Insta360 GO Ultra Review

The Insta360 GO Ultra has the potential to take everything that was great about the highly portable and convenient GO 3S and combine them with elements that make the Ace Pro 2 so powerful. With sharper video, better low-light performance, longer battery life, a MicroSD card slot, and other promising upgrades, Insta360 has pulled out all of the stops with this iteration. On paper, it all sounds incredible, but can it deliver the goods during my real-world testing? Here is my review.

Big quality bump

Let’s start with image quality, as that has received a serious upgrade thanks to the new sensor, which is over double the size of the GO 3S’. The quality on offer here is superb, offering a serious jump from what came before. Users can record 4K 60 FPS, with higher frame rates available for those who lower the resolution.

What’s even more exciting is the introduction of PureVideo to the GO line. I love this feature on the Ace Pro 2 as it basically makes it possible for me to shoot before and after work during the UK winter when it is dark all of the time. PureVideo comes to the GO Ultra, which means I’ll be able to mount it on my cap and record clearer POV footage. Excellent!

The other big changes

Helping with that PureVideo processing is the new 5nm chip, which also aids better stabilization and smarter noise reduction. 

Also exciting is the storage change. While built-in storage has gone entirely, the shift to MicroSD is appreciated for easier transfers and future expansion. 

Bluetooth support for microphones is also great to see. While I’m a fan of the GO Ultra’s mics, I know a lot of people will be looking to pair the camera with a dedicated lav mic for better audio. That is now possible.

Battery life has also seen a big improvement. Though I’m not getting anywhere close to Insta360’s promised 70 minutes with the standalone camera, instead getting closer to 50-55 while playing around with different settings, this is a significant improvement over the GO 3S. When paired with the Action Pod, battery life climbs to well over 2 hours with all bells and whistles enabled. 

The Insta360 mobile app has continued to be updated over the years, becoming a formidable editing tool for those with a screen large enough to fiddle with the various sliders. Personally, I prefer to use the desktop app, which has thankfully started to receive updates to bring up to the level of the mobile offering, though there is still some way to go.

Some nitpicks worth mentioning

While the GO Ultra is a clear improvement over its predecessor, I do have some complaints. First is the size and weight, as the new square standalone camera just isn’t as easy to wield and its heavier weight makes itself known when mounted, especially with the included hat clip. It’s not a dealbreaker, especially if you fork out the extra money for the headband, but the weight increase is worth noting.

Though it’s fantastic to see the MicroSD support come over from the Ace Pro 2, it would have been great to also see the presence of a swappable battery. With the GO 3S, the battery life gradually got worse and worse over time. With a non-removable battery, you just have to deal with that ever-decreasing “battery health.”

I’m also sad to see that the 1:1 square capture that the original GO 3 used is now seemingly gone for good. I loved capturing that aspect ratio, especially with how much freedom it allowed when reframing the shot in post. 

I’m also not a fan of how the GO Ultra makes previous GO series accessories unusable with its changed mounting points. I don’t really see why Insta360 would have done this, other than to force users to rebuy mounts and other add-ons.

Disclosure: Review sample provided by Insta360.