In 2023, GoPro announced the latest device to join its flagship action camera line – the GoPro Hero 12 Black.
The action camera shares a good number of similarities with its predecessor, the GoPro Hero 11 Black. The two action cameras feature similar designs, the same 1/1.9-inch CMOS image sensor, and matching image and video resolutions. Both cameras also take advantage of identical waterproof ratings and the same-sized batteries.
Of course, there’s always room for improvement and GoPro has introduced a handful of them with the Hero 12 Black. Keep reading to discover how these two action cams compare.
Design
The GoPro Hero 12 Black looks almost identical to the Hero 11 Black in size and shape. The two action cameras also weigh the same and take advantage of two screens – one touchscreen on the rear of the camera and another non-touch display on the front.
The Hero 12 Black does feature a new blue-speckled finish but the material itself appears to be the same and the two cameras share the same trademark ruggedness and 10m waterproofing.
Both cameras include one MicroSD card split for storage and a USB-C port for charging and uploading footage to another device.
One update this year is the addition of 1/4-20 mounting threads. These make the Hero 12 Black compatible with standard camera mounts and accessories, along with the usual GoPro mods.
Features
The GoPro Hero 12 Black also brings several feature updates to the Hero line.
The first of these is HyperSmooth 6.0, the latest version of GoPro’s in-body stabilisation feature. There’s also a new Interval Photo tool that allows the user to capture stills at set intervals, as well as the new Timecode Sync feature for wirelessly synchronising multiple Hero 12 Black cameras to record at once.
Additionally, AirPod users will be happy to hear that the Hero 12 Black now supports audio recording and voice commands via Bluetooth earbuds.
One downgrade on the Hero 12 Black is the lack of a GPS sensor – something that helped track location data on the Hero 11 Black. GoPro told Digital Camera World that it had ditched the GPS to increase the camera’s battery life after discovering that very few GoPro users actually made use of the Hero 11 Black’s location stickers.
Image and video quality
Both the GoPro Hero 12 Black and the Hero 11 Black are powered by the same GP2 processor and 1/1.9-inch CMOS image sensor combo. This enables the cameras to capture sharp 5.3K/60p video, 27-megapixel images, and 24.7-megapixel stills from video.
Key updates on the Hero 12 Black include the ability to record at a 4:3 aspect ratio in a wider variety of shooting modes. This includes TimeWarp, Time Lapse, and Night Lapse.
GoPro has also brought HDR support to the camera for the first time, making it possible to capture a greater dynamic range when shooting in 5.3K/30p or 4K/60p.
Battery life
The GoPro Hero 12 Black delivers 2x longer recording times at 5.3K/60p compared to the Hero 11 Black. This is despite the two cameras sharing the exact same 1720 mAh Enduro battery.
GoPro credits the camera’s improved power management (and aforementioned lack of GPS) for the extended battery life, allowing users to shoot 5.3K/60p video for up to 70 minutes, 5.3K/30 for up to 1.5 hours, and 1080p/30p for up to 2.5 hours.
Final verdict
The Hero 12 Black is a minor upgrade on its surface but it brings a handful of improvements and features that make it an easy choice over its predecessor (unless you need GPS).
