Which GoPro Hero Camera Should You Buy?

If you're going to use your GoPro primarily to record yourself talking to the camera, the Lit Hero is the camera to get. It's an entry level model, new for 2025, that adds a light to the body of the Hero 13 above. The cluster of four LEDs next to the lens make this the best way to ensure you're well lit every time you're on screen. The Lit Hero is also plenty small and light if you do want to strap it to your body and use it as an action camera. It's 93 grams, just 7 grams heavier than the basic Hero above. The other good news is that the specs get a slight bump. The Lit Hero can shoot 4K at 60 fps, while the plain Hero only manages 4K at 30 fps.

This one is brand new, I haven't had a chance to thoroughly test it yet, but so far I am most impressed with how tiny it is. I'll update this guide with more detail once I've had a chance to use it for a few months.

The Hero 12 Black (8/10, WIRED Recommends) might have been replaced, but it's still a great camera. It's got the same sensor and processor as the latest model, GoPro's class leading image stabilization system, excellent battery life and better thermal performance than its predecessors. True story: this is the first GoPro that I had to work to make it overheat, which is quite a change from the Hero 11 and before, which tend to shutdown alarmingly fast when shooting in high temps.

Note that GoPro removed GPS support in the Hero 12, so you can't record GPS logs as you shoot. The company claims that less than 1 percent of users were actually using GPS, but if you want GPS support, then you'll want to go with the Hero 13 Black.

OK, so there's only one 360 GoPro, but it is the best, not just from GoPro, but the best 360 camera you can buy. Its modestly larger sensor edges out the (still pretty dang good) Insta360 X5 by offering a slightly sharper image and more realistic color rendition, especially in the sky. GoPro is calling the Max 2’s video “True” 8K footage, touting the fact that its image has more pixels than competitors, which count the black, unused portion of the sensor. The Max 2 also has support for 10-bit color, something Insta360's X5 lacks. Throw in the replaceable lenses (like, really, easily replaceable, you can do it with your fingers) and you have a winning combination of features. The icing on the cake for GoPro fans is that single lens mode on the Max 2 essentially turns it into a 4K GoPro Hero with almost exactly the same capabilities.

The weak points of the GoPro Max 2 are low-light performance (essentially, there isn't any) and the editing software. Editing on mobile in the Quik app is excellent, with automated tracking features that work extremely well. Unfortunately those features are only available on mobile. Hopefully GoPro will update its desktop software with the automatic tracking features in the near future.