GoPro Hero 10 Black Review: The Hero You Need?

This product was reviewed in 2021

Another year, another flagship launch from the renowned action camera firm. Following GoPro’s radical refresh with the Hero 9 Black, the first Hero to feature both front- and rear-facing color displays, the Hero 10’s updates appear far more subtle – at least at first glance. However, beneath its rugged, waterproof exterior, the Hero 10 Black houses an all-new heart.

The Hero 10 Black is the first Hero to be powered by GoPro’s GP2 processor. The GP2 delivers twice the performance of its predecessor, enabling the Hero 10 Black to double the frame rates of the Hero 9, offer more effective video stabilization, and deliver a more responsive user interface. Will this camera make it onto our best GoPro list? We put the Hero 10 through its paces to find out.

GoPro Hero 10 Black review: What you need to know

Hero cameras as far back as 2017’s Hero6 have been powered by GoPro’s custom GP1 processor. The Hero 10 Black, however, gets an all-new upgraded chip, the GP2. The GP2 enables the Hero 10 to capture 5.3K video at up to 60fps, 4K video at up to 120fps, and 2.7K video at up to 240fps.

The Hero 10 Black also packs GoPro’s latest stabilization tech, HyperSmooth 4.0. HyperSmooth 4.0 is GoPro’s most effective video stabilization to date, with Standard and Boost modes available across all resolutions and frame rates. Horizon Leveling, a feature that allows the camera to keep your footage level as well as stabilized, has also been upgraded, now with up to 45 degrees of tilt correction, up from 27 degrees on the Hero 9.

The camera promises a snappier user experience, with faster boot-up times, a higher refresh rate for the front-facing display, and a more responsive rear display. Additionally, the Hero 10 Black supports faster transfer speeds, over both Wi-Fi and USB.

GoPro Hero 10 Black review: Price and competition

The GoPro Hero 10 Black launched with a list price of $500, or $400 with a one-year subscription to GoPro.

Update: GoPro stopped offering a discount on subscribers’ products in 2023, two years after this review was written. All GoPro Hero cameras are now available at the same price to subscribers and non-subscribers. At the time of writing this update in 2024, the Hero 10 costs $229 from Amazon and $250 from retailers including Target and Best Buy, as well as from GoPro.

As far as alternative models are concerned, the Hero 11 Black is the obvious rival – and at $250 from Amazon, it costs barely a cent more than the Hero 10. The Hero 11’s headline update is a new sensor, which ditches GoPro’s classic 4:3 native aspect ratio for a nearly square 8:7 chip that lets creators cut landscape and vertical videos from the same take.

The Hero 12 Black, released in 2023, has a higher list price of $400 but is regularly available from Amazon for around $300. It offers superb image quality and stabilization tech, a more accessible user interface, improved audio options, and better battery life.

GoPro faces increased competition with Insta360 and DJI launching rival flagship action cameras. Insta360’s uniquely versatile, modular One RS can be kitted out as a traditional action cam or a full-blown 360 camera. The single-lens 4K kit is also cheaper than the Hero 10 Black at $240, but image quality isn’t as good as the GoPro.

The $300 Insta360 One X2, meanwhile, is an ultra-compact, stabilized action camera with live streaming and AI editing. It’s great for casual shooters and retails for $300.

DJI’s new, more traditional Action 4 camera offers superb image quality, with a larger 1/1.3in sensor that gives its low-light performance a notable boost. It also has a magnetic feature that makes it quicker and more convenient to mount than the GoPro. Its list price is $299.

GoPro Hero 10 Black review: Features and design

Externally, the Hero 10 carries over many of the Hero 9’s refinements. It has the same dual-display design, control layout, built-in mounting prongs, and 10-meter water-resistance. In fact, it matches the Hero 9’s footprint exactly, measuring an identical 2.8 x 2 x 1.3in. However, it’s 3% lighter at 5.4oz. This like-for-like design means that the Hero 10 maintains backwards compatibility with all the Hero 9’s cases, mounts, and GoPro Mods.

Across the front of the camera you’ll find the lens, a microphone, and the square 1 x 1in front-facing LCD panel. The lens has been upgraded with improved scratch-resistance, and new coatings have been applied to help repel water and reduce ghosting. The lens housing itself is also removable and compatible with GoPro’s ultra wide-angle Max Lens Mod.

The rear of the camera is almost entirely dedicated to the large 2 x 1.3in touch-sensitive display, and there are also physical buttons for the shutter along the top edge and power on the left side. Beneath the power button, a recessed inlet, designed for rapid water drainage while diving, houses a second microphone. On the opposite side is a water-tight hatch, behind which sits the battery, microSD card slot, and USB-C port. The camera takes the same batteries as the Hero 9 and can be powered directly over USB.

On board, the camera offers dedicated modes for photos, videos, and time-lapses, with customizable interfaces for each. There are also built-in presets for creating night lapses and slow-motion shots, and for GoPro’s TimeWarp Hyperlapse feature.

As with all modern GoPros, you’re able to vary the camera’s field of view using “digital lenses” that adjust the camera’s crop and distortion corrections. Options range from 0.6in at the wide end to 1.06in at the narrow end, although the widest SuperView setting is only available at resolutions of 4K and below. It’s also worth noting that engaging HyperSmooth stabilization will result in an additional crop.

GoPro Hero 10 Black review: Performance

The Hero 10’s user interface should be familiar to anyone who has picked up a GoPro in the past few years. It’s nicely laid out, easy to navigate, and accessible for GoPro newbies and veterans alike. Simply swipe left and right to switch between Photo, Video, and Time Lapse modes, up for Playback, and down for Settings.

Each mode comes preloaded with a selection of presets that you can customize, or you can choose to create your own presets from scratch. You can even customize the on-screen shortcuts on a preset-by-preset basis, letting you keep your most-used features within easy reach.

One of my main issues with the Hero 9 was that the touchscreen often felt a little sluggish with some swipes, and gestures frequently needed to be repeated before the camera would respond. Whether thanks to that new GP2 processor, smart software tweaking, or a combination of the two, the Hero 10 feels much more responsive and is far more pleasant to use as a result.

In Video mode, the Hero 10 performs like a dream. Exposures are well balanced, colors are accurate, and there’s plenty of dynamic range. Straight out of the box, videos have that classic, saturated GoPro look, but there’s plenty of scope for tweaking within the settings – or you can shoot to a flat profile and grade in-post.

Recordings made using the Hero 10’s maximum 5.3K settings are very highly detailed. You’re unlikely to publish anything at 5.3K, but you have much more freedom to crop or downsample during editing. However, you will want to consider enabling the high-performance 100Mbits/sec recording mode for busier scenes, since the standard 60Mbits/sec mode can get a little blocky at higher resolutions.

Effective video stabilization is crucial for any action camera, and with HyperSmooth 4.0 GoPro has reaffirmed its position at the top of the stabilization heap. The Hero 10’s footage is smooth, jerk-free, and makes movements feel natural and fluid. While it isn’t quite gimbal-smooth, it isn’t far off. At the time I wrote this review, it was the best I’d seen from an action camera.

Horizon Leveling is also incredibly useful. While filming in the Linear view mode, Horizon Leveling is able to correct up to 45-degrees of tilt (in any resolution and frame rate). This means shots filmed off-axis from handlebars, helmets or tripods should play back perfectly level. While it’s a big step up over the Hero 9’s 27-degrees of correction, it does still fall quite far behind the full 360-degrees offered by the Insta360 One X2 or the DJI Osmo Action 4. To get that sort of performance out of the Hero 10, you’ll need to pair it with GoPro’s accessory Max Lens Mod.

In keeping with the past few GoPro generations, the onboard microphones are excellent. Voices cut through nice and clear, and you have the option of recording dual audio tracks: one with a user-defined level of additional processing, and one RAW.

Where the Hero 10 performs less well is when it comes to battery life. GoPro may have fitted out the camera with a more powerful processor, but the battery hasn’t been upgraded to match. Recording at 4K60, we managed just over an hour of recording on a single charge, while at 5.3K60 we could squeeze out only 45 minutes. GoPro at least seems aware of this limitation, having recently released the high-performance Enduro Battery, which the firm claims should boost the Hero 10’s battery performance by up to 40%. It’s a quick and easy upgrade; it’s just a shame it doesn’t ship with the Hero 10 as standard.

Like most of the ultra-high resolution, high frame rate action cameras I’ve tested, the Hero 10 can also suffer from overheating issues. Sat stationary on a desk, the camera managed around 22 minutes of continuous recording at 5.3K60 before it shut down due to overheating. At 4K60, it performed slightly better, managing 30 minutes. Overheating is far less of an issue while recording outside with decent airflow, or while recording shorter clips; but depending on how you intend to use the camera, it’s certainly something of which to be aware.

GoPro Hero 10 Black review: Verdict

Combining the versatile dual-display design of the Hero 9 with a supercharged set of specs, the Hero 10 Black is GoPro’s most powerful Hero camera to date in 2021. The unbeatable frame rate and resolution options should satiate even the most demanding users, while the stabilization and overall usability updates will be appreciated by both casual and professional users alike.

It isn’t entirely without its flaws: pushing it to its limits for extended periods can cause overheating, and its battery performance leaves a lot to be desired, but these limitations are likely manageable for most people. Seasoned GoPro users will know that having spare batteries on hand is a given.

If you already own a Hero 9 Black then you may struggle to justify the upgrade, but for everyone else, the GoPro Hero 10 Black is the best GoPro on the market right now.