The GoPro Hero stands out as one of the most perplexing devices encountered recently, largely due to its naming convention. Year after year, GoPro unveils another iteration of their Hero camera, leading to the impression that “GoPro Hero” merely refers to the latest premium model. However, this particular Hero introduces a new segment for the company—a cost-effective alternative, launched alongside the flagship Hero 13 Black.

The strategy appears promising. Competing products like the Insta360 Go 3S and the aging DJI Action 2 are both more compact than the GoPro Hero. Notably, the DJI model hasn’t received an update in three years, while the Insta360 is priced at twice the cost. This positioning could potentially allow GoPro to dominate the compact camera market.

Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether this model is the key to achieving that goal. While the GoPro Hero serves as a straightforward, efficient, and attractively-priced 4K camera that easily fits into a daily bag, the necessary compromises made to reach that affordable price tag seem to render it somewhat specialized compared to its more feature-rich counterpart.