Insta360 X4 or X5: which 360 to rent, and for which shoot

What the X5 actually adds

Both reach the same resolution: 8K 360° at 30 fps, 72 Mpx for stills. That is not where the choice is made. Four gaps matter: much larger sensors on the X5 (1/1.28 inch against 1/2 inch), the PureVideo low-light mode that the X4 simply does not have, user-replaceable lenses, and 15 m of waterproofing without a case against 10 m. The X5 also charges faster and lasts longer in 8K. In the other direction, the X4 keeps a higher maximum video bitrate: 200 Mb/s against 180.

On price, one thing is worth knowing: the gap between the two does not track the duration, it opens very fast. Over a single day it stays under 5%; from the second day it is over 30%; from one week to one month the X5 comes to about one and a half times the X4. The cause is the degressive grid: on the X4, two weeks cost less than twice a single day, where the X5 asks nearly three times — and the second day adds nothing on the X4, while it is charged on the X5. So even a weekend is not neutral, whatever the one-day gap suggests.

Both rates include breakage and theft insurance. The deposit is separate: it is taken with the order and returned within five working days once the kit has been checked back in — €100 on the X4, €150 on the X5. Today's amounts are on the two product pages linked further down. Read them the right way: each figure is a total for the whole duration, already degressive — not a per-day rate to multiply by the number of days.

The practical reading fits in one sentence: the longer the shoot, the more the X5 has to be earning its place. The rest of this article is there to settle that.

What the 360 format changes

If you've never used one: two lenses film the front and the back simultaneously, and the application joins the two images into a complete sphere. You no longer point the camera, you put it down; framing becomes an editing decision, in which you choose where to look in each moment.

From this arise some uses that nothing else covers as well.

• Reframing after the fact: you follow a moving subject as if you had placed several cameras.
• The invisible pole: the handle disappears from the image, which gives shots that look like they were taken by a drone, and allows you to film yourself.
• Renderings impossible otherwise: the “small planet” view, the fluid transitions from one objective to another.
• Immersive visits: a serious argument for real estate and tourism.

The table, line by line

22 comparable characteristics, of which 14 differ and 8 are identical. The values in bold are those which separate the two devices.

Characteristic	Rental Insta360 - X4	Rental Insta360 - X5
Type	360 camera	360 camera
Sensors	Two 1/2-inch CMOS sensors — f/1.9	Dual 1/1.28-inch CMOS sensors — f/2.0
Photo resolution	72 MP (11904 × 5952)	72 MP (11904 × 5952)
Max video	8K in 360° (7680 × 3840) at 30 fps	8K in 360° (7680 × 3840) at 30 fps
Slow motion	4K in 360° at 100 fps	4K in 360° at 120 fps
Active HDR	Dedicated mode — resolution not published by Insta360	5.7K at 60 fps, integrated into video mode
Low light mode	Not available	PureVideo — up to 8K at 30 fps in 360°, up to 4K at 30 fps in single lens
Stabilization	FlowState with 360° horizon lock	FlowState with 360° horizon lock
Waterproofing	Waterproof up to 10 m without housing, 50 m with diving housing	Waterproof up to 15 m without housing, 60 m with diving housing
Lenses	Removable lens caps; the lenses themselves are not user replaceable	User replaceable — official replacement lens kit
Autonomy	135 min in 5.7K at 30 fps, 75 min in 8K at 30 fps	135 min in 5.7K at 30 fps, 93 min in 8K at 30 fps, up to 208 min in Endurance mode
Fast charging	80% in 38 mins, 100% in 55 mins	80% in 20 min, 100% in 35 min with PD 30 W charger
Weight	203 g	200 g
Processor	5nm AI chip	Triple AI chip — two Pro imaging chips and one 5nm AI chip
Max video bitrate	200 Mb/s	180 Mb/s
Single-lens mode	4K (3840 × 2160) at 60 fps	4K (3840 × 2160) at 60 fps
Storage	UHS-I V30 microSD card, up to 1TB recommended	UHS-I microSD card V30 or higher
Screen	2.5-inch touchscreen, Corning Gorilla Glass	2.5-inch LCD touchscreen — 440 × 696 px
Connections	USB-C 3.0 and Bluetooth 5.2	USB-C 3.0 and Bluetooth 5.2
Dimensions	46 × 123.6 × 37.6mm	46 × 124.5 × 38.2mm
Microphones	4 microphones — automatic and active wind noise reduction, stereo, Direction Focus	Automatic wind noise reduction (two levels), voice enhancement, stereo, 360° audio, built-in wind shield
Battery	2290mAh	2400mAh

Who is the Insta360 X4 for?

The X4 is more than enough for travel, vlogging and sports. Its definition already exceeds what a phone screen or an online video renders. It's the camera of the creator who publishes on TikTok or YouTube and of the weekend with friends: the 360 format without unnecessary complexity, and without paying for a margin that you won't use.

See the file and availability of Insta360 X4

Who is the Insta360 X5 for?

The X5 gives more scope for cropping and is more tolerant when the light drops. Its lenses are also designed to withstand shocks – a real subject on a 360, whose lenses protrude. This is the model to take for a real estate visit, an immersive capture delivered to a client, or any shoot where the image must hold up in varied conditions.

See the file and availability of Insta360 X5

What the table doesn't say

If you already know you're going to crop tight, or shoot at dusk, take X5. For everything else, the X4 does the job. And in both cases: protect the lenses, it is the primary cause of breakage on this type of device.

Still hesitant? Rent them over two different weekends: this is the only way to compare in your real shooting conditions, and it costs much less than making the wrong purchase.

One point still puts them on an equal footing: the 30 fps of 8K mode, which caps how smooth pans and fast scenes look. The Insta360 X6, which has joined the fleet since, is the only one of our three 360 cameras that reaches 50 fps at that resolution.

The equipment is shipped the day before by Chronopost everywhere in France, or to be collected in Lyon.

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