I’ve been testing this $69 microphone and its budget price comes with some sacrifices

Is the Insta360 Mic Air one of the best microphones out there? Okay… maybe not. But its budget price tag might make the negatives worthwhile if you prioritize affordability over sheer professional sound.

While there are other microphones with superior sound quality, the Insta360 provides value for money, great battery life, and an impressive wireless range in a compact, lightweight package.

If you want to find out more about whether this is the mic for you, keep reading this full Insta360 Mic Air review.

Insta360 Mic Air review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A budget portable microphone
• Who is it for? Anyone looking to take the first steps in enhancing their content’s audio
• What does it cost? $69 / £69
• What do we like? It’s great value for money with good battery life and wireless range. It’s also incredibly lightweight and compact
• What don’t we like? It doesn’t have the best audio quality when compared to more expensive counterparts, and the receiver uses power from the connected device

Insta360 Mic Air review: Specs

Insta360 Mic Air review: Price & availability

The Insta360 Mic Air receiver (RX) and transmitter (TX) bundle is available for purchase on Amazon U.S. for $69 and on Amazon U.K. for £69. If you need two mics, then you may want to purchase an extra transmitter for $49 on Amazon U.S. or £49 on Amazon U.K.

If you want to purchase two transmitters right out of the gate and save a bit of cash, you can purchase a bundle with two transmitters and the receiver directly from Insta360’s U.S. website for $109. The Rode Wireless Micro‘s 2TX + RX kit costs $149, making it a little pricier.

The Mic Air’s other main rival is the DJI Mic Mini, which is available from $59, with its 2TX + RX bundle costing $99. It has similar battery life but a larger receiver, and features Bluetooth connectivity and easy integration with DJI devices, so you often don’t need the receiver anyway.

The Insta360 Mic Air is a fraction of the price of the DJI Mic 2 and DJI Mic 3, which cost $269 and $329. However, the Mic 2 and 3 are more powerful tools for serious content creators, with 32-bit Float recording, which provides a greater dynamic range of sound (meaning you don’t need to worry about levels and clipping when you shoot). But if you’re only using the Mic for quick, casual voiceovers, the Insta360 will do the job just fine.

The Rode Wireless Pro is another pricier option for $399, but the individual transmitters only have a battery life of seven hours, which is less than the 10 hours offered by the Insta360. But the Rode and DJI microphones come with a charging case, which can be used when out and about.

Insta360 Mic Air review: Design

• Tiny and discrete
• Lightweight
• Multiple ways to wear

The Insta360 Mic Air is a tiny microphone, so it’s ideal for content creators who need a mic with extreme portability. The transmitter has a diameter of 1.3 inches and is 1.6 inches deep, so it’s button-sized — a little smaller than a quarter — and can attach to clothing discreetly. I much prefer the shape of the Insta360, rather than the square design of the DJI Mic Mini.

It weighs just 0.3 ounces, so it’s a lot lighter than the Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 ($329), which weighs 1.2 ounces, and can pull the clothing down slightly. You should have no issue with the Mic Air in that regard, although the DJI Mic Mini and Rode Wireless Micro TX units are also very light.

There are a few different ways to wear the microphone with the included accessories. It comes with a button magnet, a magnetic pendant, and a clip magnet, so the mic feels secure in a multitude of situations. The button magnet is a great way to disguise the mic, as it can be used to secure the mic inside clothing, with only the magnet on the outside. The DJI Mic Mini also comes with magnets.

The Mic Air comes with a windshield to stop harsh wind buffeting sounds. This is easy to attach to the mic with a rubber bumper that wraps around the circumference of the mic. It works really well to reduce buffeting.

And when you need to take the mic with you on location, you can store it in the handy carry case provided. It keeps all components tucked away together to be taken anywhere. This fits in the palm of my hand and is about the size of a compact mirror. The Rode Micro case is even smaller though, and looks more like an earbuds case.

Insta360 Mic Air review: Features & Connectivity

• Controls differ depending on connection
• Easy to use
• Responsive button controls

The controls for the Insta360 Mic Air differ very slightly based on the connectivity method you’re using. The receiver is easy to use as it pairs with the transmitter by default. Once plugged into my phone via USB-C, the receiver powered on, and once the transmitter was turned on with a click of the button, the two instantly paired.

When you use an Insta360 gadget like the Insta360 X5, X4 or Go Ultra, you don’t even need the receiver; you can simply connect wirelessly (using Bluetooth) and start filming. This is similar to how the DJI Mic Mini, Mic 2 and Mic 3 can connect with DJI cameras in seconds.

You can also pair with other cameras via Bluetooth. You simply press the power button on the transmitter for six seconds to enter pairing mode. You can then select the microphone from the Bluetooth menu.

Once connected, the controls are the same. A double press of the power button toggles the transmitter between noise cancellation settings, and a triple press will mute and unmute the microphone. You can click the transmitter once to stop or start a recording when standing away from your camera, making it a decent hands-free solution.

There’s no internal storage with the transmitters, but at this price range, that’s not really expected. There’s also no time code, which allows you to sync up audio and video in post if you record separately, which, with no internal storage, isn’t an issue anyway. But if these are features you want (and serious content creators will want them), you can look at the DJI Mic 3 or Rode Wireless Pro.

Insta360 Mic Air review: Audio quality

• Sacrifices sound quality for the budget price
• Built-in noise reduction
• Struggles with plosives

The Insta360 Mic Air certainly performs to its price range. There’s no denying that more expensive microphones like the Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 or the DJI Mic 3 sound far better and do a better job at handling plosives.

The mic has built-in noise reduction, which is effective in dampening the sound of traffic when outdoors. In the recordings below, I was speaking with the window open near a busy road, and you can’t hear the traffic at all.

My voice sounds very warm but quite intense; it picked up every sound I made with my mouth, sometimes in a bit too much detail, even with the windshield attached. As with every mic we review here at Tom’s Guide, I put the Mic Air through the standardized audio testing regime.

Plosives

Plosives include sounds like ‘p’, ‘b’, ‘t’, ‘k’, ‘d’ and ‘g’, where the letters can sound harsh at the start or end of words.

As you can hear in the recording above, the ‘p’ sounds are very harsh. This is pretty frustrating and not something you would encounter with pricier mics like the DJI Mic 2. But again, at the $69 price point for the Insta360 Mic Air transmitter and receiver, I’m not expecting miracles.

That said, the affordable Rode Wireless Micro does a great job of minimizing ‘pop’ sounds, so this could be a better option if you often encounter these.

Fricatives/sibilance

Sibilance includes sounds like ‘s’ and ‘sh’ that have a tendency to hiss and whistle. Again, these sounds can be harsh and unpleasant to listen to, especially if you have a guest with improper microphone etiquette.

As you can hear in the recording above, the ‘t’ sounds are pretty sharp, and the ‘s’ and ‘sh’ sounds ring on. ‘Fs’ sounds okay. Although again, a more expensive mic would give far better results. But the Rode Wireless Micro proves that this can be done on a budget, with softened sibilance.

Overall, the mic produces great results for amateur recording, so if you’re just starting out, it’s a great option. But for more professional recordings, you may want to check out one of our more expensive recommendations, like the Sennheiser Profile Wireless.

Insta360 Mic Air review: Battery life

• 10 hours of battery life
• Magnetic charging base
• Battery requires maintenance

There’s no denying that the Insta360 Mic Air has some impressive battery life. The transmitter holds 10 hours of charge, so it's good to go for a lengthy recording session. 10 hours seems to be the sweet spot for affordable mics, as the DJI Mic Mini also gets around 10 hours of use per charge. But even more impressive is the Rode Wireless Micro, which houses 21 hours of battery life, so you can keep yapping all day long.

The Insta360 mic comes with a charging base (like a fitness tracker’s). It takes about an hour and a half to charge up.

Inta360 advises that if you don’t regularly use the transmitter, the battery may dwindle, and recommends charging it to 60% every few months to prolong the lifespan of the battery.

The receiver gets pass-through charging when it’s connected to a device, so there’s no need to worry about that battery life there. Although it relies on the connected device, it will drain the battery of your phone (if that’s what you’re filming on) a little faster.

Insta360 Mic Air review: Verdict

The Insta360 Mic Air is the perfect choice for anyone using a portable microphone for the first time, especially if they already use Insta360 gear, since it is an affordable option with sound that lives up to the cost. The 10-hour battery life makes it reliable in long recording situations, and the wireless range means it’s a decent choice for recording outdoors.

But if you’re a content creator looking to enhance your audio, I’d recommend investing elsewhere. The Mic Air struggles with plosives in particular, and ‘t’ and ‘s’ sounds come across as pretty sharp at times, although this is improved by the windshield. For similar money, you can grab the Rode Wireless Micro, which delivers cleaner audio across the board. Spending a little more on something like the DJI Mic 3 or Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 is a better long-term investment.