• The GoPro Hero 7 line-up has been launched.

• The range consists of Black, Silver and White with distinctively different available functions.

• The Hero 7 ought to arrive in Malaysia in the next two weeks, according to Funsportz Sdn. Bhd.

For GoPro fans, we have news for you. GoPro, the world’s most prolific action camera maker has launched the Hero 7 line-up which consists of the Black, Silver and White editions.

We got in touch with Funsportz Sdn. Bhd., the sole distributor of GoPro cameras in Malaysia and they the Hero 7 line-up may arrive within the next two weeks. No prices have been set, though.

GoPro is so famous for their action cams that almost everyone calls any action camera a “GoPro” irrespective of manufacturer.

But as GoPro’s stocks took a hard dip together with a total of four layoffs last year, the San Mateo, California based company is streamlining its bloated line-up by eliminating certain products, while consolidating on what they do best.

The three versions of the Hero 7 are the result of that strategy.

Let’s see some of the stuff the top-of-the-line Hero 7 Black does first:

• The GoPro Hero 7 uses the GP1 processor chip which is homegrown. As CEO of GoPro, Nick Woodman says, using their own chip solves the problem of using a third-party chip which is available for all other competitors’s products.
• The most important feature of the Hero 7 Black is the new “HyperSmooth” image stabilization function. Judging from the videos posted on GoPro’s website and reviews by users, the footages shot looked uncannily similar to being shot using professional-level gimbal-stabilizers. So much so, that there is not a need to purchase the Karma handheld stabilizer anymore.
• As a direct benefit of HyperSmooth is the TimeWarp video function.
• In the previous GoPro Heros, the function records photos at regular intervals then combine them into a video. The problem was the photos were shot at different angles resulting from moving the camera around and results in super jerky videos when combined.
• The Hero Black 7’s TimeWarp, on the other hand, shoots actual videos while utilizing HyperSmooth’s algorithms to create a super-smooth time lapse video. Cool!
• Another new function is SuperPhoto. No, it does not turn your old, beat up bike into a Panigale V4. SuperPhoto works by “looking” at the scenes you are shooting and judges to provide the best picture quality by using Auto Low Light and HDR (High Dynamic Range) to boost colour and tone ranges. Maximum resolution is 12MP and you may shoot in RAW, too.
• Besides that, shooting in 4K resolution can now be done in 60, 30 and 24 fps at wide FOV (field of view). Shooting in SuperView FOV will result in the frame rate dropping to 30 and 24 fps.
• 1080p videos can now be shot at up to 240 fps.
• Your videos can also be live streamed either through Wi-Fi connection to your smartphone or directly via a Wi-Fi network.
• GoPro has also sought to improve sound quality by using a 3-mic processing Advanced Wind Noise Reduction technology. There is also a 3.5mm mic adapter for external mics, too.
• The Hero 7 Black is waterproof to 10 metres right out of the box without the needs for a waterproof casing.
• The rechargeable 1220 mAh lithium-ion battery is removable for charging, which means you could swap it for another fully-charged one.
• Last but not least, voice command and touchscreen functions are retained, although the latter’s UI (user interface) has been much improved.
• The GoPro Hero 7 Black retails for US$ 399.99.

As for the mid-level Hero 7 Silver, the features are a little lower than the Black’s, of course, but not by much.

• For starters, it does not utilize the GP1 chip.
• It does not feature HyperSmooth, instead it inherits the already not bad video stabilization found in the previous Hero 6 Black.
• There is also no TimeWarp and SuperPhoto and shoots photos at a maximum of 10MP.
• It does have 4K video shooting ability albeit at a maximum of 30 fps, apart from the basic 24 fps. 4K only allows for Wide FOV.
• The battery is built-in hence cannot be removed for charging.
• As with the Hero 7 Black, the Silver edition is also waterproof to 10m, and voice and touch control are enabled.
• The GoPro Hero 7 Silver retails for US$ 299.99.

Lastly, the entry-level Hero 7 White.

• As with the Silver, the Hero 7 White does not utilize the GP1 chip, nor the HyperSmooth video stabilization function, TimeWarp and SuperPhoto.
• Its video stabilization is inherited from the Hero 6.
• Maximum video resolution is 1080p in either 60 or 30 fps in Wide FOV only.
• The battery is also built-in, meaning you have to put the camera out of action in order to charge it.
• It is also waterproof to 10m, and has voice command and touchscreen features, but no GPS tagging.

The GoPro Hero 7 White retails for US$ 199.99.