Insta360 holds 73 percent of the worldwide 360 camera market and recently sold its 10 millionth camera. As the Chinese company opens its first flagship United States store in New York City’s Times Square, it is weighing what comes after the lens on a stick.

Cofounder Max Richter tells The Verge that if Insta360 built smart glasses, it “wouldn’t necessarily compete with companies on smart intelligent features.” The pitch would be convenient, high-quality capture rather than an AI assistant living on your face.

Richter said the company sees room between smartphone shooters and professional cameras, where people want to express themselves without carrying a full kit.

Founder JK Liu has separately confirmed two mirrorless cameras in development, one with a shape “you have never thought of before,” according to MyNavi News in August.

Insta360, known as Shadow Stone or Arashi Vision in China, already spent $298M on memory chips, more than GoPro’s entire valuation. IDC pegs it at 20 percent of the handheld smart camera market against DJI’s 73 percent, though it took 43 percent of detachable action cameras in Q2 2026.

Executives describe a long-term goal of becoming a “robot cameraman for the world,” with devices that capture and edit automatically. Any glasses would still have to answer the privacy backlash that has shadowed every camera-first wearable. No glasses product has been announced, and no timeline has been given.

Source: The Verge