The Insta360 Go 2 has officially arrived after its fairly unsubtle teaser video last week – and as our full Insta360 Go 2 review reveals, the 27g vlogging camera is a significant improvement on its predecessor.
The original Insta360 Go arrived in 2019 as a thumb-sized, 18.3g action camera that could capture short bursts of video, but was let down by its usability and image quality.
Fortunately for anyone who needs a wearable, water-resistant camera that can be taken anywhere, the Insta360 Go 2 improves on both of those issues. The camera itself is slightly heavier than its predecessor, but comes with a very useful case that doubles as a holder and a tripod.
- Read our in-depth Insta360 Go 2 review
- These are the best cheap action cameras you can buy right now
- Or check out our guide to the best action cameras in the world
This case adds a mode screen, buttons and legs to the little lozenge-shaped camera, which stills contains all the core electronics – including a lens, battery, processor, 32GB storage and a 1/2.3-inch sensor that can capture 1440p video.
This falls short of the resolution you can get on larger actions cameras like the GoPro Hero 9 Black, which shoots 5.7K video, but as our reviewer discovered, the actual video quality is often comparable in the right conditions.
Our reviewer says: "The Insta360 Go 2 manages to retain most of the detail it captures when in bright sunlight, for the sort of performance we’d expect from a GoPro Black-series camera, not a tiny one like this."
While the GoPro Hero 9 Black was "still the clear winner in terms of color tone, stabilization and general image consistency" in our side-to-side comparisons with the Insta360 Go 2, the latter did put in a good showing in terms of detail and sharpness, beating most of the best cheap action cameras we've tested.
Smooth operator
The new charging case isn't the only accessory you get with the Insta360 Go 2 either. You also get a Magnet Pendant, which you can wear under your clothing to help the Go 2 stick to your body, and an Easy Clip, which can be attached to backpack straps or caps.
The Insta360 Go 2 also qualifies for action cam status thanks to its IPX8 water resistance, which means it's able to handle submersion in water (if not swimming), and its image stabilization skills.
Unfortunately, the Insta360 Go 2's in-camera stabilization falls well short of GoPro's HyperSmooth, resulting in jerky footage if you go running with it. But if you're happy to edit the footage on your phone or laptop, then you can apply FlowState stabilization.
FlowState is a big improvement on the Go 2's in-camera stabilization and offers handy features like horizon leveling, but it does add time to your workflow and means it isn't quite as straightforward to use as a GoPro.
This is a factor mentioned in our review's wrap-up, which concludes: "What the Insta360 Go 2 lacks in innovation around its form factor, it makes up for with smart additions and drastic usability improvements."
But our review also adds: "Is it the perfect micro action camera? No. The lack of a preview display is a big issue for a non-360 camera, and while the workflow is improved over some earlier Insta360 cams, it is still not as quick-to-use as a GoPro."
If you don't mind those niggles, though, then the Insta360 Go 2 is a compelling new option for vloggers, YouTubers and cyclists, despite its slight price hike over its predecessor.
You can buy it right now for $299.99 / £294.99 / AU$479.99 from the Insta360 store. And there's even a charming Minions edition (above), which will be available in the US, Canada, Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan for $329.99.
- These are the best vlogging cameras you can buy right now
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