GoPro HERO 11 Release Date, Specs & Price 2023
What can we anticipate from the new GoPro Hero 11 and what do we want to see?
A GoPro is essentially a very useful tool to have in your kitbag. The best GoPro cameras(opens in new tab) may be taken on your trips and used to capture the most daring of experiences or help you film that radical sports documentary that you always wanted to film.
While GoPro Hero 11 rumours have started to gain some traction, you might want to wait before spending any money because they could see the action camera company go one step further by providing some high-end solutions to professional filmmakers.
Back Bone, a California-based startup, specializes in creating modified GoPros for the media sector, including this model with an interchangeable lens mount. (Back-Bone credit for photo)
GoPro CEO Nick Woodman(opens in new tab) stated at the company's annual stock meeting in February 2022:
We intend to expand our hardware options from the two HERO and MAX product types we have right now to four different camera devices by the end of 2022. We anticipate expanding it even further by the end of 2023, he continued. This claim implies that GoPro does have expansion plans for the future, but for the time being, the company only intends to introduce two new Max and Hero products this year.
In September of last year, the GoPro Hero 10 Black made its debut.
The GoPro Hero 11 Black, the company's newest action camera, is soon to be released. Given the Hero 9 Black and Hero 10 Black's launch dates, the Hero 11 Black can be anticipated to make its debut in September with a mostly unaltered appearance from its predecessor.
GoPro released the Hero 10 Black in September of last year, and it now appears that the Hero 11 Black, a straight replacement, will soon hit the market. The next-generation action cam's images have been surfaced, but fans hoping for significant design changes may be let down.
The GoPro Hero 11 Black has the exact same design as its predecessor, the Hero 10 Black, as disclosed by Roland Quandt. The buttons appear to be the same size, and the only exterior difference is the addition of the "11 Black" logo. The display sizes appear to be the same. It would be fantastic if the Hero 11 Black had backwards accessory compatibility with the Hero 9 Black and Hero 10 Black, so prospective owners will be hoping this converts into accessory support.
Although the Hero 11 Black's appearance is unchanged from its predecessor, the hardware most certainly receives significant upgrades. The source mentions potential HDR advancements, a new sensor, and maybe an increase in 6K video recording from the Hero 10 Black's current 5.3K recording capability. Although it's expected that the Hero 11 Black will continue to be powered by the GP2 chip that debuted on the Hero 10 Black last year, the Hero 11 Black may also come with the latest HyperSmooth 5.0 technology.
The king of action cameras, GoPro, is renowned for maintaining a rigorous release schedule for its products. Every year in the fall, just in time for Black Friday, a new GoPro has been introduced.
The final flagship in the HERO family, the GoPro Hero 10 Black, was introduced in September 2021. When will the new GoPro Hero 11 be made available, then?
According to reports given GoPro's past performance, the new GoPro Hero 11 will be available in September 2022.
The release dates of the most recent models are listed in the table below, and if GoPro continues its current pattern, the new GoPro will be available in a few months.
GoPro's CEO, Nick Woodman, previously stated that the company will add four new products to its lineup in the fall of 2022.
We intend to expand our hardware options from the two HERO and MAX product types we have right now to four different camera devices by the end of 2022.
Nick Woodman, GoPro's CEO (during annual stock meeting)
As a result, two completely new product categories and a new GoPro HERO 11 will be released this year.
What kind of products are these? Your guess is as good as mine, but I think one of them will be a camera similar to the DJI Pocket 2 equipped with a little gimbal.
That seems pretty awesome.
Or perhaps it will mark the beginning of two distinct product lines, one for more casual users—a "light" version—and the other for more seasoned users, a "Pro" edition.
We currently have a camera from GoPro that delivers too much to entry-level customers while lacking some essential functions for professional users.
It would be fantastic if a professional GoPro with slightly larger dimensions and greater functions for Pro users was released.
Anyhow, there is currently no official confirmation for any of these; they are all just market rumors.
However, there is currently no word—official or otherwise—on the design of the spec sheet. But unlike many businesses, GoPro has shown to be quite reliable over time.
Instead of being revolutionary, their successive goods have been evolutionary. Each new model outperformed the previous one, which I find to be quite courageous.
Think of the iPhone's same design and software features year after year. When you create something that is so flawless, you don't rebuild or reinvent it every single year.
Here are some enhancements we may anticipate with the new GoPro Hero 11.
GoPro has maintained a very stable body design over the years.
The only significant changes in the body designs of Hero 5, 6, 7 and 8 are the colors and placement of the logo.
It stayed remarkably the same for 4 years.
Since 2016, the GoPro Hero line's design has evolved.
The typeface colour screen was first introduced by GoPro with the Hero 9 model and carried over to the Hero 10 model.
Given this uniformity in design, it is reasonable to anticipate that the GoPro Hero 11's body and shape will mostly resemble those of the Hero 10's.
On the other hand, we might notice a full edge-to-edge LCD display on the back, similar to the DJI Action 2 camera's.
The existing GoPro 10's brand branding on the left side of the screen is useless and may be replaced by a full edge-to-edge screen.
If they opted to take users' suggestions into consideration and integrate a heat sink to combat overheating, we might also see a slightly larger, bulkier body (more on this below).
But overall, I don't anticipate a significant redesign. The Hero 11 will likely have the same appearance as the Hero 10, its forerunner.
Camera Development
5.3K @ 60fps and 4K @ 120fps can be captured on the current GoPro Hero 10. Right now, it's pretty much the best. But the Hero 11 might offer an even better resolution.
To take even better pictures, the GoPro Hero 11 may choose a 5.7K or 6K 30fps resolution.
It might also be able to capture 240 frames per second 4K slow-mo footage.
They must offer some incentives for the current consumers to upgrade even if they leave the design and the majority of other factors same.
They can also get better at taking photos at night or in low light. Low-light performance hasn't been great for GoPro (or any other tiny camera). Some of the causes are smaller sensor sizes and lens limitations.
The Hero 11 may have a bigger aperture and a wider focal length lens to catch more light if they are serious about enhancing nighttime photography.
Personally, I believe that concentrating on low-light photography would be preferable to improving resolution. I mean, 5.3K is sufficient. Why go overboard?
Concentrate on other issues that require more attention.
Improved thermal control
The overheating problem is difficult to fully resolve from a technological standpoint.
You are up against the physical rules. No matter what you do, a small black box with a billion transistors will eventually overheat.
Other action cameras, like the DJI Action 2, are infamous for overheating, so this is not just a GoPro issue.
Overheating has been a major consumer concern for many years, and the issue still exists with current GoPro models.
Thermal management for the GoPro Hero 11
When it comes to overheating, the Hero 10 is no better than the earlier models.
It is likely (read: I hope) that the design team will include a type of external cooling module covered in macro-particles in GoPro Hero 11 to dissipate heat to some level, preventing the camera from at least turning off during recording.
The bottom or any other place with little room for inserting fingers can be the location for the heatsink.
Even though I am not quite as skilled as the engineers at GoPro, I am confident that they can come up with a much superior solution. So, cross your fingers.
Aside from these, I don't believe the already cutting-edge camera system will undergo any more significant upgrades.
The GoPro Hero 10 is driven with a brand-new GP2 processor, which is efficient software and enabled the spectacular 5.3K photos. The GP3 processor's newest iteration may appear in Hero 11.
For starters, I have high hopes that the software on this chip will be improved to address the overheating problem.
The current Hero 10 firmware causes the GP2 to overheat if it is clocked at the maximum frequencies for an extended period of time. Hero 11 should have more productive software to complete tasks at reduced clock cycles.
Speaking of strong CPUs, you should get better nighttime photographs with the new GP3.
Many people think that a larger 1′′ sensor will improve low-light photography, however effective nighttime photography mostly depends on your software and your processor's ability to perform real-time optimization.
Take the main 1/1.9′′ sensor on the iPhone 13 Pro, for instance. Even though the GoPro 10 has a larger sensor (1.17"), it takes better photographs at night. The software, not the sensor size or lens, is what makes the actual magic happen.
With HyperSmooth 5.0, stability has improved.
For GoPro cameras without mechanical stabilization like those found on the DJI Pocket 2, HyberSmooth is a game-changer.
HyperSmooth 5.0, which will advance the situation and provide you with superior shake-free images even in a highly active area, may be present on GoPro Hero 11.
It is the next best thing in this square size factor, while not being as good as the DJI Pocket 2's genuine mechanical stabilization.
Wireless charging
Nowadays, everything is wireless, so why not choose a GoPro with wireless charging?
However, heat dissipation will be an issue with wireless charging. I'm not sure if adding a charging coil will make things better as GoPros are already infamous for their heat management (or lack thereof).
But who can say?
Cost of a GoPro Hero 11 (expected)
I predict that the new GoPro Hero 11 will be released at the same price as its predecessor, which is 499 USD, after looking at GoPro's pricing history.
We may anticipate the same price point unless they pleasantly surprise everyone by making some radical modifications to the design or functionality.