This year’s Hero 9 dwarfs every action camera produced by GoPro so far. You will find genuine improvements in the Hero 9 like the use of front-facing screen from framing self-shots, a removable lens cover, the ability to record videos at 5K, capturing stills at 20MP, and the much loved HyperSmooth...

The GoPro Hero 9 Black’s most important changes are to do with ease of use rather than image quality, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

Longer battery life; Image quality and stabilisation are excellent; Useful front display;

Similar 4K image quality to Hero 8 Black, but with greater contrast; The price jump is significant; Still pretty poor at night;

With 5K recording, a front-facing screen and a bigger battery, GoPro’s Hero 9 Black is the best action camera yet

Fantastic video stabilisation; Practical front-facing screen; Improved battery life; Interchangeable lenses;

Touchscreen can be under-responsive; Won’t fit some older accessories;

For the first time in years, GoPro has changed the design of its flagship action camera. The Hero9 Black ($349.98 with one-year GoPro subscription) is a little bit bigger all around than last year's still-on-sale Hero8 Black. It utilizes the extra space well—pumping a bit of extra life into the battery, swapping the dated monochrome information panel for a full-color front display, and including support for add-on lenses. If those upgrades are compelling to you, it's another worthy offering from GoPro, but it has to compete with last year's fantastic Hero8 Black, priced $50 lower.A Bigger Hero The Hero9 sports a new chassis that's a bit larger than the previous generation, but it's still one of the smallest 4K cameras out there, and certainly the tiniest we've seen with support for 5K recording, at just 2.8 by 2.2 by 1.3 inches (HWD) and 5.6 ounces. The larger frame holds a bigger battery, a bigger rear touch LCD (2.3 inches), and, just like the rival DJI Osmo Action, a color di...

GoPro's Hero9 Black action cam delivers excellent, stabilized 5K video and ups still quality, but not everyone should spend more when the Hero8 Black is still available for less.

Up to 5K quality at 30fps; Front-facing color LCD; Exceptional video stabilization; Up to 240fps HD slow motion; Time-lapse, buffering, and HDR imaging; USB-C charging; Strong app support; Compact and waterproof

You'll likely want to carry extra batteries; Subscription service adds recurring costs; Discounted pricing not available from all retailers

“The Hero9 Black is as good as it gets, but its major improvements hold little real-world benefit over the Hero8.”

Front screen; Larger rear screen; Higher-capacity battery; Supports Max Lens Mod; 24MP stills

Bulkier compared to Hero8; 5K video feels pointless; Incompatible with Hero8 Media Mod

The GoPro Hero 9 Black is the most powerful and versatile action camera you can buy, but for most people its predecessor offers better value. While the new sensor and front display are useful additions, the changes don't collectively represent a big leap over the Hero 8 Black. Its slightly unresponsive touchscreen is also a little frustrating, even if a firmware fix is en route. No other action can match the Hero 9 Black's skillset, but others do currently edge it for value.

5K video delivers more detail; Front display is handy for vlogging; Improved battery life; New software tricks;

Unresponsive touchscreen; Little improvement to 4K shooting; Still no 4K/120p mode; HEVC files need recent editing hardware

Better battery despite two screens; Sharp and stable 5K video ; In-device horizon levelling;

Overheats after 30 minutes of 5K capture; Slightly narrower field of view than Hero8 Black; Bulkier than the dinky Hero8 Black;

It wasn’t long ago that action cameras were in an arms race to make the smallest possible device. In fact,...

Front-facing screen and a larger rear screen. Gorgeous 5K footage with in-camera horizon-levelling. 20MP stills and 14MP screen grabs. Vastly improved performance in cold temps. Longer battery life

A bit heavier than the Hero8 Black, Your old GoPro batteries won’t work with it, Video images lack a bit of sharpness and the colours are slightly off (hopefully fixable via firmware)

The GoPro HERO 9 Black rocks a front-facing colour screen and boosted specs across the board, yet GoPro has kept complexity to a minimum, meaning pretty much anyone can pick up a HERO 9 Black and shoot genuinely impressive 5k video.

Massive specs on every front; Potent but easy for beginners to use; Extremely robust build quality

On the heavier side for some mounts/applications; Voice controls improved but still slightly buggy

The GoPro Hero 9 Black is the most powerful and versatile action camera you can buy, but for most people its predecessor offers better value. While the new sensor and front display are useful additions, the changes don't collectively represent a big leap over the Hero 8 Black.

5K video delivers more detail; Front display is handy for vlogging; Improved battery life; New software tricks

Unresponsive touchscreen; Little improvement to 4K shooting; Still no 4K/120p mode; HEVC files need recent editing hardware