GoPro is moving beyond action cameras – but does that mean mirrorless? This is what we know so far about the GoPro mystery camera

GoPro, the iconic American brand that invented the action camera, is finally moving beyond tiny cameras. After teasing a move into the high-end vlogging camera category last year, GoPro has been steadily dropping hints that something major is coming.

The latest hint is a teaser with a range of footage that’s not possible on GoPro’s current lineup. The sample footage, ranging from macro to telephoto, makes it fairly clear that the next GoPro isn’t an action camera – leading to speculation that the company’s next camera might be mirrorless.

I’m a photographer and a GoPro user who’s been following the trail of breadcrumbs since CEO Nicholas Woodman first hinted at the brand’s entry into more camera categories last year. While I’m not 100 percent convinced that the next GoPro is a mirrorless camera, this is what I know so far about the upcoming camera(s).

GoPro is working on “vlogging" and "ultra-premium compact cinema-grade" cameras

Earlier this month, GoPro announced its new GP3 processor, which is said to deliver more than twice the pixel processing power, along with better low-light and AI-driven subject recognition. But even more interesting than the processor itself is that GoPro says that the tech will be used inside “vlogging cameras, and ultra-premium compact cinema-grade cameras.”

I’ve known that GoPro was working on something bigger than an action camera since Woodman first teased the idea to investors last year. But until this month, it wasn’t quite clear what category the low-light camera would be in – until that GP3 announcement.

The mystery GoPro seems capable of both macro and telephoto shots

A Preview From the New Generation of GoPro - YouTube

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GoPro has now shared the first footage from “the next generation of GoPro” – and it has many fans speculating if the upcoming camera is a mirrorless with an interchangeable lens. That speculation comes from the fact that the sample footage includes footage that looks like it was shot with a macro lens, along with video that appears to be a telephoto shot of the moon.

A mirrorless camera is certainly a good guess, but that’s not the only type of camera that can take both macro and telephoto shots. The Nikon P1100 superzoom bridge camera, for example, can zoom in on the craters of the moon and still take macro from 1cm away. While the upcoming GoPro could certainly be a mirrorless camera, it could also be a camera with a really versatile lens built in.

The mystery GoPro is capable of lovely bokeh, hinting at a larger sensor

The other element that caught my eye in the footage from the upcoming camera is that there’s a close-up of a tree branch in the rain that is just oozing with bokeh and background blur. Bokeh typically comes from larger sensors and bright aperture lenses. (If I’ve been duped by a “portrait mode” with computational photography like the fake bokeh on smartphones, I will be sorely disappointed.)

The other hint that makes me think the new GoPro will have a larger sensor dates all the way back to August 2025, when Woodman said that the company would enter the “higher-end low-light camera category for vloggers, prosumers, and professionals.” High-end and low -ight again seem to speak towards a larger sensor.

Of course, the definition of larger is open to a lot of possibilities. The Hero13 Black has a 1/1.9-inch sensor, so even a one-inch sensor would be larger.

The mystery GoPro will focus much differently than its action cameras

GoPro’s action cameras don’t have autofocus. The focus is instead fixed, which is a great feature for action cameras because it means the autofocus doesn’t have to struggle to keep up with fast action.

But GoPro’s fixed focus works because the smaller sensor and wide-angle lens make it easier to get most of the image in focus. If the next GoPro is capable of close-up and telephoto footage and has a larger sensor, a fixed focus isn’t going to work.

GoPro also said that its new processor will be used for AI-driven subject recognition. While that could be referring to detecting the subject to set the exposure in a smarter auto mode, I suspect it’s also going to power some autofocus features.

GoPro has a lot riding on this launch

While there’s a lot of speculation around the next GoPro, one thing is clear: GoPro has a lot riding on this launch. The company has been struggling financially in recent years, as the action camera giant now has to contend with competition from DJI and Insta360, not to mention smartphone cameras.

For the 2025 fiscal year, the company reported US$93.5 million in losses. The year before, Woodman declined to take his own salary.

Entering a new camera category could bolster the company, particularly if the company is able to cater to the growing number of content creators or the longstanding video pros.

That said, things could swing the other way for GoPro, too, if the launch doesn’t hit just right. I’m sure GoPro would probably rather forget the Karma, the recalled GoPro drone that’s the result of the last time the company tried to move beyond action cameras and 360 cameras.

New GoPros are probably coming sometime in the next three months

Woodman has long hinted that the high-end low-light camera would arrive sometime in 2026. But, GoPro’s new processor is expected to arrive out on cameras (yes, that’s plural) in the second quarter of 2026, according to the company. That suggests the mystery camera could arrive between April and June.

Another possibility is that the GP3 arrives in the Hero14 Black action camera first, but the company did say cameras plural, so there’s likely more than one GoPro coming out in the next few months.

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