GoPro HERO 11 or HERO 12: same sensor, ten differences

What the HERO 12 adds, and what it drops

Five features exist only on the HERO 12: HDR video, the GP-Log profile, support for a Bluetooth microphone, the 1/4-20 thread and native 9:16 vertical. Add to those the synchronised timecode and the 360° horizon levelling of HyperSmooth 6.0. In the other direction, the HERO 12 drops one thing: it no longer shoots 5.3K in 4:3, which the HERO 11 keeps.

The most concrete difference is battery life. GoPro claims “up to twice the battery life” for the HERO 12 compared with the previous generation (press release of 6 September 2023) and puts a number on it in a footnote to its own HERO 12 spec sheet — 70 minutes at 5.3K and 60 fps, against 35 minutes on the HERO 11 before thermal shutdown, at 25 °C in a 0.6 m/s breeze.

On price, one rule is worth knowing: the HERO 12 rents for more than the HERO 11, but the gap does not track the duration. It is a little over a tenth on a single day, widens to between a quarter and three tenths from three days to two weeks, then tightens slowly: still close to a quarter at three weeks, it only approaches a fifth on very long rentals, well beyond a month. One detail matters for weekends: on the HERO 11 the second day adds nothing to the one-day price, while it is charged on the HERO 12.

Both rates include breakage and theft insurance. The deposit is separate: it is taken with the order and returned within five working days once the kit has been checked back in — €100 on the HERO 11, €150 on the HERO 12. Today's amounts are on the two product pages linked further down. A word on how to read them: each price shown covers the whole duration, and the cost per day falls as that duration grows — it is not a per-day price to multiply.

The table, line by line

23 comparable features, of which 10 actually separate the two devices. The values in bold are those that distinguish them.

Characteristic	Rental GoPro - Hero 11 Black	Rental GoPro - Hero 12 Black
Type	Action camera	Action camera
Sensor	1/1.9-inch CMOS — 27.6 active megapixels (5599 × 4927), f/2.5	1/1.9-inch CMOS — 27.6 active megapixels (5599 × 4927), f/2.5
Photo resolution	27.13 Mpx (5568 × 4872) — JPEG and RAW	27.13 Mpx (5568 × 4872) — JPEG and RAW
Max video	5.3K 8:7 (5312 × 4648) at 30 fps; 5.3K 16:9 (5312 × 2988) at 60 fps; 5.3K 4:3 (5312 × 3984)	5.3K 8:7 (5312 × 4648) at 30 fps; 5.3K 16:9 (5312 × 2988) at 60 fps — without 5.3K at 4:3, but with 4K and Full HD at 9:16
Slow motion	4K at 120 fps / 2.7K at 240 fps	4K at 120 fps / 2.7K at 240 fps
HDR video	Not supported	5.3K 16:9 @ 30 fps, 4K 16:9 @ 60 fps, 4K 8:7 @ 30 fps
Color profiles	10-bit HEVC — no log profile	GP-Log with LUT — 8-bit, and 10-bit in 4K and above
Stabilization	HyperSmooth 5.0 with horizon lock	HyperSmooth 6.0 with locking and 360° horizon leveling
Autonomy	35 min in 5.3K at 60 fps before thermal cutoff (note from sheet GoPro HERO 12: 25 °C, wind 0.6 m/s)	70 min in 5.3K at 60 fps, 1h30 in 5.3K at 30fps, more than 2h30 in Full HD at 30fps (measurements GoPro at 25°C, wind 0.6 m/s)
Connections	2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth BLE 4.2, USB-C, GPS (GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO)	2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth BLE 4.2, USB-C — no GPS
Wireless microphone	Not supported	Yes — AirPods and other Bluetooth headphones
Mounting	Integrated folding mounting brackets	Integrated folding mounting brackets and 1/4-20 threads
Timecode	Not supported	Timecode synchronization supported
Image formats	16:9, 4:3 and 8:7	16:9, 9:16, 4:3 and 8:7
Waterproofing	Waterproof up to 10 m without housing, 60 m with protective housing	Waterproof up to 10 m without housing, 60 m with protective housing
Weight	154 g with battery and mounting brackets	154 g with battery and mounting brackets, 121 g without battery
Screens	2.27-inch rear touchscreen and 1.4-inch front color screen	2.27-inch rear touchscreen and 1.4-inch front color screen
Max video bitrate	120 Mbps	120 Mbps
Storage	A2 V30 microSD card at least — GoPro recommends models up to 1 TB	A2 V30 microSD card at least — GoPro recommends models up to 1 TB
Field of view	156° diagonal in 8:7 format	156° diagonal in 8:7 format
Digital lenses	HyperView, SuperView, Wide, Linear, Linear + horizon lock or leveling	HyperView, SuperView, Wide, Linear, Linear + horizon lock or leveling
Battery	Enduro 1720 mAh removable	Enduro 1720 mAh removable
Dimensions	71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm	71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm

Read this table: resolutions and frame rates

These lines only make sense when related to the destination of your images. 1080p and 2.7K are sufficient for social media; 4K is essential as soon as the film is seen on a big screen; 5.3K is mainly used to keep some cropping margin during editing.

The cadence decides the fluidity and your ability to slow down a sequence.

• 24 or 25 fps: cinema rendering.
• 30 ips: web and television standard.
• 60 fps: slow motion ×2, the right setting for sports.
• 120 fps: slow motion ×4, for very fast movements.

Who is the HERO 11 Black for?

If you are renting for a day out, a weekend of sport or a wedding, nobody will see the generation in the final cut. The HERO 11 is also the cheaper of the two to rent, and the only one that shoots 5.3K in 4:3: if you edit in that format, it is the one to take, not the newer body.

See the sheet and availability of GoPro HERO 11 Black

Who is the HERO 12 Black for?

The HERO 12 lasts longer on a charge and pairs better with an external microphone — this is decisive when the camera stays on for hours or when the sound is as important as the image. It is also the only one of the two to film natively in 9:16, which eliminates the cropping step before publication on the networks.

See the sheet and availability of GoPro HERO 12 Black

What the table doesn't say

Take the HERO 12 as soon as a wireless mic is involved, you publish vertically, or the camera has to last a long time on one charge — 70 minutes against 35 at 5.3K and 60 fps, GoPro's own figures. If none of that applies to you, the HERO 11 will make the film. Either way, take at least two batteries: that is what limits an action camera, never the sensor.

One last point, often read elsewhere: according to DC Rainmaker, the HERO 12 drops the previous generation's built-in GPS. Both our product pages confirm it: the HERO 11 carries GPS (GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO), the HERO 12 does not — it is one of the ten differences in the table. If a route trace is essential to your project, take the HERO 11.

Also think about the accessories, which often weigh more than the generation in the success of a shoot: the attachment adapted to your practice, additional batteries and an A2 V30 microSD card at least.

After filming, editing does the rest

Whatever the model, it's the editing that separates a pile of rushes from a watchable film. Be strict with your selection, keep the shots short to keep up the pace, and harmonize the colors through light grading. The GoPro Quik application is enough for quick editing: enough to share a video the same evening.

Why rent rather than buy

A high-end action camera is used a few weekends a year and quickly goes out of style. Renting provides access to the exact model you need, on the day you need it.

• You try before you buy: this is the only way to know if the 70 minutes of HERO 12 change anything in your way of filming.
• You pay for use, not for possession.
• You leave covered: breakage and theft insurance is included in the rental price of cameras and drones.
• You are delivered anywhere in France: dispatch the day before by Chronopost, or collection in Lyon.

For the practical side — deposit, duration, pickup in Lyon or delivery — it is all gathered in Rental GoPro in Lyon: Complete Guide for 2026.

Choose my dates and book