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The new line of GoPro – HERO 7 – recalls customers' enthusiasms on action camera, which collects three variants varying from colors (Black, Sliver and White) and features. Announcing "HyperSmooth", live streaming and other significant changes, HERO 7 Black is – of course – the featured model. Is it worth buying HERO 7 Black? Is it really much better than the former HERO 6 Black tagged with the same price? Follow us to dig out all similarities and difference between gopro 6 and 7. See the GoPro 6 vs 7 comprison below.
GoPro 6 vs 7 – Design
HERO 7 Black inherits the same body design from HERO 6 black, both of which are wrapped by plastic frame, pack touch screen and share solid build. Therefore, all HERO 6 Black accessories, like mounts, cages and more, can be well compatible with HERO 7 back. There's nothing different in hardware except the microphone. HERO 7 Black uses a redesign one to improve audio quality.
HERO 7 Black has a refreshed UI which demonstrates resolution, frame rate and FOV on a more compact translucent bar and gives remaining SD card storage and battery life information in green changed from previously white. And, the UI enables you to preview videos in portrait orientation if you hold the camera vertically for recording.
Learn more: The Safe Way to Download GoPro Studio >>
GoPro HERO 6 Specs vs HERO 7
There are not big differences in specs between HERO 7 Black and HERO 6 Black, from available resolution to battery. Get the specs comparison of GoPro HERO 6 vs 7 below.
| Specs | HERO 7 Black | HERO 6 Black |
|---|---|---|
Video Resolution |
3840x2160 (Max) | 3840x2160 (Max) |
Video File Format |
HEVC, H.264 | HEVC, H.264 |
Max Video Bit Rate |
78 Mb/s (4K with Portune on) | 78 Mb/s (4K with Portune on) |
FOV |
Wide, Linear, SuperView | Wide, Linear, SuperView |
Photo Megapixels |
12 MP (with SuperPhoto) | 12 MP |
Photo File Format |
JPEG, RAW | JPEG, RAW |
Dimensions (mm) |
62.3 W x 44.9 H x 33 D | 61 W x 45 H x 33 D |
Weight |
116g | 116g |
Memory Card |
microSDXC/microSDHC | microSDXC/microSDHC |
USB Port |
USB-C | USB-C |
Microphones |
3/Stereo | 3/Stereo |
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi + Bluetooth | Wi-Fi + Bluetooth |
GPS |
√ | √ |
Battery |
Rechargeable, 1220 mAh, 4.40V | Rechargeable, 1220 mAh, 4.40V |
Price |
$399.99 | $399.99 (official) $325.20 (Amazon, subject to change) |
GoPro 6 vs 7 – Features
1. Stabilization
GP1, the custom processor designed by GoPro, is introduced to HERO 7 Black and HERO 6 Black. It takes a leap of quality improvement, including image HDR and video stabilization. HERO 7 Black arrives with HyperSmooth further magnifying built-in stabilization. This technology is supposed to kill gimbals because it supports stabilizing video with a resolution up to 4K 60fps and works well in some special scenarios, for example underwater. In addition, HERO 7 Black builds in HyperSmooth into the new shooting mode – TimeWarp in order to help capture stabilized timelapse footage even though you keep moving the camera. Remember that tunning on HyperSmooth stabilization will crop your video image.
Video stabilization (including HyperSmooth) is available for different resolutions on HERO 7 Black and HERO 6 Black. To stabilize 4K videos, better choose a 4K video editor. Take a look at the differences between these two GoPro models.
| Resolution | HERO 7 Black | HERO 6 Black |
|---|---|---|
4K 60 |
HyperSmooth | No Stabilization |
4K 30/24 |
HyperSmooth | Standard Stabilization |
4K 30 4:3 |
No Stabilization | No Stabilization |
4K 24 4:3 |
Standard Stabilization | No Stabilization |
2.7K 60 4:3 |
HyperSmooth | No Stabilization |
2.7K 30/24 4:3 |
HyperSmooth | Standard Stabilization |
2.7K 120 |
No Stabilization | No Stabilization |
2.7K 60/30/24 |
HyperSmooth | Standard Stabilization |
1440P 120 |
Standard Stabilization | Standard Stabilization |
1440P 60/30/24 |
HyperSmooth | Standard Stabilization |
1080P 240 |
No Stabilization | No Stabilization |
1080P 120 |
Standard Stabilization | Standard Stabilization |
1080P 60/30/24 |
HyperSmooth | Standard Stabilization |
960P/720P 240 |
No Stabilization | Not Available Resolution |
960P 120 |
HyperSmooth | Not Available Resolution |
720P 60 |
HyperSmooth | Standard Stabilization |
2. Live Streaming
Live streaming is a new feature of HERO 7 Black, allowing users to stream live video from camera to Facebook and other compatible platforms. The streaming footage will not be erased but auto saved to your camera's SD card. But now, it only supports two resolutions: 720p and 480p. Anyway, superior to HERO 6 Black, HERO 7 Black is an action camera for social age (by Engadget).
3. Other Features
Is GoPro HERO 6 waterproof? Yes. And HERO 7 Black shares the same waterproof design and specs with HERO 6 Black. Both two models allow you to dive down to 10m if all camera doors are closed and 60m if using the Super Suit housing. Besides waterproof, those two models also have many similarities, including voice control, slow-motion (up to 240fps), etc.
GoPro 6 vs 7 – Video Quality
Although using the same chip and lens, HERO 7 Black delivers smoother video than HERO 6 Black thanks to HyperSmooth. Not only stabilization, HERO 7 Black can produce richer colors, crisper images and detailed information of footage in good light.
SuperPhoto is a featured option of HERO 7 Black used for improving photo quality. It utilizes HDR technology to apply the best image processing on the basis of lighting, movement and other conditions. Turning SuperPhoto on, you can capture an image with greater dynamic range of luminosity so that details in highlights and shadows can be well maintained.
Wide-angle lens always causes fish eye effect. Touch Zoom option offered by HERO 7 Black enables you to zoom into the scene to get narrower field of view and reduce distortion caused by Wide/SuperView. However, the video quality will be suffered.
Bottom Line
As a matter of fact, there is no dramatic change in GoPro HERO 7 Black. It shares a great majority of same specs with HERO 6 Black. However, HyperSmooth satisfies a lot of customers to generate more stabilized footage of underwater, snowboarding, biking and more. And, live streaming soon becomes popular for it helps users share real-time activities very conveniently. If you are a SNS lover and hope to record smoother videos, HERO 7 Black is a much better choice than its former generation. If not, a discounted HERO 6 Black on Amazon can save you money.
Read more: GoPro HERO 10 vs HERO 9: Is It Better and Worth Upgrading?
