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GoPro Hero 9 Review
GoPro Hero 9 Review GoPro has spent years establishing itself as the go-to action camera. Its HyperSmooth stabilization far outperforms the competition.
However, as smartphone cameras have improved over time, justifying the purchase of a dedicated action camera has become more challenging.
What is GoPro’s solution? The Hero 9 adds 5K video capture, a larger battery, a front-facing color display, and many much-needed functionality improvements.
The Hero 8 from 2019 introduced a redesigned cageless design with built-in attachment rings and a smaller front lens.
Later, GoPro took things a notch higher with the Hero 9, which is more prominent in all dimensions but not considerably heavier.
It also addresses one of Hero 8’s key design flaws: the lens cover is now replaceable if scratched.
That said, let’s look at what this action camera has to offer in more detail.
Technical Specifications
- Sensor Type: CMOS Sensor
- Sensor Size: 1/2.3″
- Sensor Resolution: 23.6 Megapixels
- Max Shooting Resolution: 5K (2880p)
- Display: Front: Live-view Monitor and Rear: 2.27″ Fixed-Type Touchscreen
- Image Capture Speed: 30 fps
- Image Stabilization: Yes
- Lens Mount: Max Lens Mod
- Optical Zoom: 2x
- Video Format: AVC (H.264) and HEVC (H.265)
- Video Output: USB Type-C 3.0
- Native ISO: 100-6400
- Shutter Speed: 1/30 – 1/4,000 sec
- Audio Input: None
- Audio Output: None
- Storage: 1x SD, SDHC or SDXC
- Microphone: Built-in directional microphone
- Battery: 1720mAh Li-ion
- Dimensions: 2.8 x 2.2 x 1.3 inches
- Weight: 5.6 ounces
Other Key Features
Battery
The battery inside the GoPro Hero 9 is significantly larger than previous models. Its capacity is 1,720mAh, a third higher than previous models.
Unfortunately, it is not backward compatible with existing GoPros. However, GoPro claims that the larger battery improves performance in cold climates.
Design
The Hero 9 is GoPro’s most significant overhaul since the Hero 5, and the results are pretty good, with a couple of caveats.
There are three massive changes from the Hero 8: a new 1.4″ front display, a 2.27″ rear touchscreen display and a more significant body.
These new capabilities appear to respond to DJI’s Osmo Action, which has made GoPro action cameras seem somewhat antiquated in certain aspects.
The Hero 9 feels the same way in certain aspects, mainly due to the minor drawbacks of the new features.
Image and Video Quality
The GoPro Hero9 Black delivers some of the best stills and videos of any action camera on the market, but it isn’t a significant upgrade over the Hero 8.
The new 5K@30fps mode captures more information than any previous GoPro flagship, especially when using the high 100Mbps bit rate option.
In some settings, the efficient HEVC (H.265) codec is utilized, so file sizes aren’t substantially larger, although they can be very strenuous on your machine.
However, the higher quality won’t make a significant difference if you’re mostly taking videos for smartphones or social media, which will not significantly affect your results.
When trimming or pixel peeping, even on a 4K display, you’ll only see a substantial improvement in detail.
Performance
While the Hero 9 has plenty of new features, it doesn’t offer many significant speed improvements over the Hero 8, at least not ones that you’ll notice in your films.
This isn’t to say that the Hero 9 isn’t a good action camera; it just means that the improvements aren’t enough to justify the price difference between it and its predecessors.
For instance, if you don’t mind the ‘floaty’ appearance, HyperSmooth 3.0 stabilization is still superb and perfect for filming first-person sports.
However, most consumers are unlikely to notice the addition of HyperSmooth Boost to the 4K@60fps and 5K@30fps modes since, in most cases, setting HyperSmooth to ‘high’ is sufficient to smooth out any motion blur.
Price
The combo includes the camera, an additional battery, a magnetic swivel clip, a micro SD card and a new floating handle.
Final Thought
There are many action cameras out there, but none has come close to surpassing GoPro as the best, which continues with the Hero 9.
The Hero 9 is one of the best action cameras available thanks to its image quality and comprehensive features.
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