GoPro HERO 9 Black leaked packaging hints a significant upgrade

The world is slowly settling down a more normal, some say "new normal", cadence and some are resuming their old outdoor activities while others choose to remain inside and embrace new ones. In many cases, these activities involve a bit of digital documentation, be it taking still photos and selfies or recording what could be once in a lifetime moments. GoPro has always specialized in the latter, having popularized the small action camera black box. Now it, too, is embracing a slightly new direction, if this box for the HERO 9 Black is any indication.

Launching an action camera these days, one that's primarily designed for the great outdoors, sounds almost crazy but people have actually become even more expressive during these times, capturing themselves on video and sharing online. Of course, there's also the rise of video conferencing, a use case that GoPro has recently embraced by allowing its action cams to be used as webcams. If you've been keeping up with the leaks, you've probably heard that the GoPro HERO 9 Black might have a color front display, too, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

WinFuture got hold of official marketing images for the next action camera and it already holds a ton of clues, starting with the 20MP sensor that could enable 5K video recording in the future. There are also upgrades to GoPro's software features, like HyperSmooth 3.0, for "gimbal-like" stability, and TimeWarp 3.0. It will support Full HD live streaming and can even be controlled by voice.

One other major upgrade is the battery, which is rated at 1,720 mAh, up from the previous-gen's 1,220 mAh. There's also a new dual charging that can juice up two packs at once to minimize your downtime. GoPro will supposedly also throw in a water-resistant bag for free, something users had to buy separately in the past.

With almost all the details, not to mention marketing images, available, it probably shouldn't be too long before GoPro makes the HERO 9 Black official. Given its annual practice, that should be anytime within the next few weeks even. It will definitely be launching in a very different world from its predecessors and it will be interesting to see how the market will receive a more powerful and more versatile action cam in 2020.