GoPro Hero 13 Black vs GoPro Hero: Go budget or high-end?

GoPro has officially announced its line-up for 2024 and this time the company is launching not one, but two action cameras. 

The GoPro Hero is GoPro’s first small, affordable action camera, making the brand accessible to a wider number of users. Keep reading to learn how it compares to the flagship GoPro Hero 13 Black. 

Price 

The GoPro Hero 13 Black is available to pre-order today, with the camera landing in stores from September 10. Prices start at $399.99 for the camera alone, or $599.99 for the Creator Edition which comes with the Volta Power Grip, Media Mod and Light Mod. 

The GoPro Hero is the most affordable GoPro yet, making it ideal for adventurers on a budget as well as anyone looking to gift an action camera this year. The Hero starts at $199 and is also available to pre-order today, though it won’t begin shipping until September 22. 

The GoPro Hero is smaller 

One of the biggest benefits of choosing the GoPro Hero over the Hero 13 Black (aside from its price) is the camera’s compact and lightweight build. 

The GoPro Hero is the smallest ever GoPro with a screen and packs 35% less volume and 46% less mass than the Hero 13 Black. It also weighs less at just 86g. 

However, it’s important to note that the GoPro Hero 13 Black remains the more durable pick for underwater shooting as the larger camera is waterproof up to 33ft. The GoPro Hero, meanwhile, is only waterproof up to 16ft so it may not be the best choice for those looking to plunge to large depths. 

The GoPro Hero 13 Black also benefits from a second front screen that makes it ideal for vlogging, whereas the GoPro Hero sticks with a single touch-controlled rear display.

The GoPro Hero 13 Black boasts a higher resolution 

If your priority is sheer image resolution, the GoPro Hero can’t compete with the flagship Hero 13 Black. 

The GoPro Hero 13 Black can capture 5.3K video at up to 30fps or 120fps in its slo-mo mode, whereas the GoPro Hero is limited to 4K.

Of course, this will be more than sharp enough for many devices and platforms, but if you’re coming from an older GoPro or similar action camera, you might find the 4K resolution to be a slight downgrade on what you’re used to. 

The GoPro Hero 13 Black can record 13x slo-mo 

The GoPro Hero 13 Black is capable of recording up to 13x slo-mo, resulting in more detail than both the GoPro Hero 12 Black and the GoPro Hero. 

The Hero 13 Black can shoot 720p HD video at up to 400 frames per second, 900p at up to 360fps and its full 5.3K resolution at up to 120fps. 

The GoPro Hero, on the other hand, can only capture up to 2x slo-mo, with 2.7K video supported at up to 60 frames per second. 

The GoPro Hero has a longer battery life 

The GoPro Hero 13 Black has a bigger, more power-efficient battery than previous GoPro models. The camera’s new 1900 mAh Enduro battery actually has a 10% larger capacity that GoPro says will extend runtimes in all weather conditions. 

This means you should be able to capture 1.5 hours of continuous footage in 5.3/30fps and 4K/30fps resolutions, or more than 2.5 hours in 1080p/30fps. 

The GoPro Hero is a smaller camera, so it makes sense that it would be fitted with a smaller battery. However, according to GoPro, the Hero is capable of recording 4K video continuously for up to 100 minutes. This is actually longer than the 90 minutes offered by the Hero 13 Black with the same settings. 

That said, we haven’t tested the battery ourselves yet, so you’ll need to wait for our full review to hear our verdict on the GoPro’s battery performance. 

Early verdict

The GoPro Hero seems like a fantastic budget alternative to the GoPro Hero 13 Black and a refreshingly cheap and simple option for anyone content with making a few sacrifices to get their hands on an action cam from the leading brand.

The GoPro Hero 13 Black still offers numerous benefits as GoPro’s flagship entry and the Hero will be no match for competition from DJI and Insta360. However, it’s great to see GoPro expand its line-up in 2024.