GoPro Hero 12 Black Review: The Best Gets Better

This product was reviewed in 2023

The GoPro Hero 12 Black may look similar to 2022’s Hero 11 – in fact, it’s nearly identical. However, for this new model, GoPro has made some intriguing refinements to its flagship camera that should set it apart. Touted as “the official camera of fun”, the Hero 12 Black combines GoPro’s top-tier image quality and stabilization tech with a more accessible user interface and improved audio options.

While the Hero 12’s headline recording specs remain largely unchanged from its predecessor, action cam aficionados will be pleased to hear that GoPro has improved the camera’s heat management and battery life.

Refreshingly, the Hero 12 launched at the same list price as the previous Hero 11 model and we also welcomed the news that you no longer had to sign up for a GoPro subscription to get the best deal on any of its cameras. Since then, prices have fallen as the company gears up to launch the Hero 13, which may have already hit the market by the time you read this.

On their own these updates may seem small, but they add up, and lift the Hero 12 Black above the competition.

GoPro Hero 12 Black review: What you need to know

The Hero 12 Black has the same 8:7, 1/1.9in, 27-megapixel imaging sensor as the Hero 11, allowing for easy editing, whether you choose to present it in traditional widescreen format or narrow, vertical footage for smartphones. It offers 5.3K video recording at up to 60fps, 4K at up to 120fps, and both 2.7K and 1080p at up to 240fps.

The Hero 12 supports high dynamic range (HDR) video capture at up to 5.3K resolution, allowing it to capture more detail in high-contrast scenes. For those who like to grade their video footage, there’s also a new GP-Log picture mode, along with a selection of Look Up Tables (LUTS).

Arguably, the most exciting and practical update is in the camera’s improved heat management and power efficiency which, GoPro claims, means the Hero 12 can offer up to twice the recording time of the Hero 11 cameras, even in high-performance modes.

The Hero 12 Black also comes with GoPro’s latest stabilization tech, the Hypersmooth 6.0. While GoPro already offered Emmy Award-winning video stabilization, the Hero 12 adds a revised AutoBoost setting, designed to dynamically manage how much stabilization is applied based on your current activity.

For audio, GoPro has introduced Bluetooth support, allowing you to pair the Hero 12 with a wireless microphone, or a set of AirPods, and including the ability to simultaneously record audio from both the internal microphone and the Bluetooth microphone onto separate audio tracks.

There are several usability additions on offer, including a new vertical capture mode, updated night effects, a stills-focused interval timer, and a timecode sync function. GoPro has also finally decided to include a standard threaded tripod attachment point.

However, there is one major backward step: GoPro has opted to omit GPS from the Hero 12 – something that has been a staple of GoPro’s flagship cameras since 2016’s Hero 5 – which could be a real drawback for some users.

Alongside the new Hero 12 Black, GoPro also launched the Max Lens Mod 2.0. This new Lens Mod adds the ability to record 4K60 video with an ultrawide, 177-degree field of view, and a new Max HyperView recording mode.

GoPro Hero 12 Black review: Price and competition

The GoPro Hero 12 Black launched with a list price of $400. Unlike with its predecessors at their time of release, it was no cheaper for GoPro subscribers. All GoPro Hero cameras now cost the same price for subscribers and non-subscribers, though subscribers can still save up to 50% on the price of mounts and other accessories.

A year on from its launch, the Hero 12 is regularly reduced to as little as $300 on Amazon and can be snapped up directly from GoPro, as well as other major retailers, including Target and Best Buy, for $350.

The Hero 12’s closest rival is the previous model, the Hero 11 Black. For the most part, the Hero 11 boasts near-identical recording specs, and can now be picked up for a mere $299, or less on Amazon.

GoPro may be ubiquitous in the action camera arena but it’s far from the only competitor. DJI’s recently released Action 4 has a larger 1/1.3in sensor, giving it superb image quality and a notable low-light performance bump. Its list price of $299 is cheaper than the Hero 12 but, as with the GoPro, you can normally pick it up for significantly less on Amazon. You might also expect the price to fall further as the DJI Osmo Action 5 looks set to be released soon.

The Insta360 One RS is another capable competitor, with its modular construction allowing it to be kitted out as a traditional action cam or as a full-blown 360 camera. The single-lens 4K kit is cheaper than the Hero 12 Black, at $240, but image quality isn’t as good.

The Insta360 X4 is an incredibly versatile action camera that’s certainly an improvement on the One RS in terms of image quality and battery life, and can capture 8K 360-degree footage and slow-motion video. However, this tiny, high-end camera retails for a similarly high-end price, around $500.

GoPro Hero 12 Black review: Features and design

The GoPro Hero 12 Black follows the same tried and tested design layout as the previous generations of Hero. Place it next to last year’s Hero 11 Black or, indeed, the Hero 10, or even the 9, and you’ll struggle to notice much of a difference. The Hero 12 is really only identifiable by the fairly subtle, blue paint splatter effect on the front and rear, its indented rather than painted shutter button, and the new tripod thread in its base.

The Hero 12 Black measures 2.8 x 2 x 1.3in, weighs 5.4oz, and offers 33ft of native water resistance. It’s constructed from a mix of hardened and rubberised plastics, with a pair of metallic mounting prongs built into the base.

Arranged on the face of the device, there’s a 1 x 1in, non-touch sensitive, color LCD screen, a microphone, and the lens. The lens’ housing is removable, so it can be replaced should it get scratched, and is interchangeable with either of GoPro’s Max Lens Mod accessories, if you want a wider field of view.

The rear of the camera is almost entirely taken up by a relatively large, 2 x 1.3in color touchscreen. This display is used for the bulk of the Hero’s camera control, as well as menu navigation and video playback. It’s flanked by a small LED tally light that illuminates when the camera is recording.

Up top there’s a textured rubber shutter button and a second microphone. On the side there’s a physical mode/power button, along with a vent that hides a third microphone. This looks like a latch, but it’s actually part of a water drainage system, so you can quickly reestablish clear audio while recording in or around water.

On the other side is a large, water-tight door covering the microSD card slot, battery, and USB-C port, and the base houses GoPro’s classic mounting prongs, a traditional 1/4in tripod thread, and a speaker.

By default, the Hero 12 Black launches into a new “Easy” control mode with a simplified user interface. The Hero 12 also has dedicated modes for photo, video, and timelapse capture.

While in Easy control mode you still have the ability to toggle the camera’s field of view and image quality, more experienced GoPro users will probably want to switch to the “Pro” control mode, where you have full control over the camera’s stabilization settings, resolutions, frame rates, and the Protune capture controls.

The camera can also be controlled using GoPro’s smartphone app. Indeed, you’ll need to pair the Hero 12 with your smartphone using the app in order to complete the initial setup procedure. The GoPro app can be used for remote camera control, editing your clips, backing up your footage to the cloud, and sharing your edits straight to your social media accounts.

GoPro Hero 12 Black review: Performance

Booting straight into GoPro’s new, simplified “Easy” control mode makes the Hero 12 easier to use than ever before. The onscreen icons are clearly labeled and the menus keep technical jargon to a minimum. For novices, or anyone that just wants to start recording right off the bat, this mode will be very welcome.

A less welcome effect of this update is that when you switch over to the “Pro” control mode, you no longer get all the usual quick-access presets. You can create and save your own presets from scratch, but that does feel a bit like an unnecessary extra step.

However, once you have your settings dialed in, the GoPro Hero 12 Black is a breeze to use. You can switch between shooting modes with a few simple swipes, toggle most settings straight from the home screen, and go straight from power off to recording in a matter of seconds.

Under optimal lighting conditions, the GoPro Hero 12 Black is capable of recording punchy, vibrant, best-in-class video clips. The camera’s automatic white balance and exposure settings are consistent and accurate, so simply pointing and shooting is going to give you good-looking results in most situations. The camera’s 5.3K recording mode offers heaps of crisp, punchy detail and the 8:7 aspect ratio will give editors plenty of real estate to work with.

In high-contrast and backlit scenes, I found that by using the Hero 12’s new HDR recording mode, it was able to retain more highlight and shadow detail. However, in some other scenes, I felt like that footage looked a little over-processed, and you’re not going to gain much benefit at all in flat lighting conditions. It’s also worth noting that toggling HDR halves your available frame rate options: shooting 5.3K in HDR caps out at 30fps, while 4K HDR is limited to 60fps, so users will have to decide when it’s worth the trade-off.

Low-light performance continues to be a weak point. Like most small-sensor cameras, the Hero 12’s image quality drops off when the light levels dip. If you want to get the most out of those 5.3K recordings, you’re going to need to stick to brightly lit scenes.

Side-by-side with footage from the Hero 11 Black, I didn’t notice a stark difference in image quality. In some scenes, the Hero 12 looked slightly improved and, with HDR enabled, it had the edge on dynamic range but, in a ‘blind’ test, I think I’d struggle to consistently tell the footage apart.

Image stabilization isn’t noticeably different either, because it was already superb. The Hero 12’s HyperSmooth 6.0 stabilization is incredible, and capable of smoothing out even the jerkiest of camera movements. Plus, thanks to its full 360-degree leveling function, it can maintain a perfectly level horizon throughout. Given that the Hero 11 and the Hero 12 both perform brilliantly at this, I suspect GoPro is reaching the limit of what’s practically achievable, but only time – and the Hero 13 – will tell.

The Hero 12’s Autoboost function is a nice addition, though. During frantic movements it increases the amount of digital stabilization – and the associated image cropping. Once things calm down again, it reduces the stabilization, in turn reducing the amount of image crop and boosting quality. These transitions are smooth and this is likely to become the default stabilization mode for most people.

It’s in heat and power management where the Hero 12 Black really sets itself apart. Recording in 5.3K at 60fps, I managed 47 minutes of continuous recording before the overheat protection kicked in – very nearly double the 25 minutes I could get from the Hero 11 Black. After cooling down, I got 70 minutes of total recording time out of the Hero 12 before the battery died, compared with just 50 minutes for the Hero 11. This represents a huge, and highly practical, increase in performance.

The Bluetooth audio capabilities show promise but could still do with a little improvement. On paper, the ability to pair a mic over Bluetooth seems so obvious you wonder why it’s taken so long for GoPro to introduce it but, in practice, it just doesn’t live up to expectations. You can’t manually adjust the audio input level and, ultimately, you’re limited by the quality of your mic. I wouldn’t be surprised if GoPro announced a Bluetooth microphone accessory soon.

Although it’s an optional extra, I feel compelled at this point to comment on how good GoPro’s Max Mod 2.0 is when paired with the Hero 12. When attached, it expands the Hero 12’s field of view to 177 degrees. Recording is limited to 4K60, but it gives creators a fantastically wide perspective. There’s also a Max HyperView mode that squishes the full 8:7 frame down into an expansive 16:9 frame for a totally unique look. If you’re likely to be recording where you have some spectacular scenery as your backdrop – mountain trails, for example – it’s a worthy investment.

GoPro Hero 12 Black review: Verdict

If you were hoping for a radical overhaul with this generation of GoPro, you may be disappointed. On paper, the Hero 12 looks a lot like a Hero 11 but with a firmware update and a tripod mount.

However, in practice, the Hero 12 Black feels like a much more refined action camera. GoPro’s image quality and stabilization efficacy continue to be market-leading and the Hero 12’s new “Easy” control mode makes the camera far more accessible – even if I am irked to lose the standard presets.

Compatibility with the new Max Lens Mod 2.0 accessory expands the camera’s horizons, literally. And, overall, the improvements to the camera’s heat management and battery performance make the Hero 12 Black a far more practical camera to use in the real world than anything that’s come before it. Indeed, there’s no question that the GoPro Hero 12 Black is the action camera king.