Insta 360 Go 3S Review

Tom's Guide

The Insta 360 GO 3S might as well be called the GO 4. It can now shoot up to 4k 30fps or 1080p 200fps and it is Insta 360's first camera to have Apple Find My. This is one of the most unique action/pocket cameras and it unlocks so many cool ways to shoot video.

Transcript

00:00Should you buy or skip the new Insta360 GO 3S? Let's get into it.

00:04The GO 3S is the latest tiny action camera in the Insta360 GO lineup,

00:09and with all the new upgrades and features it packs in, it 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, better 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 that you can buy in 2024,

00:26and personally, one of my favorites.

00:27Its modular magnetic design allows it to be so much more than just a traditional camera

00:32or even pocket camera, but it also introduces a few limitations that you should keep in mind

00:37before picking one up.

00:40Starting things off, the first reason to buy the GO 3S is that it's arguably one of the biggest

00:45upgrades in the GO lineup ever.

00:48The Insta360 GO 3S can now shoot 4K video up to 30 frames per second,

00:52which is a big step up over the 2.7K 30 frames per second maximum that the GO 3 offered.

00:58The GO 3S also features a higher 120 megabits per second bitrate versus 80 megabits per second on the GO 3,

01:04giving your footage noticeably more sharpness and detail.

01:08With that bumping quality, the 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, which is really cool and you should try it out,

01:20everything looks super clean and punchy without it ever feeling overdone and over-processed.

01:25But what about slow motion?

01:26The GO 3S can now shoot 1080p at 200 frames per second versus 120 frames per second on the GO 3.

01:33240 frames per second would have been great here, but at least we can now do eight times slow motion

01:38when it's conformed to 24 frames per second timeline.

01:41While the GO 3S does have its share of quirks, which we'll get into,

01:45what makes it so special is that you can pretty much stick or mount it anywhere.

01:49Trying to find all the things that are magnetic just to see what I can stick this to now.

01:54Its small size, magnetic design, and 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, I've got my own tripod set up on basically any surface.

02:07And as they like to call it, the 3S is a truly no-hands camera.

02:12It unlocks a new way of filming unique angles, which, aside from being really fun,

02:17also helps you be more creative with your storytelling, something not a lot of cameras help you do.

02:24And because of how small and inconspicuous this is, makes it really easy to record in areas where you

02:29don't want to draw a lot of attention to yourself. Combine that with this really good built-in microphone,

02:34and you have a really awesome setup. But while it's not going to be as smooth as something like

02:38the Osmo Pocket 3 that we've been filming this video on, for something this small,

02:44you really can't beat it. Now, if that wasn't enough, also new for this year,

02:47the Go 3S is Insta360's first camera to work with Apple Find My. This is easily the most underrated

02:53feature for any gadget, camera, or otherwise. The Go 3S is small and easy enough to misplace as is,

02:58and as someone who is always switching bags or leaving things behind, being able to keep tabs on

03:03the Go 3S is awesome. And while this doesn't make it theft-proof, this is also a great way to keep

03:08the camera a little bit more secure, especially if you're a solo creator like myself, and you like

03:13to set the camera up in other locations. That way you can capture those behind the scenes or maybe more

03:18candid shots without really ever leaving it behind. A final reason to buy the Go 3S is that it returns with

03:25the Action Pod, which was first introduced on the Go 3. It feels a little bit more solid while still

03:29offering the same 2.2 inch flip-up display, which is what you'll use for framing your subject,

03:35changing all your settings, and it's also the perfect tool for vlogging and taking selfies.

03:40It's one of the best displays I've tested on any action camera or small pocket camera. It's the perfect

03:45combination of size, brightness, and functionality. My biggest complaint with the Go 2 was how frustrating it

03:51was is to change your different video modes, settings, not to mention I have to rely on a

03:57smartphone to make sure everything looks good. And even though the Hero 12 Black that you've seen a

04:02few shots of already has a larger 2.27 inch rear display, its front is only a 1.4 inch. It's not

04:08nearly as convenient to use, but as you can imagine with more moving parts, especially a display like

04:14this, it could be another point of failure. So let's actually get into the first reason you may want to

04:19skip out on the Go 3S. As great as the Go 3's small and modular design is, it also introduces some

04:27limitations. When detached, the camera itself is IPX8 waterproof, which is good up to 33 feet or 10

04:34meters with its lens guard attached. The pot itself is not waterproof, it's only splash proof, so no taking

04:41this by the pool or to the beach. That is unless you buy Insta360's dive case, which is another $60. It's

04:47another accessory you need to remember to install, but it does give it a waterproof rating up to 197

04:53feet, which is great. That said, when compared to something like the GoPro Hero 12 Black, which has a

04:59waterproof rating of 33 feet and it's built in and doesn't require any additional accessories,

05:05it's something worth considering. The Go 3S also might not be the best choice if you're looking to

05:10record non-stop all day long and you don't have time to back up your footage. Just as with its

05:15predecessors, including the original Go, the Go 2 I have, the Go 3S still lacks support for external

05:21storage. Given its smaller size, it's a little bit more forgivable and understandable, but unlike

05:26other action cameras with removable micro SD cards, it does mean you're stuck with whatever capacity

05:32you buy from day one. So that either means the 64 gigabyte model, which is $399 or 128 gigabytes for

05:40$429. The 3S isn't available in 32 gigabytes like the 3 was, but given how much more storage your 4K

05:47clips are now going to need, it makes sense. I also think the extra 30 bucks to upgrade to 128 gigabytes

05:55is worth the peace of mind knowing you're not going to run out of storage as fast, but let me know what

06:00you think about that. Although Insta360 does offer a new quick transfer accessory for another $44,

06:07which does feature a micro SD card slot and connects to the Go 3S camera, allowing to free up its

06:12internal storage on the move, it's nowhere near as quick or convenient as simply swapping out for a

06:19fresh new micro SD card. And as you can imagine, for a lot of people, this is one of the Go 3S's biggest

06:24letdowns. For my next point, I'm going to start this off by saying it's super impressive that Insta360

06:29managed to add 4K to the Go 3S, but maybe this makes me seem a little bit spoiled. It has me craving

06:36more. Again, max resolution on the 3S is now 4K 30p, which is a nice jump up, but it's still

06:43underwhelming when compared to the likes of the Hero Black 12, which can do a ridiculous 5.3K at 60,

06:504K at 120, and 2.7K at 240. I love filming at higher frame rates and slowing down my footage later

06:57for that buttery smooth look. And while the Go 3S's 1080p at 200 frames per second can get the job done,

07:03with some impressive results, it's noticeably less sharp than its 4K video, and it's definitely a

07:09step behind most of the competition at this price point. A final reason you might want to skip on the

07:14Insta360 Go 3S is that it doesn't support any external microphones. So if I want to do a nice

07:20dynamic shot like this where I'm walking towards the camera further away, I need to use something like

07:24the DJI wireless mic in order to pick up clean audio, and then I have to sync it later in post.

07:30Something that you don't normally need to do with a GoPro, for example, as it does support accessories

07:35like its USB-C to 3.5 millimeter jack, so you can actually connect to your microphones directly into

07:41the unit. And even though the Go 3S actually has a really good built-in microphone, it's only really

07:47best suited if it's directly on you. Again, you can hold it out and film like you're vlogging like that,

07:52and it's still decent, but any further away, and you're going to want to wish you had an external

07:56microphone like this. So is the Go 3S a buy or skip? For me, it's a strong buy. At $400, it's a

08:04really good investment for everything that it helps me capture, and it's one of the most unique

08:08cameras that I've ever used. Now, if Insta360 can figure out how to offer higher frame rates in 4K,

08:13the Go series is going to be very hard to compete with. What do you think? Buy or skip? Let us know in

08:18the comments. You can follow us everywhere at Tom's Guide for more cool tech, and you can follow me to see what I'm

08:22reviewing next. Thanks for watching. I'll catch you in the next one.

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