Go 3 by Insta360 It was an incredibly fun action camera. It could transform from a more traditional GoPro-style camera into a unique, pendant-style, handheld device. It allowed you to take photos that you couldn’t get with more traditional GoPro-style cameras.
This year, the company launched the Go 3S. The updated camera adds 4K video support, higher bit rates for smoother videos, and improved battery life.
Improvements in sensors
Externally, it’s hard to tell the Go 3S apart from the Go 3. They’re the same size, the flip-out rear screen hasn’t changed, and the USB-C port is in the same place. The main visible difference is the lens guard, which is larger and thicker. I like this change because it makes it much easier to pop out the lens portion of the Action Pod, as Insta360 calls the body part of the design.
The only minor external changes I could spot are the more textured, grippier edges of the camera lens portion and the power and Q buttons on the side. Otherwise, all the significant changes to the Go 3S are inside the camera.
Photography: Scott Gilbertson
The main feature of the Insta360 Go 3S is undoubtedly the 4K video. In my review of the Go 3 I said that “I never noticed the 2.7K footage on the Go 3 being 2.7K, meaning unless you shoot next to a 4K camera, most people would never be able to tell the difference in image quality.” I stand by that. But when are If you put 2.7K next to 4K in the same video, you can really tell the difference. For example, I always found it difficult to mix footage from the Go 3 with footage from my GoPro, which I typically shoot in 5.3K. This is where the real appeal of the new Go 3S lies. The 4K footage objectively looks better (though again, you have to put them side-by-side to see it). More importantly, it blends 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 the Go 3S’s video wasn’t so much the extra sharpness, which is there, but the lack of pixelation, especially in moving shots. Whereas the Go 3 tended to get quite pixelated in moving shots (e.g. when riding a bike), the Go 3S didn’t. This improvement is likely more due to the Go 3S’s higher bitrate (120Mbps vs. 80Mbps) than it is to 4K video, but it’s a welcome improvement either way.
That said, there is still quite a bit of pixelation at higher frame rates, so I recommend avoiding them. Shooting at 120fps isn’t too bad, but the 200fps mode is often unusable. (Footage quality is highly dependent on lighting, but even in good light, 200fps is too much for this sensor and lens to handle well.)