I don’t say this lightly: as someone who spends most of the day on Microsoft Teams calls, the Insta360 Wave is one of the most surprising pieces of tech I’ve tried this year. Not just because it comes from a company that essentially specializes in camera gear but also because it really made a tangible difference to my everyday use. From the THX‑style startup sound, it’s clear this isn’t just another speakerphone. It’s a smart, AI‑infused communication hub that sounds great, keeps distractions out of your calls, and helps you capture what was said.
The Wave is a sleek cylinder— comes in graphite black or arctic white—with a premium, understated look that fits a home office. It collapses, adjusts from roughly 198mm to 248mm, and has just enough heft at 490g to stay planted, aided by the rubber suction pad underneath. It will stand on any flat surface which is important given the way it props itself up once powered on.
Once up, you are treated to a 1.82‑inch touchscreen is genuinely useful: tap or swipe to mute, adjust volume, record, or switch between five microphone pickup patterns without digging through software. If you aren’t looking at the display, there’s also a long LED strip on the front of the Wave that indicates various statuses such as muted, recording etc. On the top of the Wave is a cap with a slot for storing its USB-A dongle but hidden underneath the magnetic cap you’ll find connector pins. This is for connecting the Insta360 Link 2 webcam that cleverly pairs with the Wave but more on that later.
Sound quality is the star—rich, warm, and natural which to me, is really important. At some point in the day, you do get sick and tired of wearing headphones or stuffing buds into your canals. So having an external speaker that sounds great and is also great at picking my voice. Like I said, just the power on sequence sound will blow you away with its spatial depth. Voices on calls sound warm and clear while music and media have a rich bass that belies the size of this speaker.
The eight‑mic 3D array pulls in voices with depth and clarity, up to 16 feet and the AI noise suppression scrubs out the usual desk chaos: keyboard clicks, AC hum, distant street noise. Calls feel closer to an in‑person conversation, which is a luxury when you live in video meetings. I also don’t have to lean toward my laptop anymore; it picks up from as far as five meters and keeps my voice centered.
The intelligent processing helps a lot—echo suppression, automatic gain, and de-reverberation make even a mediocre room sound better. I usually leave it in cardioid mode, so it focuses on me and mutes the rest, but switching to omnidirectional or figure‑eight makes quick round‑table chats or two‑person recordings easy.
As I alluded to, the Wave is built to pair with the Insta360 Link 2 webcam, and together they get clever. The Wave’s direction‑of‑arrival microphones guide the Link 2 to whoever’s speaking, so framing follows the conversation. That’s bloody smart if you ask me. But I do have two gripes: first, when stacked, the combo isn’t tall enough, so the camera can angle slightly upward giving a somewhat unflattering look on calls. Not a deal‑breaker, but worth noting.
Secondly, the combo doesn’t work unless you are connected via a USB cable which makes for a limited use case. Not sure if it’s a power sharing issue or just higher data bandwidth required but considering where wireless gaming tech is in 2025, I’m not sure why this should be a problem.
The Wave is also a standalone recorder with 32GB onboard—up to 1,000 hours of MP3—and a pre‑record buffer that lets you retro‑save the last few minutes. For meeting notes, ad‑hoc brainstorms, or content ideas, it’s like having a smart tape recorder that never misses the moment.
On the AI side, it ties into Insta360’s InSight platform for automatic transcription in up to 99 languages, speaker ID, meeting summaries, and action items. You can even chat with the assistant and ask questions about your meetings or recordings. Now, some of the most advanced features sit behind a subscription, but the productivity upside is real: you sound better and you remember more.
Beyond meetings, it’s a handy content tool. Podcasters get clean, conversational audio with cardioid or figure‑eight pickup without juggling complex mic rigs. The built‑in storage means you can record independently of a computer, perfect for interviews or impromptu ideas. And paired with the Link 2, you’ve got a compact, professional‑quality audio‑visual setup that feels smarter than its footprint.
Connectivity is flexible too as the Wave makes use of Bluetooth, wireless via a USB dongle, and a USB‑C cable depending on your setup. So whether you are using it as a party speaker out in the park or having a family catchup over Zoom or recording a podcast in your living room, this thing is ready to go.
Battery life is solid—Insta360 rates it at up to 12 hours of talk time, but I’ve stretched it two to three workdays. It recharges via USB‑C in about five hours; not fast, though you can use it plugged in without issue. Interestingly, you can also use it as a power bank to top up your phone or whatever when you’re in a pinch — Nice!
The Insta 360 Wave standard bundle is AU$519.99, and the WaveLink bundle with the Link 2 webcam is AU$849. For what it replaces—a decent mic, a speakerphone, a transcription tool, and a simple recorder—the price lands in the “worth it” zone if you live on calls or make content. If you just need a basic mic for occasional meetings, it’s overkill; but if you’re a remote worker, manager, or creator juggling calls, interviews, and recordings, the combination of sound quality, AI cleanup, and onboard recording feels like money well spent.
Drawbacks? A few. The best AI features require a $180 annual subscription. At 490g, even with the slick carry bag, it’s a desk fixture rather than something you’ll toss in your pocket. There’s also a slight “warm‑up” feel as the processing adapts in very spontaneous moments. Additionally, if you’re not the kind to take notes in meetings, this is way overkill and quickly become a stunning paperweight. I like the WaveLink combo but that it requires cable tethering is disappointing.
For someone chained to calls and also making content, the Insta360 Wave feels like a breath of fresh air. It blends professional‑grade sound, genuinely useful AI, elegant design, and thoughtful webcam integration into one device. It’s not just a speakerphone—it’s a productivity and creativity hub that makes remote work and recording feel effortless and, honestly, enjoyable. For what it is, it is awesome and has truly left me pleasantly surprised. Well done Insta360.
Insta360 kindly provided the Wave for the purpose of writing this review
