There’s a very specific kind of photo that most of us, especially the mums, end up with after years of family holidays, weekends away and random little adventures. Hundreds of gorgeous photos of everyone else. The kids eating ice cream. Your partner laughing at dinner. Your friends on a beach somewhere. The dog. The sunset. The cocktails.
And then there’s you …. usually missing. Or caught in one blurry selfie where one arm is clearly stretched out at a deeply unflattering angle.
I realised recently that I’m basically the family historian. I document everything but I’m rarely IN anything. After 20 years of travel blogging and constantly being behind a camera, I’ve become very good at capturing moments. But I’ve also become very aware that I’m often absent from them.
- Compatibility: *For a full list of compatible models, see the list below. Apple: iPhone 15 and later (excluding iPhone 16e/17e, and iPhone Air) Android: USB-C devices with DP Alt Mode.
- Preview your shots in real time while using your phone's superior rear camera.
- The 3.5-inch high-res touchscreen gives you total control of your phone with screen mirroring to frame your shots perfectly every time.
So when I heard about the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen, I was intrigued. Not because I’m trying to become a TikTok creator or spend my life filming myself. Quite the opposite, actually. I just want better photos with less faff. I want to capture memories with my family and my friends without constantly asking strangers to take photos or balancing my phone against a water bottle. Yes, as a blogger I have tripods and drones but I don’t take those out with me on everyday outings.
After testing the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen properly on days out, family walks, weekends away and coffee dates with friends, I have thoughts.
Quite a lot of them, actually.
What is the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen?
The Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen is a compact screen attachment designed to make taking photos and videos of yourself much easier while using your front-facing camera. It mirrors what’s on your phone screen, making it just as easy to take selfies with your front camera as it is with the back camera and gives you a proper preview of what you actually look like while filming or taking photos.
Which sounds simple, but honestly, it changes everything.
Yes, you can use your rear facing camera but the quality is never as good. And yes, you can turn your camera around and use your front-facing camera blind, but you’ll almost always chop your head out.
Being able to actually see yourself while taking the photo means fewer retakes and far less frustration. And importantly for me, it doesn’t feel overly techy.
I love travel gadgets that make life easier. I do not enjoy gadgets that require reading a 47-page instruction manual while silently questioning my life choices.
The Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen feels simple and intuitive from the start.
First impressions
My first thought was honestly: “Oh thank goodness, this is small and light.”
I’m at a stage in life where I refuse to carry huge amounts of stuff unless absolutely necessary. Between work, travel, children, snacks, spare jumpers and the mysterious collection of tiny toys that appear in every handbag, I need my tech to earn its place.
The Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen is lightweight, compact and easy to throw into a handbag or coat pocket. It doesn’t feel bulky or awkward and it’s quick and easy to attach.
It also feels premium without being flashy. There’s a sweet spot with gadgets where they feel high quality but not unnecessarily expensive-looking. This sits nicely in that category.
Why I actually found it useful
I think this is the important part because there are plenty of travel gadgets that sound clever but end up sitting in a drawer after two weeks.
This one genuinely solved a problem for me.
Group photos became easier
I travel a lot with friends and family and there’s always one person missing from the photo because they’re taking it.
Usually me.
The Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen made it much easier to set up quick photos where everyone could actually fit in properly without guessing.
No more taking 14 versions where someone’s head is cut off. No more awkward “Can you just move slightly left?” chaos. And no more handing your phone to a random passer-by who somehow manages to crop out half the scenery.
It made solo travel content easier too
Even after years as a travel blogger, filming yourself in public still feels slightly awkward sometimes. Not cripplingly awkward. Just mildly British.
The Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen helped massively because I could quickly frame shots properly and get on with it rather than repeatedly checking footage.
That meant less standing around taking selfies (cringe) and more actually enjoying where I was. Which is always the goal.
The quality surprised me
The footage and photos looked polished and much more natural than standard front-camera selfies. The framing is better, the angles are better and everything feels less forced. There’s never any lag between the camera and the screen and it worked immediately after plugging it in.
It’s especially good for travel photos where you want the background to actually look impressive instead of just becoming a tiny blur behind your forehead.
Revolutionary concept, really.
It’s ideal for women who are always behind the camera
I honestly think this is where the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen really shines.
Women, especially mums, are so often the invisible memory keepers.
We organise the trips, book the restaurants, remember the birthdays, take the photos and preserve the memories. But we’re often missing from the actual story. And I don’t think we realise how sad that is until years later.
Some of my favourite photos now are the imperfect ones where I’m actually in them. Windswept on a beach. Laughing at dinner. Covered in sand with the kids. I want more of those.
Not polished influencer photos. Just evidence that I was there too. Because here’s the thing; if you hated a photo of yourself at 21, I bet you love it now. You looked so young and bright and healthy! I’m sure the same will apply to the photos we take now, we’re going to look back on those pictures when we’re grandmas and love them.
The Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen genuinely helps with that because it removes some of the hassle and awkwardness around taking photos yourself.
Is it easy to use?
Yes. Very. And I say that as someone who has absolutely no patience for overcomplicated technology. If something requires a lengthy setup process every single time, I mentally check out immediately. Anything that requires bluetooth connections and 15 seconds waiting for devices to start talking to each other…it’s a no from me.
The Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen is straightforward enough that you can use it properly within minutes. That matters because most of us do not have time to spend half an hour configuring camera settings while our children are threatening mutiny.
Any downsides?
If you use a magsafe tripod then you’re not going to be able to use this alongside your tripod. The screen attaches to the phone using the magsafe ring so you can’t use both at the same time.
Who I think it’s best for
I don’t think this is a gadget everyone needs.
But I do think it’s brilliant for a certain type of person.
If you love documenting your life, travel regularly, enjoy weekends away with friends or simply want better family photos where you’re actually included, it makes a lot of sense.
It’s especially good for:
- Mums who are always taking the photos
- Women who travel solo
- Friendship groups who are tired of asking strangers for pictures
- Content creators who want something compact and easy
- Families who want more natural travel memories
- Anyone who hates bad selfies
So basically… quite a lot of us.
Would I actually recommend it?
If you’re already taking great selfies or you’re happy with the grainy quality of selfies on your front facing camera then you won’t need this gadget.
But if you’re struggling to take good-quality photos where you’re in the frame then this product will really help. The Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen feels like one of those products that solves a very modern problem in a genuinely useful way.
We all take more photos than ever before, but so many women are still absent from their own memories because we’re the ones documenting everything.
I love anything that makes capturing real moments easier without making life feel more performative or overly curated.
Because despite working online for years, I still think the best photos are usually the spontaneous ones. The messy, funny, joyful little moments that remind you what life actually felt like.
The Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen helps capture more of those.
And importantly, it helps you be in them too.
Is the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen worth buying?
I think this depends on how much you value photographs and memories.
For me, travel has never been about luxury hotels or ticking destinations off a list. It’s about experiences and shared moments and creating memories and adventures with people I love.
Photos are how we hold onto those moments and make them into something bigger than they ever were.
So if you’re someone who constantly ends up behind the camera, who wants better photos with friends and family, or who simply wants travel memories that include you too, then yes, I think the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen is worth considering.
It’s practical, compact, easy to use and genuinely helpful.
And honestly, anything that means mums finally appear in the family holiday album gets a big tick from me.
You can get the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen on Amazon and there’ll be 10% off in the June Prime Day.
