Insta360 Wave First Review: A Stylish and Practical "Conference Tool"
Insta360 has launched its first AI-powered omnidirectional microphone, the Insta360 Wave, designed to take conference recording to the next level. With a sleek, high-tech design that’s surprisingly easy to use, the Wave stands out as both a practical tool and a stylish addition to any meeting setup.
Compact Design with High-Tech Features
At first glance, the Insta360 Wave might remind you of a portable speaker. It’s compact, cylindrical in shape, and barely larger than a can of Coca-Cola, making it highly portable and easy to position in any conference room. The front-facing LED light strip adds a touch of elegance, changing colors to signal the device's status: green for normal use, blue for recording, and red when turned off. This clever feature not only serves as a functional indicator but also enhances the device’s aesthetic appeal.
Superior Sound Pickup and Clarity
Equipped with eight sound pickup ports, strategically placed on the top and sides, the Insta360 Wave boasts an impressive pickup range of up to 5 meters. This allows it to capture clear and accurate audio from every speaker in a meeting. With a 48kHz ultra-high-definition sampling rate, the Wave ensures that even the softest spoken words are picked up with exceptional clarity, distinguishing it from typical "pie-shaped" conference microphones.
Innovative Height Suspension Stand
The standout feature of the Insta360 Wave is its customizable height suspension stand. Upon powering up, the stand automatically rises, accompanied by the satisfying mechanical sound of a motor, making it feel like a sci-fi device. This suspension stand isn’t just a fun gimmick—it elevates the microphone to improve sound quality by reducing the impact of surrounding objects, minimizing echoes, and blocking unwanted vibrations from the desktop. The elevated position allows for more accurate audio pickup, enhancing the overall conference recording experience.
Sleek, Practical, and User-Friendly Design
Another impressive aspect of the Insta360 Wave is its intuitive UI design. A semi-circular screen at the bottom of the device ensures a clean, well-organized interface, making it nearly impossible for users to accidentally press the wrong button. This thoughtful design sets it apart from competitors that often cram their controls into small, difficult-to-navigate spaces.
The Insta360 Wave is designed for simplicity. It features just a power button and a USB-C port, making it incredibly easy to use—no need for complex instructions. If you're connecting to a computer, simply download the official app and plug in the device via USB-C. From there, you can adjust settings, start recording, and control everything with a single click from your computer or the device's screen.
Compact Yet Professional Audio Performance
Now, let’s dive into the most important aspect: audio quality. As a conference microphone, the Insta360 Wave needs to deliver more than just a sleek design. For testing, we used a web conference clip, positioning the microphone about three meters from the audio source, which simulates the typical distance in a meeting. With six pickup modes available, we found that the default omnidirectional mode works best for multi-person meetings.
When noise reduction is activated, the Insta360 Wave excels in eliminating background sounds like door creaks, keyboard clicks, and echoes. While the recorded volume can be a bit lower in this mode, the improved clarity outweighs this minor issue.
Upon completing the recording, the system instantly prompts you to review automated meeting minutes. Unlike what we expected, the Insta360 Wave doesn’t just transcribe key points but generates a comprehensive outline based on the meeting’s theme, key discussions, and proposed solutions. The process is remarkably fast, with meeting minutes ready in less than two minutes, far quicker than traditional manual transcription.
To test its language capabilities, we evaluated the Insta360 Wave with the most commonly used languages, including English and Japanese, and found accurate recognition and subtitle generation in both cases. The built-in AI assistant even provides translations, further enhancing the device’s versatility.
Interestingly, the Insta360 Wave isn't just a conference recording microphone—it also doubles as a portable speaker when connected to a computer. our initial impression was spot on: the sound quality and volume of this "small speaker" are surprisingly good for its size.
Naturally, as it records audio, the Insta360 Wave functions as a regular microphone. With its various pickup modes, it’s perfect for online lecturers and streamers.
But wait—there’s more. The Insta360 Wave also pairs seamlessly with the Insta360 Link 2, creating a powerful AI-powered collaboration. For those unfamiliar, the Insta360 Link 2 is a second-generation 4K webcam launched by Arashi last year, designed with simplicity and practicality in mind. Connecting the two devices is effortless: just remove the top cover of the Insta360 Wave to reveal hidden "contact points," align the Insta360 Link 2, and you're good to go.
Once connected, the Insta360 Wave utilizes sound source localization technology to detect the speaker's direction, allowing the Insta360 Link 2 camera to automatically identify and focus on the current speaker. This makes it ideal for multi-person meetings, ensuring that every speaker stays in focus.
Summary: Easy-to-Use with Powerful AI Capabilities
Here’s a summary of the pros and cons of the Insta360 Wave:
Pros:
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Extremely easy to use with no learning curve required.
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Fast and accurate meeting transcription.
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Seamless compatibility with other Insta360 devices.
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Sci-fi inspired design that’s innovative and functional.
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Versatile with various pickup modes suitable for podcasting, solo video creation, and more.
Cons:
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Limited transcription language support at the moment.
At first, we never expected Insta360 to revolutionize the conference microphone market, especially given the brand's reputation for cameras rather than conferencing equipment. However, the Insta360 Wave clearly shows that Insta360 has put considerable effort into creating a complete solution for conference recording, addressing many common user pain points with impressive results.
Do you think Insta360’s shift into the conference microphone market will inspire other brands to innovate in the same way? How do you see the Insta360 Wave changing the future of conference recordings? Discover the Insta360 Wave on Heyup and explore potential tryout opportunities in future programs.
