GoPro Hero 13 Black VS Hero 12 Black - Should You Upgrade?

hey what's up everyone it's that time of year again GoPro just dropped their latest camera the GoPro Hero 13 black in this video we'll dive into what's new what's improved and whether it's worth upgrading from the hero 12 spoiler alert if you're all about accessories and attachments the hero 13 might be for you but if you're rocking the hero 12 you might want to stick with it let's get into it so first up let's talk about the design at first glance the hero 13 black looks prettyy similar to the hero 12 same compact size rugged build and waterproof body just like you'd expect from GoPro but look a little closer and you'll notice a big difference GoPro added a new heat sink just below the lens this helps with thermal management so the hero 13 handles heat a lot better especially when you're shooting for long periods or using high performance modes like 5.3k or slow motion another change is the magnetic Mount if you've used use the hero 12 you know how frustrating it can be to unscrew the mount when switching between setups with the hero 13 GoPros added a quick release magnetic Mount that just snaps on and off it's super handy for anyone who's constantly moving between shots and it feels like GoPro took a note from DJI and insta 360 on this one now let's talk about the battery GoPro has given the hero 13 a 10% bigger battery compared to the hero 12 going from 1,700 12 Mah to 1,900 Mah that means longer run times which is always welcome you can expect around 2.5 hours of filming at 1080P and a little over an hour and a half at 5.3k which is impressive for such a small Camera Plus with the improved thermal management you're less likely to get overheating issues like you might have experienced on the hero 12 that said the new battery isn't Backward Compatible so if you're thinking of grabbing a hero 13 and to swap out your old batteries from the hero 12 it's not going to work the form factor is just slightly different all right let's move on to image quality here's the thing the hero 13 uses the same sensor as the hero 12 so in well-lit environments both cameras produce 5.3k video that looks stunning you've got 10-bit color and hlg hdr on the hero 13 which is a step up from the hero 12 but for most people the difference in regular daylight shooting will be minor where the hero 13 starts to pull ahead is with the new burst slow motion mode you can shoot at 120 FPS in 5.3k or push it all the way to 400 FPS in 720p it's great for capturing super smooth slow motion shots but keep in mind that at 400 FPS you're sacrificing resolution but if you were hoping for better lowlight performance sorry to say both the hero 12 and hero 13 struggle in dim conditions GoPro still hasn't given us that larger sensor we've been asking for now this is where the hero 13 really shines the new accessories GoPro has introduced a whole lineup of lenses and attachments that are compatible with the hero 13 black first up is the macro lens this is a game changer for anyone who loves close-up shots you can now focus on objects as close as 4 in giving you sharp detail on things like flowers insects or even product shots and there's a focus ring so you can manually adjust focus for those super tight shots then we have the ultra wide lens perfect for capturing those expansive Landscapes or action shots it's similar to the max lens mod 2.0 from the hero 12 but now the hero 13 automatically detects the lens when it's attached adjusting settings without you needing to dive into the menu and let's not forget the ND filter set if you're shooting in right conditions and want to maintain a lower frame rate for that cinematic motion blur these filters will come in handy the cool part the hero 13 will recommend which ND filter to use based on lighting making it foolproof for beginners finally GoPro teased an anamorphic lens coming in 2025 it's going to add that cinematic look with those awesome lens flares you see in movies I can't wait to try that out one feature making a comeback is GPS GoPro removed it from the hero 12 but it's back in the hero 13 if you're into adding overlays like speed distance or gForce data to your videos this is a musthave GoPro also upgraded to Wi-Fi 6 meaning faster file transfers it's a small Improvement but it makes downloading footage to your phone a lot quicker which is always a plus all right so here's the million dooll question should you upgrade to the hero 13 black if you're someone who loves gopro's ecosystem system and you're excited about the new lenses especially that macro lens or the upcoming anamorphic lens then yeah it might be worth the upgrade the new magnetic Mount battery life and thermal management are also solid reasons to consider upgrading especially if you use your GoPro regularly in tough environments or for extended shoots however if you already have the hero 12 black and you're not that interested in the new attachments you're honestly good to go the image quality is almost the same and most of the big changes like the slow-mo Burst Mode won't be a deal breaker unless you really need those features so my advice if you're going for the hero 13 black get it with all the new accessories and attachments if not your hero 12 will still do just fine for most everyday adventures all right that's it for this video let me know in the comments if you're planning to upgrade or stick with what you've got don't forget to like subscribe and hit that notific notification Bell for more Gear reviews thanks for watching and I'll catch you in the next one