Insta360 Go 3S vs Insta360 Ace

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Overview of the Insta360 Go 3S

Insta360 Go 3S☆☆☆☆☆★★★★★Insta360 Go 3S
Insta360's latest wearable camera: 4K video in a tiny package
The Go 3S is an amazing pocket action camera offering of 4K video in a very small package. With the ActionPod pairing, it becomes a more traditional action camera with extended battery life and a flip screen.
  • Pros
  • Tiny footprint
  • 4K video
  • Modular design with ActionPod
  • Cons
  • Not waterproof with ActionPod
  • Storage not extendable with SD cards

Overview of the Insta360 Ace

Insta360 Ace☆☆☆☆☆★★★★★Insta360 Ace
Insta360's budget action camera: 6K video and a flipscreen
The Ace is Insta360's entry level action camera but shares a lot of features with it's premium brother, the Insta360 Ace Pro. The main difference being the sensor technology, which although not as advanced, still offers very good performance, with video up to 6K.
  • Pros
  • Great image stabilization
  • Flip screen
  • Weather proof
  • Cons
  • Heavy
  • Average audio

Comparison of the Go 3S vs the Ace

Weight and size

The Go 3S is a lot more compact than the Ace. The Go 3S is a lot lighter than the Ace.
Insta360 Go 3S
25.6mm x 54.4mm x 24.8mm / 1.01in x 2.14in x 0.98in
1.38oz / 39.1g
Features
Dimensions
Weight
Insta360 Ace
71.9mm x 52.15mm x 38.5mm / 2.83in x 2.05in x 1.52in
6.24oz / 176.8g
Why size and weight matter: Weight is important for action cameras because we often mount them on helmets, or hold them at the end of a selfie stick while moving. Therefore a heavier camera can be dvifficult to use or uncomfortable. Weight is even more crucial for certain sports like road cycling or running.

Battery life

The Ace offers a much larger battery capacity. The Ace has a removable battery whereas the Go 3S's battery is not removable
Insta360 Go 3S
310mAh
Removable
38min at 1080p
Features
Battery capacity
Removable battery
Battery life
Insta360 Ace
1700mAh
Removable
100min at 4K30fps HDR
Why battery life matters: Nothing worse than running out of battery just before capturing the best footage of the day! A long battery life is reassuring and convenient when shooting footage outdoors where options to charge are limited. Even the use of a power bank can be tedious or simply impossible like when filming watersports. Having removeable batteries allows battery swapping on the go which further extends your runtime.

Storage

Only the Go 3S features built-in storage. Only the Ace supports SD cards, the Go 3S is therefore limited to it's built-in storage.
Insta360 Go 3S
64GB or 128GB
Storage not extendable
Features
Built-in storage
Storage format
Insta360 Ace
No built-in storage
microSD
Why storage matters: High quality footage can quickly take up lots of space and insufficient storage can soon be frustrating. Having a large amount of storage and the possiblity to extend it or swap SD cards while on a outing will ensure you will always be able to capture the footage you want. However, smaller, wearable action cameras often rely on built-in storage because of their small size.

Video performance

Only the Ace offers HDR video.
Insta360 Go 3S
4K video at 30fps
HDR video unsupported
Features
Max resolution
HDR video
Insta360 Ace
5.3K video at 30fps
4k 30fps

Camera and sensor technology

The Ace features a much higher resolution. With 157°, the Ace features a much wider field of view than the Go 3S. The Ace features a much higher bit rate than the Go 3S
Insta360 Go 3S
12MP
134°
120Mbps
Features
Pixels
Field of view
Video bite rate
Insta360 Ace
48MP
157°
170Mbps

Camera settings

The Ace's 100-6400 ISO range is far superior to Go 3S's. Both cameras have the same exposure compensation adjustments.
Insta360 Go 3S
100-3200
+/-4
Features
ISO range
Exposure Compensation
Insta360 Ace
100-6400
+/-4

Go 3S vs Ace specifications

NameInsta360 Go 3SInsta360 Ace
Year of release20242023
Width1.01in / 25.6mm2.83in / 71.9mm
Height2.14in / 54.4mm2.05in / 52.15mm
Depth0.98in / 24.8mm1.52in / 38.5mm
Weight1.38oz / 39.1g6.24oz / 176.8g
Waterproof33ft / 10m33ft / 10m
Waterproof with diving case197ft / 60m197ft / 60m
Min operating temperature-4°F / -20°C-4°F / -20°C
Max operating temperature104°F / 40°C104°F / 40°C
Battery capacity310mAh1700mAh
Removable batteryNoYes
Battery life38min at 1080p100min at 4K30fps HDR
Charging time-70min (5V/3A)
Battery extension capacity1270mAh-
Battery extension run time140min at 1080p-
Battery extension charging time65min-
Battery extension weight3.4oz / 96.3g-
Built-in storage64GB
128GB
-
Storage format-microSD
Storage rating required-V30 or UHS-3
Maximun storage supported128GB1Tb
Rear screen sizeWith Action Pod2.4in
Front screen sizeWith Action PodYes
Field of view134°157°
Sensor1/2.3"1/2"
Pixels12MP48MP
ApertureF2.8F2.4
Focal length16mm16mm
ISO range100-3200100-6400
Video zoom-4x
Color Depth8bit8bit
Video bite rate120Mbps170Mbps
Exposure Compensation+/-4+/-4
360-degree videoNoNo
5.3K video-30fps
4K video30fps120fps
2.7K video30fps120fps
1440p video50fps60fps
1080p video50fps240fps
Slow motion at 4K-4x
Maximum slow motion6x at 1080p8x at 1080p
HDR video-4k 30fps
StabilizationFlowstateFlowstate
Horizon lock-Yes
Video formatH.264 (MP4)H.265 (HEVC)
Live streamingNo-
Timelapse modeYesYes
Starlapse modeYesYes
Timeshift modeYesYes
Loop recording modeYesYes
Photo burst modeNoYes
RAW format supportedYesYes
Microphones23
Stereo audioYesYes
Noise reductionYesYes
Audio formataacaac
Audio bluetooth support-Bluetooth headsets
Wifi802.11a/n/ac802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
BluetoothBLE 5.0BLE 5.2
USBType-C USB2.0USB-C
GPS integratedNoNo
GPS pairingGarmin device
Apple Watch
iOS Application
Android Application
Voice commandsYesYes
Gesture commandsYesYes