Insta360 X4 Overheating: What, why, when and how to avoid

An investigation of the topic of overheating on the new Insta360 X4. Includes background discussion of how, when and why overheating occurs, testing of surface temperature under different filming conditions and discussion of ways to avoid or minimize overheating.
Check out the channel for additional videos focused on Insta360 and other cameras and accessories.
Keywords:
Insta360 X4 360 action camera, 8K, 5.7K, 4K, 5.7K+ 5.7K plus. 30, 60, 100 fps, overheating, surface temperature, battery life, thermo grip cover, power selfie stick, power bank, bitrate, vlogging, content creation, KZbin, instagram, stabilization
Chapters:
00:00 - 01:25 Introduction
01:25 - 03:30 What is Overheating?
03:30 - 06:20 Is it just 8K?
06:20 - 08:20 What about the other modes?
08:20 - 10:00 Let’s turn up the heat!
10:00 - 11:05 Overheating during file transfer?
11:05 - 14:40 Avoiding Overheating
14:40 - 16:00 Final Thoughts
Product Links (I may earn a commission):
Insta360 X4: amzn.to/447fNTo
Insta360 X3: amzn.to/3xLFGfy
Tested memory cards:
Lexar 1066x Silver Series: amzn.to/3J8dVjt
Samsung Pro Plus: amzn.to/3PV7u7f
SanDisk Extreme: amzn.to/43TKmM7
Other Accessories:
Lexar Card Reader: amzn.to/49rQdte
Insta360 Fast Charge Hub (X4): amzn.to/3JzQKyT
Insta360 Power Selfie Stick: amzn.to/3UvtMiK
Insta360 2290mAH battery for X4: amzn.to/3U6xKwM
USB-C Cable for connecting Power Selfie Stick with X4: www.xmount360.com/buy/p/usb-c...
Other Recording Equipment
Sony ZV-1: amzn.to/3UVWCr0
Rode Videomic Go II: amzn.to/3UoxdHZ

[@ernestchew88]

Very informative and useful. Thanks!

[@gwebster65]

Glad it was helpful!

[@horacedupont]

thank you for your useful work!

[@gwebster65]

My pleasure!

[@joseluisruiz3789]

Very good video thank you so much.

[@gwebster65]

You are welcome!

[@phr3dd]

great video, good info. Thank you.

[@gwebster65]

Glad it was helpful!

[@PSHEEHAN78]

Great info! Thanks!

[@gwebster65]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MrPlaneTalk]

Excellent video, again. Clear, concise, scientific and best of all, unsponsored. Thanks for stating, right at the beginning, that your video is unsponsored and not influenced. Unfortunately, there were several points in your video where a very high pitched audio tone occurred. 2:54 was first one. Otherwise, great job!!

[@gwebster65]

Thank you! Not sure what’s going on with the noise. Some others have mentioned this, but I don’t hear anything. Will try to figure it out.

[@waldtradition1166]

Thanks for your honest review. Normally I record on Tripod in an ambient temperature of between 31 to 35 degree Celsius and hardly any airflow. Including the help of a powerbank. Surprisingly the X3 hardly shuts down, however the 1" edition shuts down very easily after only 25min. I guess the X4 will have a similar fate (I don't yet own one) My solution is to attach a phone cooler to the back of the RS 1" 360 camera. That keeps it working for hours. However I still need to figure out how to record the audio without the noise of the cooler. So far I attach a microphone a distance away. It's better but not great.

[@gwebster65]

With a powerbank in those conditions, the X4 will struggle, unless you are filming at 5.7K, in which case it should do fine. For 8K (assuming you are indoors) you may want to try removing the battery and just powering from the powerbank.

[@rularn2345]

Hi! Would be interesting to see what results you get if you start from an empty battery and charge/record at the same time from a wall pd adapter?

[@westlee2438]

Thanks now i set my x4 for 5.7k 30fsp

[@SUNDAY-STREAM]

Спасибо огромное за ваши видео. В наше время люди привыкли смотреть на красивые и абсолютно бесполезные обзоры, а таких тестов крайне не хватает.

[@gwebster65]

Спасибо за добрые слова и спасибо за просмотр.

love your clips, sometimes there is something interfering with your audio tough , depending on what device you are editing is possible you don't notice it , it is a high pitch buzz noise

[@gwebster65]

Some others have mentioned this, but I don’t hear anything. Will try to figure it out.

[@justinsitter1125]

@@gwebster65 Its at 3:15 -- a high pitched tone maybe above some people's hearing. I've noticed it in some of your other videos as well.

[@superkittybtc]

This was amazing

[@gwebster65]

Thank you, and thanks for watching.

[@MiyagisRant]

Good detail review. I'll be brutally honest, that's actually quite impressive for a camera that's shooting with dual lens at 8K, we will have cameras *cough cough that overheats in 4K/30fps after 18 minutes. I also have the Ace Pro which has never overheated and I put it through the ropes, wish I could say the same for my GoPro or DJI.

[@gwebster65]

Agreed. Thanks.

[@eisenklad]

i can see a market for extended battery pack makers to make: an adapter that slots in while improving cooling using a vapor chamber. or a third party thermo grip that has heat wicking but using a metal grip might interfere with the wifi signal.

[@gwebster65]

Interesting ideas! Thanks for sharing.

[@DroseMr]

Intrestin🎉

[@bodzio0]

Thanks, for all the info. That was the information I was looking for. Do you have any comparison to the x3 model? It's old model have similar issues?

[@gwebster65]

I posted this review, which compares to the X3, but it doesn’t cover overheating. I have owned the X3 for a couple of years and never had it overheat, BUT of course if does not offer 8K or 4K/100 either.

[@bodzio0]

Thaks, for this answer. I'm not sure what to do. On one hand I'd like to have best quality possible, but on the other I don't want to struggle record video when on summer holiday in one of the sunny/hot places or check if my recording is still on when it will be on 3m stick up in the air.

[@ronhautau]

Amazing detailed video, thank you! Just to be clear, the thermo grip doesn't provide any cooling benefits and is just for hand comfort? It's strange the insta360 page for the cover says "Recommended for recording videos in windless environments when the camera is still."

[@gwebster65]

Yes, Insta360 did not do a good job of explaining the thermo grip, but the product support page confirms that there is no cooling action for the camera itself.

[@Tenerisius]

Thank You for the analysis of this "hot" topic. Two Questions. 1. Connecting a Powerful power Bank directly to the camera without the battery, isn't it dangerous damaging the circuits of the camera electronics due to the sometimes aggressive power output of most of the nowadays power banks? The battery works also as a buffer to the power supply for the camera. I have this experience with a vehicle where the battery was too weak and we connected a power bank booster to it, to get to the nearest workshop, and it damaged other circuits of the vehicle. 2. As I read, the thermo grip has a metal material in it. Is it maybe wise to cool it down in a refrigerator maybe, before we apply it to the camera when we plan to make longer 8K recordings, to absorb the heat of the camera?

[@gwebster65]

Good questions. 1. I would think that a modern device like this controls what it draws from the powerbank. 2. Interesting idea. Might help gain a few extra minutes of recording time. May have to give it a try.

[@pineappleroad]

I recently got an X4 (mainly for the 8K mode, as i also have an X3), so its good to know that i shouldn't run into overheating issues (especially as i tend to record for no more than 10 minuites at a time) (and im a bit annoyed at having had to wait around for three days in a row for the delivery as on the first two days the driver must have gone to the wrong house)

[@gwebster65]

Hope it arrives soon - enjoy!

[@pineappleroad]

@@gwebster65 It arrived yesterday, right after i had given up hope of ever seeing the parcel (fortunatly i noticed the van just as i got to the top of the stairs, so i raced back downstairs and managed to make it to the door before the driver (the parcel required an "Adult Signature" for some reason unknown to me))

[@Hans-Georg_Flack]

Well done. Your test series are very helpful for my applications. Which memory cards did you use? I ask this question because I have had the subjective experience that SD cards get different temperatures at identical write rates.

[@gwebster65]

I recently posted another video testing different memory cards (kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqSaaIWJqJqig7c). I did also do some testing to see if there was a difference in heat generation but nothing conclusive. There is a list of tested cards in the video details of both videos.

[@Hans-Georg_Flack]

@@gwebster65 Thanks and Best Wishes from Berlin/Moabit

[@warrenkawamoto8660]

Were these tests done in H.264 or H.265?

[@gwebster65]

H.265

[@TheTexasDuke]

It does get hot sometimes haven’t had too much of a issue tho unless charging after recording

[@z352kdaf8324]

The external charger is boss.

[@gwebster65]

Good point. I guess if you are charging in-camera, I guess your cool-down time is even longer.

[@TravelNJoyLife]

My Insta 360 x4 is hanging. Is there any setting i need to check or its just a defective piece? Please suggest

[@gwebster65]

I have seen this happen on the X3 when I was using a memory card that was too slow. Could that be it?

[@TravelNJoyLife]

@@gwebster65 Thanks for the quick reply as such I am using sandisk Extreme V30 A2 64GB SD card with Read Speed upto 170MB/S and Write speed of 80 MB/S I guess that should work? However even without SD card also X4 getting hung within 5-6sec after switching ON but the menu seems working fine. It's just the camera stop responding. And same while using SD card. Please suggest.

[@gwebster65]

Sounds like you need to get a replacement.

[@TravelNJoyLife]

@@gwebster65 thank you for the response. But it seems it's working now without an SD card. The only problem is while recording with SD card it's working fine for single screen and for some time for 4 k 30fps in 360 mode but not working for 4k 60fps and above resolution. It feel the problem is resolved automatically but I need to change my scandisk v30 A2 SD card with the above version. What do you think? Please suggest.

[@tiesebeest]

Thanx for the analysis. Your videos have a very high pitch at some points check for example the 10m mark “file transfer chapter “ It is very disturbing to listen to.

[@gwebster65]

A few people have mentioned this, but I just can’t hear anything.

[@stefanostsaklas7855]

⁠@@gwebster65 It’s definitely there and it’s disturbing , from 9:58 until 11:02, if you can’t hear it by ear maybe it could show up on waveforms of audio

[@MrPlaneTalk]

The high-pitched audio tone was making it hard to listen to. The first one occurred at 2:54. Try listening on KZbin versus your original. Can you hear it? It’s about 5,500 Hz.

[@danviridian]

Hey man do you live in AUS?

[@gwebster65]

No, Pacific Northwest in USA

[@ripsaw2322]

It is an issue. It overheated when I pulled over on my motorcycle to text my friend for like 5 minutes. If you're recording and it is in the sun it is going to overheat before 10 minutes. I didnt know and lost like 45 minutes of riding. I didnt buy this camera to record in 5k. It doesnt say on the website when you buy this camera that it WILL overheat if it sits in 1 spot and records.

[@gwebster65]

Sorry to hear you’re having issues. May have to do some higher temp tests when the weather gets warmer.

[@txkflier]

My new Insta360 X4 crashed at 34 minutes while recording in my dining room at 74 degrees.

[@gwebster65]

Was it overheating?

[@txkflier]

@@gwebster65When I turned it back on, it said it had shut down due to overheating.

[@gwebster65]

The first overheat I had was after 32 mins in a sub-65 F room. Since then, I have always managed at least an hour. It’s almost as if the X4 gets “conditioned “, which I’m not sure is a good thing or not! Obviously if you are connected to external power, that will overheat faster.

[@txkflier]

@@gwebster65 I bought my X4 thru Amazon and I think I’ll see if I can return it. I don’t like it well enough to try using it in the Texas heat. I have enough trouble with my GoPro 11..

[@BrucieNZ]

Just got my X4, new out of the box first charge it makes a burning smell. Anyone who has worked with electronics will know the smell I am talking of. Not Good!

[@gwebster65]

Doesn’t sound good!

[@jasondavis2648]

The x4 is a failure. It shouldn’t overheat doing anything the camera claims to do. It’s time for a class action against insta360

[@gwebster65]

Well, in fairness to Insta360, they don't try to hide this.

[@z352kdaf8324]

Yeah why not record in your hand. It's looks like your holding a phone. No one knows what you are doing. Better than pointing a gopro at them

[@gwebster65]

Good point.