Insta360 Nano VS Giroptic iO | Which is the best 360 Camera for iPhone

Do you want to turn your iPhone into a 360 camera? This is now possible with small  attachments that turn your iPhone into a fully fledged 360 camera that can be taken where ever you go. This is becoming a popular choice for people who want to quickly snap 360 photos or videos on the go without having to buy an expensive piece of kit that is less portable.

So far there are two main options for if you want a 360 camera attachment for your iPhone, the Insta360 Nano and the Giroptic iO. Both of these cameras are designed by companies that are specialist 360 camera producers and who sell a range of 360 cameras, so no matter which you choose you are guaranteed a quality device.

Both devices are designed to attach to the thunderbolt port of your iPhone and turn it into a 360 camera, both are pretty weird shaped with 2 lenses, both cost under $250, but which one is the best 360 camera attachment for an iPhone? Take a look at the comparison table and analysis below and decide for yourself.

Insta360 Nano vs Giroptic iO

Comparison Analysis

Both of these devices are great accessories and both can shoot reasonably good 360 photo and video. They can both live-steam 360 video and have no blind spots. Other than that there are some significant differences that set them apart, let’s take a look at them.

Insta360 Nano

The Insta360 Nano can shoot full 360 photos and videos using 2 lenses. It connects directly to your iPhone via the thunderbolt port. To use the camera you must first download the official app which activates automatically when you plug in the camera, you can then share directly to Facebook and YouTube. 360 video is shot in 3K quality which is actually very decent for a camera this size and price. Photo’s are also very large which is great for creating clear 360 images.

The camera is a bit bulky but still very light and portable. It requires external charging and cannot use the iPhone’s power supply. It’s own battery has a rather small capacity of 800 mAh, which will last just over an hour of continuous use. The real plus of this camera is the price point, at under $200 this is one of the cheapest 360 cameras around and produced much better quality 360 videos and photos than some more expensive, non portable competitors.

See Also: Best 360 Camera for iPhone 2017 Update

Giroptic iO

The very strange shapes Giroptic iO is the second 360 camera from Giroptic and they’ve clearly learn a lot from their far too expensive first offering. The camera strange shape makes it very compact; in fact I’d say this is the most portable 360 camera out right now. It plugs seamlessly into the iPhone thunderbolt port and uses a dedicated app to control the shutter, video and settings.

See Also: Giroptic iO Review 

The video’s are a fairly low resolution for 360 video but good enough for sharing on social media, which is what this camera is designed for. 360 photos are bright, clear and large enough to enjoy the 360 experience; you can also live-stream 360 video directly from the app. The Giroptic iO has a 1.5 hour continuous usage battery life which is pretty decent and good enough for a full day usage.

The price of this camera is on the expensive side for the quality of the video you can shoot, but still cheaper than most other 360 cameras.

So which is the best 360 Camera for iPhone?

So which the best 360 camera, the Insta360 Nano or Giroptic iO? I would go with the Insta360 Nano based on the specs and price; the fact that the 360 video quality of the Insta360 Nano is significantly better is enough to make it the better choice. The Giroptic iO is still a great camera and probably the easiest I’ve ever used, if it was a tad cheaper that would probably have swung it. The Insta360 Nano, at under $200, is a very good deal so if you want a very good, cheap 360 camera for your iPhone I would recommend the Insta360 Nano.

See Also: 360 Camera Buying Guide

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The 360 Guy

Owner of threesixtycameras.com. Writer, photographer and videographer. You can see my YouTube channel for guides of how to shoot 360 video. I've written for The Times, Digital Photography School and Sunday Express.