The release of the GoPro Hero5 has already been confirmed by the CEO of the company, Nick Woodman. Although the corporation has stopped short of confirming the date of release for the GoPro Hero5, rumors point to an October date for the action camera. The activity-capturing device will be extremely important for the GoPro brand, as the company has lost a significant amount of value owing to a stock price slump in recent times. Thus, this is expected to be an extremely impressive action camera when it hits the market, featuring a wide range of new functionality.
Connected and convenient
Above all else, the GoPro Hero5 is expected to be the most connected and convenient that GoPro has ever manufactured, and this has already been confirmed by the company itself. No-one is quite sure what this will entail, but obvious tie-ins with YouTube and other video posting sites will be central to the ethos of the device.
Woodman has stated publicly that the GoPro Hero5 will be primarily cloud-based, and that the idea of connectibility is particularly important to the core audience of the camera. Woodman outlined his views on the subject in a public statement.
“GoPro as we have known it today has resonated with our core customer, who wants the solution so badly that they are willing to deal with the inconvenience of manually offloading and accessing and editing their content. But we are self-aware and we’re willing to acknowledge that experience is too difficult for the mass market consumer, today.”
Battery
Early suggestions related to the GoPro Hero5 indicate that the device will have twice the battery life of the previous iterations in the series. In particular, a 2,800mAh battery has been linked with the device, which would give the action camera a pretty staggering battery lifecycle.
Size
Reports have also indicated that the GoPro Hero5 will be sleeker and lighter than previous models, aiming to make this a convenient mass market device appealing to a broad spectrum of consumers.
8K recording
It has also been suggested that the GoPro Hero5 will be capable of recording 8K resolution video. This ultra high definition recording standard has certainly not become part of mainstream technology as of yet, and indeed there are virtually no devices available on the market that can actually play back 8K video.
But this definitely shouldn’t be viewed as a redundant feature. It is generally believed that over time that 4K resolution will become standard for the consumer electronics marketplace, with 8K effectively becoming the new 4K; the high definition jaw-dropping standard for videophiles and the tech-obsessed. Clearly GoPro intends to get in on the ground floor with the GoPro Hero5, and this may not be a bad scheme once the viability of 8K resolution begins to emerge.
Qualcomm chips
It has been rumored in some quarters that GoPro will switch to the credentialed chip manufacturer Qualcomm with the GoPro Hero5. This company has been making serious inroads into the camera marketplace, and the upcoming 360fly 4K will use a Snapdragon 800 processor. Qualcomm is hugely experienced, having manufactured chips for consumer electronics giants such as Apple and Samsung, and it has already been suggested that GoPro could ditch previous chip maker Ambarella for the GoPro Hero5.
Drone compatibility
The drone marketplace may be rather controversial, but it is also a growing commercial concern, and GoPro has already signalled its intention to move into this marketplace. Reports have indicated that GoPro is working on an autonomous drone that would require no piloting whatsoever, and the GoPro Hero5 is likely to collaborate with this device in some capacity.
Underwater focus
GoPro will also ensure that the GoPro Hero5 is particularly well calibrated for underwater shooting, as the corporation looks to extend the scope of this action camera, and attract divers in particular. Thus, reports have suggested that it will be possible to utilize this action camera at an underwater depth of 60 meters. This promises to be a pretty impressive technical achievement, as the existing GoPro Hero4 can only be utilized at a depth of 20 meters. This could thus appeal to professional and commercial divers as well as consumers.
Dual-lens setup
It has also been reported widely that GoPro is considering a dual-lens setup when the GoPro Hero5 is released. This will serve two primary purposes, firstly to enable the action camera to capture 3D images and video, and secondly to enhance the shooting capabilities of the action camera in darker conditions.
Bluetooth
GoPro will include an A10 chip in the GoPro Hero5, while Bluetooth functionality will also be tweaked to ensure that the camera increases performance in poor shooting conditions.
60 fps
It has also been suggested that the GoPro Hero5 will be capable of shooting videos at 60 frames per second across detailed resolutions. This should be considered particularly important, as this framerate is commonplace now across various media, and GoPro will want to ensure that the GoPro Hero5 delivers this for professional reasons in particular.
Price
Discussion of the pricing of the GoPro Hero5 has been rather vague, with reports suggesting that it could be price anywhere between $450 and $550; a pretty big gulf in suggestions for a device of this price range. And the recent release of the iPhone SE illustrates just how difficult it is for analysts to predict the price point of a particular piece of consumer electronics hardware, as this Apple smartphone was perennially overestimated, and ultimately turned out to be $399.
With GoPro needing to reach a mass market audience with the GoPro Hero5, it is possible that the price of the device will ultimately be closer to the lower of the extremes. So consumers can possibly expect to pay around $450 for the action camera, certainly an attractive prospect for action camera fans.
