GoPro Hero 10: From new features to image quality

It doesn’t really look very different to old iterations but the GoPro Hero 10 offers something that is incredible considering it fits in your pocket.

GoPro is back with another rendition of their famed action camera releasing the GoPro Hero 10, but does it have improvements worthy of the price tag? For those interested in recording their outdoorsy activities such as bike riding or even watersports, GoPro remains one of the sought-out camera brands for capturing content while on the move, so let’s find out.

Design

If it’s been a while since you used a GoPro, you won’t notice any major differences in its form factor with the rectangular minimalistic design, an off/on button on the side and a record button on top all inside of a waterproof camera body.

But what’s new and exciting design-wise (first seen on the GoPro 9 last year) is there’s now a 1.4 inch colour LCD display on the front, in addition to the fantastic colour LCD on the back. This is incredibly handy to make sure you’re getting everything in shot, especially when taking a selfie or filming vlog style.

The GoPro Hero 10 comes with a replaceable lens cover.

On the body of the camera is a replaceable lens cover, which looks identical to the previous model but possesses some incredible improvements. It’s now hydrophobic, which means it repels water, so there’s no more watery film over the lens or water beading while filming any in or near water action – it runs right off. And the scratch resistance has been majorly improved too.

Features

Internally, there’s a new high performance GP2 processor, where previously the GP1 processor has been around since the HERO6 Black in 2017. Which means there are some major usability improvements in the camera.

On paper, this means better image quality and speed, but in practise I noticed that the front LCD screen on the GoPro 10 was incredibly smooth, relaying the camera’s capture in real time, as opposed to the GoPro 9 which was a lot laggier (specifically when recording high resolution video).

Elly Awesome tries out the GoPro Hero 10.

The back touchscreen on the GoPro 9 was less responsive and slower to react to touch inputs in comparison to the new GoPro 10, which is instant and seamless. These improvements may seem simple but they immensely enhance the overall user experience.

I was impressed with the latest improvements to the horizon levelling feature in the GoPro 10, which keeps your horizon still and level even when the camera is moving or rotating slightly and the HyperSmooth 4.0 feature that allows GoPro footage to look ridiculously smooth even when stuck to something like a moving car or mounted on a bike.

Image quality

Overall, the GoPro 10’s ability to shoot 5.3K video quality at 60 frames per second, 4K video at 120 frames per second or even 2.7K video at 240 frames per second is insane, especially considering this camera fits in your pocket.

With these improvements the HERO10 Black is certainly the best GoPro yet and it’s available now for $599.95 when bought with a one-year GoPro Subscription or $749.95 without a subscription.

Elly Awesome is an Aussie tech and lifestyle vlogger | @ellyawwesome | YouTube