Last weekend, GoPro announced semi-quietly that they plan to release a firmware update that will allow users to better control the way Hero 10 handles no airflow conditions, thereby increasing the recording time by more than 154%. For those who have too much time on hand, you may remember my GoPro Hero 10 overheating test. I ran more than 40 different tests on Hero 10 to find out exactly where it overheated and where it didn’t. In short, in any situation where the airflow is zero (such as internal static installation), it will overheat at 60FPS or higher. Except in the refrigerator, then it does a good job. It's just as good as the refrigerator. It's also great in an underwater diving box (I covered everything in detail in the video).

As part of this test, I overheated the bathroom to 104°F (40°C) and I found that basically-no matter the temperature, as long as you have some airflow, Hero 10 is good (even with the lightest breeze). But if there is no airflow, at higher frame rates, the camera will eventually overheat and shut down (elegantly, no data will be lost). Although many people will argue that action cameras should be used for action, the reality is that many people (including myself) have been using GoPro as an additional camera in static scenes, maybe even waiting in the car dashboard window...

Therefore, in order to solve this problem, GoPro announced that by the end of this month, a new firmware will be released to solve this problem. Exactly like other camera companies, GoPro will introduce three new "video performance modes" in which the camera can be operated. The following is their description:

1. The highest video performance-the highest video resolution and frame rate for the best image quality and super slow motion.

2. Extend the battery-The best video resolution and frame rate can maximize the recording time and extend the battery life.

3. Tripod/Still Video-Optimized for recording long video clips at the highest resolution and frame rate when the camera is stationary, without movement or air currents to cool the camera. GPS and HyperSmooth video stabilization is turned off in this mode.

This actually reflects a lot of things that I suspect may happen—especially turning off certain functions that are not needed in a static airflow environment (ie GPS and HyperSmooth), which can be used to solve this problem. Of course, only GoPro has the data to know what the huge feature matrix is ​​in terms of component heat contribution.

When it comes to the increase in battery life, they specifically say this:

"The following are the goals that users can expect to achieve on average when recording a single continuous clip under static conditions at 77F/25C in tripod/fixed video mode, without the need for movement or airflow to cool the camera:

Future firmware updates will enable longer clip lengths in 5.3K30 and 4K30. If it is important to your use case, 2.7K and 1080p will significantly extend the recording time of a single clip in extended battery or maximum video performance mode. "

Their percentage growth figures roughly match the baseline metrics I captured in extensive testing. Of course, I will test again, although this time I will focus on the scene that failed last time in a slightly more targeted way (because I have identified countless good scenes, namely airflow scenes.

Now it is worth noting that this may not solve all use cases. For example, earlier I noticed the race case in the dash scene. In this case, turning off HyperSmooth will result in a relatively bad picture on a bumpy surface. Even on ordinary highways, turning off all stabilization functions may be a hot topic in terms of lenses.

Of course, if you mainly use GoPro to record the interior or exterior view of a car on the highway, you hardly need to perform 60FPS (this is to slow down the video later for slow motion). Therefore, using 30FPS mode can handle several hours (or, as long as the battery lasts. Speaking of which...

Next, having nothing to do with the Hero 10 overheating update, GoPro also announced a new battery called "Enduro", which is designed for use in cold weather. The cost of this new battery is slightly higher than the existing battery ($24.99 instead of $19.99) and is compatible with Hero 9 and Hero 10. The new battery will improve performance in cold weather, but it will also improve normal conditions-in this case 40%. If it is true, it is very unbelievable.

In their test, the *battery temperature* was 14F/-10C, using new batteries on average

– 5.3K 60FPS: 56 minutes – 4K 120FPS: 50 minutes – 4K 60FPS: 76 minutes – 1080p 30FPS: 115 minutes

GoPro pointed out that although these statements are for *battery temperature*, the actual outdoor temperature may be lower because the battery will further heat the camera when you start recording.

When it comes to more normal temperatures, GoPro stated that during outdoor activities at 77F/25C, the new Enduro battery will:

– 5.3K 60FPS: 60 minutes (28% increase over standard batteries) – 4K 120FPS: 51 minutes (40% increase) – 4K 60FPS: 71 minutes (13% increase) – 1080p 30FPS: 120 minutes (same as before)

In any case, I will use my usual real-world tests to test the new battery, which is expected to be reviewed when the battery starts shipping in November. Again, this new battery is good for Hero 9 and Hero 10 (because they share the same battery).

With this-thanks for reading!

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Ray, small mistake: "...In fact, many people (including myself) are using GoPro...". It should be "GoPros" without an apostrophe.

There is nothing that adds up here.

The new Enduro battery can work for 76 minutes at -10C at 4K 60FPS, but can only work for 71 minutes at 25C. With the new video mode, an average of 63 minutes with the "static" mode enabled. Okay, using standard batteries, but still so. Somehow it seems inconsistent...

Do you know if this firmware is also applicable to Hero 9?

"...Increased the recording time by more than 147%..."

Pretty sure you mean "47% increase". Your results will certainly not show that battery life has more than doubled. 🙂

Hi Ray, as far as I know, you always mention that GoPro batteries are very backward compatible. For example, does this mean that Enduro batteries can be used in GoPro 8?

The batteries of gopro 9 and 10 are much larger than 8, so it is not physically suitable for 8 and is not compatible.

Are the Garmin people dead? Why can't we see any Garmin activities?

You mean VIRB? It seems to be the case, although I think Garmin has never issued an official statement. There have been no hardware or software updates for years, and there are no VIRBs available on buy.garmin.com (listed as discontinued when you finally find them). However, they still sell car cameras.

Have you also tested: keep blowing? Can this prevent overheating? 🙂

From Ray's early video (linked in this article), even if not all overheating problems, even moderate air movement seems to alleviate most. I almost only use my Hero 9 on road bikes, and I have never experienced overheating issues.

Using GoPro 9 as a safety device for short-range passes on bicycles I am happy to hear that battery life has improved, but unfortunately it doesn't have more. In an ideal world, I would not have to change the battery after 2 hours of riding. I can't find any obviously reputable alternatives, or even claim to be close to waterproof, which is an important consideration at this time of year in the northern hemisphere.

@Paul McAllister Have you seen Cycliq Fly12 and Fly6? I have been running them back and forth on my road bike for more than 4 years, ever since some bastard in the pickup truck threw a bottle full of water at my head (luckily his goal was bad). I can recover for more than 2 hours even on the front camera, and more than 4 hours on the rear camera. It's great not to worry about changing memory cards or erasing them. The built-in light is also a nice bonus. Although I will not deliberately ride in the rain, I have never encountered the problem of being flooded more than ten times (the weather forecast is not accurate 😒)

Andrew, I think I might switch to Cycliq eventually. I hope to avoid this because I already have a GoPro, but it looks like this might be the worst option.

Do I think it is right that there is no improvement? Did you just add a preset mode to disable Hypersmooth and GPS to extend the running time? Can all of these be manually configured with current firmware today?

Hi, I just installed the new SW 01.15. There are video performance mode options in the menu. However, I can't effectively set it to other values ​​and then maximum video performance-when switching to the extended battery, it seems to be ok. But then the screen turns black (reboot?) After checking the settings for a few seconds, it is the maximum video performance. Have you encountered a similar situation?

Well, GoPro confirmed this problem, and 01.15 has been removed from the GoPro update page

Just want to see if this solves the problem of gopro swallowing by itself when the battery is 50% or less. Yesterday I opened Hero 10 and it showed 46%. It started recording and closed after 10-15 seconds. This happened 4 times in a row. I gave up. I know I’m not the only one that happened.

How about wearing a foam windshield?

I am curious how this update will help record tennis matches. In the past 6 years, I have tried 10 different brands and models of cameras to shoot my daughter's tennis match. Most websites today recommend various models of GO PRO, including 5 for tennis recording. I can't help but wonder if people have actually used them. 1/3 of the time when shooting on aa go pro with 1080p external power, they will turn off the external power due to overheating. These are competitions for 1.5 to 3.5 hours at a high temperature of 80-95 degrees. Although some might say that they are not designed for recording that long, why are they recommended for tennis recording? Because I suspect there is no better answer than this.

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