A few months have passed since GoPro announced its latest action camera. the GoPro Hero 12 Black, back in September.
With the new year on the horizon, you might wonder what the ever-popular action cam brand has in store for 2024. You’ll be especially curious if you’re considering upgrading to the Hero 12 Black but are unsure whether it’s worth holding out another year in the hopes of a major upgrade.
Keep reading to learn more about the GoPro Hero 13 Black, including a potential release date and price, along with what features, specs and image quality we expect to see on the next GoPro.
Release date
GoPro typically announces a new flagship camera every September. We’d expect the GoPro Hero 13 Black to arrive in September 2024 based on past launches.
Price
The Hero 12 Black launched with an RRP of £399.99 – £100 less than the £499.99 Hero 11 Black. Hopefully, the Hero 13 price will retain this lower price.
What we expect
It’s only been a handful of months since GoPro launched the Hero 12 Black in September, meaning that rumours regarding its successor have yet to pick up speed. However, we do have our predictions for what the Hero 13 Black will look like.
HyperSmooth 7.0
GoPro updates its HyperSmooth stabilisation technology once a year, meaning we’re very likely to see HyperSmooth 7.0 arrive alongside the GoPro Hero 13 Black.
HyperSmooth has undergone some major upgrades in recent years. In 2022, GoPro launched HyperSmooth 5.0 which featured updates like AuoBoost and Horizon Lock. AutoBoost automatically determines how much stabilisation you need based on your speed and movement, while Horizon Lock ensures your horizon line remains level even if you tilt the camera while shooting.
The most recent version of the image stabilisation tech is HyperSmooth 6.0, which includes next-generation AutoBoost and horizon levelling even in full 360-degree rotation with the Linear + Horizon Lock digital lens.
GP3 processor
Next on the list, we have the GoPro GP3 processor.
Where HyperSmooth 7.0 is an almost certain occurrence, 2024 might be too early to see a major processor upgrade in the form of the GP3.
GoPro announced the GP2 in 2021 and the GP1 four years before that in 2017. For this reason, we suspect it’ll be another year before we see the GP3 in action, though it is certainly possible that the next-gen processor could power the Hero 13 Black.
8K video
It’s also possible we could also see an increase in video resolution.
The GoPro has supported resolutions up to 5.3K since the GoPro Hero 9 in 2020 and it currently stands as our favourite camera for shooting in regular lighting. However, it’d be great to see that image quality increase further in 2024.
A growing number of mirrorless cameras and smartphones can record in 8K these days and we’d love to see the GoPro join that list – especially with rival Insta360 having launched the 8K Insta360 Ace Pro action camera in late 2023.
