Two-minute review
After the release of the Hero 11 Black, the GoPro Hero 10 Black is now the middle kid in the action camera family. Although it lacks some capabilities compared to the GoPro flagship, most notably an 8:7 sensor that’s perfect for recording vertical, TikTok-friendly films, it is undoubtedly the best value available right now. Although the GoPro Hero 9 Black is even more affordable, it provides a more refined overall experience thanks to its GP2 processor.
The Hero 10 Black, despite its historic moniker, wasn’t one of those GoPros that marked a significant advancement for the series. For instance, when the GoPro Hero 5 Black with case-free waterproofing was released or when the GoPro Hero 7 Black added HyperSmooth stabilisation, we witnessed more significant step improvements.
Instead, the Hero 10 Black adds a few new shooting modes and improves usability while improving (and fixing) the majority of the new features we saw on the Hero 9 Black. This makes it the best action camera and one of the best video cameras available right now. Additionally, it’s a model to keep an eye out for in the upcoming Black Friday GoPro offers.
The Hero 10 Black is waterproof up to 10 metres and features the same 23MP 1/2.3-inch sensor as its predecessor. But the majority of its new abilities are unlocked by that new GP2 processor. New shooting modes, such as new 5K/60p, 4K/120p, and 2.7K/240p possibilities, are foremost among these.
The last two are enjoyable, slow-motion events that are ideal for social media cut-scenes or b-cam footage, as we discovered during our GoPro Hero 10 Black review. This is especially true given that GoPro’s updated Quik software would gladly perform some of the editing for you.
A much more responsive touchscreen interface (the Hero 9 Black struggled here), a convenient new wired data transfer option for phones, and some internal image quality enhancements, like as local tone mapping and improved low-light noise reduction, round out the list of changes. The video quality has undoubtedly slightly improved as a result, but the Hero 10 Black is still limited by its very little image sensor.
For most consumers, the fact that this model’s HyperSmooth 4.0 remains some of the greatest action camera video stabilisation technology available will be more important than the fact that HyperSmooth 5.0 is now available on the Hero 11 Black. Fans of water sports will especially appreciate the new hydrophobic coating’s efficacy on the lens cover’s reinforced construction.
The Hero 10 Black should have upgraded to a larger sensor like the Insta360 One R 1-Inch edition, but GoPro’s latest forays into webcam and livestreaming are still constrained by platform support and resolution limits (still only 1080p) (although it is now possible to livestream with HyperSmooth stabilization).
The GoPro Hero 10 Black, along with GoPro’s new flagship, is the most user-friendly, powerful action camera you can purchase, if not necessarily the greatest value. Despite its relatively modest changes, the Hero 10 Black does beautifully refine the image-quality gains achieved by the Hero 9 Black. For explorers, it’s also one of the best trip cameras you can buy because to its feature set, which also makes it one of the best YouTube cameras now on the market.
GoPro Hero 10 Black price and release date
Since the Hero 11 Black’s release, the price of the GoPro Hero 10 Black has now slightly decreased. It is now available for $349, £349, or $549 with a GoPro Subscription that you may cancel at any time, or for $450, £449, or $699 when purchased separately. This indicates that it is $50, £30, or AU$50 less expensive than when it was first introduced in September 2021.
When purchased alone, the GoPro Subscription, formerly known as GoPro Plus, costs $49.99/£49.99/AU$69.99 annually. The Hero 10 Black will be set up to automatically renew each year if you purchase it with a subscription. However, you can prevent this by stopping your subscription at any point in the first year.
It’s probably the ideal approach for the majority of people to purchase the Hero 10 Black because you’re not required to renew the subscription. The GoPro Subscription includes live-streaming assistance, replacements for broken cameras, automatic uploads, full access to the Quik app’s editing features, unlimited cloud storage for videos and photographs at full quality, and 50% off all accessories (up to ten per year) (for a fee, depending on the camera).
The Hero 10 Black is now the middle model of the three Hero action cameras that GoPro officially offers. The Hero 11 Black ($399/£399/AU$649.95) is the line’s flagship, followed by the Hero 9 Black ($299/£299/AU$499, with a Subscription). Keep an eye out for discounts on the Hero 8 Black and GoPro Max in the Black Friday bargains and Black Friday GoPro deals if you’re searching for a less expensive action camera.
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Design
- new lens covers with a water-repellent coating are more durable.
- The menus and rear touchscreen are much more snappy.
- Otherwise, the Hero 9 Black is physically identical.
Physically, the GoPro Hero 10 Black is nearly identical to its predecessor (and now, its Hero 11 Black successor). The beautiful blue branding on the front and side of the new model are the sole external distinction between it and the Hero 9 Black.
The new lens cover is the major change for aficionados of watersports, though GoPro made a few other adjustments as well. We ran the Hero 10 Black and its predecessor under a faucet and found that the new lens cover was substantially better at repelling water, leaving no droplets to obstruct your view. This now has a water-repellent hydrophobic coating, and it actually works.
It was more difficult to test this lens cover’s scratch resistance on our loan sample, but an unanticipated test in which our head-mounted GoPro flew off after a hard zip-line landing and landed in some sharp wood chips left no evident scratches on the lens. This lens cover is also detachable and changeable, much like the Hero 9 Black, in the event that substantial damage occurs, such as a direct hit from an Airsoft pellet, or if you decide to install ND (neutral density) filters.
The Hero 10 Black is actually 5g lighter than its predecessor, but it doesn’t matter in terms of functionality since we don’t know where GoPro made the weight reduction. The camera still includes foldable “fingers” in its base that allow for direct attachment to accessories. These were introduced on the Hero 8 Black and eliminate the need to fumble with an additional housing in order to fasten the camera to your helmet.
Here is a quick recap of the other design elements that the Hero 10 Black has acquired in case you are not familiar with the Hero 9 Black. For vloggers, there is a 1.4-inch front LCD that GoPro claims is now somewhat smoother when displaying movement than previously due to faster frame rates made possible by its GP2 processor (more on that later). Despite the fact that this screen is so little, we were unable to distinguish it from its predecessor.
The upgraded 2.27-inch rear touchscreen is much more obvious. Again, GoPro claims that this has “enhanced touch sensitivity,” but the power of the GP2 CPU is what makes a genuine difference. One of our main complaints about the Hero 9 Black was its slow, unresponsive rear screen. While it did get better with a recent firmware update, it still isn’t as quick as the Hero 10’s touchscreen.
Let’s be clear: the Hero 9 Black should have performed in this manner from the start, so this is hardly a victory for it. However, compared to last year’s frequently irritating experience, it is much more enjoyable to use thanks to the quicker startup times (it’s usually ready to go in under five seconds, compared to eight seconds for the Hero 9 Black) and smartphone-like snappiness.
The 1,720mAh battery is located inside the side door of the Hero 10 Black, just like it was in the model it replaced. This modification, like the 1.4-inch front LCD, was made with the Hero 9 Black, so if you’re upgrading from an earlier GoPro, be aware that your older 1,220mAh batteries won’t function in this model.
There are USB-C ports and microSD card slots on either side of the battery cover. The latter is used for charging, but you can also use it to upload video to your Hero 10 Black directly using a cable connection (wired transfers are around 50% faster than wireless ones). For Android phones, all that is required is a USB-C to USB-C cable; however, iPhone users will also require a USB-A to USB-C cable in addition to the Apple Lightning-to-USB camera converter.
The Hero 10 Black, then, is an all-around tough pocket camera that is waterproof to a depth of 10 metres and seems a touch more refined than its predecessor.
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Features
- The Hero 9 Black’s 23.6MP, 1/2.3-inch sensor is identical.
- Significant improvements to shooting modes are enabled by the new GP2 CPU.
- Livestreaming is now possible with HyperSmooth stabilisation.
The GoPro Hero 9 Black unveiled a new picture sensor back in 2020. The camera has a sensor that was the same size as those in earlier GoPros (1/2.3-inch), but with a greater quality, making it the first GoPro to shoot 5K footage. The Hero 10 Black uses the same image sensor in conjunction with a new GP2 CPU to give it some useful additional capabilities.
It had been four years since the last significant processing change in GoPros, the GP2 processor (which is now also found in the Hero 11 Black). The Hero 9 Black’s two screens and higher-resolution sensor put more demands on the GP1 than it could handle, and the GP1’s successor lagged behind the Hero 10 in almost every way.
What exactly are these upgrades? It now has faster start-up times and touchscreen performance in addition to some helpful new frame-rate presets that increase its adaptability as an action camera. The table below provides a description of the various modes, but the options for slow motion, including the eagerly anticipated 4K/120p mode, are the most entertaining.
These high frame-rate options are the main advancements in video, but there are other advances as well. GoPro has been experimenting with algorithms, and its GP2 chip extends local tone-mapping, an HDR processing method for enhancing dynamic range, to video as well as its photo mode.
Theoretically, this brings out more intricate textures by enhancing contrast in particular regions of the video rather than generally over the entire screen. Similar to this, GoPro claims that by enhancing its “3D noise reduction,” the Hero 10 Black will perform better in low-light situations (think woodlands, dusk or your home).
Do they function? We did see a discernible improvement in the clarity of minute details (trees and grass, for example) on the Hero 10 Black when we side-by-side tested it with the Hero 9 Black using the same settings. When compared, the footage from its predecessor appeared a touch murky. The noise reduction improvements were less noticeable, and this might only be apparent to pixel-peepers. It’s a slight distinction rather than a big one.
The final GP2-related improvements—better in-camera horizon levelling and HyperSmooth 4.0—are probably more beneficial to most users. Previously, only the GoPro app had automatic horizon levelling, which maintains level footage even when you rock side to side. The Hero 10 Black’s horizon-leveling capabilities are far more robust than those of the Hero 9 Black, which could only correct video that was skewed by 27 degrees, as opposed to 45 degrees with the latter.
This is a useful feature for skiers or mountain bikers who desire fluid footage that won’t make viewers queasy. HyperSmooth 4.0, which extends the stabilization’s potent “High” mode to the Hero 10 Black’s most demanding modes (5.3K/30p, 4K/60p, and 2.7K/120p), is an additional boon on this front. With their larger 1-inch sensors, competitors like the Insta360 One R 1-Inch edition may have beaten GoPro, but in our opinion, HyperSmooth (now upgraded to HyperSmooth 5.0 on the Hero 11 Black) continues to be the best stabilisation feature on any action camera.
As a final improvement, the Hero 10 Black allows you to broadcast with HyperSmooth 4.0 stabilisation if you’ve been considering utilising a GoPro as your livestreaming camera.
Sadly, depending on your preferred platform, there are still a variety of restrictions on live-streaming with a GoPro. For instance, Twitch is only available for iOS users, YouTube requires that you have 1,000 subscribers, and you can only create a private livestreaming link to share with friends if you have a GoPro subscription. However, the addition of HyperSmooth unquestionably makes it a much more useful tool for people who want to produce dynamic, action-packed broadcasts.
Naturally, all of the unique shooting modes we saw on the GoPro Hero 9 Black are carried over to the Hero 10 Black. These include “Power Tools,” which were initially hinted at in GoPro Labs, and TimeWarp 3.0, one of our favourite modes that produces a stabilised timelapse clip. This group of features, which still have a “beta” feel to them, bring some unique modes that work well together.
One of our favourites, “Hindsight,” continuously buffers video so that, when you push the shutter button, you can capture the past 15 or 30 seconds of footage; no longer will your dog’s spontaneous antics go uncaptured. The’scheduled capture’ feature is another ‘Power Tool,’ allowing you to, for example, leave your GoPro set up to film the sunrise. It’s not very revolutionary, but it all increases the Hero 10 Black’s adaptability. However, after the GoPro Labs firmware has been installed on the camera, many of these capabilities are also accessible on the earlier Hero 8 Black.
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Performance
- The same battery life makes it worthwhile to keep extras on hand.
- The Hero 9 Black’s built-in mics are identical to those here.
- For cut scenes, new slo-mo settings are a plus.
While the GP2 processor in the Hero 10 Black does make it a more well-rounded, enjoyable camera to operate than its predecessor, several parts of its performance are still standard GoPro.
Sadly, battery life and overheating are two of them. The Hero 9 Black’s 1,720mAh battery, which powers the Hero 10 Black, is bigger than the batteries in any previous GoPro models. But the Hero 10 Black’s more demanding dual displays and high frame-rate modes consume a significant portion of that space.
We were able to achieve 72 minutes of recording from the Hero 10 during our battery test, which involved the camera shutting down twice due to overheating while recording a continuous 4K/30p clip with HyperSmooth on and the screen brightness set to 50%.
It’s evident that the old GoPro proverb—make sure you have a spare battery or two with you—is accurate because this is really a touch less than we obtained from the Hero 9 Black and comparable to the outcome for the Hero 8 Black.
Our fully charged Hero 10 Black offered us three and a half hours in a real-world test when we were visiting an adventure park before it shut down. Although the camera had a demanding afternoon of frequent menu swiping and frame-rate switching, this is also a regular day for a GoPro. We also didn’t have any overheating issues because it was exposed to moving air.
Audio is yet another GoPro flaw that hasn’t changed from the Hero 9 Black. In quieter settings, the microphones do generate passable sound quality, and the previous GoPros really pale in comparison in terms of speech isolation and wind noise handling. However, if you want to ensure that the audio quality matches your video, we advise acquiring the Media Mod attachment and either connecting a lavalier mic or purchasing a wireless option like the Rode Wireless Go II.
However, the new slow-mo settings for the Hero 10 Black (4K/120p and 2.7K/240p) are a lot of fun and a wonderful way to spice up your social media videos. One of the main reasons to upgrade from an older GoPro is the versatility these modes give you, especially when combined with horizon-leveling and HyperSmooth stabilisation. As always, there is a noticeable quality drop when shooting in these modes, particularly if you find yourself in anything other than bright sunlight.
GoPro Hero 10 Black: Video and image quality
The Hero 10 Black’s default video settings have undergone various tweaks from GoPro. The manufacturer of action cameras has suddenly outgrown the distinctive saturated aesthetic it formerly favoured, opting instead for a more natural design right out of the box.
Actually, there are now three other colour selections available. Previously, you could choose between a “GoPro” colour profile, which created vibrant, punchy colours, and a “flat” colour profile, which you could then grade. However, there is now a second profile called “Natural” that is the new default, and we really like it.
GoPro has also set the “sharpness” at medium by default, which is a smart decision. However, for the best image quality, we usually shoot with the sharpness on “low” and the bit rate at “high” (or 100Mbps). The results were similar to footage taken with the same settings on the Hero 9 Black, although with slight enhancements that are probably attributable to that improved local tone mapping.
However, the Hero 9 Black has previously outperformed older GoPros in terms of quality thanks to its upgraded sensor, so unless you’re a serious pixel peeper, you probably won’t notice a significant change here. The new slow-mo settings are the most entertaining, while the 5K/60p mode is good to have even if it’s not ideal for action scenes due to the less robust stabilisation.
The Hero 10’s slower frame rates of 120p and 240p (especially the latter) obviously still have a softness to the footage, but the ability to record in 4K/120p and 2.7K/240p elevates them from novelty to something that is actually useful. The improvements to horizon levelling are a wonderful addition, and GoPro’s HyperSmooth continues to be the best action camera smoothing option available.
The “Narrow” view, which is equivalent to a 27mm lens, is of the inside of a netted tunnel at a GoApe adventure park.
On the other hand, not many people purchase a GoPro to capture still images, and while the Hero 10 is a serviceable, waterproof substitute for your smartphone, it has lagged behind rivals in this area.
The images are fairly clear and colourful in excellent lighting, and SuperPhoto can help you recover some highlight elements from places like the sky. However, the Hero 9 Black’s 3MP resolution upgrade won’t be perceptible to most people, and in challenging settings – especially low light – it can’t compete with the processing capabilities of Apple, Google, and Samsung.
Although shooting in raw is a possibility, it can only be done with the ‘wide’ fisheye view, and a 1/2.3-inch sensor has a limited ability to recover shadow detail.
Accepting the sub-smartphone quality and embracing the simplicity of “frame grabs,” which now allow you to get somewhat enhanced 15.8MP stills from 5.3K video, may be the most practical approach to GoPro photography (or 19.6MP from 5K 4:3 footage). The GoPro’s ability to wander into hazardous terrain remains one of the key reasons to purchase one. The kinds of pictures you get from doing this are unlikely to be found in your phone’s camera roll.
Should I buy the GoPro Hero 10 Black?
Purchase it if
You desire an elegant, incredibly versatile action camera.
The Hero 10 Black is a logical move forward from the Hero 9 Black and is very similar to the Hero 11 Black, but it is not one of those seismic leaps that GoPros periodically makes. It now has a much better touchscreen and overall usability, and the new video frame rates make it the perfect social media workhorse.
You like making slow-motion videos.
The Hero 10 Black’s improved slow-mo frame rates are the more entertaining additions, even though there have been minor improvements to the video quality compared to the Hero 9 Black. Especially for shooting cutscenes or family fun, use the 4K/120p mode. This is a significant edge over the rest of the GoPro family for this model and the Hero 11 Black.
You require a robust, water-resistant vlogging camera.
The Hero 10 Black might be your ideal vlogging companion if you prefer shooting a lot of videos and going on trips where there is a good probability of bad weather or muck. While the Media Mod is available to grant access to a better microphone, its front screen is helpful for framing photos.
Don’t purchase it.
If you want truly cinematic footage,
With the correct settings (the “High” bit-rate mode, low sharpening, and the “Natural” colour profile), the Hero 10 Black is capable of producing some fantastic video, but the film still has a wide-angle appearance and lacks a pleasant bokeh. Try the 10-bit video option on the Hero 11 Black for a more cinematic effect, or get a small APS-C or full-frame camera.