Insta360 Flow review 2024: Foldable design makes it portable

239

While DJI and Zhiyun dominate the smartphone gimbal market, Insta360 brings its expertise in action video and 360-degree cameras to the table. With the $159 Insta360 Flow camera, the company is getting into the phone market. What makes the Flow stand out is that it uses AI to track the subject accurately while recording.

It goes up against models like the DJI Osmo Mobile 6 ($159) and the Zhiyun Smooth 5S ($169), which have the same features and cost about the same. But the Insta360 Flow is the best smartphone gimbal in terms of flexibility, ease of use, and smooth performance.

Insta360 Flow Specifications

Specification	Insta360 Flow Gimbal
Price	$159
Subject Tracking	AI-based tracking
Competitors	DJI Osmo Mobile 6, Zhiyun Smooth 5S
Portability	Excellent
Performance	Smooth and reliable

Insta360 Flow: Design

It doesn’t help to have a mobile gimbal if it’s so big or hard to use that you just leave it at home. Insta360 knows this, and it’s clear that a lot of thought went into the creation of the Flow. First of all, it’s light (under 400g total) and small, folding down to 79.6 x 162.1 x 36mm, which makes it easy to carry in a pocket.

When it’s time to go, you can quickly mount your phone with the magnetic clamp and unfold the gimbal arm with a single twist; it will also turn on automatically. It’s a far cry from past gimbals, which were complicated and hard to set up, and it’s even better than the DJI OM 5 and 6, which were already pretty easy to set up. You can buy this from its official website

App and tracking

The Flow works with the same Insta360 app on your phone as the company’s action cameras like the Insta360 X3, Insta360 One RS, and Insta360 Go 2, but you shouldn’t have too much trouble using it even if you’re not familiar with those. Once it’s loaded and paired with your phone and Flow, it will let you know when the gimbal is turned on by leaving a message on your phone’s screen. Just tap it to open the app right away and get going.

The interface is the same as most smartphone camera apps, with a big shutter button in the bottom center and a list of photo modes that can be swiped through horizontally: Pano Photo, Photo, Video, Timelapse, TimeShift, Slow Motion, Dolly Zoom, and Live Mode. Most of these are easy to understand: TimeShift is a sped-up video sequence. Pano Photo is an automatically shot and stitched image.

Insta360 Flow: Performance

The Deep Track 3.0-powered AI tracking functionality is a notable addition. It allows the gimbal to track subjects with pinpoint precision in real time, resulting in steady and fluid video. In spite of temporary obstructions, the tracking accuracy remains high thanks to tools like Person Re-Identification and All-Angle Tracking. The full potential of these sophisticated tracking features, however, requires some practice to unlock. For instance, the Flow will usually take care of the rest if you maintain your physical tracking natural and smooth.

Final Words

The Flow from Insta360 isn’t perfect in every way. The problems with Pan Follow mode are hard to forgive, not because there isn’t a way to fix them (there is), but because there’s no warning. Even though the extending handle and tripod feet are great ideas, they feel too cheap and flimsy to give you much faith in them.

But the DeepTrack 3.0 subject tracking is really amazing, as are the Flow’s small size when folded and how quickly it can be used. So, Insta360’s first smartphone gimbal isn’t perfect, but its small size, quick setup, and ability to track a subject might make up for its problems with handling.

Insta360 Flow review: The good and The bad

FAQS