Shenzhen, China, April 10, 2026, 02:10 (China Standard Time)
Insta360 has begun global sales of its Snap Selfie Screen, a magnetic phone accessory designed to let users shoot selfies and short videos with their rear cameras instead of the front camera. The Shenzhen-based company said the device is on sale now through Amazon and its own store in two versions priced at $79.99 and $89.99. 1
The launch matters because it pushes Insta360 deeper into phone add-ons as creators look for better image quality without buying a separate camera. Rear cameras typically offer better sensors and lenses than selfie cameras, but they leave users without a live preview; Snap is meant to close that gap while widening Insta360’s creator-tools lineup. 1
Founder JK Liu said the device was built to solve a simple problem: “your phone’s best camera is on the back, but you can’t see yourself while using it.” He said Snap targets creators and vloggers who want sharper, better-lit self-shot content without changing how they already shoot. 1
The accessory uses a 3.5-inch touchscreen that sticks to the back of a phone and mirrors the handset’s display over a wired USB-C connection, avoiding Bluetooth or Wi-Fi pairing. The pricier version adds a built-in light developed with AMIRO, with three color settings and five brightness levels, and both models work with native and third-party camera apps. 1
Insta360 said the accessory works with iPhone 15 models and later, and with Android phones that support USB-C video output, known as DisplayPort Alt Mode — the standard that lets a phone send video to an external display. PetaPixel reported the wider rollout follows an Asia-only debut last week and said support spans brands such as Apple, Samsung and Google. 1
The move also puts Insta360 alongside smaller rivals trying to fix the same weakness in smartphone photography. PetaPixel and The Verge pointed to Dockcase’s Selfix, an iPhone 17 Pro case with a built-in display, while The Verge said Snap’s case-free design works with more phones and gives access to the full screen rather than a cropped preview. 2
But there are trade-offs. After a week of testing with an iPhone 16 Pro, The Verge said iPhone users must first enable touch input through an accessibility setting and noted that Snap draws power from the phone instead of carrying its own battery, which Insta360 says can cut battery life by 15% to 20% during continuous use; PetaPixel also said the accessory takes up the USB-C port and sits over the wireless-charging area, while The Verge flagged accidental taps on the handset display even with the folding cover in place. 3
Best known for 360-degree and action cameras, Insta360 is using Snap to push further into tools built around the phone rather than a dedicated camera. Its plug-and-play setup and sub-$100 starting price may help, but the product still has to prove users will carry another piece of hardware just to get a better selfie. 4
