Tag: GoPro Max 2 specs

GoPro Max 2 finally releasing but no Hero 14!

Posted on by DemonView

Well after a lot of waiting and a lot of speculation GoPro have finally announced a release date for the GoPro Hero Max 2 along with a brand new budget camera. Rather than repeat the same false claims as many of the A.I. generated articles seem eager to do (and by god there’s a LOT of them online now), we’re going to look at the facts and the only verified specs as of right now.

The GoPro Max 2

Release date: 9/23 (Confirmed by GoPro.com)

Specs: Unknown at this time, nothing has been verified by GoPro.com. Many people are claiming 8K with 1″ sensors, however I’d be very weary of this claim. GoPro have already stated in their last investors relations call that they don’t have a low light capable camera and it’s a market they want to get into.

Other details: What we do know is that the camera features user replaceable lenses as demonstrated in a GoPro promotional video.

Things to look forward to?: The GoPro Max 2 was due to release last year but then was delayed without warning by over a year. This is an extra year of hardware and firmware development for what is hopefully a stunning 360 camera. GoPro even pushed the release of the GoPro Hero 14 into 2026 so they could concentrate on this model. If the lenses are truly replaceable (and without calibration required) it’s possible that GoPro may offer additional lens options for this camera like they do the Hero 13. So ND filters aren’t out of the question.

Things to be weary of?: Pushing out the release date by a year may have indicated that the GoPro Max 2 just wasn’t up to scratch compared to the competition, after all the release date was cancelled about 2 weeks after the Insta360 X5 hit the market. Many people think this indicates a severely underpowered GoPro. The giant heatsinks (4 of them) on the camera may also indicate that the camera is running a very overclocked GP2 chip which generates quite a lot of heat as a result. Also avoid the market hype of “auto subject tracking”. Other sites are trying to make this sound like it’s a built in camera feature, but so far, it doesn’t look that way. GoPro currently offer 360 subject tracking and it’s actually part of the app. So footage needs to be imported into the app and in the app you can automatically track your subject, but the footage still needs to be edited first. Also from what I’ve seen, the lenses themselves aren’t really replaceable ( I could be wrong) instead the camera looks like it has built in replaceable lens protectors (which may be glass). So we’ll have to see if the marketing is accurate or just hype.

Final Thoughts?: If GoPro want to stay active in the action camera market, the GoPro Max 2 needs to hit it out of the park. We know that GoPro can’t compete in the desktop or app market compared to the competition, so GoPro will need to offer some SERIOUS hardware specs instead. DJI Osmo 360 has a distinct advantage by integrating their wireless mic system, but without user replaceable lenses, GoPro Max 2 is the clear winner. I would be very weary of believing any website that makes claims as to the specs (look for statements such as “rumored to be..” as this means they have no idea what the specs are and are just going off other peoples claims).

The GoPro Lit Hero

Release date: 9/23 (Confirmed by GoPro.com)

The 2nd GoPro that will be released this year (and GoPro confirmed there would only be 2 cameras releasing this year).

Specs: Unknown, but likely to be the same as the current Hero 4K but with a built in LED flashlight on the front.

Other Details: GoPro haven’t revealed any details about this camera other than the built in light and it being a “bright upgrade”. This may indicate that the built in light is actually the only upgrade this camera has.

Things to look forward to?: The Hero 4K was quite a small budget minded GoPro and this one looks to build upon the success of this model while adding a built in LED light. This may prove useful for people who want to vlog on the go at night or make videos where the camera needs to be placed in a small confined dark area (car engine bay for example). So for budget minded creators, this may indeed be a worthwhile upgrade.

Things to be weary of?: LED’s generate a lot of heat and tend to be a bit power hungry. So that’s a concern. Also with no user adjustable focus, put it inside a small enclosed space and you may just end up with out of focus footage. For those filming at night (especially vlogging) LED lights can be very harsh, it’s why creators tend to use larger (softer) light panels or use smaller lights equipped with a diffuser. There’s no sign of any such accessory for the GoPro Hero Lit. Also the Hero 4K actually uses an even small sensor than the GoPro Hero 13, so attaching an LED light is really just a band aid for the Hero 4K’s low light issues. It’s also unlikely that the camera will support external audio (something the Hero 4K doesn’t do either) so keep that in mind.

Final Thoughts?: I’m not a fan of any camera with a built in battery and if you’re going to drop $200 on a camera, I’d throw in the extra $$$ to buy a full priced flagship Hero 13. However for those who film in mostly bright daylight conditions and don’t need anything more than 4K , the Hero Lit will offer you the ability to make… okish.. videos in low light conditions. If you’re going to buy a camera as a present for someone (and that someone tends to drop things a lot, hit them with hammers or set them on fire) the GoPro Hero Lit may be your best budget option.

No GoPro Hero 14?????

In short, NO! GoPro already confirmed that they were only releasing 2 cameras this year and they have now been confirmed as the GoPro Max 2 and the GoPro Hero Lit. However, this may be a good thing! GoPro have been releasing slight/incremental updates to their camera’s year after year. So don’t expect to see the GoPro Hero 14 until 2026 at the earliest.

However when the GoPro Hero 14 does update, you can expect a serious upgrade. GoPro have already stated that they are looking forward to competing in the low light market segment and this means we can realistically expect the next model to have a 1″ sensor. GoPro have already signed off on their GP3 processor back in February, so that’s something else to look forward to.

Keep in mind, if you were holding out for the Hero 14 and you want to know what to look forward to, then keep an eye on the Max 2 when it releases this week. The features GoPro introduce will be an indicator of where they intend to go with future cameras, so even if 360 cameras aren’t your thing, its still a good idea to pay attention. The embargo should be lifted on 9/23 also, so be ready for the flood of reviews from people who’ve gotten to use the unit! Until then, take any claims about specs or features with a grain of salt.

GoPro Hero Max 2 Leaked (Real or Fake?)

Posted on by DemonView

Hey, folks. Been a while, but I’ve been busy. I’ve been researching the GoPro Hero Max 2. Now, for those of you who don’t know, there was an image leaked within the past few weeks of what the GoPro Hero Max 2 looks like. Only I think personally think it’s a fake. Some reviewers and BETA testers for GoPro are claiming it’s real. One of those such people is the one and only GETHYPOXIC

If you haven’t heard of GETHYPOXIC before. This is a website that basically specializes in GoPro Hero tear-downs, telling you exactly what hardware is inside and the changes from model to model. They think the leak is real. I say it’s fake. So in this article we’re going head-to-head with GETHYPOXIC and we’re going to look at the reasons I think the below image is fake.

Is this really what the GoPro Max 2 looks like?

The above picture is supposed to be the GoPro Hero Max 2. Now I have a few issues with that claim and I’m going to go through them and hopefully do a mediocre to good job at explaining why this image appears fake to me (that joke was funnier in my head). If GETHYPOXIC wants to do his own write up on why this image is real, I’ll let him do that on his website.

First off, I’m going to show you the original GoPro Hero Max and the GoPro Hero Fusion to show you what the design of GoPro’s 360 cameras are really like and why this image could be fake.

GoPro Hero Fusion, GoPro’s first 360 camera!
The GoPro Max, GoPro’s current 360 camera.

GoPro’s 360 cameras have a very specific design. As you can see the lenses on both the Fusion and the original Max have been offset. This is because of GoPro’s patented way that they stitch their footage together. I believe this offset was applied to try and lesson the appearance of chromatic aberrations that usually plague curved lenses which if true, would be a huge advantage that the GoPro has over the competition.

However, if we take a look at the leaked image of the GoPro Hero Max 2,it has a centered, camera lens. Now people say that will get rid of a nadir issue, but I have my doubts overall.

Why is the lens placement now ignoring past designs?

Then we have what appears to be fins covering the camera that one would assume is for heat dissipation. This doesn’t make much sense as GoPro cameras have always had a rubberized silicone type covering on them which allows for the camera to absorb impacts from dropping it or being subject to flying debris. So, what’s the problem? Well, they can’t possibly be heat dissipation fins because rubber is a heat insulator. Think about it. If you’re barbecuing or picking up hot dishes, usually those gloves that you have to protect you from burning yourself are made from silicone rubber (an insulator from heat). This means that these “Fins” would be completely useless at dissipating heat as the heat would not be conducted by the silicone rubber. So, there is zero point to them being there (unless the photo is a fake!)

Seriously, silicone gloves protect your hands by NOT transferring heat!

The next question we have to ask is what is that large rectangle under the lens? Well, you know, it’s not a screen because again, it’s covered by these fins. You wouldn’t be able to press anything on the screen if it’s covered by fins. So it can’t be a touch screen. What if it’s a large metal heat sink? Yes that could be a heat sink to dissipate the heat. Only again, they’ve covered it with soft silicone rubber fins. And how are you going to attach that to the bare metal there. I mean that’s just going to end up peeling off breaking. Again, it makes no logical sense as you’d be covering a heat-sink with something which doesn’t transfer heat.

Could you use a touch screen that was behind a fence?

Another clue is the GoPro logo on the camera. Whoever photo-shopped that on didn’t spend much time on it as it doesn’t deform with the surface of the camera. If that logo was really there, you’d expect it to be stamped and maybe raised and depressed with the contours of the camera, but instead it’s completely flat.

So, if this is a fake photo, what type of camera could this possibly be? Well, if you’ve looked at police body cameras, they do have a center lens mounted design and a large stop start button that the wearer can press to stop and start recording even while wearing thick protective leather gloves. Later cameras, the start/stop feature would be integrated into a sliding lens cover. This I feel, is an earlier model police body camera with some bad photo-shopping done to it.

Notice the similarities between this and the leaked GoPro Hero Max 2 picture.

The final nail in the coffin for this being a faked image is the source which was Quadro news. Now, if you don’t remember, Quadro News leaked a picture of the GoPro Hero 12 last year with a one inch sensor. What’s the problem with that? Well, obviously the GoPro Hero 12 did not have a one inch sensor.

The fake Hero 12 leaked image from 2023

The photograph itself was actually proven to be fake because it was actually lying on top of old promotional materials a previous GoPro release. A closer examination of the photo also revealed that “1” sensor” claim had been badly photo-shopped.

Here’s the thing, in my opinion, Quadro News is a DJI site employee or contracted writer. Quadro News only (and consistently) posts nothing but DJI news, DJI specs, video footage of leaked DJI, drones in flight and DJI cameras photos.

Last year when the GoPro Hero12 leak with the one inch sensor came out, I also think that was a bit of corporate sabotage by DJI. Tell everybody the Hero 12 is going to have a one inch sensor, put the fake picture out there and that way when the GoPro Hero 12 was released and it didn’t have a one inch sensor everybody was really disappointed and really angry with GoPro saying they weren’t going to buy the camera.

On top of this, if you look at how the leak regarding the GoPro Hero 12 came to be, basically Quadro News quoted another site that was “re-quoting” Quadro News saying something along the lines of “congratulations on this getting this leaked information out there”. The thing is, the “Quoted” post never existed in the first place. The account that was congratulating Quadro News was actually defunct and hadn’t posted anything since 2017 and suddenly it became active again and choose to make one post congratulating Quadro News? Fake Fake Fake!

Now this brings us back to……. GETHYPOXIC!

Now in my opinion GETHYPOXIC is simply one of the best sites out there. I really do like their GoPro teardowns and technical information. I suspect that they may themselves be a beta tester for GoPro (if not, they should be). If they are, they may want to throw people off the scent or whatever. So for GETHYPOXIC to say “I think this is real”, I think there’s more to the story that they aren’t sharing.

Now, I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is. I basically challenged GETHYPOXIC and told them that if this is a fake picture and I’m right, GETHYPOXIC has to display one of my DEMONVIEW LLC car magnets on the back of their car for an entire month. And if I’m wrong, GETHYPOXIC will send me one of their stickers and I’ll display it on my DemonView mobile for a month.

That bet was met with complete silence ………………….. until it wasn’t. Yes, GETHYPOXIC got back to me and said, “I will take that bet”. I look forward to winning this bet easily, I just wish I knew what type of car he was driving, I prefer my magnet to be on something classy ya know!

Folks, since I’m all about keeping things upbeat, no matter what, there will be a winner and it could be YOU! Head on over to my YouTube channel and check out the latest video, I’ll be doing a giveaway associated with this Hero Max 2 leak and I’ll be selecting 2 winners. There will be more details in the video, so make sure you check it out!