Insta360 X4 Air vs X4: Why the Air Is a No-Brainer Upgrade

With replaceable lenses and tone enhancement at just $60 more, the X4 Air brings flagship features to the mid-range. Here's why it's the obvious choice over the standard X4.

Editorial Team •

The Bottom Line: The Insta360 X4 Air is essentially a refined X4 with key X5 features at a $60 premium. Unless you absolutely need the X4's larger battery, the Air is the smarter buy - it's Insta360's direct response to DJI's aggressive pricing, bringing replaceable lenses and tone enhancement to the masses.

Insta360 X4 Air
Insta360 X4 Air
Insta360
$399
Insta360 X4
Insta360 X4
Insta360
$339
SpecInsta360 X4 AirInsta360 X4
Screen
1.75 inches Touchscreen
2.5 inches Touchscreen
Microphones
—
4
Weight
165 g
203 g
Dimensions
46×113.8×37 mm (L×W×H)
46×124.5×26.2 mm (L×W×H)
Sensor
1/1.8-inch CMOS
1/2-inch CMOS
Aperture
f/1.95
f/1.9
ISO Range
100-3200
100-6400
FOV
360°
Panorama: 360° Single-Lens: 170°
Photo Resolution
7680×3840 (29MP)
Panorama 2:1, 11904×5952 (72 MP)
Video Resolution
Panorama 8K: 7680×3840@30/25/24fps 6K: 6016×3008@50/48/30/25/24fps 4K: 3840×1920@50/48/30/25/24fps Single-Lens 4K: 3840×2160@60/50/30/25/24fps 2.7K: 2720×1536@60/50/30/25/24fps 1080p: 1920×1080@120/100/60/50/30/25/24fps
Panorama 8K: 7680×3840 @30fps 5.7K: 5760×2880 @60fps Single-Lens 4K: 3840×2160 @60/50/30/25/24fps 2.7K: 2720×1536 @60/50/30/25/24fps 1080p: 1920×1080 @120/100/60/50/30/25/24fps Timelapse: 11K Timeshift: 8K
Video Bitrate
180 Mbps
200 Mbps
Video Codec
H.264/H.265
H.264/H.265
Log Profile
Not supported
Not supported
Video Format
INSV, MP4 (H.264/H.265)
INSV, MP4 (H.264/H.265)
Audio Recording
48 kHz 16-bit; AAC
48 kHz 16-bit; AAC
Stabilization
FlowState Stabilization
FlowState Stabilization
Waterproof
15 m underwater
15 m underwater
Battery
2010 mAh
2290 mAh
Operating Time
88 mins (8K/30fps), 105 mins (6K/24fps)
135 mins (5.7K/30fps)
Charge Time
36 mins to 80%; 57 mins to 100%
38 mins to 80%; 55 mins to 100%
Storage
External microSD
External microSD up to 1 TB
Wi‑Fi
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/n/ac)
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/n/ac); 5 GHz
Bluetooth
BLE 5.2
BLE 5.2
Ports
USB-C 3.0
USB-C 3.0
App Support
Insta360 App
Insta360 App
Replaceable-Lens
Yes
No, only via factory return
Pre-recording
—
10-40 s

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The Market Context: Fighting Fire with Fire

DJI's Osmo 360 launch shook the 360° camera market, especially in China where aggressive pricing has put immense pressure on Insta360's entire lineup. The X4 Air is Insta360's strategic counterpunch - a value-focused camera that borrows flagship features from the X5 while keeping costs competitive.

At $399 (just $60 more than the X4's $339), the Air isn't trying to be the cheapest option. Instead, it aims to be the best value by delivering features that previously required spending $549 on an X5.

The Game-Changers: What $60 Gets You

1. Replaceable Lenses (The Big One)

This alone justifies the price difference. The standard X4 requires factory service for lens damage - an expensive, time-consuming process. The X4 Air follows the X5's lead with user-replaceable lenses:

For active shooters, this feature pays for itself the first time you scratch a lens.

2. Tone Enhancement

Borrowed directly from the X5, tone enhancement uses AI processing to improve dynamic range and color depth without needing log profiles. Think of it as computational photography for 360° video - your footage looks more professional straight out of camera.

3. AI Chip & Processing

The X4 Air inherits the X5's enhanced AI chip, enabling:

What You're Actually Trading

Let's be honest about the compromises:

Smaller Screen

The X4 Air's 1.75-inch touchscreen is noticeably smaller than the X4's 2.5-inch display. For framing and reviewing footage, the X4 offers a better experience. However, most creators rely on their phones for serious editing anyway.

Smaller Battery

You lose about 30 minutes of runtime. If you're shooting all-day events, this matters. For typical use? Plan to carry a spare battery regardless of which camera you buy.

Slightly Lighter (Yes, This Is a Compromise)

At 165g vs 203g, the X4 Air is 38g lighter. For some, this is a bonus. For others, the X4's extra weight feels more substantial and premium in hand.

Image Quality: Essentially Identical

Both cameras share the same 1/1.8-inch sensor and aperture. In daylight and normal conditions, you won't see meaningful differences. Neither supports log profiles, so both target the same "shoot and share" audience.

The X4 Air's tone enhancement might give it a slight edge in challenging lighting, but we're talking marginal improvements, not night-and-day differences.

Video Specs: Similar Performance, Different Options

X4 Air strengths:

X4 strengths:

Both shoot 8K/30fps panorama. Both work with the same Insta360 app. Both deliver excellent stabilization.

Real Talk: Who Should Still Buy the X4?

Despite our strong recommendation for the Air, the standard X4 makes sense for:

Why We Strongly Recommend the Air

As site owners who've watched this market evolve, we genuinely love seeing this kind of competition. DJI's entry forced Insta360 to deliver better value, and consumers win. The X4 Air represents exactly what we want from camera companies - meaningful features at reasonable prices.

The replaceable lens alone transforms the ownership experience. We've seen too many 360° cameras retired early due to scratched lenses. The Air fixes this fundamental problem.

Add tone enhancement and the AI chip, and you're essentially getting 70% of the X5's advantages at 60% of the price. That's compelling math.

The Bigger Picture: Insta360's Lineup Evolution

Looking at the full range:

The Air creates healthy separation while cannibalizing X4 sales - which is exactly Insta360's goal. They'd rather you buy the Air than consider DJI.

Our Verdict: Buy the Air

Unless you have specific reasons to choose the X4 (battery life, budget, screen size), the X4 Air is the better long-term investment.

Replaceable lenses future-proof your purchase. Tone enhancement improves your content. The AI chip ensures longer software support. For $60, these aren't minor upgrades - they're fundamental improvements to the ownership experience.

Insta360 built the Air specifically to compete with DJI's value proposition. They succeeded. This is the camera that should have launched in the first place.

Final Recommendations

Buy the X4 Air if:

Buy the X4 only if:

Consider the X5 instead if:

The 360° camera wars have delivered a clear winner in the mid-range: the Insta360 X4 Air. It's the camera we'd buy with our own money, and the one we're recommending to friends asking about 360° cameras in 2025.

Competition works. Both companies are pushing each other to deliver better products. As enthusiasts who love this technology, we hope this rivalry continues - because the real winners are creators getting access to increasingly capable, affordable 360° cameras.

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