Just as they had teased, GoPro has released the latest GoPro Hero 9 action camera with forward-facing display, and a whole lot more of everything else.
The Hero 9 leaked a couple of times before the official launch today, but despite that GoPro has still managed to surprise us with a few cool additions and features that we weren’t expecting to see.
First of all, let’s go over what we already knew. The new GoPro Hero 9 features a forward-facing colour display that is going to be of great use to anyone using the Hero 9 as vlog camera. The 2nd display offers a live preview of what you are recording along with readouts for the battery charge and SD card capacity.
Next to that is the lens which has an updated 20-megapixel sensor making it the largest of all the GoPro range to date. The new sensor will not only improve still photo quality but also boost video resolution to a maximum of 5k @ 30FPS or 4K @ 60FPS.
Keeping that additional display and larger sensor running is the job of a larger capacity 1720Mah battery. Like the previous GoPro, the battery is removable and it is charged via USB Type C. GoPro claims that the new larger battery can offer 30% more life, but this depends on how you use the camera.
Moving on to what we didn’t know, the new Hero 9 sees a return to removable lenses. The Hero 8 was a smaller camera, but the lack of removable lens was an issue on a camera designed for extreme sports. The Hero 9 not only allows you to replace lenses as they are damaged but even upgrade the lens. The first lens upgrade to be announced is the Max Lens Mod, a $99 lens that offers a wider angle along with improved HyperSmooth Stabilisation at 2.7k.
Max Lens Mod isn’t the only add on for the Hero 9, and just like the Hero 8 GoPro is offering a Media Mod with an external mic, an add on Light Mod for low-light filming and a Display Mod with a fold-out display, although we’re not sure how useful that will be considering the Hero 9 already has a front screen.
Other updates to the GoPro Hero 9 include an update to stabilisation with Hypersmooth 3.0, 8x slow-motion video, a scheduled capture mode, 1080p live streaming, RAW photo support plus all the standard GoPro features like voice control and a rugged waterproof case.
All of this new tech, the new display and the larger battery does mean that GoPro Hero 9 measures in at 71.0 x 55mm but if that does equate to better battery life and improved video, the extra size does sound worthwhile.
The GoPro Hero 9 goes on sale today for £429.99, however, if you have a GoPro Subscription you can save £100.01 and pay just £329.98. The mods will begin shipping from October. Let us know if you plan to upgrade or not.