The Hero10 looks exactly like the Hero9. GoPro gave the Hero9 the big makeover, with a front-facing display, the return of the removable lens cover, and a new attachment system for mounts and accessories.
The front-facing screen — a feature pioneered by the DJI Osmo Action— is a tremendous help when trying to frame yourself in a shot.
The top of the Hero10 has a shutter/record button. The left side has the power button, while the right side has a door that houses the battery, microSD card slot, and USB-C charging port. I wish you didn’t have to expose the battery compartment to the elements in order to access the USB port — it’s one more thing to worry about if you want to keep the camera plugged in to an external power source.
The bottom of the camera has two fold-up “fingers” used to attach the camera to a GoPro mount.
Inside the camera, the Hero10 Black uses the company’s new GP2 processor (the Hero9 has the GP1, which dates back to the Hero6), which enables such things as faster transfers, better image stabilization, improved low-light performance, and a more responsive camera in general.
Despite its similar appearance, the Hero10 weighs 3 percent less than the Hero9 — 5.3 ounces rather than 5.6 ounces. It’s not much, but when you have this mounted to a helmet, every ounce counts. Additionally, the lens cover on the Hero10 has a hydrophobic coating, and the glass is more scratch-resistant. Like most other GoPros, the Hero10 is water-resistant to 33 feet.
As with the Hero9, the Hero10 comes in plastic-free packaging; better still, the camera comes in a semi-rigid fabric case with enough room to add a couple of mounts and clips.
The Hero10’s motion stabilization is truly impressive.
Another fun feature is TimeWarp, which captures a series of stills and stitches them together into a movie. With the Hero10, this video too can be motion-stabilized.
Still images snapped with the Hero10 were good, but there are some limits to what it can do. While the company says that its night-capture mode has improved, you’ll still want to mount it to a tripod if you’re planning any night photography. HDR mode for stills is also pretty good.
While the company offers desktop apps, you’ll need the GoPro Quik app for your phone (Android/iOS) should you want to edit your videos on the go or control your Hero10.
The GoPro Hero10 Black uses the same 1720 mAh battery as the GoPro Hero9 — which is different from all previous GoPro batteries. GoPro doesn’t make any new claims, so expect the Hero10 to last between 1.5 to 2 hours on a charge, depending on your settings.
