Akaso 360 review: Best beginner 360 camera in 2025? ($199 Insta360 alternative)

Akaso 360 is a new 360 camera aimed at beginners.  At $199, it’s the most affordable 360 camera in 2025, but is it good enough?  I’ve been testing it for the past month and here is my analysis based on my experience shooting 360 cameras since 2015.

TLDR: Executive Summary

Akaso 360 is the most affordable 360 camera with image quality somewhat comparable to the Insta360 X3 ($299).  Even though it doesn’t have the image quality and features of top-of-the-line cameras, it does have the most important features of 360 cameras such as good detail and color accuracy, decent stabilization and stitching, and AI tracking on both the mobile and desktop app.

Why would you need the Akaso 360?

Smartphones can capture excellent photos and videos but when you shoot with your smartphone, your attention is focused on framing and getting the shot.   You become an observer and miss out on being present with your family and friends.

A 360 camera has two unique capabilities that solve that problem.  First, it captures an incredible third person view, as if you’re shooting with an invisible flying camera.  Second, you can shoot first and frame later.  Instead of worrying about getting the shot, you can just put it on a selfie stick, start recording and focus on having fun with your family and friends.  As a parent, 360 cameras have been a game changer ever since I started shooting with the Ricoh Theta in 2015.

As 360 cameras have become more advanced, their price has crept up, with cameras such as Insta360 X5 costing as much as $549.  The X5 has excellent image quality and cutting-edge features but for many first-time 360 shooters, $549 is a lot to spend and may seem daunting for a totally new kind of camera.

Akaso 360 is a new 360 camera that focuses on affordability and simplicity.  At $199, it’s the cheapest 360 camera as of July 2025.  But a low price is great but the bigger question is — is the Akaso 360 good enough?

AKASO 360 SPECIFICATIONS

The Akaso 360 has two 1/2.0-inch sensors, similar in size to those of the Insta360 X3.  Like the X3, it captures 5.7k 360 videos.

AKASO 360 IMAGE QUALITY

Cheap 360 cameras usually have tiny sensors and terrible image quality.  However, Akaso 360 is equipped with two 1/2.0 inch sensors that had been considered cutting edge as recently as November 2022.   Its image quality is surprisingly decent for the price.  The stabilization is about as good as Insta360‘s and the colors are surprisingly accurate.  Flare resistance is quite good.

The stitching is not bad, although area around the stitch line can sometimes look a bit darker.  Another issue is that in low light, the videos can be noisy in the shadows. The exposure also tries to expose for highlights, so if the subject is backlit, the subject will probably look underexposed.

IS IT EASY TO USE?

The freedom to shoot first and reframe later also means that you do need an extra step after shooting.  Most people don’t want to upload a 360 photo or 360 video and instead want to convert their 360 video into a non-360 video that shows the view that they want.  This process is called “reframing.”

The easiest way to reframe a video is to track a subject.  Fortunately, Akaso 360’s mobile app and desktop app have AI Tracking to track subjects automatically.  The AI Tracking works decently well and is reasonably reliable.

In addition to AI Tracking, Akaso 360’s app also has keyframing, which lets you reframe a video with custom camera movements.  You simply choose the starting view and the ending view, then the app will change the camera view automatically.

DOWNLOAD SAMPLE VIDEO and SAMPLE PHOTO

Here is a link to sample photo and video (for personal viewing only – please don’t post or upload anywhere).

1. Copy all the files to your hard drive into the same folder.
2. Install Akaso 360 Studio desktop app, available for Windows or Mac.
3. On Akaso 360, create a new Project.
4. Click on “Import files” and select the sample files.

SHOULD YOU BUY AKASO 360?

When I first found out about the Akaso 360’s $199 price, I thought there must be something wrong with it to have such a low price.  Perhaps they used very small sensors or weak processors that would keep crashing.  But when I actually shot with it, I was surprised that it was actually somewhat comparable to Insta360 X3 ($299) in terms of image quality.  Akaso 360 might not have the best image quality or the cutting edge features of more expensive 360 cameras, but it provides the most important features of 360 cameras — the ability to shoot a 3rd person perspective and to shoot first and reframe later.   For this price, and for its ease of use, the Akaso 360 would be a good 360 camera to get for beginners or users who want to prioritize price and simplicity. Akaso 360 is available on Amazon for $199.

DISCLOSURE

This is a sponsored review and Akaso got to see my review video before it was posted but they didn’t change anything.  Thanks for watching my video and using my affiliate links so I can do more tests and reviews.  Let me know if you have any questions!