Insta360 GO 2 announced - The world's smallest action camera improved

Insta360 has announced the follow up to its tiny action camera, the GO 2, and it makes a number of notable improvements over the original.

At 27 grams the new Insta360 GO 2 is still the smallest action camera on the market. It would seem perfect for not only getting action shots with its FlowState horizon levelling image stabilization and rugged design, but also as a fun lifestyle camera for just about any use.

The first thing that comes to mind with a small, durable, and affordable action camera like the Insta360 GO 2 is as a stunt cam. Uses that spring to mind include action sports like mountain biking, surfing, and race car driving. Other sporting applications include tennis (really), snorkeling (up to 13 feet or 4 meters), motocross, and more.

The Insta360 GO 2 can be attached to one's hat or shirt as a POV camera using the magnetic pendant mount, or clip mount, and a lens guard prevents the main lens from scratching during intense activities, such as gravel biking.

Spot the camera. The GO 2's size makes it an ideal helmet cam. Image: Insta360.

The GO 2 as a lifestyle camera

But it isn't just an action camera, it's also perfect for the family for every day fun and vacation activities. In fact lifestyle activities are a large focus for the company with the new camera. The original GO was designed precisely with the idea of being able to capture spontaneous clips for social media, and the new camera follows this ethos.

The Insta360 GO 2 is about the size of one's thumb, and is waterproof and durable. The 4m waterproofing is a big improvement on the original’s splash proof design. It features a 1/2.3-inch sensor that records 2560 x 1440p video (30 fps and 50 fps) in H.264 with an ultra wide angle view and an aperture of F/2.2. There's 32 GB of storage (with 28 GB free to use). Clip recording times have improved over the original camera with the option to record clips of up to 30 minutes long. The original camera only permitted clips of 30 or 60 seconds.

Additionally, the FlowState image stabilization and horizon leveling algorithms help to preserve smooth filming. It can also film slow motion up to 120 fps (1080p), and is ideal for shooting at night with either its Nightlapse function or using the in-app noise reduction facility. It also supports HDR filming.

The Insta360 GO 2 inside its charging pod. Image: Insta360.

The battery lasts up to 150 minutes when used within the charging pod and the pod can also act as a handheld grip, remote, or tripod. This is a marked improvement over the original camera, which was limited to around 60 minutes of total recorded footage. It has built-in Bluetooth, so you can control it from up to 33 feet away (10 meters).

The Go 2 is magnetic, meaning that it can be used in a series of clever mounts that come with the camera. This will make moving the camera from mount to mount incredibly quick and easy.

It'll work with iPhone and Android, and you can easily import the footage into the NLE of your choice to edit scenes or use the mobile app’s very clever AI algorithms to make quick and easy edits for social media.

The Insta360 GO 2 retails for $299.99 (£294.99), which also includes a series of different mounts, and you can get more details on the Insta360 website.

To celebrate the release of the new camera, Insta360 has produced a special edition Minions colour way for the camera, and users can themselves order custom finishes to their own cameras. The Minions Edition will be available this summer exclusively via Insta360.com in the US, Canada, Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It will retail for $329.99.

The Insta360 GO 2 Minions Edition. Image: Insta360.

We’ve been testing the Go 2 for a few weeks now, watch our video review here.