At a glance it’s almost impossible to tell the GoPro Hero10 Black apart from its predecessor, the Hero9.

Each is a little box with screens front and rear, and a lens housing that juts out. Under the hood, however, GoPro has truly levelled up its latest camera. 

Most significantly, this is the first really responsive GoPro we’ve ever used, thanks to a nippy new GP2 processor.

In addition to overall speed boosts within menus, the Hero10 can also upload your footage 30% faster than the Hero9 could, which makes a real difference when you’re dealing with gigs of 5.3K video.

You can also directly hook it up to your phone for even faster transfers. 

In addition to all that, the Hero10 is equipped with better processing skills for photos and video, meaning it doesn’t totally crumble in low light, plus it can shoot 4K super-slow-mo at up to 120fps.

So… is it time to hail the new king of action cams?

GoPro Hero10 Black Best Bits

  • The front screen shows a preview of whatever the camera is shooting. It can be disabled to save battery life.
  • While the Hero10 Black is the same size as the Hero9 Black, it is 5g lighter. And while both cameras benefit from a 2.27in display, the new model offers improved touch-sensitivity and a smoother interface, which makes the whole experience feel way more responsive.
  • The flip-out feet make this cam incredibly easy to mount. They emerge from the base and connect the GoPro to virtually every action-cam attachment on the market. Prior to the Hero9 you had to stick your GoPro into a case if you wanted to mount it, which now seems like a right faff.
  • When it comes to toughness, the Hero10’s lens cover uses more scratch-resistant materials than before. It’s still removable, so you can slip on a Max Lens Mod for an even wider field of view. Plus, you can submerge the whole camera in up to 10m of water without additional housing.
  • Higher frame rates and a mightier processor mean the Hero10’s battery life suffers. You’ll still get enough juice from a single charge for a day of short clips, but for longer hyperlapse shots you’ll want to pick up some spares. Helpfully, it uses the same batteries as the Hero9.
  • Photos are improved, though we wouldn’t recommend it as a stills camera. One area we did have an issue with was shooting HDR photos in heavily backlit scenes. The dark areas can carry a lot of grain, although hopefully that’s something that can be fixed with a software update.

Is the GoPro Hero10 any good?

While on the surface the Hero10 is a rehash of its predecessor, the GP2 processor means it’s a very different camera.

It’s more responsive and captures better images in all lighting conditions. Plus, ‘nice to have’ features – like better livestreaming and webcam support, faster wireless, and wired transfer of video – iron out some long-standing niggles.

Words: Basil Kronfli