It’s been a long time, but we suddenly have an announcement from GoPro about new products. When they didn’t release a GoPro Hero 14 last year, I assumed that meant they were working on something big, and they needed more time to get it together. And it looks like my assumptions were correct. They just announced a new processor, the GP3.
This is a big deal because in their entire history since GoPro released their first camera in 2004, I’ve only heard about two processors. My original Hero 7 and then my trusty Hero 9 had the original GP1 processor. I guess that processor had been around from the very beginning and covered everything from the Hero 1 to the Hero 9.
And then GoPro introduced the GP2 processor with the Hero 10 back in 2021. And every camera since then right up until the Hero 13 has used the GP2 processor. That’s the Hero 10, Hero 11, Hero 12, AND Hero 13 all using the GP2. I was really surprised that they did a complete camera overhaul and even redesigned the body with the Hero 13 BUT still kept using the same old processor.
But finally, we have news of the GP3, and GoPro is pretty excited about it. Here’s a quote from their CEO and founder:
“GP3’s bleeding-edge, cinema-grade performance will enable GoPro to enter the ultra-premium end of the imaging market this year, serving the needs of a new, higher-end market segment that can grow GoPro’s business and brand,” said Nicholas Woodman, GoPro’s founder and CEO. “We’re excited for GP3 to empower GoPro as both an innovator and disrupter as we look to grow our business through market-leading technology and performance.”
To be honest, none of that really speaks to me. It feels like AI-written corporate gobbledygook meant to reassure investors and stockholders. It doesn’t really speak to normal people like me that actually use their cameras day-to-day. After countless years of using GoPro cameras, I’m still waiting for them to make even a simple 3.5mm to USB-C adapter doodad so you can plug in an external microphone. THAT would be of more use to me than all this talk of “bleeding-edge, cinema grade performance”. The average vlogger using a GoPro isn’t creating cinema. We just want to be able to shoot some half-decent video while recording the voices of ourselves and people around us talking. And we want to do this without having to add a half pound of cages and cables and accessories. We have simple needs.
Of course, the hope is that this GP3 processor will come with some improvements that will be nice to have. There is talk that it will have better thermal management, so the newest GoPro Hero 14 hopefully won’t overheat the second some sunlight hits it. And there is lots of chatter about AI stuff that promises better low light performance. We won’t know if any of these promises mean anything until the new cameras are released and people can start using them.
More quotes from the official announcement:
“We expect our new, exclusive GP3 processor to lead in every performance area—image quality, resolution, frame rates, low-light performance and power and thermal efficiency,” said Pablo Lema, GoPro’s Senior Vice President of Product Management. “Launching in our new products in Q2, GP3 provides a scalable, proprietary foundation we can leverage to power GoPro cameras across existing and future product categories. Our markets demand the very best performance, and we believe this sets the stage for GP3 to serve as a growth catalyst for GoPro.”
All of this remains to be seen. As always, the devil will be in the details. He says in this quote that this GP3 processor will allow them to lead when it comes to frame rates. But with GoPro cameras, the problem is often not the technology itself but the baffling design decisions and feature choices they make. My GoPro Hero 12, for example, struggles with shooting in 4K. It quickly overheats and shuts down. So 4K seemed to be off the table. I thought I could then shoot in 2.7k, which is a sweet spot between 4K and 1080p. BUT, for some reason, the Hero 12 only offers 2.7k resolution at 200 FPS. It’s not available at 30 FPS or 60 FPS. 2.7k is restricted to 200 FPS, which is meant for slow motion. You can’t realistically shoot vlog video at that frame rate. The files are huge and the camera overheats and shuts down and editing is a problem.
So some genius at GoPro decided to limit 2.7k to 200 FPS. The DJI Action cameras, by contrast, offer all frame rates for all resolutions and at all aspect ratios. You just pick what you want. It all works. With a GoPro it’s like navigating a complex puzzle trying to figure out which aspect ratio to choose so that you can have access to the right combination of resolution and frame rate and still have stabilization and horizon leveling and the proper field of view. All of these features and settings may or may not be available depending on which resolution you choose.
So I don’t get particularly excited about all these corporate buzzwords about added performance. I’m perfectly happy with the video quality and stabilization of the Hero 12. It’s great for my purposes. So I don’t need bleeding edge cinematic power with the Hero 14. I would just be happy to see overheating disappear.
Plus, and this is a big one, I’d love to see a dedicated GoPro-branded wireless microphone. THAT would be worth far more on the market than any of this cinematic performance hype. A huge advantage to buying into the DJI Action universe is the accessory ecosystem that includes their own DJI microphones that can be linked with their cameras without needing a receiver or cables. That’s huge, and it amazes me that after 22 years, GoPro continues to largely ignore audio. They throw us a bone from time to time, such as the 3.5mm microphone jack built into the Media Mod. But don’t get me started on all the problems with the Media Mod design. We shouldn’t have to use the Media Mod to begin with.
However, it is still early days. According to the GP3 processor announcement, we can expect cameras using this processor to show up in the second quarter of 2026. I find it funny that even when companies announce a major product release, they still don’t even use normal language, such as telling us the Hero 14 will be announced in May. All this stuff is for corporate branding and investors, so they default to business language and talk about first quarter and second quarter. I have to stop and count the months on my fingers to figure out what month they might be talking about. I guess the Hero 14 (and other cameras?) will be announced in May or June.
Anyway, it is exciting news from GoPro. They’ve been quiet for what feels like a long time. It will be nice to see a new camera from them, particularly when it comes with this new GP3 processor. It will be a lot of fun to dive into all the YouTube reviews as people inevitably compare the Hero 14 to the DJI Action 4, 5, and 6 and Insta360’s Ace Pro 2. GoPro is treating this GP3 announcement like it is something new that is blazing a path for the industry, like they are forging ahead. But, in reality, all they’re doing (if this GP3 is successful) is catching up with the competition. Companies like DJI and Insta360 solved the overheating and low light problems ages ago with their new processors. It’s great that GoPro has this new processor, but they’re really just catching up after lagging behind for so long.