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Insta360 X5 vs X6: daylight keeps the X5
By Jack, Jack's Coaching
Updated 8 November 2026
Melbourne, Australia
Buy buttons go to the Insta360 store for the X5, the camera I film on. I earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Insta360 didn't see this before it went up. Specs and lab tests are from the reviewers I name. I have not used the X6 or a GoPro Max 2.
I film on the X5. I've never held an X6. If your rides look like mine, daylight and the odd grey morning, buy whichever is cheaper. If you care about the footage after the sun drops, the people who have used both say spend the extra. I wouldn't argue with them. I just don't ride in the dark.
- Club runs in the daytime, and the X5 is well under the X6's price: X5.
- Dusk, night, or you record the whole ride at 8K: X6.
- You already own an X5 and you ride in the light: keep it. TechRadar wouldn't trade one in either.
- Your X5 batteries might not fit the new body. Add a fresh battery to the price before you get excited.
Which one, if you ride a bike?
I bought a 360 camera for one job. One mount, me and the road, stick gone, angle picked later. The X5 does that on a sunny day and on a grey one. The X6 does it too. It costs more, and the reviews say you notice the extra money when the light goes, not when you're squinting at a daylight still.
The table is other people's tests. The "have I filmed on it" row is the only one that's mine.
| X5, the one I use | X6, from other people's tests | |
|---|---|---|
| Buy it for | Daylight, once the price drops | Dusk, night, long 8K clips |
| I have filmed on it | Yes. Road and velodrome | No |
| Launch price | US$549.99, AU$929.99 | About US$670 to US$700. TechRadar lists AU$1,049.99 |
| Top 360 video | 8K30 | 8K50 |
| Sensors | Dual 1/1.28" | Dual 1/1.1", about 33% more area |
| Battery, 8K30 | 93 min claimed, ~90 measured | 140 min claimed, 136 measured |
| Heat, sitting still at 8K | TechRadar: off after 47 min | No shutdown in that test |
| Charge to 80% | 20 min | 24 min |
| Waterproof, no case | 15 m | 20 m |
| Body | 46 x 124.5 x 38.2 mm, 200 g | 50 x 100 x 40 mm, about 196 g |
| Storage | microSD only | microSD plus about 47 GB built in |
| Colour | PureVideo was not 10-bit | 10-bit in every mode, PureVideo included |
Prices move. Check them on the day. There's no buy button on the X6 here, because I haven't used one.
In daylight I can't see the extra money
I put a grey-morning still from my X5 next to the X6 samples and I could not pick which one I'd pay more for. TechRadar shot both and called the daylight jump real, and smaller than the jump from the X4. WIRED called the basic picture comparable, then said the X6 pulls away once the sun drops. 360cameras put the bigger sensors' win at dusk.
A grey Melbourne morning holds up in the clips I post. After dark I have nothing to show you. I don't ride then, and I don't own the newer camera. If your riding looks like mine, the picture is a weak reason to pay the gap.
The spec I'd feel on a descent
8K50. I haven't shot it. 360cameras put 8K30 and 8K50 next to each other on a walking clip and could barely split them once the shot was reframed. The gap showed up when something was moving fast. A descent is that. Slow the footage down and this is the reason to look at the X6. Post a talking clip from the hoods and you will not see it.
Battery, heat, and how it sits on the bars
TechRadar ran both at 8K30. About 90 minutes on the X5, 136 on the X6. The claims are 93 and 140. Then they left them sitting still. The X5 shut itself off from heat at 47 minutes, indoors, not even on a hot road. The X6 didn't, in that test. On a moving bike the air keeps the X5 honest, which is why mine gets through the rides I film. The "stop recording when you stop the bike" rule is in the battery guide.
The X5 still wins the cafe. Empty to 80 percent in 20 minutes. The X6 takes 24.
On the bars the X6 is the shorter camera. 100 mm tall against 124.5 mm, which is BikeRadar's tape measure, and the weight barely moves. Insta360's own computer-mount page is blunt about the difference. The X6 can sit on the quarter-inch thread for hard riding. The X5's stem mount is the one sold for smooth roads. How I mount the camera I actually own is in the mount guide.
I already own an X5. Do I sell it?
For daytime road riding, no. TechRadar used both and said the gains are real, and still not worth trading an X5 in tomorrow. Insta360's own blog says if you bought an X5 and you mostly shoot in good light, it still holds up. I'm staying. I'd move if my dusk clips were the ones I cared about, or if 8K kept dying every time I stopped in the sun.
One boring cost before you list the old one. 360cameras says the body changed, so don't assume the X5 batteries come with you. Price a new battery into the "upgrade".
Insta360 X5 vs X6 FAQ
Should I buy the Insta360 X5 or the X6 for cycling?
The X5 when it is clearly cheaper and you ride in daylight. The X6 for dusk, night, 8K50 and battery. I film on the X5. I have not used the X6.
Is the daylight picture different?
A little. TechRadar called it subtle. WIRED called basic X6 quality comparable to the X5. The gap shows up when the light drops.
Does 8K50 matter on a bike?
More than it does for walking. 360cameras saw the frame-rate jump on fast movement, which includes cycling. I have not shot it.
Will my X5 gear fit the X6?
Don't count on the batteries. The body changed. The official bike mount also treats the X6 as the one rated for hard riding.
I would spend the saving on the mount
An X5 on sale, plus a cage and a short stick, films the rides I actually do. The footage I can stand behind is that camera. The full ride is in the X5 cycling review.
Sources
- TechRadar: X6 vs X5: daylight gap, 136 vs about 90 minutes, 47-minute heat shutdown, 10-bit, charge times, AU prices.
- WIRED: X6 review: basic quality comparable to the X5, better at night.
- 360cameras: hands-on comparison: 8K50 on fast movement, accessory compatibility, who should keep an X5.
- Insta360: X6 vs X5: 140 minutes, 33% more sensor area, and the line that an X5 still holds up in good light.
- BikeRadar: X6 first impressions: 46 x 124.5 x 38.2 mm against 50 x 100 x 40 mm.
- Insta360: bike computer mount: X6 rated for high-intensity riding on the 1/4 inch thread.
