Insta360 recently launched its new modular action camera - Insta360 One R. It's an industry first modular action camera wherein you can unplug the battery, screen, camera sensor and attach different modules. For initial impressions, it looks ridiculously mind-blowing. But the question is "How does it stack up against the DJI Osmo Action and the indisputable king GoPro Hero 8". Well, let's find out.

DJI Osmo Action vs. GoPro 8 vs. Insta360 One

The final firmware of the Inst360 One R is not finalized yet. So, the color profile and the footage is yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, here's a detailed look at the action camera specs.
Name
 GoPro Hero 8 DJI Osmo Action Insta360 One R (default)
Sensor Size
 1/2.3" 1/2.3" 1/2.3" 1" (1-inch variant)
Resolution 12 MP 12 MP 12 MP 19 MP (1-inch variant)
Aperture f/2.8 f/2.8 f/2.8 f/3.2 (1-inch variant)
Video Modes Standard video, Timelapse Mode, Slo-Mo, Timewarp mode, Nightlapse mode Standard video, Timelapse Mode, Slo-Mo, HyperLapse mode Standard video, HDR video, Timelapse mode, TimeShift mode, Starlapse mode
Video Resolution
 4k60, 2.7k120, 1080p240 4k60, 2.7k60, 1080p240 4k60, 2.7k100, 1080p200 (default) 5.3k30, 4k60, 2.7k60, 1080p120 (1-inch variant)
Video Formats
 MP4 (H.264/H.265) MOV, MP4 (H.264) MP4 (H.264/H.265)
Video Bitrate
 100 Mbps 100 Mbps 100 Mbps
Max Photo Resolution
 4000 x 3000 4000 x 3000 4000 x 3000 5312 x 3552 (1-inch variant)
Photo Format
 JPEG, RAW (dng) JPEG, RAW (dng) JPEG, RAW (dng)
Touch Screen Display
 Yes Yes Yes
Display Size
 2-inch 2.25-inch rear 1.4-inch front 1.3-inch
Waterproof
10 m
 11 m 5 m
Battery capacity
1220 mAh
 1300 mAh 1190 mAh
Ports
microSD, USB-C
 microSD, USB-C microSD, USB-C, 3.5mm jack
Bluetooth version
 4.2 4.2 4.0
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth
 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Live Streaming
Yes (1080p)
 No Coming soon

1. Modularity

The USP of the Insta360 One R is its modularity. The entire screen with the core, camera sensor, and battery can be dissembled in 3 different parts. All of these modules connect to each other via Lego-styled pins. Surprisingly as a single unit, the Insta360 One R is waterproof. Additionally, the modularity enables the One R to have multiple camera sensors and a flip display. As of now, Insta360 is offering a 360-degree camera sensor and a huge 1" Leica sensor but in the future, you can expect more camera modules. Insta360 is also selling other accessories like an invisible selfie stick, charging and battery pack, etc.

2. External Microphone

All of the devices feature an excellent internal microphone but you would mostly be hooking an external one for better audio quality. The Insta360 features a 3.5 mm headphone jack which is lacking in both the DJI Osmo Action and GoPro Hero 8. The 3.5mm jack makes it easy to connect any third-party microphone. Moreover, the One R can also record audio over Bluetooth. This enables to record audio via a Bluetooth microphone or even Apple Airpods. On the other hand, DJI Osmo Action features a Type-C port that can record audio but you have to use DJI's proprietary Type-C/3.5mm adapter. Similarly, GoPro Hero 8 can also record audio via the Type-C port with Hero's Pro 3.5mm mic adapter.

3. Display

The Insta360 One R, due to its modularity, loses a lot in terms of screen real estate. It features a tiny 1.3-inch touchscreen display compared to the GoPro and DJI's 2-inch+ touchscreen displays. If you have bigger hands, dealing with the One R display can be tedious. On the other hand, DJI Osmo Action features a dual-display set up which comes really handy for vlogging. The GoPro 8 has only a rear display but you can complement it with GoPro's display mod ($79) that functions as the secondary display.

4. Additional Features

All of the three action cameras can create Timelapse and stabilized Hyperlapse. To add to it, the Insta360 One R can do StarLapses. This is a quick trick to capture star trails in the form of video. The most outstanding feature of the Insta360 One R is the invisible stick module which lets you capture 360-degree videos and photos. In post-processing, the One R removes the selfie stick and stitches the video seamlessly. However, this invisible stick only works with the 360-camera module.

5. Pricing & Variants

The Insta360 One R has 3 different variants which make things slightly complicated. It has a base 4k wide-angle variant that features a single 4k camera sensor. This variant is priced at $299 whereas the 360-camera bundle is priced at $480. There is also a premium 1-inch Leica sensor variant which is priced at $549. Of course, you can mix and match the sensor and buy different bundles. Comparatively, the DJI Osmo Action has come down to $274 and the GoPro Hero 8 can be bought at $349. The GoPro also has a max variant that features a 360-degree camera and is priced at $499. Closing Words The Insta360 One R is still in the pre-production phase and the final variant hasn't released yet. It would be too early to make a judgment based on the initial hands-on and specs. For more issues or concerns, let me know in the comments below. Also Read: Best Camera Apps For Android