One-minute review

The Casabrews 5700Pro is an espresso machine that features an automatic, built-in grinder and steam wand, so you can use your favorite beans to make coffeehouse-style drinks at home. It’s relatively easy to use – and even those new to espresso machines will be able to learn quickly – although making a shot is a bit more involved than it would be with a pod machine or a basic coffee maker. But the rich, flavorful results are worth the effort. Just be prepared for some trial and error with the settings to achieve your perfect shot of espresso. 

Casabrews was founded in 2020 and deals exclusively in coffee machines, making sleek yet functional options for a variety of budgets. The brand has gained some notoriety on TikTok, and having used the 5700Pro for the past few weeks, I can see why it’s received some social media love – especially when you consider its low price. You’ll also find other budget-friendly alternatives in the Casabrews range, which drop features such as the built-in grinder or the LCD panel, for example, to come in at a more competitive price. 

If you’re looking for a commercial espresso machine experience, but without having to part with a fortune, the Casabrews 5700Pro is a sleek, compact alternative. The grinder offers 15 different grind sizes, and you can select the time for which the grinder distributes grinds into the portafilter for a more hands-off experience. Admittedly, the LCD and control panel are slightly confusing to use at first, but most should become familiar following a few uses. A weighty distributor and tamper are included, too, making the ground coffee ready to brew. 

When brewing an espresso, the machine heats up quickly and is ready to pull shots in about one minute. It takes some strength to slot the portafilter into the brew head, but once done, it’s ready to brew. The LCD panel displays the brew time and pressure, and if you fail to pull perfect results with your first shot, making adjustments is simple. Note, however, that the whole brewing process can be noisy, and I’ve experienced issues with vibrations moving my espresso cup – so be prepared. 

A steam wand is on hand to heat and foam milk in under 30 seconds, while the same wand can deliver hot water – with a little too much water pressure, in my opinion – for americanos or teas. 

Overall, if you love espresso or espresso-based drinks, the Casabrews 5700Pro is one of the best espresso machines available, especially when you consider the price and features. Experts and novices alike will appreciate its capabilities. 

Casabrews 5700Pro review: price and availability

•  List price:  $899.99
• Only available in the US

You can purchase the Casabrews 5700Pro direct from the Casabrews website; it’s currently on sale for $459.99. You can also pick it up from third-party retailers such as Amazon and Home Depot, but the best deals are on the Casabrews website.

There’s no doubt that with a list price of $899.99, the 5700Pro espresso machine is expensive. With features such as a built-in grinder and steam wand, it has plenty going for it; but models such as Breville’s Barista Express Impress offer the same features for less. That said, I’ve yet to see the Casabrews 5700Pro selling at its list price, so if you manage to pick it up for $500 or less, it’s a great deal.

The 5700Pro is the top-of-the-line model in Casabrews’ range, so if you’re looking to spend less then there are several alternatives available. The 3700 Gense costs around $150 and comes with a steam wand and pressure gauge, but no built-in grinder, while the 5700 Gense retails for slightly less than the 5700Pro, yet comes with almost all the same features; there’s no LCD screen, though.

• Value score: 4/5

Casabrews 5700Pro: specifications

Casabrews 5700Pro review: design and features

• Sleek, durable build with stainless steel finishes
• Straight-forward, relatively simple setup
• LCD and controls are difficult to navigate

The Casabrews 5700Pro arrives in a large, pretty bulky box. Inside, you’ll find a number of accessories, which could prove overwhelming for those who haven’t used an espresso machine before and remain unaware of the purpose of these different components. Luckily, an instruction manual and a shorter-length operation guide are on hand to enlighten you.  

Setting up the Casabrews 5700Pro is more straightforward than it might first appear. Most of the machine is already put together, including the grinder – a spare is provided, in case you damage the original.  The only parts you need to attach are the 0.4-gallon bean hopper, the 91oz water reservoir, and the filter holder bracket – which proved the trickiest. Nevertheless, it took about 10 minutes to get the machine set up for first use, which included washing and drying many of the parts before assembly.

Before the first use, you’re supposed to run through a brew cycle, to flush out the machine. Likewise, with the steam wand. I flushed the machine many more times than the one time recommended, however, since the water had a strange fishy smell. After several run-throughs, the smell dissipated. 

The machine itself is quite heavy, weighing a whisker over 20 lbs, so it’s not something you’ll want to be moving around a lot. Size-wise, it’s on par with other espresso machines offering similar functionality, at 12.8 x 11.2 x 16.5 inches with the bean hopper on top. It takes up a good deal of space on my counter, and only just fits under my cabinets, making it better for those with more spacious kitchens. 

The Casabrews 5700Pro’s finish is almost exclusively stainless steel, with its sleek, polished look matching many of the other appliances in my kitchen. Given its price, I expect its build to stand up to a good deal of use, and so far, I have no complaints in this regard. It’s easy to clean, too. The drip tray and plate that slot into the bottom of the machine offer a similarly sturdy feel, and the tray features a tab that will pop up when it needs to be emptied; it holds a good deal of water, requiring me to empty it only once during a week of use. It’s simple to take out and put back in. 

The plastic water reservoir slots into the back of the machine, which makes it slightly challenging to get to when it needs to be filled; Casabrews recommends filling it with “fresh, cold tap water before each use.” I’m lazy, adding water only when the level went below the minimum fill line on most days. I didn’t notice any difference between “fresh” versus “days old” water, but it could play into the longevity of the machine. There doesn’t appear to be any type of filter at the bottom of the tank, which is disappointing. It means that calcium buildup as a result of hard water could lead to issues down the road. 

As mentioned, this machine comes with a grinder preinstalled. You can select a grind size of between 1-15, simply by turning the notch. Be sure to never get the grinder wet; Casabrews puts a stunning amount of warnings about this. For cleaning, the grinder can be removed and replaced easily, with the machine's LCD panel indicating if it isn’t properly in place. 

Speaking of the LCD panel, the Casabrews 5700Pro’s generously sized screen displays such information as grind time for filling the portafilter, time of extraction, pressure, and more. Admittedly, I found this screen difficult to master. There are several well-labeled controls sitting below the panel, such as a dose dial and menu button, plus a Single and Double espresso button. And while it is possible to adjust the temperature of the espresso shot and the volume, the process for doing so is a bit convoluted and super confusing. I kept most of the settings as is, other than adjusting the grind time for filling the portafilter. 

The final attachments include the steam wand and a knob. The knob is more straightforward to use; you simply turn to choose the available settings – steam ready, steam, off, or hot water. The wand moves fairly easily while still feeling securely attached to the main body of the machine. However, I do wish that there was a separate water dispenser rather than having to rely on the wand, which delivers water with a bit too much pressure. 

As for the other accessories you’re likely to use daily, there’s a portafilter offering two filter sizes – single and double – that are easy to pop in and out. There’s also a distributor, which helps spread the coffee grounds evenly,  and a tamper to apply pressure, while a small rubber mat is included to support the portafilter as you perform these tasks. I just wish there was somewhere to store these accessories on the machine so they don’t get lost. 

Also included are a milk jug for steaming, a coffee spoon, cleaning utensils, and a decorating pen – all of which I’ve rarely used, if at all. 

• Design score: 4.5/5

Casabrews 5700Pro: performance

• Produces flavorful espresso with a thick, golden crema
• Noisy, strong vibrations in use
• Steam wand heats milk fast with long-lasting foam

The Casabrews 5700Pro is fairly easy to use. However, do keep in mind that if you haven’t used an espresso machine before, there’s a bit of a learning curve. An instruction sticker on the machine itself, as well as a more in-depth guide of how to make espresso, can be found in the manual that accompanies the machine.  In reality, though, achieving your perfect shot of espresso involves a lot of trial and error, especially when it comes to finding the best grind size for your brews. 

Adjusting the grind size is easy enough, with Casabrews recommending you start at setting 8, turning the grinder up or down to make it coarser or finer, depending on the bar pressure and brew results. This is a 20-bar pressure machine, although you’ll never want your espresso to hit that level. The ideal number is around 9. My first few espressos were above that, and while they still tasted rich and bold, the crema was lacking.

With my beans of choice, I settled on a sweet spot of a grind size of 6.5 and an 11-second timer for the grinder using the single shot filter.  It’s possible to engage the grinder and stop it automatically by setting the time on the LCD using the Dose dial. Otherwise, if you find the filter is getting too full, you can push the portafilter back in to stop grinding. It’s possible to set different timers for the single or double filters, which is extra handy.  

The espresso brewed with these settings resulted in a shot with a nice, bold flavor, a tiny hint of acidity and some sweetness – something that I welcome. There was beautiful, thick golden crema on top that reformed when cut with a spoon. I added a teaspoon of sugar to the top of the crema to see how it held up; it rested on top for a few seconds before dropping to the bottom – all signs of good espresso. 

The time to get these results wasn’t very long. It took about 1 minute for the machine to preheat, time I used to ground the beans. Next, it’s recommended that you use the distributor, to spread the grounds evenly in the portafilter. This isn’t a tool I’ve seen included with other espresso machines I’ve used, but it works surprisingly well. Once you’ve applied a bit of pressure to the beans using the solid, metal tamper, you’re good to slot the portafilter into the brew head. Note that this does take a bit of muscle. It took one hand to hold onto the machine while the other locked the filter into position. Then it was simply a matter of placing a cup under the machine and pressing the “single” shot button. 

Be aware that this machine gets quite noisy, hitting 65dB in use. There’s also a good deal of vibration; I found the espresso cup I was using started to move around a fair bit, leaving splashes all around the outer rim of the cup. The LCD times the espresso as it brews and lets you know the pressure bars. After 22 seconds, hitting the perfect nine bars, I had about 30ml of espresso at a temperature of 135°F.  While it isn’t possible to brew another shot immediately after, the machine will be good to go again inside a minute or so. 

Getting the portafilter out of the machine was as difficult as getting it in, and neither does the Casabrew machine come with a tool to easily remove the used grinds. I used a spoon, or hit the portafilter hard against my garbage can to get the puck out. While I never had an issue with the filter falling out as I did this, the process did sometimes get a little messy. I wish there was a better solution. Nevertheless, at least the actual espresso results were successful and tasty. 

If you’re looking to double the amount of espresso you brew, simply swap out the single filter for the double. As I mentioned, you can save the grind time of the double dose as well, so about 18 seconds procured the ideal amount of grounds for the brew. Having followed the same steps and selecting the “double” shot button, it took the machine 27 seconds to pour an espresso with similar attributes to the first.  Only this time, I had 60ml of espresso to sip on or use in specialty drinks. Note that the 5700Pro will also evenly distribute the espresso into two separate vessels, if you want to make separate drinks. 

The Casabrews 5700Pro comes with both a steam wand that was a joy to use and an easy-to-turn dial on the side of the machine. To get frothing, simply move the dial to the steam-ready notch until the indicator light is steady, which takes about 20 seconds. Then you steam the milk using a metal steam jug and steam wand. I heated 2% milk until it was too hot to touch the jug, about 52 seconds. This process is loud, hitting 75-80dB with the pump thumping every couple of seconds. However, this isn’t unusual with espresso machines in this price category. 

The resulting steamed milk had a temperature of 145°F  and a good layer of thick, foamy bubbles on top. Five minutes later, the foam was still intact and held its shape following a dusting of cinnamon powder on top, making it perfect for cappuccinos and lattes. I tested Oatly oat milk as well with similar results, though it was slightly less foamy than the 2% milk. It’s important to note that you can’t brew espresso at the same time, and there’s a slight delay before you can brew a fresh shot of espresso after steaming. I never found this to be an inconvenience, though. 

When adding the espresso, steamed milk, and foam in a ⅓ ratio, I made cappuccino on par with a good deal of coffee shops I frequent. The coffee taste still cut through the milk, making a tasty, warm beverage to enjoy. My latte tasted similar, although I preferred the extra foamy cappuccino I created. 

The Casabrews also delivers hot water for making an americano or tea through the steam wand. The water runs out with a good deal of pressure, annihilating any of the crema on the espresso – which I found disappointing, since an americano is my go-to everyday drink. A separate spout that didn’t push water out so fast, such as that included in the Breville Barista Express Impress would have been better.  

You get a cup full of hot water each time you turn the knob, or turn it back to “off” to stop the water flow. It takes about 45 seconds to get a cup full of water around 160°F – while not an ideal temperature for tea, it will work when you’re in a pinch.  

There are a few other settings you can play around with on the Casabrews, although I didn’t find them particularly helpful. For example, you can make the espresso shot with warmer or colder water, but not set an actual temperature. Scrolling to the setting took a while, and in testing, it only made the temperature different by 10°F – not enough to make a noticeable difference, in my opinion. According to the instruction manual, you’re also able to set the volume of the espresso shots, with the single shot being 20-60ml and double from 60-120ml. I’ve yet to figure out how to do this, however. 

As far as maintenance goes, The Casabrews 5700Pro is on a par with similar espresso machines. There are two cleaning modes: flush and descale. You can access both using the same process as changing the water temperature. It’s recommended you flush the machine through every week, which simply involves a water clean that takes one minute and minimal effort on your part. Descaling is a similar process, but you add a descaling agent to the water – vinegar is my favorite affordable option. 

The only other component that may occasionally need maintenance is the grinder, and the Casabrews 5700Pro will alert you when it’s time to do so via the LCD. There is a cleaning brush to help with the process, and the manual provides very clear instructions for all the cleaning processes. 

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Casabrews 5700Pro?

Buy it if...

Don’t buy it if...

Also consider...

If you’re not sure about the Casabrews 5700 Pro, here are a couple of other options to consider...

How I tested the Casabrews 5700Pro

• Tested for three weeks
• Used all settings on the machine

I tested the machine for three weeks, with several different varieties of coffee beans to compare performance. I used both the single and double filters on the portafilter, and I made several cappuccinos and lattes, testing the abilities of the steam wand. 

The Casabrews 5700Pro took the place of my usual Breville Barista Express. It proved to be a worthy replacement for that machine. 

One-minute review

The changing seasons can make it difficult to precisely predict the indoor temperature and air quality, yet with the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 you can prepare for any eventuality.

At this point, we all know Dyson is king when it comes to all things air, from making some of the best vacuum cleaners to its prolific Dyson Airwrap. Now, it adds the Dyson Hot+Cool Formaldehyde to its collection of bladeless fans, an all-in-one air treatment device packed with smart functionality and wonderful design features.

This makes for a convenient and sophisticated device that removes the need for you to own separate heating, cooling and air-purifying appliances. However, it should come as no surprise that, with it being a sophisticated Dyson product, the Hot+Cool Formaldehyde comes with a fairly hefty price tag – which is one of our biggest gripes with the device. 

However, for that high price it delivers good bang for your buck. Not only can this air purifier destroy the carcinogenic formaldehyde, but it can do so without the need for a replacement filter; its catalytic filter is self-sustaining, trapping formaldehyde molecules into water and CO2. The rest of the filtering is handled by two pairs of replaceable filters: HEPA H13 particulate filters and carbon filters that Dyson claims work with its catalytic filter to remove 99.95% of particles from the air down to 0.1 microns. 

Standing at 30 inches / 764mm tall, the Hot+Cool Formaldehyde is smaller than some of Dyson’s other air treatment appliances, and its 8.6in / 220mm diameter base is pretty space-friendly, meaning it can sit happily on a table or the floor. The fan can be tilted, too, and offers 350 degrees of oscillation, making it easy to optimize airflow regardless of where you position the device.

As you’d expect, the Dyson Hot+Cool Formaldehyde is aesthetically beautiful, with a futuristic – yet not obtuse – design. It’s a little bit of a shame there are no alternative colorways, though; the bronze base and matching remote might not suit every home. 

The Hot+Cool Formaldehyde comes with a remote that attaches to the top of the unit magnetically, but there’s also a sophisticated, easy-to-use app that allows remote control. The latter offers generous insight into the air quality in your home, tracking not only the temperature and humidity, but also the levels of pollutants and particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, VOC, NO2, HCHO). You can also check on the status of the Hot+Cool’s filters via the app, ensuring they’re replaced in good time. 

Aside from the hefty price, our only real criticism of the Dyson Hot+Cool Formaldehyde is that it lacks the ability to automatically switch on when it detects changes in the air. Otherwise, it’s an absolute dream to have and use around the home, comprehensively caring for your lungs in ways you might not even know you need.

If you prefer to have an appliance which circulates air that is cooled over time then head to our best fans guide. All those featured have been reviewed by a member of the Homes team, and some are more affordable than you may first thing.

Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 review: price and availability

•  List price: $769.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,149.00 
• Available in the US, UK and Australia 

The Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 will set you back $769.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,149, and is available online at the Dyson store, on Amazon, as well as some local retailers such as Best Buy in the US, John Lewis and Currys in the UK, and JB Hi-Fi in Australia. In the UK, it’s only available in its Gold / White colorway, but in the US and Australia, you can opt for a Gold / Nickel variant.

It comes with a remote and a set of HEPA + carbon filters ready for installation. Replacements cost $79.99 / £65 / AU$99, which Dyson recommends you do once every 12 months to ensure optimal performance.

Price: 3.5/5  

Dyson Hot+Cool Formaldehyde air purifier review: Specs

Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 review: Design

• Compact and easily moved 
• LCD screen 
• Bladeless fan 

As is to be expected from Dyson’s high-tech and futuristic devices, the Hot+Cool Formaldehyde is a stylish and svelte unit, taking the form of many of the rest of Dyson’s bladeless air treatment products. 

Measuring 30 inches x 8.6 inches / 764mm x 220mm (H x D), the Hot+Cool Formaldehyde is pretty compact, especially considering the number of features it houses. It’s light enough at 12.6lb / 5.5kg to be moved around your home fairly easily, and the 5.9ft / 1.8m cable is a decent length to ensure it can be positioned where you need it.

The base of the unit is encased in matte gold, with holes through which air is drawn in to be filtered, moving to the top-mounted bladeless ovular fan. It’s here that you’ll find the HEPA and carbon filters; the catalytic filter sits deeper within the machine, filtering out pollutants and particulate matter from the air.

The fan offers 350 degrees of oscillation, and can be tilted up or down. Note, too, that the airflow can be set to move both forward and backward, for those occasions you don’t want the air directly projected at your face. Just beneath the fan is a small LCD that displays live data.

The Hot+Cool Formaldehyde arrives with a matching gold remote, which, rather handily, attaches to the top of the fan magnetically. It’s pretty easy to knock off, though, especially when the fan is tilted.

Design: 4.5/5

Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 review: Performance

• Quiet night mode setting
• Rapid purification 
• No automatic features

On test, I was super-impressed by the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09, which performed brilliantly for heating, cooling and purifying. 

The fan offers 10 power settings, allowing you to customize the speed of airflow, which spans from a soft waft to a powerful blast of cold or hot air. It’s surprisingly quiet in operation, too; in night mode, the fan auto-adjusts to the soft, quiet level 4, and its lowest setting is whisper-quiet, registering just 40db on our decibel meter – which is the equivalent volume of a quiet library. Even on its highest setting, the Hot+Cool Formaldehyde registered 60dB, which is about as loud as a spoken conversation.

With the app and the controller, you can adjust the Hot+Cool Formaldehyde’s oscillation, rotation, and direction – all of which are incredibly useful if, like me, you find yourself needing to tweak your environment throughout the day.

My apartment is often victim to sudden changes in temperature, and so I was a big fan of its auto mode as a way to keep my workspace at a consistent, comfortable temperature. The device can heat up to 98°F / 37°C (pretty quickly, too), taking my flat from 21°C to 23°C in 15 minutes on its max setting (8.5ft / 2.6m per second airflow) and oscillating by 45°, cooling it quickly and effectively back down to a less uncomfortable temperature.

On the purifying side, I tested the capabilities of my Hot+Cool Formaldehyde by spraying my dry shampoo aerosol near the unit. The device quickly detected the change in air quality, indicating that the level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) had risen on both the LCD panel and in the app. 

Next, I tried lighting incense and a candle to see how the Hot+Cool Formaldehyde handled the particulate matter. Just a meter away from the purifier, the candle and incense stick spiked the air quality from “Good” to “Very Poor” according to the Dyson app – slightly alarming – but it managed to restore healthy levels within 10 minutes of the purifier being turned on. When I repeated the test without turning on the purifier, it took an hour just to clear the “Very Poor” range.

Dyson doesn’t achieve a full home-run with the Hot+Cool Formaldehyde in my books, largely due to the absence of automatic features. While the device can be toggled within the app to continuously manage the air quality, frustratingly it can’t be programmed to switch on when it detects low air quality. I’m sure there are clever ways to retrofit this feature using home hubs, but not having this as a native feature feels like such a missed opportunity – and it’s a concern that users have raised with previous Dyson air treatment devices.

However, overall I was really impressed by how responsive and rapid the Dyson Hot+Cool Formaldehyde was on test. Since my home has some issues with mould and damp, and is situated right next to a major road, having greater visibility and control over my home’s air quality is a huge boon.

Performance: 4.5/5

Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 review: App

• Device maintenance options
• Remote air purifier contrl
• Near-live air quality data

The remote control is great, but it’s the app that swayed me on the overall effectiveness and usefulness of the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09.

Connected to the Dyson app, as per other Hot+Cool and air treatment products from the manufacturer, you can keep track of the air quality and temperature within your home, the  lifespan of the filters, and also make use of several fantastic smart features. 

These include the timer and schedule, which will be handy for those looking for a low-maintenance device. In addition, you can also turn on continuous monitoring exclusively through the app, if you want round-the-clock insights into the air quality in your home. Control of the Dyson Hot+Cool Formaldehyde using Siri and Alexa is also possible, making this a fantastic addition to your smart home setup. It’s a little annoying that you have to set this all up in the Dyson app; I much prefer using my Apple Home application and seeing all of my devices in one place. 

It’s a wonderfully easy-to-use and slick app, complete with a virtual controller for those occasions you don’t want to grab the physical one, delivering lots of value-adding information, right down to the levels of specific pollutants in your home. This was best seen via the dry shampoo and flame tests, during which the app presented an overview of the overall air quality, PM2.5, PM10, and VOC levels to help determine how I should treat my air. 

I particularly enjoyed the app’s fan direction control, which allowed more granular control than the physical remote. It’s impressively low latency, too.

When testing the responsiveness of the Hot+Cool Formaldehyde to pollutants, it was a little daunting watching the live data numbers slowly tick up as the volume of particulate matter in my home increased.

App: 5/5

Should I buy the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If you would prefer a fan to keep to cool instead, here are a couple of options to consider...

How I tested the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09

• I used the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 and its partner app for 2 weeks
• Stress testing with various substances and measurements

I had the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 in my home for two weeks, and every day I used the device to manage the temperature and air quality within my home. I tried all of the various settings available through the app, as well as checking out the device maintenance options.

To test the air purification monitoring and speed, I sprayed heavy particulate aerosol (dry shampoo), lit a scented paraffin candle and also lit a scented incense stick. I also measured the volume with a mobile phone decibel meter and tracked the changes in room temperature through both the Dyson app and my in-home thermostat.

Read more about how we test.

[First reviewed April 2023]

Two-minute review

The Insta360 X3 is a great all-rounder action camera. Its strength clearly lies as a 360-degree video shooter, although it can capture decent 4K footage with a standard action camera field of view, too, beating the GoPro Max for single-lens clarity. That said, if you mostly shoot single lens videos, dedicated offerings from DJI, Insta360 and GoPro in our best action cameras guide fare better. 

You can use a Insta360 X3 mounted to bike handlebars or a helmet, or you can just hold it and shoot video as you would with a phone. Handheld use is the part Insta360 X3 nails better than a GoPro, which feel like they should be attached to a selfie stick at the very least. The Insta360 X3 also has major usability benefits over any Insta360 camera released to date, mostly thanks to the unusually good screen. 

Insta360 has also nailed one of the most important parts of the pocket 360-camera workflow – editing your footage is a blast, and only takes a few minutes for shorter clips once you have a grip on the fairly intuitive and wide-ranging tools.

Sure, there are some problems. You can’t view all kinds of clips from the camera itself. It takes a beat to start capturing video, and some elements of the image processing aren’t at the same level as GoPro’s. 

However, the Insta360 X3 is one of the best options if you want an action camera that can “do it all”. But is it worth the upgrade for Insta360 X2 owners? We think there’s plenty of life left in that older camera, and the main improvements are a much larger screen and a great new Active HDR mode that avoids blown highlights like a pro. 

Price and availability

• Launched in September 2022
• $449/ £459 / AU$799 RRP
• Seven different kits available

The Insta360 X3 was released in September 2022, two years after the Insta360 X2. It costs $449 / £459 / $799AU, making it just slightly more expensive than its predecessor was at launch. It costs slightly less than the GoPro Max, although you can generally now find that dated camera for less online, while the Ricoh Theta X seems extortionate by comparison. 

Insta360 also offers a bunch of kits for different mounting scenarios — adding in a bunch of accessories. Kits include the Get-Set Kit for $496 / £510 / AU$800 that includes an invisible selfie stick, a 64GB memory card and a lens a cap. Others available include the Snow Kit, Motorcycle Kit, Bike Kit, Bullet Time Kit, Ultimate Kit and Virtual Tour Kit and more details can be found on the Insta360 store. 

• Price: 4.5/5

Design

• Large, clear display
• Includes a 1/4-inch threaded port for a selfie stick
• 10M water resistance

The Insta360 X3 is an upright, stick-like camera, just like its predecessor. There’s a threaded mount point on the bottom, should you want to attach a selfie stick. 

It fits comfortably in the hand, despite the lack of room for any ergonomic grip contouring. And for those interested in the materials used, the sides are plastic with a diamond embossed texture, for extra grip. The front and back are soft touch plastic. No surfaces have the rubberised feel of a GoPro, but the parts you end up worrying about are the glass areas. 

That’s the display glass and, much more important, the lenses. The fear factor is unavoidable with 360-degree cameras, so you might want to buy a lens cover (not included with the standard bundle) or Insta360’s accidental damage insurance. There are no removable, replaceable outer lens elements here. 

Back to the fun stuff, the Insta360 X3 feels right at home in your hand. Just below the screen are buttons that start capturing video and flip between front and rear lens views. In action these are a bit like the navigation keys on an Android phone. Very handy. 

The Insta360 X3 has four physical buttons: two up front, two on the side. But it is largely a touch-led interface, and one that uses a couple of gestures you will need to bed into. 

Flick right and you reach the shooting mode screen. But flick right from the very end of the display and the Insta360 X3 brings up your captured clips instead. It’s the one quirk of the Insta360 interface: needing to disambiguate between horizontal swipes and similar swipes that begin at the screen’s end. 

Once you’re accustomed to that, the Insta360 X3 is largely a breeze. And it looks clear on the 2.6-inch screen. 

The Insta360 X3’s screen is probably the single most important design upgrade here. The modular cameras have tiny little square screens, while in the Insta360 One X2 there is a small round porthole instead. This camera’s portrait aspect screen seems huge in comparison, and is also larger than the GoPro Max’s display. 

You do need to manually max out the brightness to make it hold up in bright sunlight, but it gets roughly as bright as the GoPro Max’s own. The large screen is better for previewing the picture than the last gen model, and makes navigating around the menu system easier. Its interface also just looks a lot glossier and more high-end. 

The style of the Insta360 X3’s screen is geared more at influencers and content creators than the classic action camera audience, though. It’s an upright screen, offering the framing you’ll typically see in videos shared on social networks. The orientation doesn’t auto-rotate if you turn the camera around either. 

However, look a little deeper and you’ll realize this is an entirely sensible move. Holding the camera sideways is only going to bring your fingers closer to the lenses if you’re rolling without a stick. And when you shoot in the single-lens mode, the only drawback when shooting at 16:9 is the preview image is smaller. 

If you are desperate for that full-screen preview, you can get the Insta360 X3 to shoot in 9:16 instead and turn the camera on its side. 

The Insta360 X3 has double the water resistance of the GoPro Max, at 10m/33ft, and matches the GoPro Hero 11 Black. Those planning to dive at anything like a depth of 10m should get the Insta360 Dive Case, though. The additional pressures involved when moving through water means anything below fairly surface-level capture is a bit risky. 

Insta360 achieves the X3’s water resistance using single layer rubber seals around the charging socket and the battery, which pops out when you release its two fastening sliders on the side. 

Our review period did not, unfortunately, coincide with any trips to the beach. Walking and running around with the Insta360 X3, we noticed it does tend to get warm pretty quickly. But not uncomfortably so. We saw no overheating messages after filming constantly for 45 minutes at 5.7K.

• Design 4.5/5

Features and performance

• Stabilization smooths out action a treat
• Powerful editor for modes like timelapse
• Slow start up time

The Insta360 X3 uses an 1800maH battery, notably higher capacity than the 1600mAh of the GoPro Max. Insta360 claims this can last 81 minutes in the 360-degree, 5.7K resolution mode. 

After 15 minutes the Insta360 X3 dropped from 100% to 87%, suggesting it could actually last a lot longer than 81 minutes. However, following 45 minutes of capture it was at 49% battery, closer to the claim. 

What we have here is somewhat non-linear battery reporting. The Insta360 X3 holds onto a 100% charge reading for a little too long, a popular tactic in consumer electronics. It’s not helpful in a more tool-like gadget such as this, but may change over the weeks as the battery settles (and more firmware updates arrive). And the important part: Insta360’s 81 minute battery life rating is not a work of fiction. 

Stabilization used to be one of the classic action camera battlegrounds. It still is at the low-end, but discussing it in Insta360 cameras has now become quite boring. Its FlowState stabilization has been excellent for ages now, and continues to be so. The Insta360 X3 is great for sporty use, or extreme sports use, as long as you don’t mind the way its tall shape will stick up from the mount a bit. 

The 360-degree view means there’s basically infinite scope for stabilization, and the Insta360 X3 has horizon leveling to make this effectively automatic. You can also switch on a feature called Direction Lock when editing your clips, which counters any twisting of the camera so it appears as though you were holding the X3 straight the whole time. 

The Insta360 X3 has a built-in TimeShift mode, which is a form of Timelapse shooting designed to let you use the camera handheld. It doesn’t have the smarts of GoPro’s version, which can automatically shift the footage’s speed up and down based on whether there’s anything interesting going on in the scene. But it’s a quick way to make sped-up clips. 

We do think you get better results by shooting at standard speed and turbo-charging footage in the edit, as Insta360 offers good-looking motion blur and better control over the speed of playback. 

There are parts for Insta360 to address in a future camera or, fingers crossed, a software update. The Insta360 X3 takes a solid couple of seconds to actually start recording clips, and the GoPro Max feels instantaneous by comparison. 

Like most Insta360 launches, we’ve also come across a few bugs. It has frozen on a few occasions, and one low-light mode clip was rendered unreadable for some reason. However, these mostly cropped up when handling footage after a shoot, not actually during capture. 

The Insta360 X3 also has several interesting modes we’ve not discussed yet. Me Mode is one of the neatest. This leverages the slight overlap of the lenses’ vision to produce a flat clip in which a stick used to mount the camera becomes invisible. You’ll still see your arm holding it, of course, but it’s great for no-fuss dramatic shots. Insta360 uses someone jumping into the sea, and snowboarding, as a couple of examples. 

You can capture stills at up to 72MP resolution, in the 360-degree mode. Again, this process is quite slow, but the results are solid — if not as impressive as those of a good phone when trying to capture a more ordinary field of view. 

Insta360’s editing tools are fun and fairly easy to use as well. We tried both the phone app and Insta360 Studio on Mac for this review, and their tool sets are largely similar. 

When re-framing 360-degree footage, you set key frames along the timeline, and Insta360’s software generates smooth transitions between them. You pinch and drag the view in the phone app to perfect each of these key frames, but rotational control is kept separate. This can initially seem a bit confusing, but does make key frame manipulation feel simpler than GoPro’s more free-wheeling approach.

We found the process fastest on a laptop, as mouse control just feels that bit more precise than on a phone-size touchscreen. 360-degree edited clips are set at 1080p when exporting from the phone app or Insta360 Studio, which may seem too limited when maximum res is 5.7K.  However, we saw little obvious benefit after manually changing this to 4K resolution in the desktop Insta360 Studio software. And if you’re looking to produce remotely normal-looking videos, you’re not going to be using all of that raw 5.7K information anyway. 

There’s also a plug-in for Adobe Premiere Pro, but we haven’t tried this as part of the review.

• Features and performance: 4.5/5

Image and video quality

• Active HDR deals with blown out highlights
• Strong 360-degree image quality with limited cropping
• Single-lens videos look better than the GoPro Max

The Insta360 X3 has two 48-megapixel cameras with 1/2-inch sensors and f/1.9 aperture lenses. These are larger and higher-res than the 17MP, 1/2.3-inch sensors of the GoPro Max, and those of the One X2. 

However, these numbers aren’t really aspects to focus on, beyond the one key mode they may help to enable. This is 4K video when shooting with a single lens, rather than in the 360 mode. 

Single lens videos require zero editing – you can pull the resulting MP4 files straight off the camera, ready to go. Its sharpness is significantly better than the single lens mode of the GoPro Max, which is limited to 1080p. Sure, there’s a 1440p mode in the GoPro, but this is 4:3 capture, meaning it’s the same quality as 1080p, just with a taller frame. 

So, are single lens videos a match for those in single lens cameras from GoPro and Insta360? Not even close. We only had the GoPro Hero 9 Black for direct comparison, but that older model has prettier color and much better detail at 4K, particularly out of the center of the frame. These flat videos become quite muggy and basic-looking at the corners of the shot, and look much more like 1080p captures than 4K. 

This was always going to be the case. The Insta360 X3 lenses have to capture a full 180 degrees, the GoPro Hero 9 Black’s do not, and this mode crops into their view substantially. Don’t buy the X3 if 360-degree capture is a “nice to have” extra. 4K flat videos are also limited to 30fps, with 60fps available at a lower-quality 2.7K resolution. 

360-degree video is the main event, and here the Insta360 X3 and GoPro Max find a form of parity. The X3 shoots 360 clips at up to 5.7K resolution, 30 frames per second. Insta360’s secret weapon is Active HDR, which you don’t get in GoPro cameras. This doesn’t affect the frame rate either. 

Action cameras have a bad habit of leaving video clips with odd-looking gradients in skies as the frame errs closer to the sun. Or leaving very significant blown out areas in clouds on bright days. It’s because the small sensors of these cameras have relatively low dynamic range. The Insta360 X3’s HDR mode all but fixes this, at least compared to the standard shooting mode, by merging two exposures per frame. 

Sometimes the results are quite brilliant, and give you loads more highlight detail to play with in the edit. It’s extremely useful when you’re shooting outdoors, or when there’s partial tree cover up top – one of the tricky parts of shooting 360 video is the exposure level is not just judged on what’s in front of you, but your entire surroundings. 

You won’t want to use HDR 24/7, though. It’s no good for low light conditions, because it restricts the exposure time for each frame. And while it has real image quality benefits, I’ve noticed more aberrations in HDR clips, like very obvious noise in a plain blue sky towards the side of the frame — even on a sunny day. 

HDR also has a color character that reminds us of the earlier 2013-2015 days of phone HDR, sometimes leading to unnatural-looking tonality and a slight flattening of contrast. However, this can be fixed in video editing software. Insta360’s own software offers a couple of color and clarity boosting options. I haven’t noticed any ghosting in Active HDR, though, which is the classic issue of HDR video where combined frames are shot sequentially, leading to “afterimage” doubling of moving subjects. 

GoPro currently only offers tone mapping, which is nowhere near as powerful as “active” HDR. But when you get a bit more ambitious with your 360-degree editing, you can’t avoid the slight deficiencies of Insta360’s image processing. 

Zoom in significantly and fine detail can become unconvincing. Tight textures like gravel, tree leaves and the patina of old walls get filled in with too many unnatural-looking straight and horizontal patterns. GoPro tends to avoid these, instead often looking softer, but more natural. 

This is an effect of Insta360’s sharpening, which can be dramatically reduced by simply dropping it down from the standard “high” setting. But it’s a balance. If you want to edit down to a field of view less than 180 degrees, footage does become quite soft-looking with no sharpening at all. 

Night shooting is, as in most other action cameras, quite poor. The larger sensors bring a slightly improvement over the Insta360 One X2, but not a dramatic one. However, there is a timelapse style night mode that dramatically improves results, called StarLapse. You’ll need to use a tripod for it, but it can be perfect for YouTuber-style B-roll footage. 

• Image and video quality: 4/5

Also consider

Testing scorecard