By Yadira B. Arnold 
Almost exactly 10 years ago we tested the GoPro HD Hero 2. It was not the company’s first flagship camera, but I would say that it helped to attract the public’s attention to the GoPro. At that time, the maximum resolution was 1080p, the photos reached 5 megapixels, and they were wrapped in this iconic waterproof matter.
A decade after, the Hero 10 Black (presented today) offers a great maximum video resolution of 5.3 K, 23-megapixel photos, no longer requires a waterproof matter (for most purposes) and has a great number of fancy striking modes that we could not even have imagined before three presidents.
However, before you get to the review part, you probably want to know what else has changed. The main feature is clearly the new GP2 processor. GoPro started using its homemade chip, the GP1, a few years ago. Now the second iteration is here, bringing with it an increase in frame rates across the board (5.3K at 60; 4K at 120 and 2.7K at 240, to name a few).
Even the front display benefits from an increased frame rate, which should make your preview smoother. GoPro also says that the GP2 comes with an image processor (ISP) that promises higher quality photos and videos. We will of course be the judge for this.
You may have noticed that the maximum resolution for videos is now slightly higher at 5.3 K (out of 5) than last year. We were told that the sensor is actually the same as before, but the new chip that manages the show may benefit more from it.
The camera itself, fortunately, has the same dimensions as the Hero 9, which means that if you have a Hero 9-specific multimedia mod or accessory, it will probably work well with the new model. In fact, the only visible differences in the middle last year’s model and the Hero 10 are… the number 10 and the text color of the brand-it’s now GoPro sapphire instead of gray.
GP2 times Power
The GP1, GoPro’s first custom processor, debuted with the Hero 6 Black. This allowed the company to tightly integrate the camera’s brain with the rest of the hardware and superior control important functions. With the GP2, the promise is ” twice as powerful.” The company has not shared any details about the chip itself, but the rewards are evident in the increase in frame rates across the board. I have already mentioned that the highest resolution is now .3 Megapixels more than last time and available at 60fps. Twice the frames of the equivalent on the Hero 9 Black.
However, the new chip has other advantages than FPS. Last but not least, it is connected with this ISP, which we will discuss in more detail next. The GP2 also supports the HyperSmooth 4.0 update and promises a smoother interface and faster unloading of media (again, each of them will have its own section).
Image quality
While GoPro is touting the new frame—rate modes as one of the major upgrades this time, I think the image quality is worth addressing first – it’s a camera, after all. The good news is that it’s significantly superior than the Hero 9. It’s tempting to assume that the higher resolution for video and photos is thanks to here, but there’s another processing growl in the background.
According to GoPro, new algorithms for sound imaging and noise suppression are also responsible for the increase in quality. All I know is that videos and photos look superior in a meaningful way. When I went through my comparison images, the color rendering was much more faithful to the original, without looking flat. One way or another, natural and inorganic tones (for example, buildings and trees) have a deeper effect. In addition, there is loyalty. When I looked at pictures that were 100% cropped, the difference in detail was immediately obvious. While some textures, such as the road surface or the leaves, can become smooth on the Hero 9 if they are not the main subject of the video, on the Hero 10 you can see features that are not present in last year’s camera.
Higher resolutions
In addition to the general improvement in image quality, there is the additional flexibility that comes with the new combinations of resolution and frame rate. The Hero 9 reached its maximum at 5K / 30fps in 16:9 or 4K / 30 at 4:3. Not bad. But the Hero 10 offers a pretty significant increase with 5.3 K / 30fps or 4K / 60 at 4:3 and 5.3 K / 60 when striking in 16:9. That’s a lot of jargon, but it basically means that you have a lot more leeway for 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios. And considering that the 4:3 is great for POV strikes, a staple of the action world, this is good news for your videos.
It’s easy to wonder why you might even want a 5.3K video, considering there’s not much you can play it natively on. But more pixels are never a bad thing, and you can after downsize something to a more “conventional” resolution or crop to 4K without loss of quality. They even have something close to slow motion now at 4K (60fps) in 4:3 aspect ratio, which is a first for a GoPro.
Then, of course, there is the increase in photo resolution, which we have already mentioned. A whole three megapixels is a decent improvement over last time, and if you regularly pull still images from the video, you will also benefit from a higher resolution (the change depends on your video settings, but it is a general increase).
Finally, we can access one of the outstanding improvements: frame rates. With integrated GP2, 4K video is now available at 120 fps, which gives the Hero 10 a respectable slow motion mode for the first time in UHD. Last year’s camera was able to reach 60 frames per second at 4K, but 2X is not enough to show your laser flips in all their stunning glory. The new 4x slow motion at this high resolution will really show your best movements. The new 120 fps mode is available with almost all field of view options, which GoPro calls “lenses”, the surveillance bar at 60 fps. 2.7 K also gets a boost from 120 fps to 240 — the maximum that the camera can do, which makes it a great balance in the middle resolution and frame rate for action.
Of course, a high frame rate is not only about slow motion, but also about a common application for an action camera. Higher FPS also help keep your videos smooth at normal speed, especially when there’s a lot of activity going on — which again seems pretty likely with a GoPro. For example, I recorded some videos on a bike ride at 4K/30fps, after others at 60fps, and the feeling of movement at the higher frame rate is noticeably smoother even at normal speed.
In short, frame rate is another tool in the box when it comes to aligning your photo, so it’s great to see a lot more options here. This also means that you no longer have to choose in the middle FPS or high resolution nearly as much as in the past.
HyperSmooth 4.0
In darker times, GoPros did not have onboard stabilization. This meant that freehand sequences had to be recorded with extreme care and every contraction, pothole or vibration was recorded with great clarity. That was fine for some activities, but often it just meant that they ended up with unusable footage or a spell to try to get things back.
Since the Hero 7, we’ve been living in a lighter, brighter world where the Hyper Smooth would work its magic and make even the most harrowing car chase on video smooth and smooth without having to use an expensive, fragile gimbal. With the Hero 10, we are now in the fourth revision of GoPro’s onboard stabilization and it continues to work wonders.
Perhaps the most noticeable change here is the increased power of horizon leveling. It used to keep videos up to about 27 degrees “flat” from the horizon. After that, your video will be smoothly adjusted to the camera angle. Now you can hit a curve or take a 45-degree turn, and your video will snap firmly on the horizon.