Almost 10 years back, we reviewed the GoPro HD Hero 2. This was not the first flagship camera from the company, but it was something new and instrumental in bringing the GoPro to the general attention of the public. Back in those times, the maximum resolution was 1080p, photos came with 5-megapixel and were shrouded in that iconic waterproof housing.
After a decade later, Hero 10 Black comes out with good offers like 5.3K max video resolution, 23-megapixel photos. There was no longer need for waterproof housing and had a slew of fancy shooting modes that people hadn’t imagined back in those times.
Before we get to the part of reviews, let us tell you about the few things that have changed. The first thing to be known is that the headline feature is clearly the new GP2 processor. GoPro started using its homegrown chip, the GPI a few years ago but now the second iteration is here. This is something that brings with it a boost in frame rates across the board. One of the best things is that the front-facing display benefits from an increased frame rate and this will make your previews more perfect and smoother. GP2 brings an image processor and it promises improved quality photos and videos as well.
GP2 times the power
The GP1, GoPro’s first custom processor made its first debut with Hero 6 Black. It helped the company to integrate the brains of the camera tightly. With the GP2, there is a promise that this is going to be twice the performance. The company is yet to share the specifics about the chip but it is evident that there would be increased frame rates across the board.
Other than this, there are more benefits to the new chips beyond FPS. GP2 is powering updated HyperSmooth 4.0 and promises to provide a sleek user interface and faster offloading of media.
Image Quality
While GoPro is touting the new framerate, there will be new upgrades to the image quality as well. The best news is that it’s markedly better than the Hero 9. There is going to be a higher resolution for both video and photos. The picture quality is going to be too high.
- Battery Life
Battery life has never really been GoPro’s strong suit but yes, it kept on improving over time. Hero 10 feels like a small step backward. Click record and leave the camera, shoot out, Hero 9 outlasted but the Hero 10 by almost half an hour — clocking in at 1hr40 at 4K/30fps. In simple words, the battery life of Hero 10 Black is so very good and perfect.
Price
Last year, GoPro tried something new, when it came to pricing. If you brought the camera on its own, then it cost $450. This was a little higher than the flagship it replaced, Hero 8 sold for $399. But if you get the GoPro subscriptions, then it would cost $350 only. Isn’t this a solid deal?
For the price, we hope that it would have stayed the same as last year’s launch.
