GoPro HERO12 Black Unboxing and First Impressions

We take a deeper dive into the recently announced GoPro HERO12 Black which comes with 5.3K60p recording, 8:7 aspect ratio and longer battery life.

The new GoPro is here!

The new GoPro HERO12 comes with a 1/1.9-inch CMOS sensor with a 156-degree field of view and an 8:7 aspect ratio that is paired with the GP2 processor, and a removable 1,720mAh Enduro Battery.

It features a front and rear LCD and the outer shell can withstand 10M of being submerged under water. Other standout features include 27MP still capture, Bluetooth audio support, and its ability to record up to 5.3K at 30fps to a microSD card.

On paper, it is a very promising action camera that could also be great for content creators like vloggers.

In the Philippines, customers can nab it for only PHP 24,990.

Let's dive in.

Unboxing/Accessories

GoPro HERO12 Black box

It comes in a black box with the GoPro HERO12 Black branding and a render of the product in front while the specs, features and regulatory information are printed around the box.

Box inclusions

Inside the box are the GoPro HERO12, Enduro Battery, USB-A to USB-C cable, documentation, Curved Adhesive Mount, Mounting buckle and Thumb screw. MicroSD cards are not included.

Build Quality/Design

GoPro HERO12 Black unwrapped

At first glance, the new HERO12 looks familiar to the previous generation as the brand tends to stick to a familiar form factor while adding or refining features. It retains similar dimensions and silhouette.

Pretty good construction as usual!

It is made of a combination of glass, metal and polycarbonate.

Rear touch screen

At the back is a larger 2.27-inch touch screen with touch zoom and touch controls.

Front 1.4 screen

While in front is a smaller 1.4-inch screen for previews and status indicators.

Both screens serve to display relevant information about settings, recording playback and the like. The images produced out of the box are decent and they serve their purpose as a viewfinder and as a playback screen.

The rear touch screen is quick and it responds quickly to our taps and gestures.

Top and bottom sides

On top of the GoPro HERO12 are a microphone port, a record button and the hinge of the battery hatch. At the bottom are the battery hatch switch and the mounting flaps.

Left and right sides

On the left side is the battery hatch which is mostly smooth. On the right are the HERO12 Black branding, and the Power/mode button.

GoPro HERO12 Black's battery chamber

When opened, the battery hatch covers the battery chamber, microSD card slot and USB-C port.

Inserting the Enduro Rechargeable Battery into the HERO12 Black

The included 1,720mAh Enduro battery has a pull tab to easily pull out the battery when replacing it. GoPro claims that its efforts to optimize the power management of the HERO12 Black paired with the larger battery could yield significantly longer run times. 

The claims that it can record up to 70 minutes of 5.3K/60fps video with HyperSmooth 6.0 turned on. This translates to around 58 minutes of 4K/120fps with HyperSmooth 6.0 turned on. Over 90 minutes of continuous recording of 5.3K/30fps and over 155 minutes of continuous recording at 1080/30fps.

The camera carries a ton of features like HDR Video, 8:7 ultra-immersive aspect ratio, horizontal and vertical orientation and aspect ratios, HyperSmooth 6.0, Bluetooth Audio Connectivity, multiple Bluetooth connections and Timecode sync.

The HERO12 can also output to GP-Log with available LUTs and to footage with 10-bit color. Pairing both 10-bit color and GP-Log for the best colors with maximum dynamic range.

Included are the Night Effects where users can use their GoPro for long exposure photography like Light Painting, Star Trails, and Vehicle Light Trails.

One last key feature is the voice controls where you can tell the GoPro to select commands and it will do its best to follow.

GoPro Max Lens Mod 2.0

GoPro has made an extensive list of accessories for its ecosystem and one of the newer ones that we received for review alongside the HERO12 is the Max Lens Mod 2.0. It dramatically increases the field of view from 156 to 177 degrees. It is effectively 36 percent wider FOV for horizontal capture while being 48 percent taller FOV for vertical capture. The lens is high quality and it should deliver stunning footage at 4K60 resolution. The lens is also hydrophobic which means it repels water.

The Max Lens Mod 2.0 also enables 16:9 Max HyperView, 16:9 Max SuperView, 16:9 Wide, and 4:3 Max SuperView.

Upon initial set-up, you will be asked to choose your preferred language. It will then check for a microSD card and the current battery charge. Once it passes, it will require users to download the GoPro Quik App with their smartphone. They will be asked to sign up or log into their GoPro Account and pair it. Once paired, the app will set the GoPro up while updating it to the latest version.

After the initial set-up, the Quik app looks promising as aside from communicating with the camera, we can control and view live footage from the camera on our phone. There are more features like Quik video editing and more.

As of the moment

Initial boot logo

We are excited to dive deeper into the camera's capabilities through our gauntlet of tests and to see whether the new features are true benefits or whether they are just gimmicks.

Standout features include Bluetooth Audio connectivity, multiple Bluetooth device connections and time code syncing.

Out of the box, the camera feels solid while being somewhat lightweight. Also, the use of recycled materials gives it a unique look and texture.

The refinements on the different aspect ratios and stabilization modes could be crucial reasons to upgrade for owners of previous generation GoPros.

Because of its long-standing history, the GoPro ecosystem of first-party and third-party accessories has made it so versatile and we hope to be able to properly try the Max Lens Mod 2.0 along with other mounting options to get unique and mind-blowing footage.

Our first impressions of the new GoPro HERO12 are strong.

The Max Lens Mod 2.0 is priced at PHP 7,490 while the GoPro HERO12 Black is priced at PHP 24,990.

For our review: GoPro HERO12 Black Review with 4K Video Samples