GoPro Hero 13 Black review: a Mod-tastic marvel for creative thrill-seekers

GoPro is admittedly the iPhone of the action camera world because you know a new model is coming every year; you just don’t know what the changes will be. Sometimes, the upgrades are less significant, but now and then, an iteration comes around that resets the playing field.

Is the GoPro Hero 13 Black this watershed action camera? Well, yes and no. It introduces a bunch of exciting accessories, such as the new lens attachments, magnetic charging door, and magnetic mounting option, which open up a whole host of new creative applications no other GoPro can match.

At the same time, the core experience stays similar to what it was before. By this, I mean that if you’re an average GoPro user – who might only record less extreme or creative scenarios – the Hero 13 Black will provide a similar experience to the GoPro Hero 12 Black or even the GoPro Hero 11 Black.

Who needs the Hero 13 Black, and is it the best GoPro (maybe even the best action camera) right now? Is it worth upgrading from the Hero 12 Black, or should you skip this generation and wait for the Hero 14 Black (maybe even the Hero 15 Black)? Read my full GoPro Hero 13 Black review below to find out.

GoPro Hero 13 Black review

Price and availability

The GoPro Hero 13 Black was announced in September 2024 and is now available for pre-ordered directly from GoPro. Preorder shipping and global retail on-shelf availability will begin on 10 September.

The Hero 13 Black retails for $399.99. The Hero 13 Black Creator Edition sells for $599.99 and includes the Volta Power Grip, Media Mod and Light Mod.

Ultra Wide Lens Mod ($99.99), Macro Lens Mod ($129.99) and the ND Filter 4-Pack ($69.99) are sold separately from Hero 13 Black and are also now available for preorder at GoPro. Sadly, the Anamorphic Lens Mod ($129.99) won’t be available until 2025.

The ultra-cool Contacto Magnetic Door and Power Cable Kit ($79.99) is also available, and so are the Magnetic Latch ($24.99) and Ball Joint Mounts ($39.99).

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm): 71.8W x 50.8H x 33.6D
• Weight (Camera + Mounting + Battery): 159g
• Rear Display Size: 2.27” Colour LCD
• Front Display Size: 1.4” Colour LCD
• Water rating: 33ft (10m)
• Sensor: TBC
• Max video resolution: 5.3K@60 / 4K@120, 5.3K@30 8:7 / 4K@60 8:7
• Image stabilisation: HyperSmooth 6.0
• Max photo resolution: 27MP
• Max screengrab from videos: 24.7MP from 5.3K 8:7 Video
• Maximum video bit rate: up to 120Mbps (5.3K / 4K)
• Built-in GPS: yes
• Battery: Removable 1900mAh
• Battery life: up to 163.1 minutes (16:9, 1080p@30/25/24)
• Connectivity: WiFi 6

Design and build quality

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GoPro Hero 13 Black sporting the ND filter

The GoPro Hero 13 Black is almost the spitting image of its predecessor. It has the same dimensions and weighs about the same (at 159g, the actual weight increase is a meagre 5g).

The displays are also the same, with a 2.27” colour touchscreen LCD at the rear and a 1.4” colour LCD at the front. The water rating also stayed the same, allowing you to use Hero 13 Black without any protective casing to a depth of 10m (33ft).

The buttons also stayed the same and are located on the camera's side and top. The battery compartment door still hides the micro SD card slot and the USB-C charging port, just like before. The optical unit stayed the same.

This doesn’t mean the two cameras are identical, though. The Hero 13 Black introduces a small grill under the lens, presumably to improve heat dissipation. The camera's finish is also different, going from a dark grey speckled with blue dots to a smoother grey.

One of the biggest differences can be found at the bottom of the camera. Along with the folding finger and 1/4-20 mounting thread, the GoPro Hero 13 also added a magnetic mounting option, meaning that you now have three ways to affix the action cam to different accessories.

As mentioned above, the Magnetic Latch is an extra that is not included in the box of the basic Hero 13 Black bundle.

One thing worth mentioning here is that although the magnetic mount is very stable, even GoPro recommends using the finger mount in the most hardcore use cases when the camera needs to stay in place. For example, if you mount the Hero 13 Black on the back of a car on a race track, you should probably use the finger mount instead of the magnetic one.

New lens mods

One of the biggest upgrades – if not the most significant – is the introduction of new lens attachments. Not only are there a bunch of new options, but the camera automatically recognises them and adjusts the settings accordingly.

Plus, the attachments now have a blue circle printed in one of the corners on the inside to help you align them with the Hero 13 Black. This makes swapping lens covers slightly less painful.

A pro tip: affix the Mods using their silicone case. It makes them easier to grab and twist and avoids accidentally touching the glass. Also, you can use the cap of the silicone case to store the standard lens cover of your GoPro while it’s off-camera.

All new lens mods are scratch-resistant with hydrophobic coatings, but have different waterproofing-rating when attached to the Hero 13 Black, as per below:

• Macro Lens Mod to 3.3ft (1m)
• Ultra Wide and Anamorphic Lens Mods to 16ft (5m)
• ND Filter 4-Pack to 33ft (10m)

The Ultra Wide Lens Mod is based on the design of the Max Lens Mod 2.0, offering an expanded field of view up to 177°, which lets you cut the footage in post in a million different ways, from 16:9 ultra-wide horizontal to 9:16 ultra-wide vertical and anything in between. With this attachment, the Hero 13 Black can shoot up to 4K60 or as slow as 1080p120.

Admittedly, this is GoPro’s answer to 360-degree action cams such as the Insta360 X4, which allows you to shoot one piece of footage and crop it in any way imaginable. However, the Hero 13 Black’s version might be perceived as more accessible to post-process, thanks to the lack of keyframing.

One of the attachments that GoPro emphasised during the press briefing is the Macro Lens Mod. As expected, adding this will allow the Hero 13 Black to focus on objects close to the lens and be used in non-macro situations, thanks to its focus ring and focus peaking feature.

The brand says the minimum focus distance is 4.33in (11cm), and you can tweak where the focus is using the built-in rotating lens ring. In theory, the Macro Lens Mod even allows you to achieve a subtle bokeh effect!

I haven’t had much time to play around with the Macro Lens Mod yet, but I am finding it slightly underwhelming. 4.3 inches is close for a massive 100mm DSRL lens but very far for the Hero 13 Black due to its expanded FOV, making you feel the camera’s macro isn’t macro at all. Plus, the focus peaking is hard to see on the small rear display of the Hero 13 Black.

I see the potential application of this accessory in certain situations, but it needs some more tweaking. It would probably be suitable if you need a lens mod to shoot ‘close-ups’ of motorbike chains or your face when riding a bike.

One more thing I find slightly concerning – in need of a better word here – is the physical rotating ring. I’m sure it’s ultra-durable, but once salt water and/or sand gets under the rim, it’ll grate away the lens. And considering what situations the Hero 13 Black can be used in, this is something to consider and keep an eye on.

My favourite lens accessory is the ND (neutral density) Filter 4-Pack, which also happens to be the most affordable one. When used with an action camera, ND filters help create smoother motion blur, providing a sense of speed.

There are four filters in the pack (ND4 / ND8 / ND16 / ND32), and the Hero 13 Black can even recommend which one to use. Auto-detect adjusts settings and ND metering and recommends a higher or lower density filter depending on available lighting.

When you pop the ND filter on and point the camera in the direction you’ll be filming, you’ll see an arrow at the top of the screen pointing up or down if the camera thinks you should change the filter to a lighter or stronger one.

I would recommend the ND filters as an add-on, although I haven’t tried the Anamorphic Lens Mod yet, which might be even better.

The Anamorphic Lens Mod will launch next year, so we only know what we expect to see when it does in 2025. This accessory lends a blockbuster movie look to your footage with cinematic lens flares for professional-level artistic filmmaking. The Hero 13 Black’s aspect ratio also changes to 21:9 when the lens is on the camera, further enhancing that silver screen feel.

(New) features

As for new features that aren’t connected to any of the latest accessories, the GoPro Hero 13 Black offers only a few.

The most important is the ridiculously capable Burst Slo-Mo, which can shoot up to 400 actual frames at 720p in a 15-second burst. GoPro emphasised that these frames aren’t interpolated; the camera captures each individual frame in a sequence.

If you need more resolution, the Hero 13 Black can also shoot 900p360 in 15 real-time seconds and 5.3K120 in 5 real-time seconds. This powerful feature can be used to create dramatic footage of water ripples, sand spraying out from under a bike's wheels, and more.

The only caveat is that it ‘only’ captures footage for a maximum of 15 seconds, so Burst Slo-Mo videos will need to be orchestrated more than standard high-frame-rate videos. If you need continuous footage with a high frame rate, you should use the 4k120 mode, introduced in the Hero 12 Black.

Another new and more professional addition is HLG HDR Video. GoPro added HDR (high dynamic range) mode in the Hero 12 Black, and added hybrid-log gamma (HLG) to the Hero 13 Black as an extension to this.

The brand claims the HLG HDR meets broadcasting industry HDR standards, including 10-bit and Rec. 2100 colour space and a wider colour gamut. Not surprisingly, HLG HDR playback requires an HDR-compliant monitor and a media player that supports HDR.

The addition of the HLG HDR mode shows in which direction GoPro is trying to take its flagship camera. With the introduction of the compact HERO, it’s evident that the Hero 13 Black is moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and will follow a more top-end, nuanced approach, catering more to creative and professional users.

Other features include WiFi 5 connectivity for 40% faster WiFi transfer speeds, plus even-faster wired transfers with a USB-C cable, customisable presets (name, beep volume, LED behaviour, and screensaver options), and GPS.

Well, GPS was disabled on the Hero 12 Black, so it’s technically not a new feature, but those few users who were desperate to have GPS will be happy to know that it’s back. GPS allows you to share speed, path, terrain, altitude, and g-force overlay from the Quik app, which is excellent for motorsport or cycling applications.

Performance

GoPro HERO13, 5.3K@60FPS, ND Filter - YouTube

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The GoPro Hero 13 Black didn't change much of the core functionality, so most people will likely use the 5.3K at 60fps as the standard setting (like I did), which is the exact maximum resolution as the Hero 12 Black.

There is nothing wrong with that, though. In my interview with Pablo Lema, GoPro's Head of Product said, “We’re careful about setting a high bar in image quality, not just resolution. It’s easy to make an 8K device, but the challenge is to maintain image quality without overloading the processor."

In essence, GoPro focused on the new Mods with the Hero 13 Black, not bumping up the resolution. The company added the 400fps Burst Slo-Mo, a mode I'm yet to explore in more depth.

GoPro HERO13 Black, 4k@60fps, 9:16 crop, Ultra Wide lens - YouTube

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One of the more exciting features connected to the new Lens Mods is the cropability of the Ultra Wide lens footage. You can edit the same footage in any way you like. Above, I edited the footage to suit the social media standard 9:16, while below, it's a more YouTube-friendly 16:9. Same raw footage.

GoPro HERO13 Black, 4k@60fps, 16:9 crop, Ultra Wide lens - YouTube

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Battery life

One of the new hardware upgrades is the enhanced 1900mAh Enduro Battery, which is 10% larger than the one featured in the Hero 12 Black. According to GoPro, the battery offers improved power efficiency and a re-engineered battery connector for longer runtimes in hot and cold environments.

For example, the runtime at 5.3K resolution, 60 or 50 fps, and 16:9 image ratio went from 70 to 79 minutes, a 13% increase. This doesn’t mean all modes got 13% more efficient, though. Some increased up to 22% (16:9, 2.7K@240/200 is now 78 minutes, compared to the Hero 12 Black's 64), while others only 4% (16:9, 5.3K@30/25/24 went from 98 to 104.3).

Overall, it’s a battery life increase, no matter how you look at it, without the added bulk. Enabling the GPS obviously significantly reduces runtime, so unless you’re desperate for those sweet overlays, I’d recommend keeping it turned off.

One more thing to mention is the Contacto Magnetic Door and Power Cable Kit, which is a cool accessory that replaces the battery door with a magnetic version, allowing the Hero 13 Black to function without interruptions while being charged.

Sadly, I wasn't provided with a sample of the Contacto, but once I get one, I'll update the review with my thoughts on it. It certainly looks cool in the pictures.

Who’s the GoPro Hero 13 Black for?

The GoPro Hero 13 Black is a top-tier action camera aimed at prosumers and creatives who like pushing their limits artistically. It can be used as a point-and-shoot device – there is an ‘Easy’ control mode that reduces the number of shooting options – but it’s too pricey and overkill for that purpose.

Getting a GoPro Hero 13 Black for shooting basic videos is a slap in the face of the hundreds of hard-working individuals at GoPro who go out of their way to make capable, compact recording devices to capture unique videos and photos.

The addition of the new lens mods opens up a whole new world of creative possibilities, which isn’t for everyone. If you’re curious and want to push your content creation process to new heights, the Hero 13 Black is for you.

Should you buy the GoPro Hero 13 Black?

While the GoPro Hero 12 was the only option for both beginners and enthusiasts alike, the 13th generation offers two distinctly different options for the two categories. If you’re a beginner or casual user, you’re better off getting the Hero 12 Black, which is now cheaper and is often on offer, or the dinky Hero. You might want to consider the GoPro Hero 11 Black.

Should you upgrade from the Hero 12 Black? Unless you want to push your creative limits, I think the Hero 12 Black is more than capable enough for you. You can’t use the new lenses, but the core functionality is the same, so you’re not losing out on a ton unless you accessorise.

Verdict

I gave the GoPro Hero 12 Black the maximum five stars last year because, as I said in the intro, it’s hard not to get super excited when a new GoPro launches. In 2024, I was determined to approach the Hero 13 Black review as analytically as possible, considering many different factors and use scenarios.

What I found is that the Hero 13 Black is an awesome camera with a ton of unique use cases and features that enable you to express yourself in ways you couldn’t before. Personally, I can’t wait to see how creators will use the new Lens Mods and the Burst Slo Mo to bring to life videos and photos previously unavailable due to hardware and software limitations.

That said, most of the new features either cost extra (i.e. Lens Mods) or cater for more professional users (i.e. HLG HDR), which makes the base unit very similar to the Hero 12 Black.

I imagine only a small portion of GoPro users will go swimming with sharks or jump out of aeroplanes; the rest will use the cameras to record kids playing in the pool or vlogging, and for that, the Hero 13 Black is almost too much.

It’s a fantastic camera, nevertheless, for whatever purpose you want to use it for. I found it creatively inspiring, thinking long and hard about which angle and shooting mode I should use to help bring to life my creative vision, which makes me think about whether the Hero 13 Black is the ultimate action camera right now for creatives.

The GoPro Hero 13 Black certainly is an awe-inspiring tool for creative minds – that’s for sure.

Also consider

GoPro Hero 12 Black: Still powerful, cheaper, and great for most users who don't need the Hero 13's advanced features.

Insta360 X4: Offers 360-degree video and versatile cropping options, appealing to users who want more post-production flexibility.

DJI Osmo Action 4: Known for excellent image stabilisation, solid battery life, and a user-friendly design at a lower price point.

Insta360 Ace Pro: Delivers excellent image stabilisation, low-light performance and AI-powered editing, perfect for immersive and dynamic content creators.

Akaso Brave 7 LE: A budget-friendly option with decent 4K recording and weatherproofing for casual users.