The GoPro Hero 14 Black is coming, and will bring the biggest performance jump in 5 years – but that may not be the most interesting thing…

GoPro just had its Q4 earnings call and, a couple of days before, the company announced its GP3 image processor, which should be seen for the first time in cameras this spring – or Q2, as it was put to investors.

The reaction in the city was somewhat muted, but fair enough – the share price dropped based on the figures revealed, the obvious headline being that 2 million GoPros had been sold in 2025 (down from 2.2 in the year before), so the company slightly missed its target.

The format of these events – which happen every three months for investors – is necessarily bright and cheerful, but the revelation that the new image processor is to make its way into physical products so soon seems difficult to ignore.

Yes, it's true, I've heard Nick Woodman, CEO of GoPro, make one or two promises about devices that have gone onto be delayed. The world has watched as the GoPro Max 2, the company's 8K 360 camera, hit the market late.

But I think that's why things have to be different this time.

Another reason is that, with the slightly unusual 360 camera behind it, and the smaller GoPro Lit Hero also out of the way, the obvious next camera to refresh is the core of the company's business: the Hero Black, which for many years received an annual update, just like the iPhone.

Why didn't it happen last time, in late 2025? Because, I suspect, the new processor chip wasn't ready – and of course, because the company was focusing attention on the Max 2.

Now, if what I'm hearing is true – and the GP3 is a 5-nanometer system-on-chip (SoC) that delivers over twice the pixel processing power of the GP2 – then there is a good reason to update the flagship action camera, the GoPro Hero 13 Black.

Moreover, as an action camera expert, I've been maintaining the DCW best action camera guide. The GoPro has been slipping in the rankings as two key competitors – DJI and Insta360 – have concentrated on features that GoPro's processor and imaging chip has not helped it keep up with: low-light image processing.

Nick Woodman mentioned better battery life and "industry-leading resolutions and frame rates that go far beyond what the competition is capable of."

Now, even if there is a bit of exaggeration, it still seems likely we might see 8K on the GoPro Hero 14 Black. GoPro can already achieve a lot via 'burst' slow mo (as fast as 400fps) and sustained 120fps at 4K, but that could conceivably be doubled to 240fps at 4K with no worries about the camera overheating.

He did add, "When combined with low-light image sensors," so we can only assume they're coming – and "camera runtimes ranging from 40% to 90% longer" suggests that battery performance will be significantly better.

Get out of court and into development

"It's not the winning but the taking part that counts" joked one wag about GoPro's recent patent battles with Insta360. As a camera customer with a college-level understanding of law, I've got to admit that just knowing GoPro is expending a lot effort chasing competitors is a bit dispiriting.

Lawyers aren't cheap, whether you're an individual or a company like GoPro. (Even as I write this, I imagine my parents are wondering why I didn't follow that career path and ended up writing about tech.) The costs will be paid by anyone buying a GoPro and, personally, I'd rather that money was poured back into R&D than more spurious cases.

Don't get me wrong – it is, of course, well within a company's rights to defend its patents, but there are some things which seem more pressing.

And that's the point about the "taking part". It doesn't really seem like GoPro is concerned about winningl it comes across as somewhere between a desperate hope or just the time-honored strategy of making life difficult for the more successful company that you should have beaten 'fair and square'.

Would we have had a GoPro Hero Black with 8K sooner if the company had developed it first, rather than letting Insta360 beat it to the market and relying on ultimately unsuccessful court action to try to hamper its rival?

Will I buy a GoPro next time?

Ultimately, I'll just get the best camera for my needs (assuming there isn't a horrific sting in the tail in the form of a subscription that limits features if not acquired).

Action cameras are useful in so many ways, and GoPro has never really been out of the game. For people like me, who value low light performance (and, if I'm honest, aren't as high-speed in bright light as we used to be), it has been wise to examine alternatives for a while.

It sounds to me that the competition here is finally moving back to the tech first and the courts second – which is the way it should be, if you ask me.

And in that case, it feels like GoPro is going to deserve a lot of attention.