Countdown to mystery product from Insta360. After taking on GoPro and DJI, what's next?

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

Insta360 is one of the most exciting brands in photography, especially, of course, if action cameras and 360-degree photography is what you're interested in. Now their latest teaser is promising a new product on January 16th and there are a lot of possibilities.

The emphasis on the term "Locked In" opens up a lot of possibilities. When I've reviewed the best 360-degree cameras , a list currently dominated by Insta360's X4, one of the aspects that has kept the company ahead isn't just the evolving camera tech, but the software. If you're looking at 360-degree video from a device like the Insta360 X4 , then using AI to "lock in" on a subject later is a useful feature.

But, well, you can already do that – and across plenty of platforms. So that's probably not something to make a bit launch event for. Also it looks to my eye like we're seeing some hardware – a new device? – in the teaser video, which makes it more exciting...

You can, of course, sign up for an email of the launch event to find out on the day via Insta360.com . But why wait?

So, let's quickly rule some out. The Insta360 X4 is still under a year old – having launched in April – and still faces no serious competion (though we've heard rumors of a DJI 360-degree camera , and GoPro keep saying they've got a Max 2 coming this year). That seems unlikely to me.

My reviews of the Ace Pro 2 8K action camera and even the Go 3S body-worn action camera also still seem quite fresh, though the company does move fast. Still, I'd be inclined to rule these out. And the Insta360 Connect conference camera is a very fresh launch and unlikely to be associated with soccer/football – as seen in the teaser.

The only other consumer category the company already plays in I can see is the Flow Pro phone gimbal – now that, too, doesn't seem very old. I've been testing one myself and it's a great device. But the necessities of folding mechanics mean you get voids in designs – a potential explaination for

It is also an area where tech could improve and grow – if there isn't a limit to the number of people prepared to carry the devices. Perhaps a more "pro" line could develop? Maybe they're even after the best mirrorless camera gimbal market?

All I can tell you is I'll be watching and we'll be covering it – when an ambitious company makes a statement of intent, why not?

You might also like

Insta360 appears on my guides to the best GoPro alternatives , the best action cameras , and as I already said, the best 360-degree cameras . Check too out guide to the best smartphone gimbals .