The Tiniest Action Camera Is Now Slightly Larger, and So Much Better for It

Insta360 wanted to upset the staid design of action cameras two years ago with its Insta360 Go 3 and its odd magnetic camera pod. As much as I may want to stick a camera on my fridge, most users still want a device that will shoot video of the same quality as their average GoPro—no matter if the camera itself is the size of their thumb. As with most lenses, inevitably, you have to go bigger. The new $450 Insta360 Go Ultra trades out the old pop-out pod shape for a cube. It makes this magnetic action camera slightly larger, but if it means shooting at 4K and 60 fps, plus a better sensor for low-light shooting, then it could prove a fair trade.

I’ve been hands-on with the Insta360 Go Ultra for the last few days. No, it’s not as exciting as Insta360’s homegrown Antigravity A1 360-degree camera drone, but this iteration may be the true realization of the Go lineup. The concept behind these tiny cameras is twofold. You can keep the lens inside its housing and use it like any other GoPro or DJI Osmo Action camera. However, if you want to stick the camera in odd places, you can remove it from its housing and attach it to several kinds of magnetic mounts. Hell, since it’s magnetic, anybody can devise some kind of apparatus for a variety of point-of-view shots.

Already, it’s a much more versatile device than last year’s Insta360 Go 3S. That pod could shoot in 4K at 30 fps, but the Go Ultra pumps up the frame rate to 60 fps. The camera maker improved the Go Ultra’s battery life as well, and now it can shoot independently of the main unit for 70 minutes at 1080p. In my experience, shooting at 4K will result in just under 40 minutes of battery life before it needs to return to its main housing. While the main unit is only going to last around 1 hour and 30 minutes, it supports fast charging up to 80% in 12 minutes.

The detachable Go Ultra cube weighs in at 53g, which is bigger than previous iterations, but it’s still so light it won’t weigh anything down unless you attach it to a sheet of loose-leaf paper. The new, larger cube-shaped pod also allows room for a bigger 1/1.28-inch sensor, which Insta360 says will capture better low-light footage. The camera lens has an f/2.85 aperture and a 14.27mm focal length. If you’re snapping photos, the Go Ultra can take up to 50-megapixel resolution shots.

No matter what, a smaller-sized camera will be more limited than full-body action cams. The only question is if the footage looks good enough to emphasize its versatility. Unlike the GoPro Hero 13 Black, the Go Ultra is stuck at 4K instead of the larger 5.3K and 60 fps. If you’re using the new Pure Video mode for low-light footage, you’re limited to 4K and 30 fps. Adaptive HDR for shooting better contrast will also limit the frame rate. All that is not a dealbreaker. I practice historical sword fighting twice a week. One of the biggest issues trying to capture footage of my fights has been the awful lighting at my gym. The Insta360 Go Ultra let me stick the camera on my fencing mask and capture low-light POV footage that appeared clearer than most past attempts with various GoPros. Still, the DJI Osmo Action 5 may still be better if all you care about is low-light shooting.

The box itself comes with a magnetic pendant you can stick under your shirt, allowing the Go Ultra pod to stick to your chest. There’s an additional magnetic clip designed to hook onto the edge of your hat or helmet. Compared to the straitjacket of a GoPro chest mount or hanging a camera from one of the competing company’s stick-on adhesive mounts, the Go Ultra is less of an encumbrance.

The Go 3S relied on internal storage, but that’s missing entirely on the Go Ultra. Instead, you’ll be able to slot in a microSD card up to 2TB. The card goes into the cube pod itself rather than the main unit, so don’t misplace it if you don’t want to lose your footage. I found the magnet built into the Go Ultra is relatively strong, but you can’t stick it to the side of your bike frame and expect it to stay in place. You’ll still need a magnet of some kind to keep your footage steady and stop your camera from flying away if you take a tumble. At least the Go Ultra pod still supports Apple Find My if it ever gets misplaced.

At $450, the Go Ultra is not the kind of device you want to break. It’s $50 more expensive than last year’s flagship GoPro and $100 over the DJI Osmo Action 5. Insta360 will also sell a creator bundle with a mini 2-in-1 tripod, a quick release mount, and a pivot stand for $500. That’s still expensive, so I have to really put the camera through its paces to determine if I’m as magnetized to the GoUltra as the camera itself.