The GoPro Hero 5 Black and Session have different battery capacities. While the flagship GoPro Hero 5 Black features a 1220mAh removable battery, its Session counterpart has a built-in 1000mAh battery. So, you can replace the Hero 5 Black camera’s battery to extend its run time. However, the same can not be done with the Hero 5 session.
In this article you’ll learn tips on how to extend the GoPro Hero 5 battery life.
Are you ready?
GoPro Hero 5 Black & Session: Battery Life
The GoPro Hero 5 Black has a replaceable 1220 mAh Lithium-ion battery. Its model number is AJBAT-001.
- 1220mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery
- Use as a spare or Replacement battery for your GoPro
Here’s the approximate continuous recording time that you can expect when shooting in various video modes using a fully charged Hero 5 Black camera.
- 4K @ 30fps – 90 minutes
- 2.7K @ 30fps – 109 minutes
- 1080p @60fps – 120 minutes
- 1080p @30fps – 150 minutes
- 720p @120fps – 140 minutes
The GoPro Hero 5 Session, on the other hand, sports a built-in 1000 mAh Lithium-ion battery. Here’s the approximate recording time that you’ll achieve when shooting with Hero 5 Session:
- 4K @ 30fps – 80 minutes
- 2.7K @ 30fps – 100 minutes
- 1080p @60fps – 95 minutes
- 1080p @30fps – 115 minutes
- 720p @120fps – 120 minutes
Please note that these are just the approximate values of the Hero 5 battery life. The exact battery life of your GoPro on a single charge depends upon various factors. For example, if you have enabled all the features on your Hero 5 Black camera, you probably won’t be able to achieve full 90 minutes of 4K@30fps recording time
How to Extend GoPro Hero 5 Battery Life: 8 Tips
Here are the eight useful tips to make your GoPro Hero 5 battery last longer:
#1. Keep the GoPro Off When Not Recording
Ensure that the GoPro Hero 5 action camera is switched off when it’s not recording. This will enable you to extend your camera’s battery life exponentially.
For more info read: How to Turn OFF GoPro Hero 5 and SAVE Battery.
#2. Keep the Batteries Warm in Cold Weather
The lithium-ion batteries usually don’t perform well in cold weather conditions. Therefore, you must keep the battery of your GoPro warm when operating in cold weather. This can be done by things like putting your GoPro battery in the inside zippered pocket of your jacket when the camera is not in use.
You can also opt for GoPro bag. Click here to find the best ones!
#3. Turn Off the LCD Screen
When the GoPro Hero 5 camera’s LCD screen is ON, the camera uses more power. Therefore, if you want to save your GoPro’s battery life, you may follow the old-fashioned way. Avoid using the LCD screen while operating the action camera.
#4. Keep Protune Off
Keeping Protune off while recording with your GoPro Hero 5 will slightly improve its battery life. However, you may have to compromise on image quality if you keep Protune off. That’s why I personally never keep Protune off even if that means losing out on a few minutes of runtime.
#5. Use a Wall Charger
If you charge your camera using the USB cable connected to your PC, consider changing this habit. Connecting the USB to a wall charger gives a significantly faster and better charge to your action camera than connecting it to a PC. Therefore, you must charge your GoPro battery using a wall-charger.
- FEATURES / POWER SPECS : Input Voltage Range: AC 100V - 240V / Smart Power /...
- COMPATIBILITY: GoPro HERO5 Black CHDHX-501 CHDHX-502; HERO5 Session CHDHS-501...
- SAFETY / UL LISTED: Tested, Approved and Certified by UL. E475124 number is unique to...
#6. Update the Firmware
Updating the firmware of your GoPro Hero 5 camera will not only fix lingering issues, but it can also increase the battery life. With firmware updates, the company comes up with several fixes to improve the battery performance of your camera.
#7. Avoid using the Extra Settings (WiFi, GPS, Voice Control)
Turning off the extra settings like WiFi, GPS, voice control etc. can boost the battery life of the GoPro Hero 5.
- Turning GPS off: If you don’t need GPS coordinates, turn it off. This will provide you some extra battery life.
- Turning voice control off: When you have voice enabled, your GoPro Hero 5 camera is never really ‘off’. Even when it is switched off, it will respond to your voice command (which in turn drains your camera’s battery). You can save this battery drain by turning this setting off.
- Turn off wireless connections: If you don’t need WiFi, go to Connect > Wireless Connections and tap OFF.
#8. Reduce the Resolution & Frame Rates
High resolution and high frame rates consume the energy faster. So, if you’re looking to boost your camera’s battery life, consider reducing its recording resolution or frame rate.
Hero 5 Battery Life: FAQs
Here are the answers to some of the commonly asked queries regarding the GoPro Hero 5 battery life:
Why does my GoPro Hero 5 battery die so fast?
The battery life of your GoPro Hero 5 depends upon several factors. Follow the tips given above to maximise your camera’s battery life.
Also, read this article to learn more.
Can GoPro Hero 5 record while charging?
No. When the GoPro Hero 5 camera is recording, its battery won’t charge even if it’s inside the camera and you have connected the camera to a power source.
Can I use GoPro Hero 5 without battery?
Yes. You can run the GoPro Hero 5 without battery, provided it’s connected to an external power source via the USB-C cable. However, without battery, the moment that the AC power to the camera stops, the will turn off immediately.
What is GoPro Hero 5 Battery Life?
Follow the above-mentioned tips, and you’re sure to extend the battery life of your GoPro Hero 5 camera. However, if you think that following some of these tips would mean not being able to use your action camera to its full potential, consider carrying some spare batteries along with you. Depending upon the number of spare batteries you have, you can easily double or triple the running time of your GoPro Hero 5 action camera.
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Please note that you can follow this step only if you have a Hero 5 Black camera, because the Hero 5 Session doesn’t have a removable battery.
I hope that this tutorial successfully teaches you how to improve the battery life of GoPro Hero 5 Black & Session action cameras.
Thanks for reading 
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