We recently got our hands on the new Google Pixel 11 Pro XL smartphone, and it’s time to do some testing.

In addition to shooting a sample gallery to test the new cameras, we’re also planning to test two new features Google rolled out alongside the Pixel 11 series: Camera Looks, which let you customize how your photos look at the moment of capture, including presets Google claims will look “less processed,” and Magic Capture, a mode that captures photo and video simultaneously and uses AI to automatically select the best shots and a highlight clip once you’re done.

But before we dive in too far, we wanted to know what questions you have about Google’s newest Pixel Pro smartphones. Let us know in the comments, and if there’s something you’d like to see us test, let us know that too.

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Polaroid is teasing something new coming tomorrow, posting a graphic on its social media page inspired by the hugely successful video game franchise Pokémon, implying that it could be some sort of collaboration. The post’s caption says “Something’s almost ready to show itself… revealed on August 18th.”

It’s always possible the company is riffing on a meme format to tease a completely new product, but if we had to guess, it seems more likely that it’ll be an existing product with a Pokémon theme. The silhouette in the image looks a lot like the existing Polaroid Go with a Pikachu tail, and we’ve seen instant cameras made to reference the franchise’s most recognizable character before. It’s also not out of the question that the announcement is about a co-branded film, rather than a camera; the company has done both, releasing cameras with Thrasher and MoMA liveries, and films with Pantone-colored frames.

Whatever it is, it’s more than likely it’ll be something camera-related. There was a time when the Polaroid name and logo appeared on a wide array of products that had very little to do with taking photos, from TVs to AA batteries, thanks to other companies licensing the brand. While this practice is still alive and well in the industry, it seems to be less common with Polaroid after it was purchased by the same person who owned the Impossible Project, leading to film and cameras once again being sold under the company’s name.

Recently, the company has been going after an audience tired of screens and phones, with its “the best summer is analog” campaign. The target audience clearly skews younger, the kind of people who would’ve grown up playing Pokémon games on their Nintendo DS or smartphone. So a collaboration between the two makes sense, tugging at people’s nostalgia for a time when the devices in their pocket were for having fun, rather than doomscrolling. Whatever it is, we won’t have to wait very long to see it fully unveiled.

Photo editing software company ON1 has announced a new version of its standalone, AI-powered noise reduction software, NoNoise AI 2027. The company also says it’s updated the TackSharp AI deblurring models in NoNoise AI for sharper images with less noise. 

One of the standout features of ON1 NoNoise AI 2027 is the addition of a model selector that matches a particular AI model to the subject of the photographs. ON1 says that it built the models for the situations when photographers are most frequently dealing with noise. That includes astrophotography, portraits and wildlife, though there’s also a general model and one made for ISOs greater than 128,000. Additionally, it offers a film scan-specific model, which presumably will maintain some natural film grain. 

ON1

ON1 says that the models will remove noise while retaining texture and details such as feathers, fur and starlight, resulting in a cleaner, more natural image that doesn’t look smoothed over. While you can select the model manually, it will also automatically match the right option to your subject. 

The 2027 release also brings an updated TackSharp AI, its deblurring engine that promises to make images that were slightly soft look in focus without adding noise or artifacts. As with the noise reduction, TackSharp AI provides access to the model selector. It also provides access to automatic subject and background masking to sharpen or reduce noise in specific areas, and native support for Windows PCs that use Arm-based processors. ON1 has also added expanded Raw file support for more than 30 camera models, though it didn’t specify which ones. 

ON1

ON1 NoNoise AI 2027 is available for pre-order today for $70 ($50 for ON1 owners) and will be available in late September 2026. As with previous versions, it is available for Mac and Windows and can be used as a standalone app or as a plugin for Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Capture One and more. The 2027 version is also included in the ON1 Photo Studio Subscription.

Tariffs are back in the US, and this time they’re targeted at drones. According to a statement posted by The White House on Thursday, there will be a 25% tariff on drones smaller than 25kg (55lb) and components for them. This comes as the drone market in the US has already suffered a major blow when the FCC said it would no longer approve new drones from foreign companies for sale, effectively making it so none of the major drone makers (read: DJI) could launch their new products in the country.

The White House positions the tariffs as a way to “address the national security threat posed by imports of drones and their components,” though the statement specifically calls out that the smaller drones being tariffed at 25% “lack certain capabilities that particularly implicate national security.” The tariffs come down much harder on heavier industrial and agricultural models, or drones that have thermal imaging capabilities; those are being taxed at 100%.

This is the latest move from the US government aimed at curtailing the popularity of foreign-made drones. Last year, it made it so companies couldn’t get regulatory approval to sell new drones in the country, but allowed existing models to remain on store shelves. That hasn’t changed, but with the addition of tariffs, it seems certain that those drones will now be more expensive, leaving Americans to pay more for now-outdated models.

The tariffs on drones will take effect 21 days from when the proclamation was signed, while the ones on some components may take a while longer to go into effect. In case it wasn’t clear that the administration was largely targeting drones made in China, the proclamation also contains a carveout on drones and components made in the EU, Japan, Liechtenstein, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the UK, as long as “substantially all hardware, software, and technology originates from within these countries and the United States.” If they meet that bar, they’ll only be tariffed at 15% (or 10% for the UK).

DJI

This isn’t the current US administration’s first attempt at tariffs. Last year it announced wide-ranging import tariffs on goods from virtually every other country, sparking trade wars, which saw threats of tariffs as high as 25% on goods from Japan, and up to 145% on Chinese imports. While they were in effect, nearly every camera company raised its prices on most or all of their products. While the reciprocal tariffs were deemed illegal by the Supreme Court earlier this year, we’ve yet to see a wholesale softening of those prices.

As for whether these new tariffs will meet the same fate, it’s impossible to say. But if you’re an American considering a drone, it may be worth getting it sooner, rather than later.

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When Honor first showed off the Robot Phone last year, it seemed like an idea that would forever live as just a concept and CGI renders. A phone with a built-in gimbal that folds into the camera bump? That’s also a collaboration with cinema camera company Arri? It all seemed a bit far fetched.

And yet today, the company actually launched it, and it’s for sale in China. At least a few members of the press have even had the opportunity to try it, and Honor teamed up with cinematographers to film some truly wild promo videos with it to show off its video capabilities.

I, personally, would not trust the AI assistant in my phone to control my spaceship.

The Robot Phone’s main camera – the one mounted on the integrated three-axis gimbal – has a 200MP Type 1/1.28 (76mm²) sensor with a 23mm equiv. F1.6 lens. It’s optically stabilized, but obviously the titanium gimbal will do most of the heavy lifting in that regard.

It’s not just for keeping the camera steady during longer exposures or video though; there’s an AI tracking mode to keep your subject centered in the frame, even as you move around, a panorama mode, a star assist feature to track stars across the sky for astrophotography and time lapses, and a rotation mode that will produce a dramatic spinning shot. There are also several different stabilization modes for the gimbal, depending on the look you’re going for.

The gimbal isn’t only relegated to camera duty, though. The phone also features an AI companion called “Yoyo,” which exists as an animated character on the screen, and which can move the gimbal to simulate making gestures. For example, if you ask Yoyo to make an excited expression, the eyes on the phone’s screen will light up, and the gimbal will rock back and forth. It can also “dance” along to music, moving the gimbal along to the beat.

On the opposite end of the playfulness spectrum, Honor is marketing the phone as a serious video tool, saying it allows for a “professional Arri cinematic workflow.” It can shoot in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, and has a few color modes inspired by “Arri Image Science,” as well as support for recording 10-bit 4:2:2 video using the Arri LogC3 curve (though, thankfully, there is a Log assist view so you don’t have to look at a low-contrast preview while you’re recording). That theoretically allows you to use LUTs designed by professionals to grade your footage, and Honor specifically calls out that Davinci Resolve can grade the footage from the phone. It can record video at up to 4K/120 on its gimbal camera, though the LogC3 mode is limited to 4K/60.

The phone has two other cameras, though they’re more traditional models fixed into the camera bump. There’s a 200MP Type 1/1.4 (63mm²) sensor for the telephoto camera, which has a 62mm equiv. F2.6 optically stabilized lens, as well as a 50MP ultrawide camera with a 10mm equiv. F2 lens. Honor doesn’t specify the sensor size for the latter.

Honor

The company didn’t just make a fancy camera and call it a day, though, as the rest of the phone has top-of-the-line flagship specs. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 system on a chip, has a silicon-carbon battery with a 7060mAh capacity (which can be charged at up to 120W wired, or 50W wirelessly), and a 6.31″ display that can reach a (literally) eye-watering 6800 nit peak brightness. 

Unsurprisingly, it’s a touch thicker and heavier than other flagship phones. It weighs 248g (8.7oz) versus the iPhone 17 Pro’s 206g (7.27oz), and is 9.6mm thick versus the iPhone’s 8.75mm. The iPhone, of course, has a substantially lower-capacity battery and also doesn’t have a built-in gimbal.

The Honor Robot phone seems to be a continuation of a trend that seemed finished: the pop-up camera. A few years ago, as phone manufacturers were fighting to shrink the bezels on their phones for a true edge-to-edge display, some companies tried to move the selfie camera from the front of the phone into a mechanized module that would pop up from the top. There were always concerns about the longevity of those solutions, and, at the end of the day, they added a lot complexity for relatively little gain (especially once phone makers figured out how to hide cameras under the screen, or realized people would accept a hole-punch or notch).

This feels different, though. If you’re into video, a gimbal is a genuinely big upgrade from standard IBIS and electronic stabilization, and having one built-into a phone is undeniably extremely convenient. Sure, there are plenty of standalone gimbals designed to work with phones, as well as portable vlogging cameras with integrated gimbals from the likes of DJI and Insta360, but always having access to that kind of stabilization without having to charge and bring along a separate device could be game-changing for certain kinds of shooters. Of course, those durability concerns still remain – when not in use the gimbal is tucked away behind a sliding window, but it’s still a complex moving part – but this time the trade-off could be worthwhile.

Honor

It’ll be very interesting to see if this phone makes its way to markets outside of China, or if it gets an update later down the line. It costs 9,999 Chinese Yuan – around $1500 – for a version with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and 3000 Yuan (~$444) more for a version with 16GB of memory and 1TB of storage.

Rumors and vague teasers have been suggesting for months now that Insta360 is developing a mirrorless camera. Now, the company’s CEO, Jingkang “JK” Liu, has confirmed that not one, but two mirrorless cameras are in development. Liu even added that one will apparently have a shape not considered before. 

The confirmation came from an interview with Mynavi News in conjunction with Insta360’s flagship store opening in Asakusa, Japan. This isn’t the first time the company has hinted at a mirrorless camera, though. In January 2026, Liu posted on Weibo with the phrase ‘Heading towards new focal lengths,’ which started the mirrorless speculation. 

In the interview, Liu gave slightly more details than that initial vague teaser. “At this point, there’s only so much we can say, but we are developing two types of mirrorless cameras,” Liu said. While he wasn’t able to provide many details, he did drop one hint that certainly seems intriguing:  “One of them will have a surprising shape that you’ve never even considered before.” 

When asked why Insta360 decided to tackle an ILC, Liu explained that the goal is “to make it easy for people who don’t know how to use interchangeable-lens cameras to use them by introducing new technologies and AI.” Given that the company has introduced plenty of AI-based features in its app and cameras, it isn’t surprising that it’s thinking about AI for an ILC, either. We’ve seen one take on extensive use of AI in an ILC with the Caira camera, which takes a notably AI-forward approach to ILC design. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see in terms of specifics on how Insta360 plans on implementing this.

GoPro

Insta360 isn’t the only action camera company eyeing the ILC market. GoPro has already announced the Mission 1 Pro ILS, its own interchangeable-lens camera. However, that camera uses a Type 1 sensor and a mount that accepts Micro Four Thirds lenses, but it can’t electronically communicate with them, limiting which models it’ll work with, and making it a manual focus-only affair. Insta360’s rumored models, by contrast, appear to target a genuine Micro Four Thirds system.

Liu didn’t share any further details about the cameras, though leaked images circulating online suggest a Micro Four Thirds mount, with details covered by both RedShark News and TechRadar. There have also been suggestions that the name of the camera will be the Z One. Given Nikon’s well-established Z system, this seems an interesting choice. 

Liu shared that Insta360 may be able to show a prototype at CP+ in February 2027, so it could be a while before we learn more. 

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Skylum has announced an update to Luminar – its photo editing suite that became synonymous with AI sky replacement – which arrives under the pitch of protecting human talent and creative vision.

According to Skylum, the update is arriving in two phases. Phase 1 shipped on August 5 as version 1.28.0, and includes user interface and performance improvements. The Catalog and Edit modes have been merged into a single workspace, with Presets, Tools and Edits gathered into one reorganized panel on the right. Skylum claims exports are now up to 27% faster, preset previews up to 3.8 times faster, and masking uses up to 33% less memory.

The release also adds camera support for the Leica SL3-P and M11-P, the Panasonic Lumix DC-L10 and the Sony a7R VI, plus compressed Raw support for the a7 V. Additionally, the company says it has rebuilt its generative model to produce results that blend more naturally into the original photograph.

Skylum

We also noticed a quiet change: “Neo” appears to be going away. Skylum’s August release notes are headed “Luminar 1.28.0” whereas June’s were headed “Luminar Neo 1.27.1,” and the press materials don’t mention the word. Skylum’s own website hasn’t caught up, and still refers to the app both ways.

Phase 2 is slated to arrive this fall and will focus more on feature improvements. The company says a revised Crop tool will evaluate an image and propose several finished compositions, weighing subject, balance, leading lines and visual weight, and the Atmosphere Fog tool is being rebuilt to respond to a scene’s light, color and depth rather than laying a flat layer over the top. An improved Enhance tool is designed to reduce the risk of overprocessing, and the AI Assistant is being updated to take a description of the look you’re after and apply a combination of Luminar tools to deliver the result you want.

Finally, Skylum says it’s introducing a new web editor to support cross-platform editing.

Skylum

Skylum’s earlier marketing leaned heavily into AI as a selling point, through Luminar AI’s launch and Luminar Neo’s debut. This announcement reads a bit differently: Skylum says the update arrives as the industry grapples with fears that AI might “overshadow human talent” and bring an end to what it calls a nearly 200-year-old craft, with CEO Ivan Kutanin adding, “Creative vision comes first; technology is here only to let it shine.” 

That’s an interesting position from the company that popularized one-click sky replacement, but Skylum seems to be drawing a distinction between craft and documentary photography; effects that prove convincing in a scene versus ones that look pasted in. (The fact that the software also lets you reshape a subject’s body in a portrait makes that a tougher sell.)

Price and availability

Luminar is available as a one-time purchase in three versions. A desktop-only version for Mac and Windows sells for $129. The All Platforms version adds support for iOS, Android and ChromeOS apps, cross-device editing and access to Luminar on the web when it arrives this fall; it retails for $259, but is on sale for $159 through August 31. The Max version adds a year of the company’s Luminar Prime service and retails for $399, but is on sale for $199 through August 31.

Alongside its traditional candybar style phones, Google has also announced the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, the latest iteration of its foldable smartphone. While the majority of its improvements relate to the phone part of it, there are some updates to the camera, too.

Like its predecessor, the Fold has a three camera array: the mix of wide, ultrawide and telephoto we’ve come to expect from most modern smartphones. While its cameras aren’t up to par with the ones found on the non-folding Pixel 11 Pro – in fact, one of them is worse than the one on the standard Pixel 11 – the sensor in the main wide camera is an improvement over the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. It now uses the same 48MP Type 1/1.56 sensor (48mm²) found in the standard Pixel 11, which is noticeably larger than the Type 1/2 (30.7mm²) model used by its predecessor.

Otherwise, the phone features the same ultrawide and telephoto sensors as its predecessor, though Google now gives you the option of doing a 30x “Super Zoom” crop on the 5x lens. The camera bar has also been redesigned, and now includes the “HiLight” multi-color notification indicator, which can tell you if you’re receiving a call from a particular contact, even when your phone is face-down.

While the cameras may represent relatively mild upgrades, the rest of the phone has gotten more attention, starting with its build. Google says it’s 10% lighter and 1mm thinner than its predecessor, and yet three times more durable. While it’s hard to really quantify durability in a way that can be multiplied, like its predecessor the Pixel 11 Pro Fold has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating.

The real gains likely come from the back of the phone, which Google says is made from a glass fiber composite that’s “nearly impossible to crack.” The front 6.5″ display also now uses an “ultra durable” ceramic glass.

Speaking of those displays, the front one is now 20% brighter, shining at up to 2400 nits while displaying HDR content, and capable of reaching peaks of 3600 nits. Those specs are matched by the internal 8″ display, again representing an improvement over the Pro 10 Fold. Google also says the phone now has the thinnest bezels in its series.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold uses the same Tensor G6 processor as the mainline Pixel 11 phones, but comes stock with 16GB of RAM, which is no surprise given the company’s increased focus on multitasking this year. Google has also upgraded it to Qi2.2, allowing for 25W wireless charging.

It also has the same upgraded set of photography features, including the “Camera Looks” feature that gives you more control over how your photos are processed, the faster capture and processing for low-light “Night Sight” photos and the “Magic Capture” mode meant to hand over control of which moments to photograph to the phone, so you can focus on what’s happening in front of you.

The phone now starts at $1899 for the model with 256GB of storage, which is $100 more than the previous version. While that’s not a surprise given the current state of pricing for electronics, the price increase also comes at a time when the competition is fiercer than ever. Samsung’s latest foldables, especially the passport-style Galaxy Fold 8 are getting a lot of buzz, despite their also-hefty price tags.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold will be available in “Olive” green and “Obsidian” black.

Google has announced its new lineup of standard format (as opposed to folding) phones: the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL. Both include improvements to their main cameras, as well as the now-iconic bar they’re housed in, and a host of new photo-focused features.

The Pixel 11

Infamously, last year’s Pixel 10 added a telephoto camera, but at the cost of the main camera: where the three generations before it had a 50MP Type 1/1.31 (72mm²) sensor behind a 24mm lens, the 11 used a 48MP Type 1/2 (31mm²) and a fractionally slower lens, meaning it could gather much less light. Its ultrawide camera was also downgraded, though to a slightly lesser degree.

With the Pixel 11, Google is walking that reduction back, using a larger 48MP Type 1/1.56 (48mm²) sensor for the main camera. While that’s not as large as the sensors found in the Pixels 7, 8 and 9, the company says it should let in around 56% more light than the one on the 10.

While the ultrawide and telephoto cameras are the same as the ones in the Pixel 10, the company has redesigned the bar they live in. It’s now completely covered in glass, rather than featuring a metal accent, and is 40% thinner. While this doesn’t result in a completely flat back like you’d find on the Pixel 10a, Google says that if you put one of its silicon cases on the phone, it essentially won’t have a camera bump.

Unsurprisingly, Google has also updated the processor in the phone, using its new Tensor G6 chip, which it says is faster, and has an upgraded image signal processor, which will specifically help improve the phone’s video (more on that in a bit). Unlike some competitors, the company doesn’t appear to have opted for a silicon-carbon battery, which can provide greater energy density in the same footprint; the Pixel 11 has roughly the same battery capacity as its predecessor. However, it has been upgraded to use Qi 2.2 wireless charging, letting it refill at up to 25W instead of the 15W the Pixel 10 maxed out at.

The base Pixel 11 model starts with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $899. While that’s the same price as a Pixel 10 with the same storage, Google has removed the 128GB option that sat below it for $100 less (though it has added a 512GB option above it). That’s unfortunate, but unsurprising in the age of ballooning NAND chip costs.

Pixel 11 Pro

The camera upgrades on the Pixel 11 Pro and its larger sibling, the Pro XL, are slightly more subtle. The company says the 50MP main camera has been upgraded, but it’s hard to tell exactly what’s changed. It still has a Type 1/1.3 (72mm²) sensor with an F1.68 lens and a 2x center crop mode.

The 48MP telephoto camera, however, is undeniably larger. It uses a Type 1/1.95 (32mm²) sensor, which Google says lets in 30% more light than the Type 1/2.51 (23.5mm²) model on the Pixel 10 Pro. You can also now use the portrait mode on the telephoto camera, adding computer-generated bokeh on top of a focal length that’s traditionally more useful for portraiture.

While the camera bar isn’t as thin as the one on the standard Pixel 11, Google says it’s been redesigned. Part of that includes a new indicator, which the company is calling HiLight. It’s a multi-color light that acts as a status indicator, letting you know about incoming calls, even if the phone is face down on a table. Google pitches it as a feature that will let you be more present in the moment, while still being able to see if someone is trying to contact you. The company says it’ll be able to indicate more things in the future, such as notifying you about text messages.

The displays – 6.3″ for the standard Pro and 6.8″ for the XL – have the same resolution and refresh rates as their predecessor’s. However, they can go a touch brighter; up to 2400 nits, with 3600 nits peak brightness, up from 2200 and 3300 nits, respectively. The glass covering those displays is also improved, with Google promising double the scratch resistance.

Google

Like the Pixel 11, the Pros are getting a de-facto $100 price bump via the removal of the base storage tier. The standard 11 Pro now starts at $1099 for a version with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM (though the 512 and 1TB models have 16GB of memory), and the XL starts at $1299. Apart from screen and battery size, the standard and XL models have the same specifications.

The Pixel camera features

Whichever phone you opt for, Google has also included a few new camera features and improvements. With the new Tensor chip, the company says you can capture “Night Sight” low-light photos up to 4.5 times faster, without any reduction in quality compared to previous-generation phones.

Google

The company is also introducing a feature called “Camera Looks”, which lets you customize how your photos look at time of capture, without having to go in and edit them later. There are several preset modes, including some that Google says are designed to make your photos look “less processed” by using fewer frames to produce an image. This builds on what seems to be a trend of people wanting smartphone photos to look a little more natural and contrasty, rather than hyper-processed.

Several third-party apps, like Adobe’s Project Indigo, and other phone manufacturers, have added similar modes. Of course, the Camera Looks also let you go the opposite direction too, with more distinct looks and film emulations. The camera app lets you set a look as the default, so you don’t have to select it each time you open the camera.

Google has also introduced a mode designed to give the phone control over which moments it captures, letting you pay attention to the thing you’re trying to photograph; think capturing a child’s first steps, or a birthday party. It’s called “Magic Capture,” and to use it, you basically just tell your phone when to start recording, then point it at the subject. It tries to recognize the moments worth saving, and capture them as video clips and what Google says are “HDR+ images.” (Though that designation implies the pictures won’t be as high quality as the ones you’d get from the standard camera mode, which would make sense if they’re derived from video capture). After you’re done, you can choose to apply minor edits to the photos, such as crops and deblurring.

Google

Finally, Google says the new crop of Pixel phones have “the best video quality ever” for the series, with the company having tweaked things like sharpening and noise reduction. It’s been common knowledge among creators for years that iPhones offer much better video than even high-end Android phones, so it seems like Google may be trying to combat that stereotype with these latest phones.

It’s also building in several tools for video creators, such as a teleprompter, overlays with gridlines and safezones for various social media platforms and an audio monitor overlay.

Insta360 has announced the X6, its latest flagship 360 camera. It boasts quite a few updates, including Type 1/1.1 (101 mm²) square sensors, native 8K/50 with 10-bit color, in-camera Dolby Vision and a new body design. The camera also marks 10 years of 360-degree cameras for the company.

Sensors and processing

Insta360

At the core of the X6 are two custom square Type 1/1.1 (101 mm²) Sony sensors (one for each lens). Insta360 says they are 33% larger than the Type 1/1.28 (76 mm²) sensors found in the X5. The lenses keep the same F2.0 aperture as the predecessor, but Insta360 says the larger sensors mean the cameras will perform better in challenging lighting situations, such as low light and backlight.

Insta360 says the camera has 500% more computing power than the X5, while using 35% less power, thanks it is new 8-core processor. Each sensor also has a dedicated image processing chip, and the company says this power lets it produce cleaner images while increasing battery life.

Also new on the X6 is in-camera Dolby Vision, which Insta360 says is a first on a 360 camera. This format captures dynamic metadata, allowing compatible displays to adjust their brightness, contrast and color response, frame-by-frame, to deliver better HDR results. You can also record in the company’s 10-bit I-Log profile to get more latitude in post.

Video and capabilities

Insta360 frames the X6 as a 3-in-1 device, aimed at serving content creators for more than just 360-degree video needs. Because of the native 8K/50 resolution captured upfront, its in-camera reframing and subject-tracking capture mode can track subjects and reframe to flat 4K after the fact without locking in a composition at the time of shooting. In single-lens mode, the camera is capable of traditional action camera footage up to 5K/60 or 4K/120 for slow motion.

While primarily meant for video, the X6 can take still photos, too. It can output 120MP 360 photos with a 2:1 aspect ratio, or 42MP flat photos with a square aspect ratio.

Design and durability

Insta360

The X6 features a new design, with a noticeably shorter body than previous Insta360 X-series cameras, though it’s still not as squat as the DJI Osmo 360 or GoPro Max2 360. To accommodate the new build, Insta360 did away with the buttons at the bottom of the camera.

It features a 2.32″ OLED display, which can achieve 1200 nits peak brightness. Insta360 also says you can fast-charge the battery from empty to 80% in 24 minutes, though you probably won’t have to do that as often; it can record 140 minutes of 8K/30 footage on a charge, 47 more than the X5 at equivalent settings.

The promised durability is also improved, with an IP68 rating and waterproofing to 20m (66′) without a case, 5m (16′) more than its predecessor. You can also pair it with the company’s dive housing for depths up to 60m (197′). Insta360 says its replaceable lenses are now even more scratch-resistant and 60% cheaper to replace than the previous generation. The camera is rated for temperatures from -20℃ to 40℃ (-4°F to 104°F). It ships with 64GB of storage, though only 47GB of that is usable.

AI editing and cloud tools

One of the practical advantages of shooting 360-degree footage is that you capture everything around you and decide on framing later. While the flexibility is nice, it can be overwhelming to edit. Insta360 is aiming to make editing footage easier with a set of AI tools designed to automate processing of the 360 footage. Those modes are powered by PanoMind, which Insta360 says is the first 360-native AI model. The company claims it can better understand the full spherical scene thanks to its training on 10,000 hours of footage across more than 30 scenarios.

PanoMind drives its new AI Director, which builds a highlight edit on the camera itself rather than the cloud when you plug it in to charge. That footage is then sent to the Insta360 app for further adjustments. A separate cloud-side tool called Moments Pro, built with Google Gemini, lets users describe the edit they want by setting subject, mood, style and timeframe.

Accessories and availability

Insta360

The X6 works with more than 100 accessories and shares the magnetic mounting ecosystem with the X5, X4 and Ace series, meaning creators who own multiple Insta360 cameras don’t need to buy separate accessories. These include a Power Selfie Stick that adds a promised 180 minutes of runtime, a Foldable Selfie Stick Remote that features a joystick for gimbal camera-like use, a dedicated motorcycle mount and a charging case.

The camera also offers activity-specific features like a holographic speed overlay and automatic license plate blur for motorcyclists, as well as cycling stats overlays from Garmin and Apple Watch.

The Insta360 X6 goes on sale August 12 at the Insta360 official store, Amazon and authorized retailers for a starting price of $700 for the standard bundle.

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