GoPro 12 vs DJI Action 4 vs Insta360 X3 vs GO 3!

Which action camera is the best - should you upgrade? This is my honest review and comparison of the GoPro HERO 12 vs DJI Action 4 vs Insta360 X4 vs Insta360 GO 3 - let me show you the pros and cons! I run through a ton of side by side comparisons and tests that will help you determine which is the best action cam for you.

Chapters:
0:00 The best of the best
0:31 Why I care
0:50 GoPro
2:15 Widest FOV
3:18 ReelSteady
3:52 DJI
5:00 Best audio
5:33 Unique to DJI
6:11 World's best 360º action cam
7:13 Major X3 weakness
7:32 Best mobile app
7:46 Diverse versatility
8:13 Teeny-tiny

Disclosure: some of the links I use are affiliate links, this means I may receive a small commission at no cost to you.

[neonsphere]

This didn't help me. I still can't decide. They're all great. Thanks for this excellent comparison!

[canpin]

Have all 4, For me both insta360s especially the X3 is king especially for travels. It catches literally everything 360 degrees. "Record now and frame later" is incomparable. For example, jump skydiving - only to find out gopro not framed correctly- not gonna happend in X3.

[andreamarcovaldi]

Super happy owner of an OA4 and never regretted after H12 came out! Ease of use, reliability, magnetic mount, battery life, low light capabilities, 10 bit dlog-m (which will match with my next dji mini4 pro), i already have an insta GO 2 for the “impossible” shots and i’m good to go! Use all of these stuff for my gravel bike rides and on vacation and i can’t be happier than that

[realbouncy]

First video I’ve seen in a while that’s not biased toward GoPro.

[jasminexthai]

Thank you for comparing all four!! So helpful 🙌🏼

[danielshaffer]

Great comparison. Thank you for sharing.
I haven’t purchased any action cameras yet but based on your reviews seems like any of these would get the job done.
Curious to know what you’d recommend for a beginner.

[RedSuns]

Does it necessary to use dji mic? Is it better than just using the action 4 cameras built in mic?

[jisaakm]

People complain about Gopro's mounting system, but basicslly is designed to use it for action sports, so the magnetic one from DJI is not that safe... just my opinion

[GATORSKTER]

X3 and dji I left gopro last year and have been super happy

[Mista_G]

Wouldn't it make more sense to compare the Hero 12, Action 4, and the One RS instead (both 4k and 1" mod)?

[vmuscle]

You covered everything i needed except for battery life... currently use GoPro 7 and 8's for racing but they only last about 45 minutes when shooting in 4K. I need something with a lot longer battery life as its a pain to swap batteries while the cameras are mounted.

[ExploringtheWorld]

Great comparison, Ben! Thanks for sharing. I got all three (Gopro 12, Action 4 and X3). Only thing is I stick with my Go2 since the Flip Up screen was not enough improvement for me to upgrade to the Go3.

[cyrusIIIII]

Can you review the best body cams that install very well on the body with 4k quality yet high battery life?

[kellyfrom]

the lowlight possibility of action 4 is insane! 5:42 i'm amazed.

[RoschuhLP]

why do so many people put the resolution in so much focus. everything beyond 4k is usually completly unnessecary to my knowledge. I understand that some edditing afterwards with zooming makes sense.... but everyone who talks about resolution zooms in to show the difference and never uses it again.

So please give me an honest answer. If you use an action cam. Does the resolution still play a serious role after 4k? Do you still edit something with it or do you upload it in that resolution?

[benmiller]

I wish you'd mentioned the real important stuff like battery life n file size n any issues that people have had with corrupt files or durability. The only reason I'd want a camera personally would be as a dashcam/body cam so having reliability n long recording n battery are key

[Waterhead]

I have a Go Pro 11 and while it is a great camera all around, I'm interested in the Insta 360. Christ Broad of Abroad in Japan, just did a day in the life video where he was sponsored by Insta and showed off the Insta 360 Go S. I was blown away with how small it was and being able to flip the screen. GoPro has a lot of cool mods but unless you subscribe to their service, mods like a monitor, light or mic can be as much as $80/item. The biggest negative for me that was shown in the video was the audio for the S3. I would mainly use it for a dashcam for when I'm on my bike as I was nearly hit biking home from work a few nights ago.

[BlackapinoTheTechGuy]

*I had the X3 but found out I don't use it as much as I thought I would have an got the GO3 which I LOVE...ALOT*

[ianross]

I went DJI 4. I’ve never had anything to compare to but from the reviews it had enough to make it the better choice. They’re pretty neck and neck for my needs (an off-road motorcycle trip next month). I may add a 360 at a later date.

[whileiamtraveling]

I still have the original Osmo Action, still works pretty good. I would like to get a GoPro. Looking at this video though the Go 3 looks pretty good, however, not sure I would want it for my main camera