We know beyond doubt GoPro has a new 360-degree camera coming soon, but will it be worth the wait? What features are we expecting (especially since you can buy the 8K Isnta360 X4 right now?)
In the latest earnings call, GoPro even used the name 'Max 2' to refer to the 360-degree camera they said was coming in 2025, so we know for sure it's coming. The question is what will it bring and – specifically – will it jump to the top of our best 360-degree camera guide.
👉I wonder what GoPro has in store for us :) #GoPro pic.twitter.com/uzt3WNzm6XJuly 9, 2024
Long-time readers will remember, too, that we ran a story about the camera we now know for sure is the Max 2 camera being confirmed a little over a year ago. Even then, the Insta360 X3 was probably the better choice as 360-degree camera for most people, and now Insta360 X4 has come along, so what does the Max 2 need to do to impress?
Very clearly GoPro needs to at least match the headline-grabbing 8K spec (i.e. two back-to-back 4K fish eye cameras) and the supposed (it'd be cool if they beat it with GoPro's famous 5.3K back-to-back, but this seems unlikely given the cameras have different proprtions!)
The leaked image, by @Quadro_News, used above seems to show a very thorough re-design, seemingly with the idea of thermal dissipation in mind – it actually looks like a heat sink! That certainly suggests a lot of extra processing and, by extension, resolution. (Processing in a compact camera is the key here; the Insta360 X4, by comparison, has the same imaging sensors but only the X4 was capable of 8K).
The features it needs
So, despite the time closing in, we've not actually heard a lot – feature wise – in the rumours. We do know, however, that the X4 is the key target, so I'm pretty sure the goals will be to match or beat these main features and rely on the 'GoPro' magic to do the selling:
We can hope, perhaps, that GoPro will offer a 'short clip at this mode' setting as another solution to heat/battery issues:
Could there be a 'killer feature' to add to that? Well perhaps. I'm expecting Sony IMX677 sensors (1/1.9-inch) to be used, but the arrangement is key. Looking at the leaked image – we'll see the end of the 'offset lenses'.
This was a weakness of the GoPro's, as it is harder to stitch the images from the two lenses – especially obvious with objects near the camera which are confusing. GoPro's square max design allowed a relatively thin and square design, but near objects could jump oddly as they got near the 'invisible selfie stick'.
Insta360 have solved this in their more recent cameras, with the X2, X3 and X4 all having back-to-back lenses and cameras arranged using prisms (a design invented by Ricoh).
Is it too late for GoPro in 360-degree cameras?
Some people are already asking if GoPro's delays with the Max 2 mean that they've lost too much ground, but I don't think so. Sure, the Max 2 was first expected in 2022 (no really), then, more realistically, late 2024 (by which time the company understood the competition).
It's also worth noting that GoPro are also actively pursuing Insta360 in the courts for an assortment of patent infringements and while, realistically, these things traditionally haven't been finished as rapidly or effectively as GoPro's seems to hope (by the end of 2025), the legal climate is changing. DJI, after all, make most of the best camera better drones, but the courts and officials aren't making them easy to buy for Americans right now!
More significantly, though, 360-degree cameras are still very much in growth. People are constantly finding new uses for them, and providing new features in software. GoPro has built a sensible software business thanks to its subscription plan so it is well-placed to catch up and overtake Insta360 both in terms of marketing and features.
Not only that, but GoPro have put A LOT of money into R&D recently – their financials show it – and if we're absolutely honest we've not seen much come of that in the Hero action cameras (see GoPro Hero 13 v DJI Action 5), so perhaps there really is a surprise coming. It makes sense – 360 is in growth, and it's an area R&D can do things!
Of course the best 360-degree cameras aren't the only GoPro alternatives worth considering in an exciting time for the best action cameras!
