There’s still little on the ground about GoPro’s next flagship camera but the first signs that the GoPro Hero 9 actually exists may have just emerged.
While numerous rivals have cropped up over the years, GoPro still sits on the throne as the king of the action camera market, but where does it go next?
In a listing spotted by drone-enthusiast website Drone DJ, an FCC entry showcases upcoming updates to the GoPro camera user interface and makes mention of an identification number tied to an as-yet-unannounced device – presumed to be the GoPro Hero 9.
The FCC listing, marked as confidential until 2 November 2020, includes a screenshot of a device’s regulatory page within the familiar GoPro UI featuring the FCC ID code ‘CNFSPBL1’. This paired with the timing of both the listing and its confidentiality date point towards a new camera, destined for late 2020.
Adding potential fuel to the fire, elsewhere in the FCC label entry, we’re shown a screenshot of the preferences pane, which makes mention of ‘Displays’ with an updated icon, showing both the front and back screens of a GoPro. Previously, this was called ‘Touch displays’.
Depending on how this change is interpreted, it could be in reference to the forthcoming Display Mod for the company’s current flagship camera, the GoPro Hero 8 Black or suggest that the Hero 9 will feature full-colour displays on both the front and back of its design, making it easier to frame up shots with the user in-frame.
Beyond that, we’re still unsure of a release window, although the November confidentiality lift does point towards a late-2020 release, similarly to the Hero 8’s October release in 2019.
As for pricing, we hoping that GoPro doesn’t push far beyond the £379.99/US$399.99 threshold set by the Hero 8, at least not without some serious additions and improvements to the Hero 9’s makeup.
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