Elecrow’s CrowView Note is a portable monitor that can turn a single-board computer, such as the Raspberry Pi 5, into a 14” laptop in just a few steps.
Specifications
Display size: 14 inch
Panel technology: FHD IPS
Brightness: 300 nits
Power consumption: 8W when display is on, 2W when sleep
Audio power output: 2W stereo
Number of video interfaces: One mini-HDMI, one Type-C
Weight: 1.2 kg
Dimensions: 334 mm x 223 mm x 20 mm
Battery: 5AH
With its FHD IPS screen, the self-powered unit has a 5Ah LiPo battery, a touchpad, and a pair of speakers. The silver casing can be easily mistaken for premium models offered by HP or Apple, but for $169, the plastic case feels flimsy and tends to bend under keystrokes.
A KVM in disguise, the Note can connect to several display interfaces while a multifunction USB hub expands the Type-C or Type A connector to several peripherals and a spare USB Type-A socket. The 84-key keyboard has function keys for screen settings and a numeric pad shared with other keys. The supplied 48W adapter charges the battery in less than one hour and will also power devices connected through Type-C in PD mode.
Elecrow provides adapter boards that connect to popular embedded platforms such as the Raspberry Pi or the Jetson Nano.
The CrowView Note is funded through a Kickstarter campaign and will retail for $169. It is an excellent value for money, with campaign rewards for early adopters at $130.
(Image credit: Future)
CrowView Note: Design
The CrowView Note is thin at 20mm and lacks a fan or air vents for cooling. The grey plastic case, which can open to 180 degrees, looks solid initially. However, the drawbacks of being a plastic product become apparent once the user starts to type something on the keyboard, with each keystroke sounding hollow. The unit weighs only 1.2 kg for 334 mm x 223 mm x 20 mm and ships with a 48W 12V adapter.
The CrowView Note uses four rubber pads at the bottom to grip the work surface. Stereo speakers face downward and provide almost no bass through the plastic case. Two dual-purpose keys control the two-watt output, which should be sufficient for simple applications like watching a movie. In addition, the right side holds a 2.5 mm audio socket that allows a pair of headsets to connect to the unit.
The Note is a fancy portable screen with two display inputs: a USB-C DP supporting Alt mode and a mini HDMI connector. It also contains an innovative USB hub connecting either the Type-A host socket on the left side or the Type-C on the right. With a button press, the two can be switched between, enabling a simple KVM solution on the go. The hub drives a USB device socket, the keyboard, and the audio system.
Elecrow has used an excellent LCD panel in this product. We were impressed by the vivid color and 300 nits brightness of the 14” FHD screen. The on-screen menu requires time to get used to and will show status messages whenever a function key is pressed. A small hole beside the keypad hides a microphone. No camera is present.
(Image credit: Future)
CrowView Note: In use
The user has three ports on the left that provide 25W of power for an AC adapter, a mini HDMI input, and a USB device connection to the onboard peripherals. The right side offers two sockets, one for USB devices such as a USB key and a Type-C supporting 15W through PD that can connect to a smartphone. ElecCrow offers multiple PCBs that bridge the Note to embedded platforms such as the Raspberry Pi or the Jetson Nano.
The device turns on with a short press on the power button, while a long press turns it off. Charging with the 12V adapter takes about one hour, with a red LED indicating it is in progress. The unit's built-in battery offers about one hour of use with a Raspberry Pi 5. The Raspian OS does not currently read the battery level, meaning the unit will shut down without warning when the battery is depleted.
The CrowView Note's best use case is as a Keyboard-Video-Mouse adapter for two hosts. For example, an embedded platform used for development connects to the left of the display, while a smartphone used for entertainment connects to the right. In this setup, the Note performs exceptionally well, switching between the two setups by pressing the F1 key. Power isn’t lost for the two setups, even while using the battery, and a seamless USB switchover occurs.
The CrowView Note isn’t the most energy-efficient display around. While the system is off, consumption hovers around one to two Watts. When turned on, the display consumes around eight Watts. The dual-purpose function keys, which also act as system keys, take some time to get used to. Finally, no battery level is present while the Note is charging.
(Image credit: Future)
CrowView Note: The competition
The Dopesplay portable monitor with keyboard looks strikingly similar to the CrowView Note but only offers one USB port to connect to the host device. The lack of a second connection prevents the Dopesplay monitor from becoming a KVM. The Note is a universal platform for embedded devices and achieves this with two adapter boards, something lacking with the solution offered by Dopesplay. Finally, with an MSRP of $399, the Dopesplay unit is more than twice the price of the CrowView Note.
(Image credit: Future)
CrowView Note: Final verdict
The CrowView Note is one of those gadgets that becomes essential once you start using it. It packs a crisp FHD display, stereo speakers, a LiPo battery, and, above all, two USB host sockets, allowing it to become a true KVM. As a secondary display, it is light and offers a large viewing area. The multi-touch trackpad complements the compact keyboard well, while the build and material quality could be better. For $169, it will pay for itself with increased productivity away from the desk.
Buy the CrowView Note if
you constantly switch between two displays but have limited space.
Don’t buy if
you are looking for a premium product that will last for a while.
Motorola launched the Moto S50 Neo in June, and as promised, the brand unveiled the vanilla S50 today. The Motorola Moto S50 is powered by the Dimensity 7300 SoC, runs Android 14, and comes with 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage onboard.
The smartphone is built around a 6.36" 120Hz LTPO pOLED display of 2,670x1,272-pixel resolution with HDR10+ support and 3,000 nits peak brightness. The display also has a centered punch-hole for the 32MP selfie camera and a fingerprint reader underneath for biometric authentication.
Around the back, you get a triple camera setup, which is a...
We've already heard that the OnePlus Ace 5 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, an upgrade from the Ace 3 which came with the 8 Gen 2. If you're wondering where the Ace 4 went, it never existed due to tetraphobia.
Today Digital Chat Station confirms the 8 Gen 3 choice for the vanilla model, and reveals that the Ace 5 Pro will sport the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC. Both models will have batteries that will be at least 6,000 mAh in size, flat metal frames, optical fingerprint sensors, and a "1.5K" 8T LTPO high-spec OLED screen made by BOE.
OnePlus 12R aka OnePlus Ace...
Oppo's next book-style foldable is coming soon, according to a now-deleted post by prolific Chinese leakster Digital Chat Station. This will be called Find N5 and it will be the successor to the Find N3 from last October.
The company will skip "4" most likely because of tetraphobia. The Find N5 will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. It will have a "2K+" inner folding screen, a 50 MP main camera using a Sony sensor, a periscope telephoto camera as well, and a circular camera island.
Oppo Find N3
The phone will be just over 9mm thick, which makes it very close to Honor's...
Platform reviewed: PS5 Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Release date: September 9, 2024
Loud, boisterous, and gleefully violent, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 delivers a thrilling power fantasy. Saber Interactive’s third-person slaughter-fest invites you to step into the power-armored boots of a 10-foot-tall superhuman Space Marine as you carve your way through hordes of alien Tyranids and Chaos cultists. Crunchy, bloody, and immensely satisfying, Space Marine 2’s core gameplay loop distinguishes the title, ensuring that occasional moments of ambitious overreach or old-school jankiness are easily forgotten.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a lovingly maintained relic of a bygone era. To stomp through its gorgeous, detailed levels is to bask in the third-person glory days of the late 2000s. The pressures of 2024’s open-world-saturated design environment are nowhere to be seen here. Space Marine 2’s punchy single-player campaign and generous co-op missions are linear, well-structured affairs. This allows for an attention to detail when it comes to encounters and level design alike and, while this may be off-putting to some, those wishing to nestle into the comforting embrace of a traditional action game will find their desires met.
However, this is not to say that Space Marine 2 rejects the advantages of modern design approaches either. When it comes to realizing the immense scale of Games Workshop’s beloved Warhammer 40,000 dystopian sci-fi universe, Space Marine 2 makes generous use of modern hardware. Awe-inspiring vistas come almost every minute in Space Marine 2. Looming gothic structures loom across busy battlefields populated by swarms of enemies. The Space Marines themselves tower over human and alien foot soldiers alike, a sense echoed by weighty animations which capture the sheer bulk and presence of these immense killing machines.
That said the game occasionally bites off more than it can chew. The scale of its ambitions cause some sections of the campaign to feel rushed. For instance, while they look great at a distance, many of your mortal human allies during the campaign use canned and dull animations - a stark contrast to the gorgeous and deliberate movements on show from the Space Marines themselves. Allied tanks stay quiet, their massed machine guns pointing at the enemy seemingly never to fire. Additionally, though chocked full of unlockables, Space Marine 2’s co-op mode asks for a serious amount of grinding from players, leading to a stolid progression system that lets down the otherwise joyful co-op missions.
Missteps aside, the combat loop at the core of Space Marine 2 reaches lofty heights. At its best, it induced in me a Doom-like flow state of action and re-action, with controls shifting seamlessly between ranged attacks and melee cut and thrust. This alone is an exceptional achievement.
Space Marine 2 boasts a panoply of over-the-top weapons, each of which feels like a violent, adolescent fever dream brought to life. Brutal automatic rifles stand alongside deadly plasma weapons and precision laser snipers. While the selection in melee is a little more limited, it is no less captivating. Warhammer 40,000’s iconic chainsword (that’s a sword that’s also a literal, actual chainsaw) is captured lusciously. Its blades roar with each attack as the weapon’s side radiators billow with excess heat. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the Thunder Hammer, a heavy, deliberate weapon specialized in crowd control through massive swings crowned with explosive detonations.
In contrast to what you might expect from a third-person action game, Space Marine 2 does not use a cover system. Instead, Space Marines recover health by slaying enemies in dramatic executions. These brutal over-the-top animations elicited excited shouts of “bruh!” from myself and anyone else who chanced into the living room at the time. Smaller targets can be executed with a well-timed parry, while larger foes must be beaten into submission with crunchy melee attacks or ruthless barrages of gunfire. This fluid process does a great deal to feed into the power fantasy at the heart of Space Marine 2, refining the system as it was first introduced in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (2011).
Space Marine 2 builds on its predecessor in every conceivable respect. The battles are louder, the setpieces more dramatic and the central campaign more audacious - with the notable exception of its lackluster finale.
Throughout the roughly 12-hour-long main campaign, you play as Demetrian Titus - the star of the first game. A roller coaster rather than a sandbox, Space Marine 2’s campaign takes advantage of a linear mission structure to dole out gorgeous cutscenes and satisfying setpieces at an impressive, if occasionally overwhelming, pace. You’ll fight through alien-infested jungles, ancient facilities, forgotten tombs, and towering megacities to defend humanity from a sinister conspiracy and an alien menace.
Despite this breadth, the campaign rarely loses its grounding, thanks, in part, to the supporting cast. For most of the campaign, you’ll be followed by two subordinates who’ll back you up and even revive you should you fall. Their constant presence adds a sense of camaraderie, reinforcing the sense of siblinghood at the heart of Space Marine culture.
Co-op mode doubles down on this sense of camaraderie, offering six exciting missions which each slot into the story of the single-player campaign, adding plenty of extra context and worldbuilding. However, though these missions fully capture the well-paced ebb and flow of the campaign missions, the fact that there are only six available at launch makes the co-op feel like an ancillary feature, subordinate to the main story.
What is never subordinate, however, is the rich Warhammer 40,000 setting which is lovingly and impressively presented throughout. Die-hard fans will notice references to significant events throughout the canon which help to place Space Marine 2 in a wider context. That said, the title remains remarkably accessible for a newcomer. The first few hours of the campaign gently dole out key concepts, ensuring that the exposition never gets bogged down in unnecessary minutia. Space Marine 2 also boasts the most dramatic and impressive opening crawl and prologue mission that I’ve ever seen for a Warhammer 40,000 game.
Between missions, Titus and pals rearm and recuperate on the battle barge, a massive spaceship that houses an entire company of Space Marines. Little snippets of dialogue and visual storytelling in this area give a welcome sense of continuity between missions which helps you feel like you’re part of a protracted military campaign.
What’s more, the writers take the opportunity to deliberately crack the image of the stoic, Space Marine killing machine through occasional glimmers of human dialogue. While you shouldn’t expect hyper-developed characters, these Space Marines feel well-rounded. This is especially true in softer moments of conversation. Some of the dialogue between the supporting cast (whom you control in co-op mode) is so earnest and wholesome that it veers towards the homoromantic.
This sort of hidden depth is a hallmark of Space Marine 2. While its characters, storylines, and set pieces lack the depth of more story-heavy action-adventure titles like The Last of Us, they absolutely contain more than meets the eye. Coupled with an exceptionally satisfying combat system and a heartfelt dedication to the source material, this quality helps lift Space Marine 2 comfortably out of forgettability and easily into the realm of the genuinely entertaining. While elements of Space Marine 2 may feel rushed or overstretched, the title stands on its own two feet, distinctive, bombastic, and proud.
Space Marine 2 offers bare-bones accessibility features, sporting a colorblind mode and adjustable subtitles. Players can also toggle off-screen markers allowing for clearer gameplay - useful for those with visual impairments. There are also a range of difficulty modes.
Unfortunately, the title offers little else when it comes to accessibility. An adjustable parry window or an option for automatic parries would have been most welcome. An option for colour cues to distinguish between heavy and light melee attacks is also conspicuously absent.
Should you play Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2?
Play it if...
You love action-packed combat Space Marine 2’s core combat loop is remarkably satisfying and likely to please action game fans of all stripes.
You want an immersive Warhammer 40,000 adventure Like its predecessor, Space Marine 2 brings Warhammer 40,000 to life with impressive dedication and skill and will delight long-time fans of the universe.
You want a satisfying title that doesn’t take years to finish I was able to wrap up Space Marine 2’s campaign in 12 hours, making it a memorable sci-fi adventure that doesn’t demand buckets of time.
Don't play it if...
You’re looking for a deeper narrative-driven Warhammer 40,000 experience While Space Marine 2’s characters feel fleshed out, there are no great philosophical or emotional exchanges here. For that, you’ll be better served by Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.
You’re just here for the multiplayer While Space Marine 2’s multiplayer offering places thrilling combat and gorgeous visual design front and centre, it’s held back by a narrow mission pool and steep unlock curve.
I played Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 for roughly 16 hours, taking time to complete the campaign, replay some of my favorite missions, and play through almost every co-op mission with both AI allies and other players. Since the game was in a pre-release state, there was an insufficient pool of players to evaluate the PvP mode.
I reviewed the game in performance mode on PS5 using a Dualsense Wireless Controller on a 48-inch LG C2 OLED 4K TV. The game ran smoothly and, while there were some frame rate drops, these were few and far between, amounting to less than half a dozen over my 16-hour playtime.
When the Fairphone 5 launched in late August 2023, it cost €700/£650 for an 8/256GB unit – that was the only configuration available at the time. Now the company is introducing a more affordable variant and a new colorway too.
The Fairphone 5 now has a 6/128GB version, which sells for €550/£500 (note: in some regions the online store shows the price as €500 instead). The original 8/256GB version is still around and even received a price cut to €630/£570. The phone has a microSD slot, so storage expansion is easy. However, Fairphone is promising support up to 2030 and by that time 6GB of...
Yaber brought the K3 series of home theater projectors to IFA and these are the brightest projectors that the company has made yet. They build on the successful K2s model from last year.
The Yaber K3 is an LED projector that can reach 1,600 ANSI lumens. It beams a 1080p image that ranges between 40” and 200” in size (the projector has a throw ratio of 1.2:1).
The new NovaGlow optical technology promises a sharp, vivid image. The extra brightness comes with extra heat, so Yaber created the CoolSwift cooler to manage that heat. It’s a combination of a U-shaped heatsink and dual...
Yaber brought the K3 series of home theater projectors to IFA and these are the brightest projectors that the company has made yet. They build on the successful K2s model from last year.
The Yaber K3 is an LED projector that can reach 1,600 ANSI lumens. It beams a 1080p image that ranges between 40” and 200” in size (the projector has a throw ratio of 1.2:1).
The new NovaGlow optical technology promises a sharp, vivid image. The extra brightness comes with extra heat, so Yaber created the CoolSwift cooler to manage that heat. It’s a combination of a U-shaped heatsink and dual...
As expected, Qualcomm delivered the new 8-core Snapdragon X Plus processor at the IFA 2024.
The chip slots in below the 12-core Snapdragon X Elite and 10-core Snapdragon X Plus models and has the same architecture, but is noticeably weaker in graphics, making it ideal for entry-level laptops.
The 8-core Snapdragon X Plus has 12MB less CPU cache (30MB in total) and less than half the GPU power for games and productivity apps. That means about 50% worse graphics performance (per Qualcomm's own benchmarks), a 20% dip below the 12-core Snapdragon X Elite in CPU tasks, and about the same...
GoPro fans who were hoping for 8K video or a new and bigger sensor in the Hero 13 Black are going to be disappointed right now. That's because GoPro's latest flagship, which comes 12 months after the Hero 12 Black, is largely the same as its predecessor.
There's still the 8:7 aspect ratio sensor with 5.3K video and 27MP photos, industry-leading HyperSmooth stabilization, and waterproofing up to 33ft / 10m – you'll even get all of that in the older-again Hero 11 Black.
And since those previous-generation models launched, the action camera competition has raised its game: DJI's Osmo Action 4 has better low-light performance than GoPro's (and rumors say it'll be replaced by the Osmo Action 5 Pro really soon), while Insta360 dropped the Ace Pro, an 8K video beast.
The picture doesn't look good for an iterative update then, but I'm here to say don't write the GoPro Hero 13 Black off. GoPro has been a long-time player in the action camera space, its Hero 12 Black still sits at the top of our best action cameras buying guide, and there are some tweaks in the Hero 13 Black that actually go a long way to making it an even more compelling choice, especially for serious filmmakers.
The Anamorphic Lens Mod, available in 2025, attached to the Hero 13 Black (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
No other brand can offer such a wide range of accessories, and GoPro has introduced a whole lot more of them alongside the Hero 13 Black, namely the HB-series of lenses and ND filters.
GoPro has announced the Ultra-Wide, Macro and Anamorphic Lens Mods, as well as a 4-pack of ND filters. These mods rotate into place over the Hero 13 Black's built-in lens, which has a newly designed mount that can auto-detect which mod is attached and adjust the camera settings accordingly.
With one simple new feature, the camera becomes an infinitely more creative tool, and compelling for a wider range of users.
GoPro has also taken a leaf out of the competition's book by finally utilizing quick and reliable magnetic mounting, which is added to its existing 'fingers' and 1/4-20-inch mounting options.
Better battery life and heat dissipation are two other areas that have been addressed: the redesigned 10% higher-capacity 1,900mAh battery is capable of shooting 5.3K video for up to 1.5 hours and Full HD 1080p videos for around 2.5 hours.
The Hero 13 Black's newly designed battery. (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
Although the maximum video resolution remains at 5.3K, there's now Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) HDR video to minimize lost detail in highlights and shadows, plus better slow-mo recording, now up to 13x in a 720p 400fps Burst Slo-Mo mode. Content can be uploaded 40% quicker thanks to the introduction of Wi-Fi 6 tech.
GPS is also back, following its disappointing omission from the Hero 12 Black. Through the Quik app, Performance Stickers can be added to embed info such as speed, altitude and G-force into video clips, as well as the location info.
Those are the highlight improvements. Like I said, there's not a whole lot that's new, but progress isn't always about big moves in headline specs like video resolution; it's as much about real-world performance, and here the Hero 13 Black feels like the most compelling action camera package out there for serious creators.
GoPro Hero 13 Black: release date and price
List price is $399 / £399.99 / AU$649.95 or $599 / £599.99 / AU$979.95 for the Creator Edition
Available from September 10 2024
New HB-series of lenses and filters, starting from $69.99 / £69.99 / AU$119.95
The GoPro Hero 13 Black starts at $399 / £399.99 / AU$649.95, while the Creator Edition, which includes the Media Mod, Light Mod and Volta grip costs $599 / £599.99 / AU$979.95. The camera will be available to buy from September 10.
Alongside the camera, GoPro unveiled a the new HB-Series of lenses and filters, including the Macro Lens Mod ($129.99 / £129.99 / AU$249.95), Ultra Wide Lens Mod ($99.99 / £99.99 / AU$169.95) and a new ND Filter 4-pack ($69.99 / £69.99 / AU$119.95), all of which will also be available from September 10.
Another noteworthy accessory is the Contacto, which replaces the battery door to enable charging on the go via a magnetic mount, without compromising waterproofing, and costs $79.99 / £79.99 / AU$139.95. GoPro also announced the Anamorphic Lens Mod ($129.99 / £129.99 / AU$219.95), although this lens won't be available until 2025.
There are too many accessories available for the Hero 13 Black to easily list here, so do check out GoPro's website for more info.
(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
GoPro Hero 13 Black: design and handling
Same size as the Hero 12 Black
10% larger capacity battery
New Lens Mod mount detects the attachments
Quick magnetic mounting finally introduced
Used a GoPro Hero Black camera before? The Hero 13 Black will be familiar, being as it is identical in size to previous models, with external dimensions of 71.8 x 50.8 x 33.6mm, albeit with a larger-capacity battery squeezed in and a negligible weight gain, tipping the scales at 5.6oz / 159g.
GoPro Hero 13 Black key specs
Sensor: 27MP multi-aspect 8:7 Video: 5.3K 60fps, 4K 120fps, slow-mo 720p 400fps LCD: 2.27-inch rear touchscreen, 1.4-inch front Video modes: TimeWarp, Time Lapse, Slo-Mo, Night Connectivity: USB-C 3.2, Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 Weight: 159g
Battery capacity is upped by 10% to 1,900mAh – with run times up to 1.5 hours of 5.3K video or up to 2.5 hours of 1080p video. GoPro lists the real world improvement over the Hero 12 Black as averaging 13.5% with airflow and 26.7% without airflow – that's a decent bump in performance.
The battery isn’t backwards compatible with the Hero 12 Black and earlier models, it’s a different size and design. Nor are older batteries forwards compatible, so if you’re upgrading you’ll need to factor in the cost of any additional batteries.
I rigged the Hero 13 Black for go-karting in 30-degree heat, recording 5.3K video for a total of around 1 hour, with both front and rear screen and GPS active, and the battery went from around 80% power to being almost fully out of juice. Not bad going. I’ll run more tests during an in-depth full review.
The Hero 13 Black’s Lens Mod mount is new. Not in the way that you attach a Lens Mod, but because it has a point of contact with the new HB-series of lenses and filters which means it can detect the attached lens – something that mirrorless and DSLR camera users are familiar with.
Handily with the communication between camera and lens, your settings are automatically updated to accommodate the lens in play. It’s a little detail, but it makes life easy switching between lenses and propels the Hero 13 Black into other realms of creativity.
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(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
The Macro Lens Mod is a revelation, improving close focusing distance down to 4.3in / 11cm – that’s 4x close than the built-in camera. Traditionally, action cameras can’t focus particularly closely which all but counts them out for vlogging. When I’ve tried in the past, I feel like I have to hold the camera further away than I would like, nor could I capture little details. That’s picture totally changes with the Macro Lens Mod. If GoPro wanted to improve the shooting experience for a huge slice of potential users, this lens should be the ticket.
The Anamorphic Lens Mod was not available for use during my hands-on testing (though I did get my hands on it), nor was GoPro's new ‘Contacto’ accessory. The latter replaces the battery / memory card door and has a magnetic charging mount for on-the-go charging. The USB-C supplied cable works with any compatible powerbank and wall mount charger. You don’t sacrifice waterproofing either – which remains up to 33ft / 10m. In theory you could film underwater while charging the camera via Contacto, obviously provided the power source such as power bank is waterproof or not submerged the water itself – for which you might need a long cable!
If you regularly change what your Hero 13 Black is mounted to, then its new magnetic mounting is a godsend. The likes of DJI and Insta360 already utilize magnetic mounting and GoPro has thankfully has followed suit – it really needed to – and introduced some ball-head mounts for easy repositioning of the camera.
GoPro continues to embrace its legacy 'fingers' mounting method – the lowest profile option – plus 1/4-20in mounting, easing the transition for those already familiar with GoPro design.
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(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
GoPro Hero 13 Black: features and performance
Limited capture time for new Burst Slo-mo video modes
New HLG HDR video color profile
Like the Hero 12 Black, regular 5.3K video recording remains at up to 60fps, but you can up that rate to 120fps – that’s 4x slow motion – using the new Burst Slo-Mo video option.
In the same Burst Slo-Mo menu, there’s also a 400fps option at a resolution of 720p, plus 360fps at 900p. All these burst modes are limited in capture time: the 5.3K 120fps option can run for 5 seconds, while the other two last for 15 seconds.
It takes the Hero 13 Black approximately the same amount of time to process the files before you can start shooting again. As such, I wouldn’t rely on these new burst modes in all situations because of the processing time, during which you could be missing the moment in demanding shoots. Burst Slo-Mo is an example of an impressive feature on paper, but with limited real world application
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(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
In the video preset menu, you can choose between standard, HDR and Log color profiles. Depending on which option you select and if you’ve got a Lens Mod in play, the maximum video resolution and frame rates available might change.
For example, with the Ultra-Wide Lens Mod, you can’t shoot 5.3K video, you’re limited to 4K. For HDR video, you can’t shoot at 60fps because 30fps is the limit. It takes a while to figure out what you can and can’t do with the Hero 13 Black – those headline features aren’t available in all settings.
I’m not knocking GoPro about that – I can’t think of another action camera that shoots unlimited 5.3K 120fps video, nor one that has Lens Mods for different looks. I’m just setting your expectations right.
Battery life and overheating are hot topics with GoPro cameras (no pun intended). As previously mentioned, there's improvements in both of those areas. You'll notice a much better battery performance for video runtime when there isn't airflow, like recording in a room or simply walking about.
I was using the Hero 13 Black in Spain in 30°C heat and, although it was getting warm, it never gave me any problems. I'll do more in-depth testing on this in the coming weeks.
GoPro Hero 13 Black: image and video quality
Same 8:7 aspect ratio sensor as the Hero 12 Black
Improved slow-mo video record modes
To get a feel for the Hero 13 Black's image quality, you can take a look at our Hero 12 Black review – after all they share the same image sensor, plus maximum video and photo resolution.
Through GoPro's Lens Mods it's possible to shoot different kinds of shots, and I look forward to using the Macro Lens Mod more, plus the anamorphic lens next year.
I've included a few video samples that I'm able to share, below, and will unpack video and image quality in the full review.
How I tested the GoPro Hero 13 Black
A few days with limited scenarios
Paired with the Macro and Ultra-Wide Lens Mods
Used with various mounts for sports
During a two day hands-on with the Hero 13 Black ahead of its release, I was able to shoot behind the scenes at the MotoGP (from which video clips can’t be shared), making timewarp sequences, plus it had a proper run out around a go karting track. I attached it to a crash helmet and to an arm for different perspectives, used the Ultra-Wide Lens Mod and tried out the various color profiles, including HDR. The slow motion burst modes were utilized, too, to slow down movement of water and bottles of bubbly on the post race podium. I also tested the close focusing capabilities with and without the Macro Lens Mod. Since that trip, I've been using the camera on bike rides and will be running more tests in the coming weeks to complete the full review.
