Review: Insta360 Go 3S Action Camera

Insta360's Go 3 was an incredibly fun action camera. It could morph from a more traditional GoPro-like camera to a unique, pendant-style wearable. It made shots possible that you just couldn't get with more traditional GoPro-style cameras.

This year, the company released the Go 3S. The updated camera adds support for 4K video, higher bit rates for smoother video, and improved battery life.

Sensor Improvements

Externally the Go 3S is difficult to distinguish from the Go 3. They're the same size, the rear flip-up screen is unchanged, and the USB-C port is in the same spot. The main visible difference is the lens guard, which is bigger and thicker. I like this change because it makes it much easier to pull the lens portion out of the Action Pod, as Insta360 calls the body portion of the design.

The only other minor external changes I found are the more-textured, easier-to-grip edges for the camera lens portion and the power and Q buttons on the side. Otherwise, all the significant changes in the Go 3S are inside the camera.

The headline feature of the Insta360 Go 3S is undoubtedly the 4K video. I said in my review of the Go 3 that “I never once noticed the 2.7K footage from the Go 3 being 2.7K, which is to say, unless you shoot side-by-side with a [4K camera], most people would never be able to tell the image quality difference.” I stand by that. But when you are putting 2.7K side by side with 4K in the same video, you can tell the difference. For instance, I always found it difficult to mix footage from the Go 3 with footage from my GoPro, which I often shoot in 5.3K. This is where the real appeal of the new Go 3S lies. The 4K footage does objectively look better (though again, you need to put it side by side to see it). More importantly, it mixes naturally with 4K footage from other cameras like the GoPro Hero 12 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) or the Insta360 Ace Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends).

What impressed me most about video from the Go 3S wasn't so much the additional sharpness, which is there, but the lack of pixelation, particularly in motion shots. Where the Go 3 tended to get quite pixelated in motion shots (e.g., while riding a bike), the Go 3S does not. This improvement is likely due more to the Go 3S's higher bit rate (120 Mbps versus 80 Mbps) than the 4K video, but either way it's a welcome improvement.

That said, there is still a good bit of pixelation at higher frame rates, so I recommend avoiding them. Shooting at 120 fps isn't too bad, but the 200 fps mode is often unusable. (The quality of the footage depends a lot on lighting, but even in pretty good light, 200 fps is too much for this sensor and lens to handle well).

The other very noticeable difference between video from the Go 3 and Go 3S is the improved dynamic range and color. The Go 3S has much better tonal range in shadows, showing a lot more detail. There was also none of the (slight) magenta color cast that I sometimes got with the Go 3.

Other Changes

Before you get too excited about smoother, sharper video, there are some other changes to the Go 3S to keep in mind. The first is that the sensor has changed. Previous Go cameras used an oversize sensor that allowed you to shoot either vertical or horizontal footage (using Freeframe mode) regardless of how the camera was oriented.

This changes in the 3S. From my testing and experimenting it seems that the new sensor is horizontal, and software is making up the difference. This results in slightly less clear vertical video than what you can get with the Go 3.

In fact, as someone who exclusively shoots horizontally for longer-form content, I would never have noticed this change were it not for legions of offended Reddit users endlessly arguing about it. Suffice to say that, If you're a huge fan of the Go 3's Freeframe mode, which you then crop to vertical video, the Go 3S might be a step backwards. I prefer to think this is Insta360's clever plan to encourage you to shoot horizontal video, as the gods intended.

Another change worth noting is the lens, which loses about 15 percent of its field of view compared to the Go 3. The Go 3 had a 35-mm equivalent of an 11-mm lens, while the Go 3S has a 35-mm equivalent of a 16-mm lens. In practice this didn't amount to much of a difference, but the field of view is slightly narrower.

There is, however, a nice new ultrawide mode in the Go 3S dubbed MegaView. This view is close to UltraWide, but does some barrel distortion correction to give a more natural look. The almost completely distortion-free Narrow view is also still around, as are Dewarp and UltraWide. From my testing, the new MegaView falls somewhere between UltraWide and Dewarp: less barrel distortion than Ultrawide, more than Dewarp. I found it quite useful for continuous horizons, for example on the water, where it can be tricky to shoot and avoid the bubble-shaped horizon line.

Speaking of in-camera processing like MegaView, the stabilization engine has been updated again. It crops aggressively, but the Max stabilization setting manages to produce footage that's on par with what you'd get from a high-end gimbal. The one catch here is that enabling Max stabilization adds some lag to the preview on the rear screen. It's not a huge deal, but it can be awkward if you're actively monitoring with the screen.

Among the other new features are a new portrait color profile, presumably aimed at vloggers, but honestly, I couldn't tell much difference between this and the default color profile.

Finally there is one new feature that I thoroughly dislike: Rotating the camera vertically means you shoot vertical video, holding it horizontally means you shoot horizontally. I freely admit that this absolutely makes sense in almost every case, but it doesn't make sense with the pendant, where I want to wear the camera vertically and still shoot horizontally, like I could with the Go 3. Alas, that's not how it works anymore, probably due again to the different sensor.

Despite that complaint, the Go 3S is very much the camera I was wanting when I tested the Go 3 last year. The sharper, smoother footage puts it on par with every other action camera out there, but the form factor remains unique and fun. The magnetic system means you can stick the pod portion of the camera just about anywhere, enabling all kinds of shots that would be difficult to pull off with any other camera.

Should you upgrade? If you have the Go 3, probably not. The 4K footage is slightly better, and color rendering truer to life, but in the grand scheme of online video uploads, neither are going to change your videos much. Interestingly, if you already have the Go 3, you can just buy the Go 3S camera module for $240 and use it with your Go 3 Action Pod. Yes, the camera itself is backward compatible with the Go 3 Action Pod. Kudos to Insta360 for that.

Otherwise, if you're in the market for an action cam, the Insta360 Go 3S is a compelling option. Have a look at my guide to action cameras to see the full range of possibilities, but the Go 3S is hard to beat when it comes to versatility and fun.