Insta360 Go 3 vs Go 3S

I recently picked up the Insta360 Go 3 in black—finally, they made one! But then the Go 3S launched, so I had to check it out. Right off the bat, the image quality is a little better, and the build feels slightly improved in some areas, though the Go 3 was already solid. The new lens guard is bigger, which makes it easier to pull out of the case, but there’s a downside—it’s not compatible with Go 3 accessories. So if you already bought extra lens guards or an ND filter set, they’re now useless. This is one of the first real annoyances in the Insta360 Go 3 vs Go 3S comparison.

The biggest issue? The Go 3S loses the flexible recording aspect of its predecessor. On the Go 3, you could shoot however you wanted and adjust the framing later without much loss. Now, the Go 3S only records horizontally if the camera is physically positioned that way, which makes it awkward on the magnetic neck strap and nearly unusable on a side-mounted backpack clip. Cropping vertical footage into horizontal loses about 60% of the frame, which makes me think they ditched the square sensor from the Go 3. On top of that, Insta360 removed the option to disable the front LED indicator—something you could do on the previous model. These are important factors to consider in the Insta360 Go 3 vs Go 3S debate, especially for users who rely on the versatility of the older model.

Honestly, for a device Insta360 calls a "must-have upgrade," you’re really just getting slightly better image quality, a small speed boost in processing, and a handful of frustrating limitations. If you're already using a Go 3, I’d think twice before upgrading—you might end up losing more than you gain.