GoPro Hero 8 Black Rumors – Must Have Functionality

GoPro Hero 8 is rumored to be released sometime in September if GoPro sticks to their regular refresh cycle of new action cameras.

The Wait is Over

GoPro Officially launched the new GoPro Hero 8 Black on October 1, 2019, and boy is it good. Check out our GOPRO HERO 8 BLACK REVIEW. The bad news is it isn’t available yet. It will be shipping on October 15th and probably hit the stores on October 20th.

If you can’t wait for the Hero 8, get a Hero 7 Black at a discount.

I haven’t been able to get a confirmation yet, but supposedly the GoPro Hero 8 Release Date is October 1st at 9am (10.01.2019) eastern time. As of right now, this is still a rumored release date, but it sounds reasonable and something is happening on that date.

Here is the first unofficial look at the possible new GoPro Hero 8. The new action camera looks to have a hot shoe mount and would be able to accept a forward-facing screen and a flash. If true, this would make the GoPro a much more attractive camera for vloggers.

Some new pictures just popped up showing some more angles of the GoPro Hero 8 in some sort of ‘media module. It appears to allow the GoPro to have 2 hot shoe attachments and possibly an external microphone.

The image above also appears to show a hinged mounting plate that is built into the bottom of the GoPro. This would allow you to mount the GoPro without having to have a case.

The battery door has also been moved to the side of the camera versus the bottom.

Chinese sources say the new GoPro Hero 8 will be unveiled on September 2019.

The camera will receive a new housing design and several new accessories: an external microphone, an LED flashlight, an additional screen, etc.

With rumored pictures appearing on the net of the new GoPro Hero 8, it looks like GoPro has revamped the camera a bit. I am not exactly sure what the tube is on the side, but it could be a microphone or microphone port.

The new concept Hero 8 looks like it can accept accessories like a forward-facing screen. What would be really cool is if the screen was a dual forward and backward facing.

One issue people have been waiting is better low light capabilities and it looks like having a LED Flashlight might help a bit.

According to rumors, GoPro Hero 8 will shoot 4K-video at up to 120 frames per second, and FullHD – up to 480.

The camera will use a new GP2 processor and a new improved lens. The sensor will be with the same resolution of 12 megapixels.

4K 120p video looks somewhat unexpected, however, if you imagine that the bitrate will be at the level of 4K 60p, then it is likely that the processor will cope with such a volume of data. But in this case, the average image quality will drop.

GoPro has been tight-lipped about any release for the Hero 8. When I called their support line, the support staff that answered seemed clueless to any new releases coming out. They kept on pressing me about how I heard about the Hero 8 and acted like they never heard anyone else reference it before.

I also tried to reach out to GoPro’s media relations about the GoPro Hero 8, but so far crickets.

Leave A Comment!

If you have any rumors about the Hero 8 or functionality you want to see, leave them in the comments section.

Before we jump into the GoPro rumors we have to talk a little about the elephant in the room. Namely the DJI Osmo Action Camera.

DJI Osmo Action Camera

This year DJI introduced their own action camera, aka the DJI Osmo Action and threw down the gauntlet challenging GoPro for dominance in the Action Camera market.

With this new camera, DJI whipped out some rather cool tricks including a front-facing screen, electronic stabilization called RockSteady and HDR video mode.

Most people who have used the DJI Osmo Action say the camera body is better than the GoPro 7 and feels more professional.

Top GoPro Hero 8 Black Rumors

Two of the biggest complaints and frustrations GoPro Bloggers have is no front screen and no microphone jack.

With DJI Osmo coming out with a front-facing screen, GoPro is now in the hot seat to fire back with their own front-facing screen.

GoPro also needs to address audio complaints and add a microphone jack rather than force people to purchase the GoPro Pro 3.5mm Mic Adapter. Another option would be to provide digital audio capabilities via Bluetooth that would work similarly to the Sennheiser AVX microphone system.

New Body Design

CEO Nick Woodman in the May 2019 conference call mentioned that GoPro would be refreshing their lineup. “I’m happy to share that we’re planning an exciting refreshed lineup at all price points in Q4, including our next-generation spherical camera and an innovative multi-year roadmap that we believe will result in continued momentum, growth, and profitability for GoPro in 2019 and beyond.”.

Nick’s mention of the spherical camera (a.k.a Fusion 2) will certainly excite 360 enthusiasts.

I am quite sure that Nick and GoPro engineers got a good look at the DJI Osmo Action body style and came to the conclusion that the GoPro Hero Black 7 needs a facelift.

Many users complain that the black rubber casing isn’t holding up to usage and tends to look worn out after a few months. In contrast, the new DJI Osmo Action continues to stay fresh looking.

If GoPro decides not to make a front-facing screen on the Hero 8 Black they may opt for a larger rear edge-to-edge screen.

With GoPro moving production to Mexico, it’s almost guaranteed that production will be tweaked to make a new fresher looking GoPro. “In June, we will begin production in Guadalajara, Mexico of our U.S. bound cameras to support sales beginning in the third quarter,” said Brian McGee, Executive Vice President, and CFO. “We expect most of our U.S. bound cameras will be in production in Mexico in the second half of 2019. As stated previously, our decision to move most of our U.S. bound production to Mexico supports our goal to insulate us against possible tariffs as well as recognize some cost savings and efficiencies.”

Hero 8 Black Internal Upgrades

The GoPro Hero 8 Black will certainly have some internal upgrades including a possible new GP2 processor. While HyperSmooth stabilization is really good, it does struggle in low light situations. The new processor should help improve Hypersmooth and boost its capabilities.

PRO TIP: You can smooth out your footage even more (Using HyperSmooth) by using Touch Zoom or set the field of view to Linear to crop your shots before you start recording. This will give your camera an even bigger buffer to use when stabilizing your video. 

Hero 8 Black Specs Rumors

• New chipset (GP2 chip and 4GB memory)
• Include at least three options: GoPro HERO 8 Black, HERO8 Silver, and HERO8 White. We could also see a new HERO, maybe in the form of a HERO Pro that would be a more professional version with more features.
• Possibly a new body design. Based on the positive feedback from DJI OSMO Action users, GoPro may opt to change the GoPro camera coating to something more professional feeling rather than the current rubberized coating the GoPro HERO 7 Black has.
• Could include 8K Video
• 4K capture at 120fps with HyperSmooth.
• Improved Hypersmooth, especially if 6K or 8K video is added.
• Video + Image capture capabilities
• Mic adapter or bluetooth microphone capabilities.
• A larger rear screen and possibly a forward-facing screen.

Hero 8 Black Rumors Frequently Asked Questions

With DJI now in the game, GoPro will need to up their bag of tricks and come out with a new Hero 8 Black that crushes expectations.