The action camera brand Insta360 is entering new territory as it is set to unveil what appears to be a new smartphone on March 29.
the 20-second teaser video It doesn’t reveal much, but there are some clues we can use to paint a picture. For starters, the device will have a small screen on the handle and some sort of folding mechanism for easy storage. Smartphones will rest on the mount via a magnetic clip. Between the handle and the lock, there appears to be a control panel with a wheel for changing different shooting modes on the side. The trailer skips that part, so it’s hard to know exactly what’s in it.
Arguably the most revealing aspect of the joke are these shooting modes. Each one is represented by an acronym, and although Insta360 doesn’t say directly what it stands for, we have a pretty good one. “F” is the follow mode, giving you complete freedom of control to move the axis however you like. “PF” for pan-up mode locks the axis on a horizontal plane. And Auto mode to track the target automatically. But what confuses us the most is the fourth mode, FPV mode (presumably it means first person view).
An edge above the competition
Other reports Making the argument for FPV Mode would mean that the gimbal has the ability to connect to the camera of an external device, i.e. a drone, and see that view through a smartphone. Drones like DJI FPV They have the ability to connect their camera to DJI Goggles Headset 2 Giving people an “immersive flying experience”. Insta360 doesn’t sell any drones themselves, so it’s likely that the company will offer third-party support instead.
Assuming this is the case, this would give the gimbal a unique edge over the competition by being more flexible. To get the same experience with DJI, you should buy an FPV Drone and Goggles 2. Outside of some special online sales, you’re looking at $1,500+ gear. Being able to see a drone’s viewpoint on a smartphone through a gimbal sounds like an interesting possibility.
But at the end of the day, we don’t know for sure. We’ll just have to wait until the Insta360 event on the 29th to get the full story. In the meantime, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of The best drones of 2023 across different budgets.
