Two-minute review

The GoPro Hero 12 Black is a variation on a tried and tested GoPro formula. GoPro has an Apple-like ability to refresh its line without overhauling it to great effect, and this year there isn't much that's new in the way of hardware for the 12 Black. That said, familiar hardware might not be an issue given the upgraded software experience, particularly for filmmakers and anyone craving external wireless audio support.

Let's start with what's returning for 2023 from last year's GoPro Hero 11 Black. Firstly, there's that 27MP 8:7 sensor that can capture 16:9, 9:16, and 8:7 footage without needing to reorient your camera. It can shoot at up to 5.3K 60fps and 4K 120fps, and if you want to drop the resolution to 2K, it even captures 240fps, something the DJI Osmo Action 4 can't do.

Next, GoPro's Hero design is back for round six – or is it seven? Seriously, GoPro is very wedded to the style introduced on the Hero 5 Black, so it hasn't deviated too much from its overall aesthetic.

GoPro also brings back the same battery used in past Hero cameras, though, as in the Hero 11 Black, it's the higher-specced GoPro Enduro (1720mAh) cell. And the 12 Black has the same dimensions, processor, and weight as the 11 Black.

Given all these similarities, you might be asking yourself what's new, and whether the Hero 12 Black stands a chance of being rated as one of our best action cameras when its predecessor, the GoPro Hero 11 Black, costs less while offering similar features. 

Probably the most instantly useful addition to the Hero 12 Black is the 1/4-inch thread mount between its flip-out feet, perfect for mini tripods. GoPro has also added HDR capture to improve how the camera handles highlights and shadows, and this works to great effect.

Filmmakers who want to dig a little deeper can activate GP-Log capture for even greater dynamic range footage and 10-bit color, so video can be easily spliced into a timeline with clips from other cameras and easily color-matched.

Audio options have also been improved, with the 12 Black now supporting wireless audio from a Bluetooth microphone. This works with any Bluetooth earphones or headphones, so if you've got a pair of the best wireless earbuds available, you can just pair them with your GoPro and hit record – it really is that simple.

Whether you're using an external Bluetooth microphone or the Media Mod, GoPro's modular housing that upgrades audio and connection options, the new Hero 12 Black can also capture two audio channels, which you can access through the GoPro Quik app or in Premiere Pro. What's so cool about doing this with the Media Mod is that it captures the device audio or the Mod's own mini boom mic so that you can mix down directional and ambient tracks for the perfect clip.

In a nutshell, while there are a lot of familiar features, GoPro levels up the Hero 12 Black just enough to meaningfully make it a more versatile and powerful action camera than the Hero 11 Black. 

As for how it stacks up against the competition, the Hero 12 Black's stabilization is fantastic, dialing up or down based on what you're doing, thanks to HyperSmooth 6.0 and AutoBoost. It outperforms the DJI Osmo Action 4 in this regard, and I also prefer the tone of GoPro's video versus DJI's. Footage looks more crisp and less subdued – precisely what I want from my action camera. Having said that, the Action 4 does a better job of capturing a wider soundscape from its mics, while the Hero 12 Black focuses more on voices.

Low light is where GoPro has consistently dropped the ball, and while the Light Painting night modes are fun additions, they don't make up for the grainy video when recording in dimly-lit scenes. DJI takes the crown here.

Generally speaking, the action camera race has never been tighter, with DJI and GoPro almost neck and neck with their latest offerings. Whichever you go for, you're getting a fantastic action camera, but the Hero 12 Black edges ahead for anyone who mostly shoots in the day and wants the best stabilization available. It's also ideal for vloggers who want to cut up 16:9 and 9:16 content from the same clip, or GoPro users who already have compatible accessories like the Media Mod, and want to upgrade their camera but not their extras.

GoPro Hero 12 Black: release date and price

• Available to buy now for $400 / £400 / AU$650
• Accessories bundle costs $450 / £450 / AU$730
• Max Lens Mod bundle costs $500 / £500 / AU$820

The GoPro Hero 12 Black is available now, with the lowest-priced Standard Combo package costing $400 / £400 / AU$650 – that's slightly pricier than the DJI Action 4. Interestingly, the Hero 11 Black is still on sale alongside the 12 Black on GoPro's website, and has seen its price drop to $350 / £350 / AU$579.

If you want to pick up an extra Enduro battery, GoPro's Handler grip, a head strap, and a carrying case, then the $450 / £450 / AU$730 accessories bundle is for you, and that price is slashed by around 20% if you have a GoPro subscription.

If you don't need all those extra peripherals but fancy the new Max Lens Mod 2.0, which GoPro announced alongside the camera, for a class-leading wide field of view, the Max Lens Mod bundle costs $500 / £500 / AU$820. Once again, if you have a GoPro subscription, you can enjoy a discount of around 20% on this combo.

While GoPro sold its Hero cameras at a discount with a subscription and a sky-high subscription-free price in previous years, it has simplified things this year. In turn, it's great to see that the standalone 12 Black has one fixed price that's lower than the list price of the 11 Black at launch. 

So, while the Hero 12 Black isn't cheap by any stretch, it's great that its value for money isn't held back by what has, in the past, felt like inflated non-member pricing. This subscription-free model makes GoPro's latest camera much more competitive out of the gate.

• Price score: 4/5

GoPro Hero 12 Black: design

• Identical weight and dimensions to Hero 11 Black
• New 1/4-20 tripod thread mount
• Waterproof up to 33ft / 10m

At first glance, the GoPro Hero 11 and 12 Black look almost identical, apart from some speckled blue styling that differentiates the latest edition. Both cameras weigh 154g, sport the same dimensions (71.8 x 50.8 x 33.6mm), and have removable doors behind which are a USB-C port, battery cavity, and microSD slot.

The removable lens protects familiar f/2.5 aperture glass that delivers a 151-degree field of view, which is slightly less wide than the DJI Osmo Action 4's 155 degrees. The Hero 12 Black, however, can be bumped up to a class-leading 177 degrees with the Max Lens Mod 2.0.

On to mounting, and the camera's base features GoPro's familiar flip-out feet that make traditional action camera mounting possible, and this year the Hero line gets a 1/4-inch mount too, so it works with traditional tripods and action-camera mounts alike. This is brilliant for anyone like me, who uses a Manfrotto Pixi or an alternative vlogging tripod with their main camera, saving the need to pack a separate grip when traveling light.

Having tested out the DJI Action 4 and Insta360 Go 3, both with magnetic mounting support, I do miss the feature when using the Hero12 Black. If GoPro manages to fit magnets into next year's 13 Black, then its action camera will have the holy trinity of mounting options; as it stands, though, two out of three isn't bad.

Just like the Hero 10 and 11 Black, the 12 Black has two color displays, one on the front and the other on the rear. Unlike DJI's latest action camera, only the rear screen is touch-sensitive. This isn't the end of the world, but it was handy to be able to vlog on the Action 4 without having to flip it around to make basic shooting adjustments.

The main screen on the rear measures 2.27 inches. It gets bright enough for comfortable viewing indoors and out, and unlike older GoPros, specifically the Hero 9 Black, it's super-responsive.

The 12 Black's physical controls include a record button at the top and a power button on the side. Pressing the record button when the camera is off activates quick-fire recording, and pressing the power button when the camera is on changes modes.

One of the big benefits of picking up a GoPro over a competitor is accessories – both first-party and third-party options. While DJI does a great job with its Action 4, offering an ND filter system and a host of magnetic mount tools, GoPro's ecosystem is richer.

From GoPro's own camp, the Media Mod is the most powerful addition to the Hero 12 Black if you're concerned about sound quality. This upgrades the audio with a directional mic while adding a 3.5mm microphone port for wireless solutions like the excellent Rode Wireless Go 2, as well as a micro HDMI port and an easy-access USB-C port, and there's nothing quite like it in the DJI camp.

• Design score: 4.5/5

GoPro Hero 12 Black: features and performance

• Excellent HyperSmooth 6.0 stabilization
• Super-fast wired file transfer via USB-C
• New Bluetooth microphone support

The key advantage the GoPro Hero 12 Black has over the DJI Osmo Action 4 is resolution. Yes, its sensor is physically smaller, but its 27MP stills and 5.3K 8:7 video wipe the floor with DJI's 10MP stills and 4K 16:9 video – on a sunny day when light is abundant, it's unsurprising that the Hero 12 Black's picture is noticeably crisper.

GoPro's 8:7 aspect-ratio sensor is poised to capture footage that's primed for editing. Max out the resolution to 5.3K, capture with an almost square aspect ratio, and your clips can be cropped easily in the GoPro Quik app to 1:1, 16:9, or 9:16 while still retaining a sky-high resolution.

GoPro's frame rates are also best-in-class, with 5.3K footage captured at up to 60fps, 4K footage at up to 120fps, and 2.7K footage at up to 240fps. GoPro even offers this super-fast frame rate with Horizon Leveling active, so you can compensate for tilts without them making it through to your final footage.

One GoPro Hero 12 Black feature I love is that you can transfer files to your phone using a USB-C cable, so no more painfully slow wireless transfers. This feature is back from the 11 Black, and it's supported by Android phones with a USB-C port, and by the new USB-C-equipped iPhone 15 range.

GoPro includes a 1720mAh Enduro battery with the 12 Black, though the camera is compatible with the standard, non-Enduro variety, albeit with shorter run times. The battery performance best suits anyone who shoots clips shorter than 20 minutes. While there were reports of older GoPros overheating, I had relatively good experiences with the Hero 11 Black, and the 12 Black fares even better. 

If you're shooting stationary on a hot day, you may experience overheating, but out and about in the UK and Berlin, in around 70F / 20C ambient temperatures, I shot for over 30 minutes at 5.3K without any issues.

The Hero 12 Black also plugs into the GoPro Volta grip and other power sources when you need more capture time than the battery offers, and you can also pack spares, with an Enduro battery capturing over an hour of continuous 4K 60fps video.

GoPro has streamlined the interface slightly for 2023, leveling up the Easy Mode, while adding 8:7 capture to all modes.

If you haven't come across GoPro's Easy Mode, it's an alternative interface to Pro Mode, and makes all the decisions for you. All you need to decide is whether you're taking a photo, video, or timelapse, and choose a quality level, and Easy Mode will adjust the settings accordingly.

Pro Mode has a steeper learning curve, but if you want to access GP-Log, HDR capture, or control the stabilization and frame rates, Pro is the mode for you.

I found that results from Easy Mode were excellent in my first few days with the camera, and it's a great way to ease into the GoPro way of shooting. Once I found my feet, though, the mode felt restrictive, and I jumped to Pro Mode.

GoPro's stabilization for 2023 is HyperSmooth 6.0 matched with AutoBoost. This incredible system doesn't just make super-smooth capture possible; it also supports horizon locking, so you can literally loop-de-loop in a plane or on a rollercoaster, and your footage will mask the spins. 

AutoBoost dials the field of view up and down based on how much stabilization you need, so you always get the most information in frame. We didn't even notice the feature in action, which bodes well for GoPro's latest iteration of HyperSmooth, and footage always looked well held together.

GoPro also adds Bluetooth microphone support to the Hero 12 Black, with support for a total of four Bluetooth devices, be they a mic, a phone, a wireless shutter, or another GoPro for synchronized capture.

Your microphone will entirely dictate quality from Bluetooth audio sources. We tested the Hero 12 Black with the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, as demonstrated in the sample video, and the audio wasn't impressive. The Huawei FreeBuds 4 did a better job, and a dedicated microphone did a better job still.

While handy for anyone wearing a helmet or far from your camera, Bluetooth Audio will unlikely be able to match the quality of dedicated wireless mics like the stellar DJI Mic, which can be used out of the gate with the Action 4 if you have both gadgets.

What is smart with GoPro's new external audio recording is that it captures two audio channels and bakes them into the video file, so you can access both in Adobe Premiere Pro or another video editor, or through the GoPro Quik app.

It's worth noting, for 2023, that GoPro has ditched GPS, a feature that's been on GoPros for generations. I haven't missed it in my time with the camera, though only you can say how much the lack of geotagging will impact your action-cam experience.

• Features and performance score: 4.5/5

GoPro Hero 12 Black: image and video quality

• High-resolution 27MP stills
• 10-bit 4K video quality
• New HDR and GP-Log color profiles

While the new 1/1.3-inch sensor is the headline feature of the DJI Action 4, the headline feature of the GoPro Hero 12 Black's sensor is its 8:7 aspect ratio matched with its 27MP resolution.

While DJI has low light covered, GoPro's latest action camera crams in more resolved detail when the light is right. This is evident when playing back 4K video, or grabbing a still from a clip, or taking a photograph.

GoPro's default shooting modes do an excellent job of making daytime footage look zingy, crisp, and smooth. HDR capture is a welcome addition that makes a tangible difference in bright environments, while the GP-Log capture extends the dynamic range further to great effect.

The Hero 12 Black's 10-bit 4K video also looks impressive, with lively colors and extensive scope for editing. The key limiting factor when it comes to any GoPro's camera quality is ambient light, and when the lights drop, the Hero's video quality does too. 

GoPro includes fun night modes for light painting-style video capture, and photos shot in dimly-lit scenes and timelapses can look respectable. That said, the 12 Black should be put in a bag and your phone should be taken out if you're capturing candlelit dinner scenes or nighttime strolls on the beach – your mobile will probably cope better.

GoPros are excellent vlogging tools, and handle faces and skin tones better than DJI's Action 3 from experience. The Hero 12 Black's Horizon Lock feature is also more powerful than DJI's, looking great at up to 5.3K resolution, while DJI's caps out at 4K.

As with most action cameras, the GoPro Hero 12 Black has a fixed-focus lens, which means it isn't suited to close-up shots or videos, though there are macro lenses available that can bring this nearest focus distance close if you want to invest in the Hero ecosystem.

With 5.3K 60p 10-bit video, and impressive 120fps 2.7K slow-motion, GoPro brings back timelapse and hyperlapse modes, and some creative photography modes geared to helping the GoPro not become redundant in low light.  

The 12 Black's microphones do a great job of capturing voices, making it our choice for vlogging, especially compared to other cameras including the DJI Osmo Action 4, which did a better job of pulling in more ambient sounds.

• Image and video quality: 4/5

Should I buy the GoPro Hero 12 Black?

Buy it if...

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Testing scorecard

How I tested the GoPro Hero 12 Black

While it's always ideal to get time off to test an action camera, I wasn't so fortunate in my fortnight with the GoPro Hero 12 Black, so exercised my city adventurer status, taking it on work trips to Berlin and Barcelona, while conducting lab tests on home turf. 

I used the Hero 11 Black more like a vlogging and travel camera while out and about, and conducted stabilization tests at home, strapping it onto a remote-control car and taking it on runs. I also tested run times in various temperature conditions.

Having been a Hero 11 Black user, I wanted to focus on the new features for the 12 Black, so captured an abundance of GP-Log and HDR video, and tested it with different Bluetooth microphones, from AirPods Pros to over-ear solutions like the Sony WH-1000XM5.

First reviewed October 2023

Editor's Note

• Original review date: September 2022
• Launch price: $399.98 / £399.98 / AU$649.95
• Official price now: $299.99 / £349.99 / AU$498

Update: November 2024. Now two generations old, the Hero 11 Black is no longer available to buy directly from GoPro. It can still be found at a range of online retailers, though. That’s good news, because at its lower price, we think it represents fantastic value. While the GoPro Hero 12 Black and Hero 13 Black have introduced a number of new features, the core experience remains very similar. Both of those cameras share a near-identical physical designs and the same sensor resolution as the Hero 11 Black. With 5K/60p recording, 10-bit video and class-leading HyperSmooth 5.0 image stabilization, the GoPro Hero 11 Black still holds up well against many of the best action cameras.

The GoPro Hero 11 Black is the new flagship model in an action camera range that dates back to 2005. It isn't a huge upgrade on the Hero 10 Black, which will remain on sale for the lower price of $349.98 / £349.98 / AU$549.95 with a GoPro Subscription. But the Hero 11 Black's new 1/1.9in sensor does bring some new tricks that'll make it particularly appealing for social media creators and those who like to color grade their videos.

That new sensor is mainly on board to boost the Hero 11 Black's versatility, rather than its image quality. Because it has an almost square 8:7 aspect ratio, you can export videos in various formats – like 9:16 for TikTok and Instagram, for example – without losing any quality or resolution. This makes the Hero 11 Black, and potentially its incoming Hero 11 Black Mini sibling, the best action camera around for shooting social media videos.

That unusual sensor aspect ratio supports some other new effects, too. There's a new super-wide 'HyperView' digital lens, which gives you the equivalent of a 12mm focal length. And even more useful is the arrival of Horizon Lock, previously only possible with the Max Lens Mod, which keeps the horizon in place even when you rotate the camera through 360 degrees. Well, as long as you aren't shooting in modes like 5.3K/60p or 4K/120p, when it'll apply Horizon Leveling instead.

The Hero 11 Black's other new headline feature is support for 10-bit video. This feature is usually only found in the best video cameras, so is an impressive first for a GoPro. A video's bit-depth describes the total possible number of color gradations, with 10-bit offering far more than the standard 8-bit seen in previous GoPros. This makes it easier for video editors to fine-tune footage and avoid issues like color banding in skies, particularly when shooting in GoPro's 'flat' color profile.

In other respects, the Hero 11 Black is more a tweaked version of its Hero 10 Black predecessor. There are handy new 'Easy' and 'Pro' modes in the menus, with the former making it more of a point-and-shoot experience. You can also now shoot TimeWarp 3.0 videos (which are effectively timelapses with HyperSmooth stabilization) in 5.3K resolution, rather than 4K. And aside from the new aspect ratio options (you can choose from 16:9, 4:3 or 8:7 in-camera, or others using the Quik app) the resolutions and frame-rate options are the same as before. This means you can shoot 5.3K/60p or 4K/120p slo-mo videos.

Still, the Hero 11 Black does bring some new timelapse tricks. You can now find Star Trail, Light Painting and Vehicle Lights options in the timelapse menus, which help you produce shareable clips on those themes. And it also comes with GoPro's Enduro battery as standard, which was previously an optional extra. This helps boost recording times by up to 38% over GoPro's previous battery, depending on which mode you're using, and makes it more reliable in extreme cold. We haven't experienced any major overheating issues with it either, which some users reported when using a standard battery in the Hero 10 Black.

Overall, then, the Hero 11 Black isn't a dramatic leap up from its predecessor. It's the most feature-packed, user-friendly action camera you can buy, and the best one around if you shoot a lot for different platforms (with different aspect ratios) like YouTube and TikTok. But it also has some familiar limitations, like low-light performance and pretty average on-board audio. We're looking to do some more testing before we deliver our final verdict, but here's our early GoPro Hero 11 Black review. 

GoPro Hero 11 Black price and release date

The GoPro Hero 11 Black is available to buy now for $399.98 / £399.98 / AU$649.95 (if you buy it with a GoPro Subscription), or for $499.99 / £499.99 / AU$799.95 with no GoPro Subscription.

You can check out our in-depth guide to the GoPro Subscription, but the short answer is that it's a no-brainer, for the first year at least. You can cancel at any time, but GoPro's hope is that you'll become tied into its cloud features, like automatic backups and highlight videos. 

After that first year, the Subscription will cost $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$69.99 per year, so you'll need to decide how important its features are to you before it auto-renews. But that up-front saving certainly makes it worth getting the Subscription bundle in order to find out.

Unusually, the Hero 11 Black will be available in two other flavors at launch. If you're a vlogger, you can buy the Hero 11 Black Creator Edition, which includes a battery-grip (promising over four hours of 4K recording per charge), plus a directional microphone, external mic input, HDMI port, an LED light and two cold-shoe mounts for mounting accessories. This Creator Edition costs $579.98 / £579.98 / AU$929.95 (with a GoPro Subscription) or $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,099.95 (without a Subscription).

But the more interesting option is arguably the Hero 11 Black Mini. This is effectively a standard Hero 11 Black without a front or rear screen. Unfortunately, it won't be available until October 25, when it'll cost $299.98 (with a GoPro Subscription) or $399.99 without a Subscription.

If you're looking for an even cheaper GoPro, the new 'entry-level' model will be the Hero 10 Black, whose price has now dropped to $349.98 / £349.98 / AU$549.95 (with a GoPro Subscription) or $449.99 / £449.99 / $699.95 without one. That's a decent drop on its previous Subscription price of $399 / £379 / AU$599.95.

GoPro Hero 11 Black: design

• Exactly the same size and design as the Hero 10 Black
• Lens has same impressive scratch-resistance
• Handy new 'Easy' and 'Pro' modes in the menus

If you're having a tough time distinguishing between the Hero 11 Black and its predecessor, there's a good reason for that – they look identical.

For the first time in a while, GoPro hasn't made any notable design changes to its flagship action camera. The Hero 10 Black at least delivered a new water-repellent lens coating with improved scratch-resistance. But the only design tweak this time is the inclusion of GoPro's Enduro battery as standard.

This has been available as an optional extra for the Hero 10 Black and Hero 9 Black since November 2021, so isn't exactly a new feature. But it is a welcome addition, given its ability to boost battery life in some settings by up to 38% and reliably start up in extreme cold. We found these claims to ring true in our GoPro Enduro review.

But otherwise, the Hero 11 Black is physically the same GoPro we've come to know and love for the past few generations. To recap, this means you get a tough little camera that's waterproof down to 10m without a case. There's a 1.4-inch front LCD for vloggers, which is now smoother than when it first appeared on the Hero 9 Black, thanks to the frame-rates unlocked by the GP2 processor. And round the back is the usual 2.27-inch rear touchscreen, which is responsive if a little dated.

This touchscreen experience is a vast improvement on the sluggish Hero 9 Black, which is again largely thanks to the GP2 processor that appeared in the Hero 10 Black. And the UI does now benefit from the inclusion of new 'Easy' and 'Pro' modes. 

Flip the Hero 11 Black into 'Easy' and you effectively get a point-and-shoot experience, with no control over resolutions and frame-rates. Seasoned GoPro users, though, will want the 'Pro' experience, which includes the host of presets and ProTune controls that let you decide bit-rate, color profiles and, yes, switch to that lovely new 10-bit mode (when shooting in 4K resolution and up).

Our experiences with the Hero 11 Black have found it to be a polished, charming companion. It's ready to go within five seconds of pressing the power button, which is the same as the Hero 10 Black and three seconds speedier than the Hero 9 Black. The lens does indeed have pretty great scratch resistance – during a mountain bike ride, we roughed up the Hero 11’s casing and the glass remained completely unblemished.

The Hero 11 Black is also super-easy to mount on bikes and helmets, if perhaps not quite as slick as the DJI Osmo Action 3 in this regard. Those who mainly want to head-mount their action cam may also be more interested in the Hero 11 Black Mini, which offers the same shooting power in a smaller, screen-less bundle. We'll update this review when we've had a chance to take it for a spin.

GoPro Hero 11 Black: features

• Larger 1/1.9-inch sensor has 8:7 aspect ratio for better vertical videos
• New 10-bit color mode gives editors more color grading flexibility
• Horizon Lock feature now available in some video modes

The big differences between the Hero 11 Black and its predecessor are under the hood. And the most significant of these changes is GoPro's new 1/1/9-inch sensor, which has an unusual 8:7 aspect ratio.

The new sensor now serves up 27MP still photos, rather than the 23MP ones produced by the Hero 10 Black. But this change is less about image quality and more about the added flexibility that its almost-square aspect ratio brings.

In a similar way to cameras like the Panasonic Lumix GH6, the shape of the Hero 11 Black's sensor makes it much better for producing videos of all kinds of aspect ratio from one shot, particularly vertical videos for TikTok and Instagram.

GoPro has effectively added 4MP of vertical resolution to the Hero 10 Black's sensor, with both cameras sharing the same horizontal resolution. This means GoPro's new flagship still shoots standard 5K/60p videos in 16:9 or 4:3, but also lets you shoot in a 'full-frame' 8:7 mode and export clips later in other formats like 9:16 using the Quik app.

The benefit of this approach is that, rather than taking a crop from a horizontal frame, you still maintain very high image quality with the vertical exports. For example, if you shoot in 8:7 and export a 9:16 vertical video from that footage, its resolution will be about 20% higher than 4K. So this feature is certainly a big boon for social media creators, particularly those posting on platforms that are stylistically different like YouTube and TikTok.

The extra headroom of this 'taller' sensor also brings a few more advantages. There's a new HyperView digital lens, which works particularly well for immersive 'point-of-view' footage. And a new Horizon Lock feature (previously only available with the Max Lens Mod) now also keeps your footage perfectly level, even when you spin the camera through 360 degrees.

Horizon Lock isn't available when shooting 5K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p or 1080/240p video, when the Hero 11 Black will default to Horizon Leveling (which can only correct the horizon up to a 27-degree angle) instead. You also need to shoot with the Linear lens, which has a relatively narrow field of view versus GoPro's traditional fisheye look. But the feature is very impressive and a big bonus if you do a lot of rotational movements, like during a wingsuit flight.

The Hero 11 Black's stabilization has also improved in 4:3 aspect ratio video and includes a new AutoBoost setting, which only applies HyperSmooth when the camera detects enough shake to justify it.

The biggest new feature alongside the new 8:7 sensor, though, is the inclusion of 10-bit video recording on the Hero 11 Black. This is a first for a GoPro and a useful addition for experienced shooters who like to color grade their videos afterwards. Rather than producing an instant improvement to video quality, 10-bit video is more about letting you make finer adjustments in post-production thanks to the extra shades of color available (10-bit has over one billion shades of color, compared to 16.7 million in 8-bit).

Given GoPro is renowned for point-and-shoot simplicity, this feature is therefore a little niche. It's also slightly at odds with the fact that GoPro doesn't offer any desktop editing software, and is instead funneling everyone towards its Quik app instead. But it's definitely something that'll please pro shooters who are looking to drop GoPro footage into a timeline shot by more advanced video cameras.

The final improvements of the Hero 11 Black over its predecessor are in timelapses. In the menus, you'll find new 'night effects' including Light Painting, Star Trails and Vehicle Lights. We've only had time to try the former so far, but it's a fun setting that gives the Hero 11 a little more versatility. If you're a fan of GoPro's TimeWarp mode – which is like a super-smooth timelapse with HyperSmooth stabilization applied – you can also now shoot these in 5.3K resolution, rather than just 4K.

These new features are all well and good, but what's still missing on the Hero 11 Black? Well, the audio options are the same as before, which means they're pretty limited. If you want anything approaching decent audio, you'll need to invest in either the Pro 3.5mm mic adaptor or, better still, GoPro's Media Mod.

Despite its larger sensor, it's fair to say the GoPro Hero 11 Black still isn't a great low-light camera either. That's because that extra sensor real estate is mainly on hand to give you extra aspect ratio options, rather than dramatically improving the camera's light-gathering powers. If you need an action camera that's stronger in low light, check out the Insta360 One R 1-Inch Edition.

GoPro Hero 11 Black: video and image quality

• Same maximum 5.3K/60p and 4K/120p resolutions as predecessor
• Higher 120Mbps maximum bit-rate (100Mbps on Hero 10 Black)
• Live-streaming still limited to 1080p

Aside from that new 10-bit color mode, the Hero 11 Black doesn't bring any major image quality improvements over its predecessors, but there are a couple of other small tweaks.

Firstly, the camera's maximum bit-rate has been boosted to 120Mbps, up from 100Mbps on the Hero 10 Black. That doesn't necessarily mean any noticeable boosts to video quality, as other factors like resolution and frame-rate will have a bigger effect, but it does give the Hero 11 Black a higher ceiling that could help in more complex scenes.

You can also now take 24.7MP photo frame-grabs from the Hero 11 Black's 5.3K 8:7 video, compared to its predecessor's 19.6MP stills from 5K 4:3 footage. But more noticeable to your final output will be added features like the ability to shoot TimeWarp timelapses in 5.3K resolution.

While 10-bit is an improvement for those who are happy to shoot in GoPro's 'flat' color profile and color grade the resulting footage, the reality is that most GoPro fans want a simple point-and-shoot experience. And like the Hero 10 Black, this new model has fine-tuned the 'out of camera' default settings to create a more natural, pleasing style out of the box.

The 'Natural' profile, which sits alongside the punchier 'GoPro' one and the 'flat' one for graders, produces good results without too much saturation, while the sharpness is now down to 'medium' by default (another good move). Overall, the video produced by the Hero 11 Black is still along the best you'll find on an action camera, and it's joined by what is undoubtedly the best user experience for beginners.

While it's tempting to whack up the resolution to 5K/60p, it's worth bearing in mind the limitations this brings when it comes to stabilization modes and overheating. Still, we haven't encountered any major overheating concerns during testing, with the Hero 11 Black lasting a decent 58 minutes and 12 seconds when shooting 5K/30p continuously with no airflow. And while higher frame-rates like 4K/120p can cause the Hero 11 Black to run hot, you're unlikely to need to shoot these continuously.

Those slow-mo settings do still produce pretty soft-looking video, but they're certainly still usable if you shoot in decent light. And it's effects like Horizon Lock and HyperSmooth that are arguably more important to the end result, given their ability to help you create videos that simply aren't possible on smartphones, even if the iPhone 14 has introduced a new 'action' mode.

GoPro Hero 11 Black early verdict

Last year, we called the GoPro Hero 10 Black "the ideal social media workhorse", but it's now undoubtedly handed that title over to its Hero 11 Black successor. 

GoPro's latest flagship doesn't hugely raise the bar in terms of image quality, but it is the most versatile Hero model we've tested thanks to its new sensor. The ability to export videos in various aspect ratios without compromising on quality means it'll particularly appeal to those who post across multiple social media platforms.

It's a slight shame that the Hero 11 Black hasn't brought any real improvements to audio or low-light performance. But it's undoubtedly the most polished, user-friendly action camera around – and despite the useful addition of a 10-bit video option, it's still most at home being a near-indestructible pocket camera for beginners.

We're looking to spend a little more time using the Hero 11 Black, particularly with the updated Quik app that brings new features like automatic video edits, before delivering our final verdict and star rating. But so far, there's a good chance that it'll rise to the top of our best action cameras guide and become the best GoPro for most people, despite the price drop on the Hero 10 Black.

Editor's Note

• Original review date: September 2021
• Succeeded by the GoPro Hero 11 Black and Hero 12 Black
• Launch price: $499 / £479.99 / AU$749.95
• Official price now: $249.99 / £249.99 / AU$429.95

Update: March 2024. Formerly GoPro’s flagship action camera, the Hero 10 Black has been succeeded not once, but twice since its launch in 2021. In terms of overall features and image quality, both the Hero 11 Black and Hero 12 Black eclipse it. But if it’s outright value you’re looking for, the Hero 10 Black is still well worth considering. Significantly reduced over the last few years, it can now be purchased directly from GoPro for a fraction of its launch price. For your money, you’re still getting a fantastic action camera with effective Hypersmooth 4.0 image stabilization, a smooth interface with useful shooting features and a maximum video resolution of 5.3K/60p, all wrapped up in a shell that’s waterproof to 10m without a case. What’s more, in our experience, the GoPro Hero 10 Black is often the target of additional discounts in seasonal sales. We’d expect to see further reductions as GoPro’s customary September release date approaches, when we predict that the Hero 13 Black will break cover. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Two-minute review

The GoPro Hero 10 Black is now the middle child in GoPro's action cam family, following the launch of the Hero 11 Black. While this means it's missing a few features compared to GoPro's flagship – most notably an 8:7 sensor that's ideal for shooting vertical, TikTok-friendly videos – it's arguably now the sweet spot for value. The GoPro Hero 9 Black is cheaper still, but this model's GP2 processor means it offers a more polished overall experience.

Despite its momentous name, the Hero 10 Black wasn't one of those GoPros that represented a big leap forward for the series. For example, we saw bigger step changes when the GoPro Hero 5 Black arrived with case-free waterproofing,  or when the GoPro Hero 7 Black introduced HyperSmooth stabilization.

Instead, the Hero 10 Black refines (and fixes) most of the new features we saw on the Hero 9 Black, while adding a sprinkling of new shooting modes and better usability. This makes it the best action camera you can buy right now, as well as one of the best video cameras you can buy.

The Hero 10 Black is built around the same 23MP 1/2.3-inch sensor as its predecessor and is waterproof down to 10 meters. But it's that new GP2 processor that unlocks most its new talents. Chief among these are some new shooting modes, including new 5K/60p, 4K/120p and 2.7K/240p options. 

As we discovered during our GoPro Hero 10 Black review, the latter two are fun, slow-mo affairs that are perfect for social media cut-scenes or b-cam footage, particularly as GoPro's revamped Quik app will happily do some of the editing for you.

Other improvements include a much more responsive touchscreen interface (the Hero 9 Black fell down here), a handy new wired data transfer mode for phones, and some under-the-hood image quality boosts, including local tone mapping and improved low-light noise reduction. There are certainly some small improvements to video quality as a result, but the Hero 10 Black can still only do so much with its relatively small image sensor.

More significant for most people will be the fact that, despite the arrival of HyperSmooth 5.0 on the Hero 11 Black, this model's HyperSmooth 4.0 remains some of the best action camera video stabilization tech around. Watersports fan will also enjoy the effective new hydrophobic coating on its toughened-up lens cover.

It's a shame the Hero 10 Black didn't move up to a larger sensor like the Insta360 One R 1-Inch edition, while GoPro's recent moves into webcam and livestreaming continue to come with limitations on resolutions (still only 1080p) and platform support (although it is now possible to livestream with HyperSmooth stabilization).

Despite its relatively conservative upgrades, though, the GoPro Hero 10 Black does nicely refine the image-quality strides made by the Hero 9 Black, and alongside GoPro's new flagship it's the most user-friendly, powerful action camera you can buy. Its feature set also makes it one of the best YouTube cameras available right now, and for adventurers, it's also one of the best travel cameras you can buy.

GoPro Hero 10 Black price and release date

The GoPro Hero 10 Black has now dropped slightly in price since the arrival of the Hero 11 Black. You can now buy it for $349 / £349 / AU$549 with a GoPro Subscription, which you can cancel at any time, or for $450 / £449 / 699 on its own. That means it's $50 / £30 / AU$50 cheaper than its original launch price in September 2021.

The GoPro Subscription, formerly known as GoPro Plus, costs $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$69.99 per year when bought separately. If you buy the Hero 10 Black with a Subscription, you will be set up to auto-renew annually. But you can avoid this by cancelling the subscription at any time during the first year.

Given that you're not obligated to renew the subscription, it's likely the best way for most people to buy the Hero 10 Black. Included in the GoPro Subscription is unlimited cloud storage for videos and photos at full quality, automatic uploads, full access to the Quik app's editing tools, 50% off all accessories (up to 10 per year), live-streaming support, and replacements for broken cameras (for a fee, depending on the camera).

The Hero 10 Black is now the middle model in GoPro's official range of three Hero action cameras. The Hero 9 Black ($299 / £299 / AU$499, with a Subscription) sits below, while the Hero 11 Black ($399 / £399 / AU$649.95) is the range's flagship.

GoPro Hero 10 Black: Design

• New hardier lens cover with water-repellant coating
• Rear touchscreen and menus are far more responsive
• Otherwise physically identical to the Hero 9 Black

The GoPro Hero 10 Black is, physically, nigh-on identical to its predecessor and its Hero 11 Black successor. The only external difference from the Hero 9 Black is the new model's fancy blue logos on the front and side. 

GoPro made a couple of subtle tweaks, though, and the big one for watersports fans is the new lens cover. This now has a water-repelling hydrophobic coating, and it really works – we ran the Hero 10 Black and its predecessor under a tap, and the new lens cover was significantly better at repelling water, leaving no droplets to obscure your view.

This lens cover also apparently has greater scratch resistance, which was trickier to try out on our loan sample – although an unplanned test when our head-mounted GoPro flew off after a heavy zip-line landing and came to rest in some jagged wood chips resulted in no obvious marks on the lens.

Like the Hero 9 Black, this lens cover is also removable and replaceable if it does suffer serious damage, like a direct hit from an Airsoft pellet, or if you want to add ND (neutral density) filters.

The Hero 10 Black is actually 5g lighter than its predecessor, although we can't tell exactly where GoPro has made this weight saving, and it brings no practical advantages anyway. Like before, the camera has folding 'fingers' in its base for mounting it directly onto accessories. These first appeared on the Hero 8 Black, and mean you don't need to fiddle around with an extra housing to bolt the camera onto your helmet.

If you're not familiar with the Hero 9 Black, here's a quick refresh of the other design features the Hero 10 Black has inherited. There's a 1.4-inch front LCD for vloggers, which GoPro says is now a little smoother when showing movement than before, thanks to higher frame rates enabled by its GP2 processor (more on that later). although this screen is so small that we honestly couldn't tell the difference from its predecessor.

Far more noticeable is the improved 2.27-inch rear touchscreen. Again, GoPro says this has "improved touch sensitivity", but the real difference comes from the power of the GP2 processor. The Hero 9 Black's sluggish, unresponsive rear screen was one of our biggest criticisms of that model, and while it did improve with a recent firmware fix, it's still nowhere near as snappy as the Hero 10's touchscreen.

Let's be clear – this is how the Hero 9 Black should have performed from the outset, so it's hardly a win for its successor. But the faster startup times (it's typically ready to go in under five seconds, compared to eight seconds for the Hero 9 Black) and smartphone-like snappiness do make it far more enjoyable to use than last year's often frustrating experience.

Open the Hero 10 Black's side door and you'll find the same 1,720mAh battery as the one used by its predecessor. Like the 1.4-inch front LCD, this was another change that was introduced on the Hero 9 Black, so it's something to be wary of if you're upgrading from an older GoPro – your older 1,220mAh batteries won't work here.

Flanking the battery cover are a microSD card slot and USB-C port. The latter is used for charging, but it can also be used to directly transfer footage to your Hero 10 Black via wired transfer (this is about 50% faster than wireless transfers). It's a simple enough process with Android phones, which just need a USB-C to USB-C cable, but iPhone users will need the Apple Lightning-to-USB camera adapter, plus a standard USB-A to USB-C cable.

Overall, then, the Hero 10 Black is a hardy pocket camera that's waterproof down to 10 meters, and which feels a little more polished than its predecessor.

GoPro Hero 10 Black: Features

• Same 23.6MP, 1/2.3-inch sensor as the Hero 9 Black
• GP2 processor unlocks significant boosts to shooting modes
• Now possible to livestream with HyperSmooth stabilization

Back in 2020, the GoPro Hero 9 Black introduced a new image sensor. It was the same-sized sensor as those in previous GoPros (1/2.3-inch), but had a higher resolution that enabled that camera to be the first GoPro to shoot 5K video. The Hero 10 Black has this same image sensor, but pairs it with a new GP2 processor that unlocks some handy new talents.

The GP2 chip (now also in the Hero 11 Black) was the first big processing upgrade we'd seen in GoPros for four years, and was long overdue. The GP1 struggled to cope with the increased demands placed on it by the Hero 9 Black's dual screens and higher-resolution sensor, and its successor is behind pretty much all of the improvements you'll find in the Hero 10.

What are these improvements? Alongside the aforementioned boosts to start-up times and touchscreen performance, there are also some useful new frame-rate modes that make it a more versatile action camera. You can see a summary of the new modes in the table below, but the particularly fun ones are the slow-motion options – including a long-awaited 4K/120p mode.

The headline video improvements are those high frame-rate modes, but there are also some more enhancements. GoPro has been doing some algorithmic tinkering, and its GP2 chip brings local tone-mapping – an HDR processing technique for improving dynamic range – from its photo mode to video as well. 

In theory, this enhances contrast in specific areas of the video (rather than globally, across the whole frame) to bring out more detailed textures. In a similar vein, GoPro says it's improved its '3D noise reduction' to boost the Hero 10 Black's low-light performance in dimly-lit scenes (think woodlands, dusk or your home).

Do these work? In a side-by-side comparison with the Hero 9 Black using the same settings, we did see a noticeable improvement in the definition of fine details (trees and grass, for example) on the Hero 10 Black. Look closely, and footage from its predecessor looked a little smudgy by comparison. This may only be noticeable to pixel-peepers though, and the noise reduction improvements were less obvious. It's a subtle rather than a dramatic difference.

Probably more useful to most people are the final GP2-related improvements: better in-camera horizon leveling and HyperSmooth 4.0. The option of automatic horizon leveling, which keeps your footage level even if you're rocking from from side to side, used to only be available in GoPro's app. The Hero 9 Black introduced an in-camera version, but the Hero 10 Black's horizon-leveling skills are much more powerful, with the ability to correct footage that's been skewed by 45 degrees, rather than just 27 degrees.

This is a handy feature for mountain bikers or skiers who want smooth footage that won't give viewers motion sickness. Another bonus on this front is HyperSmooth 4.0, which brings the stabilization's powerful 'High' mode to the Hero 10 Black's most demanding modes (5.3K/30p, 4K/60p and 2.7K/120p). Rivals like the Insta360 One R 1-Inch edition might have trumped GoPro with their larger 1-inch sensors, but in our experience HyperSmooth (now boosted to HyperSmooth 5.0 on the Hero 11 Black) remains the best form of stabilization on any action cam.

Finally, if you've been thinking of using a GoPro as your livestreaming camera, the Hero 10 Black brings one other upgrade here – you can now stream with HyperSmooth 4.0 stabilization.

Unfortunately, there are still all sorts of restrictions on live-streaming with a GoPro, depending on your preferred platform – for example, Twitch is iOS-only, while YouTube requires you to have a channel with 1,000 subscribers, and you can also only create a private livestreaming link to send to friends if you're a GoPro subscriber. But the addition of HyperSmooth certainly makes it a much more useful tool for those who want to create action-packed streams with lots of movement. 

Naturally, the GoPro Hero 10 Black also inherits all of the special shooting modes we saw on the Hero 9 Black. These include TimeWarp 3.0 (one of our favorite modes, which creates a stabilized timelapse film) and 'Power Tools', which were first teased in GoPro Labs. This group of features, which still feel a little 'beta', bring some specific modes that are collectively very useful. 

One of our favorites, 'Hindsight', constantly buffers video so that when you press the shutter button you can record the previous 15 or 30 seconds of video; no longer will your dog's impromptu japes go unrecorded. Another 'Power Tool' includes 'scheduled capture', which enables you, for example, to leave your GoPro set up to capture the sunrise; it's not exactly earth-shattering, but it all boosts the Hero 10 Black's versatility. We'd note, though, that many of these features are also available on the older Hero 8 Black once you've loaded the GoPro Labs firmware onto the camera.

GoPro Hero 10 Black: Performance

• Unchanged battery life means it's worth carrying spares
• Built-in microphones are the same as on the Hero 9 Black
• New slo-mo modes are a bonus for cut scenes

While the Hero 10 Black's GP2 processor does make it a more polished, fun camera to use than its predecessor, some aspects of its performance are still typical GoPro.

One of these, unfortunately, is battery life and overheating. The 10 Black has the same battery as the Hero 9 Black, which at 1,720mAh is larger than the batteries in all previous GoPros. But much of that capacity is drained by the Hero 10 Black's more demanding dual screens and high frame-rate modes.

In our battery test, with the camera shooting a continuous 4K/30p clip with HyperSmooth on and the screen brightness at 50%, we managed to get 72 minutes of recording from the Hero 10, which included two breaks for overheating, when the camera shut down under the strain.

This is actually a little less than we got from the Hero 9 Black, and similar to the result for the Hero 8 Black, so it's clear that the old GoPro adage is true: make sure you carry a spare battery or two with you. 

In a real-world test, during a visit to an adventure park, our fully-charged Hero 10 Black gave us three and a half hours before conking out. That was a taxing afternoon for the camera, with lots of menu swiping and changing of frame-rates, but this is also a typical day out for a GoPro. Because it was exposed to moving air, we also didn't experience any overheating problems.

Another traditional GoPro weakness, audio, also hasn't improved from the Hero 9 Black. The microphones do produce acceptable sound quality in quieter environments, while voice isolation and the handling of wind noise are certainly superior to older GoPros. But if you want to guarantee audio that matches your video quality, then we'd recommend getting the Media Mod accessory, and either plugging in a lavalier mic, or getting a wireless option like the Rode Wireless Go II.

On the plus side, though, the Hero 10 Black's new slow-mo modes (4K/120p and 2.7K/240p) are a lot of fun, and a great way to bring a change of pace to your social media videos. 

As always, there is a noticeable quality drop when shooting in these modes, particularly if you find yourself in anything other than bright sunlight, but the versatility these modes give you, particularly when combined with horizon-leveling and HyperSmooth stabilization, makes them one of the main reasons to upgrade from an older GoPro.

GoPro Hero 10 Black: Video and image quality

GoPro made some changes to the default video settings on the Hero 10 Black. The action cam maker has seemingly outgrown the signature saturated look it's leaned towards previously, instead going for a more natural style out of the box.

There are actually now three color settings to choose from. Previously you either had the option of a 'GoPro' color profile (which produced punchy, bold colors) and a 'flat' one that you could grade afterwards. But now there's an additional 'Natural' profile, which is the new default, and we're pretty big fans of it.

GoPro has also dialed down the 'sharpness' to medium by default (another good move), but we tended to shoot with it on 'low', and with the bit-rate set to 'high' (or 100Mbps) for maximum image quality. When compared to footage shot on the Hero 9 Black with the same settings, the results were similar, but with subtle improvements that are likely down to that new local tone mapping.

Still, the Hero 9 Black had already made the big advances in areas like detail over older GoPros with that new sensor, and you're unlikely to notice a huge difference here unless you're really pixel-peeping. The 5K/60p mode is a nice-to-have, if not ideally suited to action scenes due to the more limited stabilization that's available, but it's the new slow-mo modes that are the most fun.

There's undoubtedly still a softness to the video in the Hero 10's slower frame rates of 120p and 240p (particularly the latter), but the option of shooting 4K/120p and 2.7K/240p lifts them from novelty status to something genuinely usable. GoPro's HyperSmooth also remains the best you'll find on an action cam, while the boosts to horizon leveling are another welcome bonus.

On the other hand, not many people buy a GoPro to shoot stills – and while the Hero 10 is a passable, waterproof stand-in for your smartphone, it has been left a little behind on this front by rivals.

In good light, the results are pretty crisp and colorful, while SuperPhoto can help you regain some highlight details from areas like sky. But the 3MP resolution boost from the Hero 9 Black won't be noticeable to most, and in tough scenes – including low light ones – it simply can't compete with the computational pipelines of Apple, Google and Samsung.

You do get the option to shoot in raw, but this is only available in the 'wide' fisheye view and shadow recovery is limited with a 1/2.3-inch sensor.

Perhaps the more sensible approach to GoPro snapping is to simply accept the sub-smartphone quality, and embrace the convenience of 'frame grabs', which now let you grab slightly improved 15.8MP stills from 5.3K video (or 19.6MP from 5K 4:3 footage). The kind of shots you get from doing this are unlikely to be found in your phone's camera roll, and the GoPro's ability to venture into dangerous territory remains one of the main reasons to buy one.

Should I buy the GoPro Hero 10 Black?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

If our GoPro Hero 10 Black review has you considering other options, here are three more action cams to consider...  

First reviewed: September 2021