GoPro Hero10 review: one small step for the action cam, one big leap for GoPro

Last year, the GoPro Hero9 was published, and the GoPro Hero action camera portfolio was redesigned in full. It now has a front-facing screen, can shoot in 5K, and has longer battery life. The GoPro Hero10 is an incremental improvement based on the GoPro Hero9 foundation. Although the 500 US dollars Hero10 seems almost identical to the Hero9, the difference is significant and the scene is much bigger.

Despite claims from GoPro that Hero 10 is 3% lighter in my hands compared to Hero9 (153g vs. 158g). The only difference between the two models is Hero10’s blue labeling, which contrasts with Hero9’s silver decals. There’s a gripping rubber finish, stable mounting prongs, two physical rubber buttons for power, mode switching, and recording, two displays, a latching battery, USB-C port, and microSD card, a latched battery, compartment, USB-C port, and a slot box with a microSD card. According to GoPro, removable lenses are more waterproof and scratch-resistant, but also less ghosting. I have no lens cover problems with my Hero9 but I always want additional protection.

The Hero 10 is equipped with the same hardware as the Hero 9.

On the top of the camera, there is a rubber record button.

The rubber button on the side of the camera is used to switch between power and mode.

The GoPro Hero10 can be improved inside with the new GP2 Processor. This is the first CPU overhaul to the Hero range since the Hero6 in 2017, and it brings much-needed speed improvements.

To begin, GoPro claims that the GP2 processor allows the Hero10 to upload footage to your phone or the cloud 30 percent faster. For the first time in the Hero series, you can plug your GoPro directly into your phone for up to 50% faster uploads to your device using GoPro’s Quik app.

Second, although having the same hardware as the Hero9, the front screen now has a faster frame rate. The front pane now shows a 30-fps image in most scenarios. I’ve also noticed that while I’m actively filming, there’s a lot less lag on the front screen.

The third and most remarkable speed increase, however, is that the Hero10 can capture content faster. In photo mode, the Hero10 is substantially faster than the Hero9 at both taking and saving photos. I was able to snap three HDR shots on the Hero10 before processing a single photo on the Hero9.

This year’s edition is 5.3K 60fps filming.

From the 5.3K 4:3 video, the Hero10 can capture 19.6-megapixel pictures. This is an improvement over the Hero9’s 12-megapixel frame captures in the 4K 4:3 video. The Hero10 can take 15.8-megapixel images from 5.3K footage in a 16:9 frame, but the Hero9 could only take 14.7-megapixel photos from 5K.

Although the Hero9 sensor has the same 23.6 megapixels, GoPro believes GP2 can get more from it. The Hero10 has four photo modes: live burst, which records photographs continuously as you hold down the shutter; burst, which takes a fixed number of photos in one burst; night; and ordinary photo. Four color processing options, ranging from SuperPhoto for in-camera color, to RAW for the latest. image for post-color manipulation also comes into existence. In ideal lighting, the images are vibrant, but in poor light, even in night mode, they show a lot of grain. I’ve never thought of a GoPro camera as primarily a photography tool. Even with the higher megapixel images, the video mode is where this camera shines.

THE GOPRO HERO10 WAS USED TO TAKE THESE PHOTOS.

At 60 frames per second, the Hero10 can shoot a 5.3k video, at 120 frames per second, at 4K video, and 240 frames per second, with a 2.7k video. When compared to the Hero9, that’s a frame rate boost at every resolution, and the 5.3K60 option is ideal for dreamy pictures of water or snow flying.

GoPro releases HyperSmooth 4.0 with Hero10, their in-body stabilizing software. The days of using a gimbal with a GoPro are long gone. There are three levels of stabilization: boost, standard, and off. Boost cuts your image the most, but it also has the best image stabilization. With HyperSmooth 4.0, the horizon leveling feature’s tilt limit has been increased, allowing you to get farther sideways while still maintaining a level shot.

If GoPro keeps improving this capability, I can envisage a day when you won’t need to level your GoPro to the horizon, similar to how Insta360’s mini action camera, the Go 2, enables 360-degree horizontal leveling.

The Hero10 uses the same batteries as the Hero9, albeit battery depletion is greater at higher capture resolutions, such as the new 5.3K 60fps. In comparison to one battery for a day of casual filming with the Hero9, I needed two batteries to get through a full day of casual filming in these high resolutions.

Without external casing, the Hero 10 is still waterproof up to 33 feet.

Once exported, the footage from Hero9 and Hero10 are nearly indistinguishable. There is a teeny-tiny little more area to punch in with the Hero10’s 5.3K footage, but unless you are a 60fps super enthusiast, I don’t think most Hero9 owners will need to upgrade this year. The GP2 processor enables local tone mapping and 3D video algorithms to reduce noise, according to GoPro, not just images, which should improve low-light performance and sharpness in small, difficult-to-film areas like grass blades. Whilst I felt that the Hero10 is a little better, the picture still shows much smoothing and noise, as well as graininess when lighting conditions aren’t ideal. Check out the samples in our video above to see how well this camera still performs on sunny, blue sky days.

The color differences between the two cameras are the last image modification. This year, GoPro is defaulting the color settings on the Hero10 to natural, rather than vibrant, or “GoPro Color” on the Hero9. Although, once again, pixel peeping required to discern a difference between the two settings.

There are a few things I didn’t get a chance to try out during my time with the Hero10. That will include a significant software update scheduled for November 16th. For Max lens mods and a few additional resolutions, including 24fps for every resolution, and the SuperView lens with 5.3K 30 25, the Hero10 gets support and 24 frames per second.

Since the launch of the Hero6 in 2017, the Hero 10 is the most costly Hero camera at $500.

Because of its size, durability, and 5.3K 60fps capabilities, the Hero10 remains a superb action camera. There’s no other photo with this great capacity and the Hero10 looks like an increase if you’ve got a Hero8 or older. But, unless you require that silky 5.3K 60fps or have to have the latest and greatest, I don’t think it’s a large enough jump forward for Hero9 owners.

The Hero10 is also quite pricey. It costs $500 without a GoPro subscription, $400 for current GoPro subscribers, and $400 for new GoPro subscribers with a year of subscription included. This is the most expensive hero camera. Launched by Gopfro after upgrading the Hero 6 CPU. The Hero9 is still plenty capable and available for a hundred dollars cheaper.

Nonetheless, the GP2 processor shows that GoPro does not push the limits of its tiny camera. After failing to make a drone and a gimbal, GoPro was facing a very bleak future when it debuted the GP1 processor in the Hero6. GoPro opted to scale down the firm with the GP1, its first custom-made CPU, and focus entirely on Hero Blacks, 360 cameras like the Fusion and Max, and its subscription service. Rather than going big in a lot of directions, it decided to focus on a few truly fantastic products that had enough capabilities for professionals but were simple enough for a hobbyist to pick up.

The result is a well-balanced camera with plenty of resolutions for any task, an intuitive user interface, and a subscription service that is well worth the money. If GP1 is any indication of how far GoPro’s systems can push, the Hero lineup’s future looks bright.

GOPRO HERO10 AGREE TO CONTINUE

You must accept many conditions — agreements no one actually reads — before you can use a smart device. We won’t be able to read and examine each one of these agreements. But, because these are agreements that most people don’t read and can’t negotiate, we started counting how many times you have to touch “accept” to use gadgets when we reviewed them.

To use the GoPro Hero10, you must agree to the following terms: