GoPro enthusiasts have a new camera to consider after the company introduced its miniature, ultralight 4K Hero late last week. It is the company’s smallest and most affordable offering, costing just $199.
The Hero is waterproof and combines GoPro’s simplest user interface with 4K video, 2x slo-mo at 2.7K resolution, and 12-megapixel photos. It is available on retail shelves around the world and online at GoPro’s website.
“Hero is the smallest, lightest, and simplest 4K camera with a touch display GoPro has ever made,” the company said in a news release.
The Hero can record continuously for over one hour at its highest video setting on a single charge, and GoPro claims its Enduro battery technology works well in a wide range of conditions, including rain and snow. The camera is also waterproof up to 16 feet.
The Hero’s featherweight design features 35% less volume and 46% less mass than the Hero13 Black. It includes built-in folding mounting fingers that make the camera compatible with GoPro’s vast range of mounts.
The company said the Hero has the simplest controls GoPro has ever offered. It has a rear touch display where you can frame shots, swipe to change modes, check battery and SD card status, and pair the Hero to your phone for easy camera control and content transfer using the GoPro app.
The camera modes include Ultra HD 4K and HD 1080p video, and are compatible with the company’s proprietary HyperSmooth video stabilization that’s applied to your Hero during playback in the GoPro app. It also takes 12MP photos and slow-motion video at 2.7K 60 frames per second.
Hero can record continuously for over one hour at its highest video setting on a single charge, the company said.
Several competitors offer action cameras that, in terms of price point and features, closely resemble GoPro’s new $199 Hero.
Those include the DJI Osmo Action 3, priced at about $329 (though discounts can bring it closer to $200); the Insta360 (starting at $299), the AKASO Brave 7 LE ($140), the Yi 4K Action Camera, ($199), and the VanTop Moment 6S ($120).
Earlier, the company unveiled its Hero 13 Black model, which retails for $399. Consumers can beef up that rig by opting for the Hero13 Black Creator Edition, which retails for $599 and includes the Volta Power Grip, Media Mod and Light Mod.
GoPro also offers the Hero13 Black in several “bundle” options for various specialty uses. The bundles, including the camera, range from $449 to $609.