The new Insta360 Flow 2 is not just designed to steady your phone; it also aims to incorporate AI into the process for professional-looking videos. It’s a great device for burgeoning creators or adventurers, but it might be a little too complicated for casual users and not enough for people at the next level.

Selfie Stick

8.3in

Bluetooth

5.0

Weight

12.3oz. (348g)

Charging Time

80% in 55 mins, full charge in 2 hours

This is an all-in-one content creation tool: All your essential tools in one AI phone gimbal. A built-in tripod for iPhone and Android shots, a selfie stick, a teleprompter, a power bank, and 10-hour battery life.

Pros & Cons

• Built-in tripod
• Extending selfie stick
• Smooth operation

• No Apple DockKit support in non-Pro model
• No full 360-degree panning
• Mobile app is complex and can be overwhelming

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Price and Availability

The Insta360 Flow 2 debuted in April 2025 and retails for $109.99. It comes in a single gray color. There’s a universal phone attachment in the box, but Insta360 sells a lot of accessories for the Flow 2, including a MagSafe adapter. The Flow 2 with the AI Tracker accessory costs $129.99.

Be aware that the Flow 2 Pro is a different device that retails for $159.99. Insta360 sells a lot of variations of each model with different accessory bundles. For example, there are 10 different options for the Flow 2 Pro on Amazon.

This Device Can Be Used By Anyone, But It’s Best for New Creators

From setup through first use, the Insta360 Flow 2 can be an overload of information. It will probably be obvious within a couple of minutes whether this device is for you or not. The device gets linked to your phone by hovering it over the NFC sensor, and once connected, the app shows a barrage of hints, tips, and tricks. It’s like the app and the device are throwing up on-screen.

In terms of hardware, the Flow 2 stabilizer has a four-way button pad, along with a joystick and rotating dial. There’s a trigger button and separate USB-C in and out ports. Again, just with physical controls, this is a device that will take time to get accustomed to.

The build quality feels good. The hand grip is comfortable, and I didn’t notice any slipping. For use beyond the default configuration, it can extend several inches for better positioning as a selfie stick. The base also transforms into a tripod with three extending legs. A traditional quarter-inch thread is available on the bottom if you have another tripod you’d rather use, however.

In the box is a phone clamp, suitable for an iPhone or Android device. If you want the dedicated AI Tracker that connects to the Flow 2, that costs extra. Although an extra accessory, I tried the magnet mount for iPhones which uses MagSafe. It’s good for general use, but I would still prefer the clamp while moving fast or during riskier situations.

Insta360 App Is Standalone Beast

The Flow 2 is the flashy part, but it also wouldn’t function without its app. In this case, I would call the app a necessary evil. Overall, it’s polished and has a ton of features. That, however, is also its drawback. It takes days and weeks to fully uncover all it has to offer.

On the plus side, the app offers lots of tutorials and tips. That doesn’t make it less intimidating, though. Even as someone well-versed in mobile apps, having worked at a company developing a live-streaming app, it took me a while to feel comfortable manipulating the app and using it freely.

I spent hours tapping on the various settings and buttons to uncover all the features before I felt comfortable venturing out with the gimbal. What’s the point of having the device out in the wild if I miss all important moments trying to figure out how to use the Flow 2 like I want?

You can use the Insta360 app standalone, without a piece of hardware from the company, so if you’re deciding between this gimbal and another one, I would recommend trying the apps first to see if you have a preference. Even though the app has a lot of complexity to it, I still find it good at editing video on a phone. I was satisfied with the videos I was able to create using the app.

Beyond traditional videos, there’s also the ability to shoot panoramas and other fancy kinds of 360-degree pictures. The integrated tripod allows the gimbal to have a firm footing for extended shoots. While only capturing these kinds of images and clips could get old, I think they’re one of the device’s coolest tricks.

Get Ready to Use AI

The buzziest words in tech right now are artificial intelligence, and so AI is present here too. One implementation is called Shot Genie, which is meant to happen before a video is shot. This puts a button on screen that you tap and talk to when you want it to guide you through creating a certain kind of video. Once activated, it’ll listen and then parse the results to show a tutorial clip.

To start, I said, “How to shoot an unboxing video,” and it brought up a clip of someone actually boxing and fighting in a ring. That wasn’t right, so then I said, “gadget video,” and it showed the words “budget video” on screen. It said it couldn’t find anything like that.

When I finally followed one of its suggested prompts—walking in the park—the app went to the video mode, showed the suggested template and then tried to guide me through mimicking its example.

Additionally, there’s a scene recognition feature that will suggest Shot Genie shooting templates if the app recognizes something you’re trying to shoot. For example, it might suggest a walk in the park if there are trees, a park bench, and a sidewalk in the frame.

The other big AI push is for editing videos, after they’ve been shot. The Flow 2 helps you get good shots, but then you have a lot of footage to sort through. I selected several minutes of backyard basketball clips and let the AI Auto Edit feature take over.

The auto-editing turned four minutes of video into 19 seconds with transitions and music. Not to toot my own horn, but I could have done better. Still, it’s a worthy feature because it did a good enough job. It saved me 10 to 20 minutes for 80% of the quality. Your mileage will vary, but it’s worth exploring because some of the time the feature hit gold, while other times it fell flat.

A Few Items to Note

While these things won’t be deterrents to everyone, I didn’t care for some of the minor details. At best, there are a few items to note about everything that goes into the Flow 2 experience.

For example, this exceptionally capable, advanced device only comes with a tiny USB-C to USB-A cable. If you want the USB-C to USB-C cable from the company, that will cost more money. That’s unfortunate.

Separately, the mobile app is 1.6GB in size. It’s not necessarily out of line for an app like this since the DJI equivalent is 1.1GB in size. But in the world of phone apps, 1.6GB is a lot of storage and data to constantly download. That means that every one to three weeks, when the app gets updated through the App Store, you’ll be re-downloading that amount of data.

There are a few quirks like these that rub me the wrong way. Even on first use, the app and device wanted access to all kinds of location and sensor data. It suggests that you need to enable all to proceed with the setup when you don’t.

Should You Buy the Insta360 Flow 2?

The Insta360 Flow 2 gimbal is impressive and fun. It’s also a lot of work to get it set up, configured, and figured out—especially if you’re brand new to shooting videos. The company tries hard to show people how things work, but in doing so kind of overloads newcomers.

The other consideration is that Insta360 sells a Flow 2 Pro gimbal for $50 more. The two most notable features of the Flow 2 Pro include support for Apple DockKit and 360-degree pan support. DockKit support means the gimbal can track people using other apps on the iPhone, like FaceTime, Instagram, Twitch, WhatsApp, and more. That, and more free-flowing panning, are some important creator features.

If you do want to test the creator waters without spending any more than you have to on this device, then the Flow 2 is great. Just be aware that the Flow 2 Pro is probably a better choice for not much more money.

Selfie Stick

8.3in

Bluetooth

5.0

Weight

12.3oz. (348g)

Charging Time

80% in 55 mins, full charge in 2 hours

This is an all-in-one content creation tool: All your essential tools in one AI phone gimbal. A built-in tripod for iPhone and Android shots, a selfie stick, a teleprompter, a power bank, and 10-hour battery life.