Sorting the reality from the fantasty!
So as you may have seen, there are some leaks of the GoPro Hero 12 going around. Now before you think this is another piece of “click bait” hopping on the bandwagon of rumor, I assure you it’s not. In fact in this post, I’m going to give you a healthy dose of reality and filter out some of the outlandish claims regarding the Hero 12.
In case you’re not familiar with the leak, a twitter account under the name “tech_insights4U” leaked 2 images of the supposed GoPro Hero 12. That’s it, that’s the only leak there is. Here are the images in question.:
Now understand, those are the only two leaks. There were no claims made regarding hardware, specs, capabilities, battery life or new features. The reason I’m hammering on about this will become clear shortly I assure you.
So what do these “leaks” tell us about the GoPro Hero 12?
Well first and foremost, “IF” these leaks are legitimate, we learn only 3 things about the GoPro Hero 12.
1: In the first picture, we can see that on the side of the device, it’s clearly written 1″ sensor.
2: In the 2nd picture, we can see that on the rear screen, the camera has been set to “Ultra Slo-Mo” with a resolution and frame rate of 4K 240FPS. This essentially doubles the current slow motion resolution capability of the Hero 10 and Hero 11 (as both do Ultra Slo-Mo at 2.7K 240FPS).
3: We can see in the 2nd picture that GoPro have increased the rear screen size by removing the rear “GoPro” logo on the back and removing most of the border. So this screen looks bigger than previous models. The camera dimensions themselves look untouched though.
So why is this important?
Well many websites are showing these leaked images, however they are also adding in their own (unsupported) claims regarding the capabilities of the camera. It’s all unverified fantasy and unfortunately for most readers, it’s the same type of claim that has been hovering around the internet since the release of the GoPro Hero 4. It seems that with every model coming out, the most original thing people can do is keep “Doubling” the specs of the previous model. So when the 5 was being released, people claimed it would film 8k. When the 6 was released, people claimed it would film 8K. When the 7 was released… well I think you can see how this goes…
So what are DemonView’s thoughts on the Hero 12?
Here’s my honest thoughts on the “leaked” GoPro Hero 12 images that are doing the rounds. I’m highly skeptical of some claims for the following reasons:
A: The 8K rumor seems to be an addendum to the images made up by a 3rd party. So one party published the “leaked” pictures, but another party republished them and added in the 8K rumor. Nothing in the photo’s indicates 8K, so that one can be put to bed. However, it seems every site out there is now making the 8K claim and it’s just getting tired and annoying. There is no, I repeat, NO… ZERO… indication that the camera will be recording in 8K.
My Verdict? The camera is not going to be 8K in my opinion. People have a hard enough time trying to edit in 4K (and most people are using budget mobile phones for crying out loud). There isn’t even that many 8K televisions or monitors that people can afford. So why even delve into this market? There would be an outcry from users claiming “I can’t edit on my $200, 8 year old, phone”. Folks, 8K is not happening, deal with it!
B: The 1″ sensor claim on the side of the camera. GoPro have kept the camera model on that side of the camera from at least the Hero 8. So Hero 8, Hero 9, Hero 10, Hero 11 all have the model number written on that side. I find it doubtful this would change to write the words “1 inch sensor” instead of “12”. Now it may change if GoPro are really trying to push the advantage of a 1″ sensor, but why change this numbering position after 4 generations?
My Verdict? It’s possible…. as you may know the Insta models have an optional 1″ sensor. The new Osmo has a sensor that’s pretty close to 1″. However with larger sensors, the focal length needs to change so they aren’t good for shots where you need to be close to the subject (such as Vlogging). So a 1″ sensor may alienate a lot of GoPro users who vlog if this holds true.
C: 240FPS in 4K? Quite the frame rate for that resolution.
My Verdict? That one may be a reality. I feel GoPro will push more use out of the Gp2 chip since it’s so new. 4K slow motion seems like a logical step for those wanting high resolution slow motion footage.
D: The device has a larger rear screen.
My Verdict? Yes, that’s entirely possible. GoPro users have complained for a while about finicky rear displays. In the case of certain models, yes, the display was…………. well……….. terrible. In other later models, it was excellent, however certain people still had issues selecting modes or settings they wanted. A larger rear display would allow for further separation between choices making accidently pressing or selecting the wrong setting much harder to do.
E: The twitter account in question really doesn’t have a history of leaks. They have very few posts and the posts they did have were phone related. It’s also a little early for leaks, I really wouldn’t have expected a leak until mid or late August.
My Verdict? They are possibly real shots. The fact that they are understated with no huge claims being made, makes this seem like they are on the level.
So what’s DemonView’s overall verdict on this one?
There are no claims as to what the camera can do other than a 1″ sensor, 4k 240FPS and a slightly larger rear screen. Testers may already have their hands on units and someone shared a few photo’s they took of the pre-release models. This could also be a very vague “controlled” release by GoPro themselves. There have been wildly incorrect misinformation in the past about upcoming releases, but these are usually easy to dismiss based on bad photoshopping with illogical design choices. In this case nothing is being said or claimed, just 2 photo’s of the GoPro Hero 12 and for me, it seems quite likely they are legit.
However, unless the low light capability of the Hero 12 is something stunning, the question will be if a slightly larger rear screen and higher resolution slow motion will be enough to make people upgrade their current models. Right now, if this is all that’s on offer… I’m not exactly blown away with excitement just yet. So GoPro still need to pull something truly special out of their hat to really make me want one. Maybe the low light performance will do that, but at the moment, I’m on the fence.
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