Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen Review: Is It Worth It for Travel?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from years of travel blogging, it’s that taking a decent photo of yourself is way harder than it looks. Is the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen the answer?
If you want to take a picture of yourself you can ask a stranger and hope for the best. You can set up a tripod and spend the next five minutes running backwards and forwards. Or you can flip your phone around, use the better rear camera and take approximately 48 photos without actually knowing whether your head is in any of them.
Or, you could try the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen.
It’s basically a tiny screen that attaches to the back of your phone and lets you see yourself while you’re using the rear camera.
I’ve been trying it out on the seafront in Portsmouth to see how good it really is.
What is the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen?
The Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen is a small external screen that attaches magnetically to the back of your phone.
Once connected, it gives you a live view of your phone screen. This means you can turn your phone around, use the better rear cameras and still see exactly what you’re filming.
Normally, if I’m filming myself with the rear camera, there’s a fair amount of guesswork involved. Am I in the middle? Can you see what I’m talking about behind me? Have I accidentally chopped the top of my head off? Do I need to get a mirror involved?
With the Snap Selfie Screen, I can actually see what’s being filmed.
What they’re useful for
I make a LOT of content on my phone.
Between my blog, Instagram and creating videos for brands, I’m constantly filming something. I’m also often travelling with my son, which means there isn’t necessarily another adult around to take photos or videos for me.
I’ve tried all the usual solutions over the years.
Tripods are great, but you still can’t always see what you’re filming. Asking strangers is very hit and miss. And the front-facing camera is easy, but I’d rather use the better rear camera when I want the footage to look as good as possible.
The Snap Selfie Screen basically fixes that problem.
Testing the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen
I took my new rucksack down to Southsea seafront to try out the camera, and get some shots of the bag. I wanted to get me and the bag in, with the quality of the main camera.
I want to know that I’m standing in the right place AND that you can actually see the background.
This is where the screen is most useful for me. It’s not just about getting yourself in shot, it’s about composing a better shot.
I actually think content creators will get more use out of this than almost anyone else.
If you regularly film yourself talking to camera, demonstrating products or making travel videos, being able to use your phone’s rear camera while seeing yourself is really useful.
You can check your framing before you start, make sure you’re not blocking whatever you’re trying to show and see if you wander out of shot halfway through.
If you use a microphone on your phone filming set up you’ll need to buy a port splitter so you can use both. I just got one like this from Amazon.
Is the camera quality better?
The rear cameras on your phone are generally the ones you want to be using if you care about getting the best possible image quality.
The problem has always been seeing yourself. The Snap Selfie Screen solves that.
For quick Instagram Stories, I’ll still happily use the front camera. But if I’m filming a Reel, sponsored video or something I know I’ll use across multiple platforms, I’d rather use the rear camera.
What I like about the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen
It’s small enough that I can chuck it into my bag without feeling like I’m carrying another piece of serious camera equipment.
I can frame shots properly, use the better camera and hopefully get the footage I need in fewer takes. For travelling, that last point is important to make the most of the time you have in a destination.
Who is the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen for?
I think it makes the most sense for solo travellers, travel bloggers, content creators, UGC creators and anyone who regularly makes Reels or TikToks.
It could also be useful for families. When you’re the person who takes most of the photos, it’s very easy to come home from a trip with hundreds of lovely pictures of everyone else and very little evidence that you were actually there.
Being able to set your phone up and properly see the composition makes getting those family photos much easier. And mean’s you’ll get better quality selfies.
If you only take the occasional selfie and you’re happy with your front-facing camera, you probably don’t need one.
Is the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen worth it?
For me, yes. I’m constantly filming myself, taking travel photos without another person behind the camera and trying to create good-quality content as quickly as possible.
I don’t want to carry loads of camera equipment around, so I like gadgets that help me get more out of the phone I already have.
It’s a very simple idea, but that’s probably why I like it.
Being able to see exactly what I’m filming while using the rear camera makes creating travel content quicker, easier and less hit and miss.