New free GoPro feature delivers major battery boost (and fixes those HERO 10 overheating issues)

(Image credit: Mark Mayne)

published 26 October 2021

GoPro's next firmware update, which is due to arrive before the end of the month, brings with it some clever enhancements that could extend your Hero 10's battery life significantly, as well as unlocking longer video recording times. The free update, which you'll soon be able to download via your Quik app, adds three new recording modes designed to help balance quality with battery life so you can shoot for longer.

The announcement comes alongside the reveal of a new long-lasting GoPro Enduro battery, which has been specifically designed to hold its charge in cold conditions. The firmware update, however, is designed to extend your GoPro's battery life using its existing, standard battery.

The update introduces three new Video Performance Modes that you can swap between based on your priorities at the time. The update is only available for the HERO 10, the flagship model sitting at the top of our best GoPro and best action camera guides, and it looks like one of the modes is specifically designed to address one of the big issues in the latest flagship: in our GoPro HERO 10 Black review we found the camera was overheating, causing the battery to cut out several times while recording for longer stretches.

Browse the best cheap GoPro deals for Black Friday and beyond
Compare GoPro HERO 10 Black vs HERO 9 Black

The three new modes are as follows. When quality is paramount and you can afford to sacrifice battery life, you can select Maximum Video Performance. As the name suggests, this will record in top resolution and at the highest frame rates, unlocking modes like ultra slow-mo video.

If you need to eke out your charge, the Extended Battery mode is designed to optimise resolution and frame rates to deliver the longest recording times and maximise battery life.

Finally, there's a clever option specifically for those who want to record long, static video clips – this is the mode that looks to be addressing the overheating issue. The Tripod / Stationary Video option records at the highest resolutions and frame rates, but saves battery by switching off GPS and HyperSmooth video stabilisation, as well as accounting for the fact there's no airflow or motion to cool the camera (and hence the battery) down.

That last mode could be a major game-changer, based on the stats GoPro has released. In Tripod / Stationary Video mode, when recording a single continuous clip at a temperature of 77F / 25C, in a static situations with no airflow to cool the camera, GoPro predicts the following performance:

5.3K60 – 47% more runtime than previous for an average of 29 minute-long clips
5.3K30 – 11% more runtime, for an average of 44 minute-long clips
4K120 – 52% more runtime, for an average of 26 minute-long clips
4K60 – 154% more runtime, for an average of 63 minute-long clips
4K30 – 35% more runtime, for an average of 50 minute-long clips

GoPro has also teased a future firmware update that will enable even longer clip lengths in 5.3K30 and 4K30.

The HERO10 firmware update will be available by the end of October and HERO10 Black owners can update their cameras using the Quik app.

Ruth is a lifestyle journalist specialising in sleep and wellbeing. She has tested more mattresses than her small flat can handle and will talk at length about them to anyone who shows even a passing interest, and has had to implement a one-in-one-out pillow policy for fear of getting smothered in the night. As well as following all the industry trends and advancements in the mattress and bedding world, she regularly speaks to certified experts to delve into the science behind a great night's sleep, and offer you advice to help you get there. She's currently Sleep Editor on Tom's Guide and TechRadar, and prior to that ran the Outdoors and Wellness channels on T3 (now covered by Matt Kollat and Beth Girdler-Maslen respectively).