Insta360 Ace Pro 2 With Xplorer Grip Review – Who Is It For?

Action cameras were supposed to get smaller. That was the dream. Pocket-friendly. Forget-it-in-your-jacket small. Instead, most of them went the other way. Bigger bodies. Bigger batteries. Bigger screens. More heat. More features. More compromises. 

We keep asking for lighter cameras, but brands keep adding things. Better sensors come first, then improved low-light performance, more photo modes, and larger displays. 

Instead of shrinking, action cameras have slowly turned into tiny tanks built to do everything at once.

The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 sits right in that reality. It’s not a small camera. It’s thick, solid, and serious. It already feels closer to a compact camera than a classic helmet cam. And then Insta360 adds the Xplorer Grip Kit, and the intention becomes obvious. 

With the Xplorer Grip Kit attached, the Ace Pro 2 shifts its focus. It no longer feels like a camera built mainly for mounts and helmets. It feels designed for handheld shooting, with a proper grip, a physical shutter button, and enough weight to keep footage steady.

That raises a simple question. Who is this camera actually for now? 

Ace Pro 2 Still Looks Like an Action Camera 

On its own, the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 looks and feels like a typical modern action camera. 

The camera weighs just over 174g and the body is boxy and familiar, very close to what you would expect if you have used a GoPro before. In terms of size and shape, there are no surprises.

Without accessories, the camera behaves exactly like an action cam should. It works well, but it still feels like something designed mainly for mounts rather than handheld use. 

The Xplorer Grip Kit changes that. Once attached, the camera becomes easier to hold and more comfortable to use for longer periods. 

The added grip gives it better balance and a more secure feel in the hand without making it bulky. The physical shutter button falls naturally under your finger, which makes quick shooting easier and more reliable. 

With the grip attached, you naturally start using the camera differently. Instead of thinking about mounts or POV shots, you focus more on framing and timing. You raise the camera, take the shot, and keep moving. 

In daily use, that change matters more than any individual spec. 

There is something slightly nostalgic about it, reminiscent of traveling with small mirrorless cameras before smartphones replaced them. You slow down just enough to care about the shot again.

The Xplorer Grip Isn’t an Accessory, It Is the Point

Most camera accessories exist to fix a small issue, like a slippery body, missing controls, or limited mounting options. 

The Xplorer Grip Kit does something more basic. It changes how the Ace Pro 2 is meant to be used day to day. 

With the grip attached, it becomes clear that this camera is designed to be carried in the hand and used while moving. You pull it out, shoot, and put it away again. Mounts are still part of the system, but they are no longer the default starting point. 

The added weight helps more than it hurts. That extra weight matters more when you remember the camera itself weighs just under 180g, so the grip improves balance without turning it into something heavy or tiring to carry all day. 

The camera feels steadier, handheld footage looks calmer, and small shakes are reduced without you having to think about technique or settings. 

The physical shutter button is also more useful than it sounds on paper. In cold weather or when wearing gloves, relying on a touchscreen quickly becomes frustrating. A real button lets you start and stop recording without interrupting what you are doing, which matters when you are outdoors. 

Naturally, this setup doesn’t disappear into a pocket the way something like the Insta360 X4 Air does. 

But it doesn’t need to. The Ace Pro 2 with the Xplorer Grip is no longer just an action camera built for action shots. It sits closer to a small handheld camera that happens to be tough and weatherproof. 

Whether you are traveling, walking through a city, or spending a day in the mountains, it gives you a simple tool to shoot video and photos in a more deliberate, creative way, whatever that looks like for you.

How Good is Ace Pro 2’s Video Performance

Action cameras are expected to handle movement well, so that part is not surprising. What stands out with the Ace Pro 2 and the Xplorer Grip is how little effort it takes to get usable footage while riding. 

Most of my video was shot while snowboarding, often one-handed, with the other hand busy adjusting gloves or gear. In those conditions, the combination of the grip and Insta360’s stabilization keeps footage steady and easy to watch. 

It doesn’t look cinematic or overly processed, but it feels natural and consistent, which is exactly what you want when you are shooting throughout the day.

Part of that comes from the 1/1.3-inch sensor paired with an f/2.6 lens and a wide 13mm equivalent field of view, which gives the camera enough light and context to handle fast-changing mountain scenes without constant exposure surprises. 

Because this is not a 360-degree camera, framing still matters. You don’t have the freedom to fix everything later, and that means you need to pay attention to where the camera is pointed. 

That’s a small downside compared to Insta360’s 360 cameras, but it also encourages more intentional shooting rather than relying on reframing in post.

The flip-up screen helps a lot here. It makes it easy to check framing quickly, especially when you want to shoot yourself, record a quick talking clip, or take a selfie with friends without guessing where the lens is pointed. 

Low-light performance also holds up well for a camera this size. 

The camera can shoot up to 8K at 30fps and 4K at high frame rates, but more importantly for real use, its PureVideo mode and higher bitrate help preserve detail and color when light starts to drop.

Snowy scenes near sunset keep their detail, highlights stay under control, and shadows don’t immediately fall apart into noise. 

Colors remain natural rather than pushed into an exaggerated look, which means less time fixing footage later and more time actually using what you shot. 

Photos Are Where the Camera Quietly Wins You Over

Photos are usually where action cameras lose people. They tend to feel like an afterthought, included more for marketing than for real use. 

The Ace Pro 2 feels different. The sensor and processing are good enough that photos feel deliberate rather than accidental. 

With up to 50MP photo resolution and support for DNG RAW capture, the Ace Pro 2 gives you more room to edit and recover images than most action cameras ever allow. 

On the mountain, stills come out clean and consistent. Snow stays white instead of turning blue or gray, skies hold texture instead of blowing out, and faces remain readable even in harsh light, helmets, and goggles. 

The grip changes how you approach photography with this camera. You naturally slow down, hold the camera steady, and take a moment to frame the shot. 

That might sound obvious, but it isn’t how people usually shoot with action cams. This starts to feel like casual photography in the best sense of the word. 

Not professional photography and not content made purely for social platforms, but everyday images you actually want to keep and come back to later. 

A Travel Camera That Fits Real Life

Travel cameras live in an awkward space. 

Phones are extremely capable but fragile in bad weather. Mirrorless cameras offer great quality but demand space, attention, and constant care. 

Action cameras are tough, but often feel uncomfortable for casual shooting. The Ace Pro 2 with Xplorer Grip setup lands in the middle. 

It survives snow, cold, and rough handling, shoots video that looks good without effort, and takes photos that feel better than expected. It’s also quick to use, which matters more on a trip than peak image quality.

Battery life plays a big role here. After a full day on the mountain in cold conditions around -8 degrees, I still had roughly 20% battery left. 

According to Insta360, the 1800mAh battery can last up to 180 minutes on a single charge, making it realistic to rely on this camera for a full day without carrying multiple spares.

That kind of endurance changes how you use the camera. You stop worrying about power and start shooting more freely. 

Transitions are easy. Moving from indoors to outdoors, from lifts to slopes, or from cold air to warm rooms does not require swapping gear or being overly careful. You just keep shooting.

For content creators, this setup also makes sense. Both vertical and horizontal shooting feel natural, handheld vlogging works well, and the flip-up screen makes self-recording and quick check-ins simple. 

Audio holds up better than expected for this category, with three built-in microphones and modes like wind reduction and voice enhancement. It’s not a studio camera, far from it, actually: it’s built for full days of movement, which is exactly where it works best. 

How the Ace Pro 2 Stacks Up Against the Competition

The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 sits in the same price bracket as its main competitors, but it plays a slightly different game. The camera costs $399 on its own, or $459.99 with the Xplorer Grip Kit. 

That puts it directly against the GoPro Hero13 Black at $429.99 and the DJI Osmo Action 6 at $389. 

This is not a new positioning for Insta360. In my earlier comparison of the original Ace Pro and the GoPro Hero 12 Black, the pattern was already clear. 

Insta360 leaned toward image quality and low-light performance, while GoPro focused on pure action use and a mature mounting ecosystem. 

Compared to current rivals, the Ace Pro 2 still prioritizes flexibility over extreme action. The larger sensor, flip-up screen, and stronger photo modes push it closer to handheld shooting and travel use. 

GoPro and DJI make more sense for helmets and fast-paced action if that’s your cup of tea.

The Ace Pro 2 makes more sense if you want one camera for video, photos, and everyday shooting, especially with the Xplorer Grip attached. 

So, Who Is the Ace Pro 2 Actually For?

The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 works best once you stop thinking of it as a typical action camera. It suits people who want a tough, capable camera they can carry everywhere and use without overthinking. 

For travel, it delivers more reliable results than a phone in difficult conditions. For creators, it favors speed and ease of use over complex setups. 

On the mountain, I quickly realized this isn’t the best choice if your only goal is fast action footage. 

This camera shines when you use it to create more intentional photos and videos, including YouTube-style content that feels planned rather than reactive. When I stopped treating it like a basic action camera, I started having a lot of fun with it. 

The Xplorer Grip Kit helps unlock that experience. It makes handheld shooting more comfortable, simplifies self-recording, and encourages a more deliberate way of working. 

Of course, the Ace Pro 2 isn’t a replacement for a professional camera, but for the right person, its mix of simplicity, durability, and creative freedom is exactly what makes it worth using.