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.
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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.