that buttery smooth look.
06:59And while the GO 3S is 1080P at 200 frames per second
07:02can get the job done with some impressive results,
07:05it's noticeably less sharp than its 4K video,
07:08and it's definitely a step behind
07:11most of the competition at this price point.
07:13A final reason you might wanna skip
07:14on the Insta360 GO 3S is that it doesn't support
07:17any external microphones.
07:19So if I wanna do a nice dynamic shot like this
07:21where I'm walking towards the camera further away,
07:24I need to use something like the DJI wireless mic
07:26in order to pick up clean audio,
07:28and then I have to sync it later in post,
07:30something that you don't normally need to do
07:31with a GoPro, for example,
07:33as it does support accessories like its USB-C
07:36to 3.5 millimeter jack,
07:38so you can actually connect to your microphones
07:40directly into the unit.
07:42And even though the GO 3S actually has
07:44a really good built-in microphone,
07:46it's only really best suited if it's directly on you.
07:50Again, you can hold it out and film
07:51like you're vlogging like that,
07:52and it's still decent, but any further away,
07:55you're gonna wanna wish you had
07:56an external microphone like this.
07:59So is the GO 3S a buy or skip?
08:02For me, it's a strong buy.
08:03At $400, it's a really good investment
08:05for everything that it helps me capture,
08:07and it's one of the most unique cameras
08:08that I've ever used.
08:09Now, if Insta360 can figure out
08:11how to offer higher frame rates in 4K,
08:13the GO series is gonna be very hard to compete with.
08:16What do you think?
08:17Buy or skip?
08:18Let us know in the comments.
08:19You can follow us everywhere at Tom's Guide
08:20for more cool tech, and you can follow me
08:22to see what I'm reviewing next.
08:24Thanks for watching.
08:25I'll catch you in the next one.
Comments