It promised mind-blowing footage straight out of the box, and the Insta360 X4 has mostly delivered. Since our first look in issue #549, we’ve kept testing it in all kinds of sketchy scenarios — trail rides, farm laps, dodgy helmet mounts, you name it — and it continues to punch above its weight in image quality and functionality.
But it’s not without a few quirks, especially once you start editing or trying to keep the unit safe in the wild. Here’s how it held up…
We Liked
One Take, All Angles The biggest win is still the “shoot first, point later” magic. You can mount it once, record your whole ride, and then pick any angle in post — front, rear, side, above… all captured in the same take. No need to redo anything. Great if you ride solo or want to avoid faffing around with multiple cameras.
“De-warp” Mode That built-in mode to flatten out the fisheye look is gold. It means your epic clips don’t end up looking like you filmed inside a fishbowl.
Easy-to-Use App Swiping your finger around to pick the perfect frame or perspective in the app is oddly satisfying — and stupidly easy. The UI is intuitive, and even if you’re tech-illiterate, you’ll get the hang of it fast.
Captures Absolutely Everything Because it’s 360°, nothing gets missed. Whether your mate stacks it behind you or a kangaroo photobombs your shot from the side, it’s in there. Reframing it is as easy as a drag and pinch.
Rock-Solid Slab Mount We’ve been using the slab mount, and once tightened to the max, it holds strong and doesn’t move — even on rough singletrack. You can mount it just about anywhere: helmet, bars, crash bars, chest rig.
We Didn’t Like
Top-Heavy Design That height gives you great field of view but can make the setup feel a little unbalanced. It’s especially noticeable when helmet-mounted — a low-hanging branch could ruin your day and your lens.
Bulbous Lenses The huge curved lenses look beautiful but are prone to getting scratched. They’re just waiting to cop a rock chip or barbed wire flick. The included guards help, but we’re still nervous.
Editing Wish List We’d love a feature in the app that lets you tap and follow your selected angles, record that path, and export it without having to redo it manually. At the moment it’s fiddly.
Verdict
The Insta360 X4 still feels like a cheat code for action footage. It’s not perfect — and it demands a bit of storage space and lens paranoia — but for riders who want to capture everything without thinking, it’s unbeatable. Just get a good mount, take care of those lenses, and enjoy the “how’d you film that?” reactions.
Mitch Lees
GET IT HERE
Insta360 Official Store, Amazon, and select retailers
BILL
$747.99
BROWSER
store.insta360.com
