If you’re looking for the world’s best 360 action cameras, look no further than the Insta360 ONE Series cameras.
With these cameras, you can shoot in every direction and then just find your favorite angle later when you’re editing. You’ll never miss a shot and you don’t even need a cameraman or drone to get epic content.
Insta360 ONE X2 and Insta360 ONE R are the two flagship ONE Series cameras. Insta360 ONE R is an all-in-one tool with interchangeable 360 and wide-angle lenses, while Insta360 ONE X2 is a pocket-sized powerhouse specialized in 360 capture.
These two 360 action cameras are similar in a lot of ways, but they also have some key differences. Trying to decide which one you should pick up? Fear not, here’s the lowdown on what you can do with Insta360 ONE X2 vs ONE R.
| Feature | Insta360 ONE X2 | Insta360 ONE R |
|---|---|---|
| 360 Video Resolution | 5.7K | 360 Mod: 5.7K |
| Wide Angle Video Resolution | 2560×1440 (Steady Cam Mode) | 4K Mod: 4K 1-Inch Mod: 5.3K |
| FlowState Stabilization | ✓ | ✓ |
| Invisible Selfie Stick | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI Editing (Shot Lab, Deep Track 2.0, Auto Frame) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Waterproof | ✓ IPX8 to 10m | ✓ IPX8 to 5m |
| Microphones | 4x Ambisonic and stereo audio | 2x Stereo audio |
| Battery | 1630mAh | Standard: 1190mAh Boosted Battery: 2380mAh |
| Run Time | 80 minutes | 4K & 360 Mod: 70 minutes 1-Inch Mod: 65 minutes |
| Video Coding | H.265, H.264 | H.265, H.264 |
| Screen | Color touchscreen | Reversible color touchscreen |
| Webcam Mode | ✓ | ✓ 4K and 360 Mod only |
| Live Streaming | ✓ | ✓ 360 Mod only |
| Price | $429.99 | Twin Edition (4K + 360): $479.99 360 Edition: $429.99 |
How to choose the best 360 action camera
When choosing a 360 action camera, ultimately your decision will depend on what you’re looking for and how you plan to use your camera. Insta360 ONE X2 might be a better choice for some creators, while Insta360 ONE R might be better for others.
Whether you pick up Insta360 ONE X2 or ONE R, there are some things you’ll be able to do with both 360 action cameras:
- Shoot super 5.7K 360 footage with H.264 or H.265 encoding
- Take epic Invisible Selfie Stick shots
- Get super-stable shots with FlowState stabilization and horizon leveling
- Live stream in 360
- Use it as a web cam
Here’s a rundown of some of the most important factors you should consider when choosing a 360 action camera.
Convenience or flexibility?
Do you want a pocket-sized device you can pull out and just start shooting with right away? Or do you want the ultimate flexibility for shooting any kind of shot anytime, anywhere?
For the former, Insta360 ONE X2 fits perfectly in your palm or in your pocket with its vertical form factor. Just turn it on and start shooting right away for ultimate convenience. You can even take it underwater up to 10 meters without a case. And it has a built-in ¼” mounting point so you can screw in your selfie stick or other accessories directly.
Insta360 ONE R involves a little more setup if you need to switch between lens mods, compared to ONE X2’s convenience. But if you want to shoot both impossible 360 shots and ultra-high-res 5.3K low-light shots in one device, Insta360 ONE R offers ultimate flexibility. You will need to use the included Mounting Bracket to mount ONE R to a selfie stick or when taking it underwater up to 5 meters.
Insta360 ONE X2 Insta360 ONE R
Traditional wide-angle resolution
As amazing as 360 content is, sometimes you might still want to shoot traditional wide-angle shots as well. You might already know exactly what you want to shoot and want to use your 360 camera like a traditional point-and-shoot camera instead.
Insta360 ONE R offers the highest resolution wide-angle footage with its interchangeable lenses. It’s truly like two (or even three) cameras in one—just swap out the 360 mod for a wide-angle mod.
For 4K resolution, you can get the ONE R Twin Edition which includes the 4K Wide Angle Mod and the 360 Mod. Or you can get the Expert Edition, which includes the 1-Inch Wide Angle Mod co-engineered with Leica and the 360 mod. Using a 1-inch sensor, the 1-Inch Mod shoots 5.3K resolution video and delivers the best image quality in an action cam, especially in low-light conditions.
With Insta360 ONE X2, you also have the option to shoot wide-angle footage with “Steady Cam mode”, which enables you to shoot with just one of the camera’s lenses. You can shoot up to 2560×1440, which depending on how you’ll use the shots, might be all you need. It’s a little more convenient compared to ONE R, if you just want to point and shoot without switching out a lens mod.
The editing workflow
When it comes to the editing workflow, both ONE X2 and ONE R use the same AI-powered Insta360 mobile app and Insta360 Studio desktop software. Both cameras continue to receive regular updates, with new features and functional improvements for both.
Compared to other 360 action camera apps on the market, the Insta360 app is the most frequently updated with AI-powered features. And there’s nothing that proves that more than Shot Lab, a continuously-updated collection of one-tap templates using the latest and greatest 360 editing techniques. Both ONE X2 and ONE R creators can use all the same Shot Lab templates.
With the release of ONE X2, some new Shot Lab templates are available for both ONE X2 and ONE R creators. These include:
- Stop Motion Mix: This stop motion template makes it look like you’re magically walking through different scenes.
- Shadow Clone: This template clones your body, retaining your movements and eliminating the need for masking or laborious editing.
- Ghost Town: This template takes your 360 timelapse and removes people from it, outputting an unobstructed photo.
Whether you shoot with ONE X2 or ONE R, you can also use Deep Track 2.0 to keep your target center-frame. Deep Track’s algorithm can track humans, animals and other moving objects, never losing sight of your target, even through obstacles.
Auto Frame is also available for both cameras, which reframes your 360 footage to find the highlights for you, providing you with a collection of recommended angles.
The price point
Both Insta360 ONE X2 and Insta360 ONE R 360 Edition retail for $429.99, while Insta360 ONE R Twin Edition (including the 360 mod & 4K mod) retails for $479.99.
Insta360 ONE R’s modular design offers a huge potential for hardware upgrades in the future. You can look at ONE R as a system—a collection of lenses, processors and batteries—which can be switched out or replaced at any time. Need a bigger battery? Buy the Boosted Battery Base. Want to upgrade to 5.3K resolution? Swap out your 4K mod for the 1-inch mod. It’s that simple.
On the other hand, if you’ve already got a kit full of gear and you just want to add a 360 powerhouse to your wheelhouse, look no further than ONE X2. The choice is yours.
Keen to keep up to date on Insta360 user stories? Keep an eye on our blog. See the latest and join in on the discussion by joining Insta360’s user group or signing up for our mailing list.
