GoPro Hero 8 Black is official! Here’s everything you need to know

The GoPro Hero 8 Black leaked so many times we almost sent GoPro a box of sealant, but the flagship action camera is now finally officially out – and we’ve got all the details.

So, what’s new? The Hero 8 Black may look remarkably like a GoPro, but there are some design and feature changes that could tempt you to upgrade from your old action cam.

The biggest story is the arrival of the GoPro Mods, a team of three accessories that will significantly boosts the Hero 8 Black’s vlogging powers. The bad news? They’re not going to be available to pre-order until December 2019, with their shipping date still unknown.

What do we think of the GoPro Hero 8 Black?

Want to skip to our final verdict? Here’s our full GoPro Hero 8 Black review. We said in our review that while , “it’s the best GoPro yet, without the Mod accessories it is unfortunately only a small improvement on its predecessor, especially one that struggles to justify its £50 premium over rivals or the previous model. The UI tweaks also mean it’s the most customisable GoPro model yet. But its price tag ignores the Hero 7 Black, which remains on sale for £319 and is going to be a better value action cam for most buyers.”

In the meantime, then, here’s everything you need to know about GoPro’s new flagship and how it stacks up today without its family of incoming accessories.

The GoPro Hero 8 Black at a glance

• The GoPro Hero 8 Black is available to pre-order on October 15
• It’ll cost £379
• The GoPro Hero 7 Black will remain on sale as a cheaper £319 alternative
• It has a built-in mount to help it connect directly to GoPro accessories
• You now get HyperSmooth stabilisation in all frame-rates
• It’ll be compatible with the Mods, a family of three accessories that won’t be available to pre-order until December 2019

GoPro Hero 8 Black price – How much does the new GoPro cost?

You’ll be able to pre-order the GoPro Hero 8 Black for £379 from October 15. That’s the same launch price as the GoPro Hero 7 Black when it arrived last September.

The Hero 7 Black will, though, remain on sale at its current price of £319, alongside the Hero 7 Silver and new GoPro Max.

While the Hero 8 Black is the most capable GoPro we’ve seen so far, those older models could offer good value depending on what you’re planning to shoot.

You may also be able to find stock of even older models like the Hero 6 Black and Hero 5 Black, which remain pretty capable action cameras, albeit without HyperSmooth stabilisation.

If you need the latest image stabilisation, though, then there is also the DJI Osmo Action, which came out in 2019 but is the same price as the Hero 7 Black. For example, a new Hero 5 Black is, at the time of writing, available for £274.

Related: GoPro Mods: what are GoPro’s new accessories and when are they out?

GoPro Hero 8 Black release date – When is the Hero 8 Black out?

You’ll be able to pre-order the GoPro Hero 8 Black, both online and in physical stores, from October 15.

GoPro Hero 8 Black specs and features – What’s new on GoPro’s latest flagship?

Right now, there are three big new features on the Hero 8 Black compared to its predecessor: the built-in mount, more comprehensive HyperSmooth stabilisation, and improved audio.

We say ‘right now’ because another big new addition, the Mods accessories, are arguably even bigger news, but probably aren’t going to ship until sometime in 2020. These will bring a new attachable shotgun mic, LED light and screen to turn it into a much-improved vlogging cam.

Some more minor changes include some UI tweaks, such as the ability to add your own presets for video settings and create custom shortcuts, plus improved SuperPhoto HDR stills.

But the main ones are those three features at the top. The built-in mounting fingers mean you don’t need any kind of frame or case to mount the Hero 8 Black to a tripod or other accessory. This has the added benefit of letting you swap out the battery, charge it via USB-C or swap out the memory card without removing it from where it’s been mounted.

The Hero 7 Black introduced GoPro’s excellent HyperSmooth stabilisation, though on that model this doesn’t work in its slo-mo modes at 120fps or 240fps. That’s now changed on the Hero 8 Black thanks to its new battery, which provides enough power for Hypersmooth stabilisation to work.

Sound quality, particularly in fast-moving situations like bike rides, should also be a bit better on the Hero 8 Black, thanks to a new wind-optimised front microphone.

GoPro Hero 8 Black – How does it compare to the Hero 7 Black?

Below is a side-by-side comparison of how the Hero 8 Black stacks up against last year’s GoPro flagship, the Hero 7 Black.

As you can see, there isn’t a vast difference between the two, though some of the Hero 8 Black’s improvements are in more intangible areas like usability and the convenience of that built-in mount.

The Hero 7 Black will remain on sale as part of GoPro’s 2019 line-up, which also includes the new GoPro Max and last year’s GoPro Hero 7 Silver (which is now down to £199.99).

Right now, there’s a £60 difference between the two models below, though it’s possible the Hero 7 Black will drop further during Black Friday 2019. Considering that model has HyperSmooth stabilisation, it could well turn out to be the sweet spot in the GoPro line-up, if you’re not too bothered about the forthcoming Mods or some of the Hero 8 Black’s other minor upgrades.

For a more in-depth comparison between the two action cameras, check out our GoPro Hero 8 Black vs GoPro Hero 7 Black feature.

	GoPro Hero 8 Black	GoPro Hero 7 Black
Video	4K/60p	4K/60p
Max video bitrate	100Mbps	78Mbps
Stabilisation	HyperSmooth 2.0	HyperSmooth
Fields of View	SuperView, Wide, Linear, Narrow	Superview, Wide, Linear
Shooting modes	TimeWarp 2.0, Time Lapse, Night Lapse	TimeWarp, Time Lapse,
Slo-mo	8x	8x
Livestreaming	1080p	720p
GPS	Yes	Yes
Protune	Yes	Yes
Processor	GP1 Chip	GP1 Chip
Audio	3-Mic processing	3-Mic processing
Photos	12Mp SuperPhoto (improved HDR)	12MP SuperPhoto with HDR
LiveBurst photos	Yes	No
Dimensions	66.3×48.6×28.4mm	66.3×44.9x33mm
Mounting weight	126g (no frame needed)	142g
Connectivity	USB-C, HDMI (only with Media Mod)	USB-C, HDMI
Connectivity (wireless)	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
GoPro Mods compatible	Yes	No
Battery	Removable 1,220mAh rechargeable	Removable 1,220mAh rechargeable
Price	£379	£319

GoPro Hero 8 Black battery – Does it have a new battery and how long does it last?

The Hero 8 Black does have a new battery, which is the main reason its able to support HyperSmooth at all frame rates.

This battery is the same size and shape as GoPro’s usual AABAT-001 battery, so there’s no boost to the battery life – that means you can expect the usual 45-90 minutes from a charge, depending on whether you’re shooting in 4K or 720p.

The Hero 8 Black’s new battery will work in older GoPros (if you have one), while batteries from existing GoPros will work on the new one, though you’ll get a message saying when HyperSmooth isn’t supported at higher frame-rates.