The newest action camera by GoPro – the GoPro Hero 10 Black is finally here!
Launched on September 16, 2021, the new GoPro Hero 10 Black strives to eliminate two of the biggest annoyances of its predecessor – the GoPro Hero 9 Black. One, Hero 9 always felt a bit sluggish when it came to its speed. Two, its low light performance was not up to the mark.
Enter GoPro 10 Black. The action camera addresses both of these pain points in a superb way! How? We’ll discuss all this and a lot more in this post. So, read on to know all about the GoPro Hero 10 Black – Our Full Review of the action camera, What’s New in it, its detailed specs, and lastly, whether you should upgrade to it.
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Specifications
First, let’s talk about the specifications of the action camera. Here are the key specs of the GoPro Hero 10 Black:
- Weight: 153 grams
- Processor: The All-New GP2 Processor
- Photo Resolution: 23 Megapixels
- Video Resolution: 5.3K/60FPS, 4K/120FPS, 2.7K/240FPS
- Stabilization: HyperSmooth 4.0
- Waterproof: Yes, Up to 33ft.
- Live stream: Yes, Up to 1080p resolution (with HyperSmooth 4.0 ON)
- Special Features: TimeWarp 3.0, Night Lapse, 8x Slo-Mo, Front LCD
- Price: Check Current Price
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Full Review
As discussed in the intro, the new GoPro Hero 10 Black promises to address all the weaknesses of its predecessor. Thanks to the powerful GP-2 Processor, the overall performance of the action camera is significantly better than Hero 9. Upon testing it in low light, we felt that the camera performs noticeably better here too.
Before proceeding to how the GoPro Hero 10 fares on each of its several features, let’s first discuss what’s new in it.
What’s New on the GoPro Hero 10 Black?
- A Brand-New GP-2 Processor: The Hero 10 doubles the performance of the previous Hero 9.
- Higher Quality Video and Photo: Here 10 bumps up photo resolution up to 23 megapixels, and can shoot up to 5.3K videos at 60 frames per second (FPS); 4K up to 120 FPS; and 2.7K at 240 FPS.
- HyperSmooth 4.0: HyperSmooth is upgraded for steadier video. You can now apply stabilization to higher video resolutions (5.3K30, 4K60, and 2.7K120).
- Wired transfer to phone: Hero 10 lets you offload files by way of a wired connection to an Android or iOS device.
You can download the whole manual by clicking: GoPro Hero 10 Black Manual | Preview & Download.
Here’s our detailed review on how the Hero 10 action camera performs when put into practical use:
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Design
When it comes to the look and dimensions, the GoPro Hero 10 Black is almost identical to the previous year’s Hero 9.
There isn’t any radical change in the design of the camera. The only minor change is that the GoPro logo and the series name, which used to be grey on the previous model, are now in blue color. The weight of the camera is also a bit lower at 153 grams, versus 158 grams of Hero 9. Rest, everything – including buttons, front display, battery compartment, USB-C port, and micro-SD slot – remains the same.
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Camera Specs
GoPro Hero 10 has the same camera sensor as the previous model. However, since it features a more powerful chip, the Hero 10 Black is capable of recording videos at up to 5.3K resolution at 60 frames per second. The Hero 9, in comparison, could only manage 5K at 30fps. The supported frame rates have doubled for other resolutions too. You can now shoot 4K videos at 120fps and 2.7K at 240fps. When it comes to still shots, the Hero 10 Black can capture pictures at 23-megapixel resolution.
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Speed
This is where the GoPro Hero 10 Black is radically improved. Thanks to the GP-2 processor, the interface of the Hero 10 Black feels much smoother when used alongside Hero 9.
Using the camera and even general scrolling the menu is noticeably much quicker. The company claims that it’s twice as fast as the GoPro Hero 9 Black. However, upon usage, I felt that the camera is prone to get quite warm upon continuous usage.
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Stabilization
With HyperSmooth 4.0, the image stabilization on the GoPro Hero 10 is superb! Even when you’re running, the footage will look super smooth with little to no jitter whatsoever. When you enable Boost, you get an even more stable image. However, it crops the frame. What’s more, Hypersmooth 4.0 on Hero 10 Black can be used even on higher resolutions, including 5.3K30, 4K60, and 2.7K120.
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Low Light Performance
There’s definitely a noticeable improvement in low-light stills and videos on the GoPro Hero 10. In the Night Photo mode, the pictures have sharper details as compared to the Hero 9 Black. Videos shot in low-light have considerably less noise too. But, I felt that the difference isn’t too huge.
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Battery Life
The GoPro Hero 10 Black sports the exact same 1,720mAh battery as the Hero 9 Black. It can be used interchangeably. Regarding battery life, you can expect around an hour and a half of video recording in 4K resolution. However, that would vary depending upon several factors, like frame rate, shooting mode, etc. So, if you’re planning to use the Hero 10 Black all day, it would be better to have an extra battery.
Verdict: Should You Upgrade to GoPro Hero 10 Black?
The GoPro Hero 10 Black definitely offers a considerably more fluid user experience than any of its predecessors. It’s definitely the most advanced action camera today. Therefore, it could be a great idea to upgrade to Hero 10 Black.
However, whether you should upgrade to it or not also depends upon which GoPro model you currently own. For example, if you have a GoPro Hero 9 Black, then there isn’t really a drastic change in the quality of shots other than the fact that you can now shoot 4K or 5.3K videos at higher frame rates. So, if you aren’t overly concerned about higher frame rates, then you can stay with your GoPro Hero 9 Black too.
For those who own GoPro models that came earlier than that (Hero 8 and previous models), upgrading to GoPro Hero 10 Black would definitely be a good improvement!
I hope this guide helped you learn all you need about the recently launched GoPro Hero 10 Black action camera 🙂
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