GoPro, the king of action cameras, is well-known for sticking to a strict product release schedule. For years, we’ve seen a new GoPro released in the fall of each year, ready to ship ahead of Black Friday.
The GoPro Hero 10 Black, which was released in September 2021, was the last flagship in the HERO line. So, when will the new GoPro Hero 11 be available?
If rumors and GoPro’s track record are to be considered, the new GoPro Hero 11 will be released on 14th September 2022.
The below table shows the release dates of the last few models, and if GoPro remains consistent, we will see the new GoPro in a few months.
| GoPro Products | Release Date |
|---|---|
| GoPro Hero 7 | September 2018 |
| GoPro Hero 8 / GoPro Max 360 | October 2019 |
| GoPro Hero 9 | September 2020 |
| GoPro Hero 10 | September 2021 |
| GoPro Hero 11 | 14th September 2022 |
GoPro CEO Nick Woodman said a few months back that in the fall of 2022, they will increase their product line to 4.
“At the end of 2022, we plan to increase our hardware offerings from two product types we have today, HERO and MAX, to four distinct camera products“
Nick Woodman, CEO GoPro (during annual stock meeting)
That means we will get a new GoPro HERO 11 this year and two brand-new product types.
What be these product types? Your guess is as good as mine, but I believe one of them will be a DJI Pocket 2 type camera with a miniature gimbal.
That would be pretty cool.
Or maybe it can start with two separate product lines – one for casual users i-e “lite” version, and one for more professional users, i-e, a “Pro” version.
With the current line of GoPro, we have a camera that offers too much for lower-end users and lacks some key features for pro users.
If we get a professional GoPro with a slightly bigger size but better features for the Pro users, that would be awesome.
Anyway, all these are just speculations in the market, and we currently have no official confirmation for these.
GoPro Hero 11 Specs
Although we currently do not have any official or unofficial word on what the spec sheet would look like. But unlike many companies, GoPro has been very predictable over the years.
Their subsequent products have been evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Each new model improved over the predecessor, and I think that’s quite brave.
When you make something that is so perfect, you don’t redesign or reimagine it every single year (think iPhone’s consistent design & software features year over year)
Speaking of improvements, here are what we can expect to see in the new GoPro Hero 11.
Body Design [new leaked pic]
Design-wise, GoPro has been pretty consistent over the years.
If you look at the body design of Hero 5, 6, 7 & 8, you won’t see much change apart from the logo colors and location.
It remained pretty similar for 4 years.
With Hero 9, GoPro introduced the font color screen that remained the same on the next iteration i-e Hero 10.
Keeping this design consistency in mind, one can expect that the GoPro Hero 11 body design and shape would be pretty much the same as its predecessor, the Hero 10.
Recent pictures leaked from German site winfuture show the new GoPro Hero 11 in all its glory, but if you look closely, the design is almost identical to the Hero 10.
The main screen is exactly the same with the same bezels on the sides. We might see better resolution and contrast, but the physical features seem identical.
The bottom has the same GoPro attachment, which is good because you can use your Hero 10 accessories with the new GoPro.
Since the physical design is quite the same as Hero 10, we might see a good bump in specifications so that consumers have enough motivation to upgrade from the older version.
Camera Improvement
The previous GoPro Hero 10 shot 5.3K @ 60fps and 4K @ 120fps. It was and is pretty good for an action camera.
For the GoPro Hero 11, they retained almost the same camera resolution and frame rate as revealed from the leaked images (see below)
GoPro Hero 11 can shoot 4K120, 5.3K60, and 2.7K240
People were hoping for 4K slow-mo videos at 240fps but I guess that’s not happening for now.
If they keep the design and most other things the same, they must provide some incentives for the current users to upgrade.
Another area they can improve in is low-light photography or nighttime photography. GoPro (or any other mini camera) hasn’t been very good in low-light conditions. Smaller sensor sizes and lens constraints are some of the reasons.
If they are serious about improving nighttime photography, the Hero 11 might come with a larger aperture and a wider focal length lens to capture more light.
I personally think it would be better if they focus on low-light photography instead of increasing the resolution. I mean, 5.3K is good enough. Why overkill it? Focus on other things that need more attention.
Better thermal management
It’s a technical challenge to completely solve the overheating issue.
It’s you against the laws of physics. If you put a billion transistors inside a small black box, it is going to overheat no matter what you do.
This is not a GoPro-specific problem, but other action cameras like the Action 2 from DJI are also notorious for overheating.
The overheating problem has been a major complaint from users over the years, and the problem persisted throughout the GoPro line till today.
The Hero 10 is no better than the previous models when it comes to overheating.
In GoPro Hero 11, it is possible (read: I wish) for the design team to incorporate some kind of external heatsink module coated with macro-particles to dissipate heat to some extent so that the camera won’t at least shut off during recording.
The heatsink can be built at the bottom or any location where there is minimal finger placing.
I am something of an Engineer myself but not as good as the ones at GoPro, so I am sure they can figure out a much better way. So, fingers crossed.
Apart from these, I don’t think we might see any revolutionary changes in an already cutting-edge camera system.
Efficient software with the new GP3 processor
GoPro Hero 10 is powered by an all-new GP2 processor that made possible the stunning 5.3K shots. In Hero 11, we might see the next version of the processor GP3.
For one, I am very hopeful this processor will have more streamlined software to tackle the overheating issue.
If you clock any processor at the highest frequencies for a long time, it is bound to overheat, and the current Hero 10 firmware does that to the GP2. Hopefully, Hero 11 will have more efficient software to get things done at lower clock cycles.
Speaking of powerful processors, the new GP3 should be able to give you better nighttime photos.
Many people believe that a larger 1″ sensor will enhance lowlight shooting, but efficient nighttime photography largely depends on your software and how powerful your processor is to carry out real-time optimization.
More Read: Is DJI Pocket 2 waterproof?
For example, look at iPhone 13 Pro main 1/1.9″ sensor. It captures better nighttime photos than GoPro 10, even though the GoPro has a bigger sensor (1/1.17″). The real magic is not in the sensor size or lens but the software.
Improved stabilization with HyperSmooth 5.0
HyberSmooth is a game-changer for GoPro cameras that don’t have mechanical stabilization like the ones you see on DJI Pocket 2.
On GoPro Hero 11, we might see an improved version, i-e, HyperSmooth 5.0, that will take things to the next level and give you better shake-free shots even in a very heavy action environment.
Although it is not as effective as the actual mechanical stabilization on the DJI Pocket 2, it is the next best thing in this square form factor.
Wireless charging
Everything is going wireless these days so why not speculate a GoPro with wireless charging?
However, with wireless charging, heat dissipation will be a problem. GoPros are already notorious for their thermal management (or lack thereof), so I am not sure putting a charging coil inside will improve things.
But who knows!
GoPro Hero 11 price (expected)
Looking at GoPro’s pricing history, I believe that the new GoPro Hero 11 will be launched at the same price point as its predecessor, i-e, 499 USD.
Unless they surprise everyone by making some revolutionary changes in the design or performance, we can expect the same price point.
In the meantime, if you are in a hurry and can’t wait to get an action camera till September, below are a few great options.
- Thumb-sized action camera that weighs just 1 oz.
- Powerful 1/2.3” image sensor
- Rugged and waterproof to 13ft.
- Wearable camera design
- Image stabilization and horizon leveling algorithms
- Extends battery life up to 150 minutes.
- 4K/120fps & Super-Wide FOV
- Portable & Wearable
- Swap out accessories with innovative magnetic design
- 10m Waterproof
- Revolutionary Processor: faster, smoother, better
- High-Res Photos plus Videos + High Frame Rate
- Unbelievable Image Quality
- HyperSmooth 4.0
- Fast, Reliable Connectivity
- 5.7K 360 captures
- Digital stabilization and horizon leveling algorithms
- Shoot with the Invisible Selfie Stick and then watch it disappear
- IPX8 Waterproof up to 10 meters (33ft)
Is there a GoPro 11 coming out?
Yes. The new GoPro 11 HERO Black will be released in September 2022.
Will the GoPro HERO 11 have a new camera system?
GoPro HERO 11 might come with a camera capable of shooting 5.7K 30 fps or maybe 6K 30fps videos. It might also shoot 4K slow-mo videos at 240fps.
How about overheating?