Despite increasingly hot competition from waterproof smartphones and the likes of Insta360, GoPros are still a byword for action cameras. But should you still buy one in 2022, and are there likely to be any big discounts during this week's Amazon Prime Day deals?
We've crunched together our in-depth testing of GoPro's Hero range with some historical pricing data from previous Amazon Prime Days to help you decide. The short answer? It depends on which GoPro model you're looking to buy. But GoPro deals have been a regular feature in Amazon's shopping event, so if you have a Prime subscription and are looking to buy an action camera, it's definitely worth waiting to see what happens during this year's Prime Day from July 12-13.
In recent times, the lowest prices on GoPro's latest action cameras have often been exclusive to its own site – as long as you buy your Hero with a one-year GoPro Subscription. This service offers discounts on accessories, free cloud storage, and damaged camera replacements, among other things.
Our in-depth 'should I get a GoPro Subscription?' guide has more details, but we generally advise that it is worth getting a GoPro Subscription if you're buying a current-gen GoPro. That said, Prime Day could still undercut GoPro's pricing, and the shopping event has previously been a great time for deals on GoPro accessory bundles and older GoPro models.
GoPro deals have become slightly more complex in the past couple of years thanks to the arrival of the GoPro Subscription. Signing up for this membership service, which generally isn't available via retailers like Amazon, often nets you a pretty big discount on current GoPro models. This means that even if Prime Day does bring some GoPro discounts, it's possible these prices will still be beaten on GoPro's official site by the ones that include a one-year GoPro Subscription.
For example, the GoPro Hero 10 Black is currently available on GoPro's site for $349 / £329 / AU$529, if you sign up for a one-year GoPro Subscription. This currently undercuts the prices on Amazon and may continue to do so with a Prime Day discount. That said, Amazon's deals could still offer good value if you don't fancy signing up to an auto-renewing service that you may forget to cancel.
Amazon Prime Day also tends to come into its own with discounts on GoPro bundles, which include mounts and other useful accessories, and deals on older or discontinued GoPro models.
Are GoPros still the best action cameras?
GoPros have been around since 2005, so are they still relevant in this age of hugely impressive smartphone cameras? We still think there's very much a place for these rugged, waterproof companions – and GoPro largely dominates our guide to the best action cameras.
Why? While there is certainly good value to be found in cheaper models like the Akaso Brave 7 LE, the benefits of GoPros are their impressive HyperSmooth stabilization, point-and-shoot simplicity and polished companion apps.
There's no doubt that premium rivals like the Insta360 One R 1-Inch Edition have also closed the gap in terms of image quality, with that model even beating GoPro's flagship Hero 10 Black for dynamic range.
But we still find GoPros that bit more fun and simple to use than any other action cams, and that polish is also available further down the price chain on older models like the Hero 8 Black. If you need a stunt double for your camera phone, then GoPros remain fine choices with a wide range of accessories.
Will there be a GoPro Hero 11 Black soon?
So far, there have been very few rumors about a new GoPro Hero 11 Black flagship, but we still think the chances are high that one will arrive in September.
GoPro has maintained a consistent launch schedule for its action cameras over the years. Aside from the GoPro Hero 8 Black, all GoPros in the last five years have been announced in September.
So while the Hero 10 Black is only ten months old, we are expecting to see a Hero 11 Black arrive in 2-3 months.
That said, it's unlikely to bring any dramatic changes, given we're expecting it to use the same Sony IMX677 sensor as before. If you need an action camera right now, then the Hero 10 Black is certainly worth buying, even with a potential successor on the horizon.
Which GoPros should you look out for during Amazon Prime Day 2022?
Amazon Prime Day traditionally reserves its best deals for GoPros that sit just below its flagship Hero and for bundles on older models that include handy accessories like spare batteries and mounts.
That seems likely to be the case again – and with GoPro's comments earlier this year potentially suggesting that a successor to its GoPro Max 360 camera is in the pipeline, we may well see some discounts on that model too.
We've picked out a few GoPro models to watch during Amazon Prime Day, giving you historical low prices so you can check to see how good the deals are.
GoPro Hero 9 Black
- Lowest recent price: $329 / £297
- Record-low price: $329 / £297
During last year's Prime Day, the Hero 9 Black was GoPro's flagship action camera, so we didn't see any major discounts on it. That could change this year though, as it's now the deputy model to the newer Hero 10 Black.
We've recently seen the Hero 9 Black's price on Amazon fall below the GoPro's own Subscription offer on its site, so it's possible that could happen again during Prime Day.
And given there isn't a vast difference between the Hero 9 and Hero 10, with the latter bringing a higher frame-rate 5K mode, improved stabilization and usability improvements, it's one to keep an eye on during Amazon's shopping event.
- Read our in-depth GoPro Hero 9 Black review
GoPro Hero 8 Black
- Lowest recent price: $299 / £258
- Record-low price: $279 / £258
We reckon the Hero 8 Black is the GoPro to watch during this year's Amazon Prime Day deals. It's still a current model, but is now the entry-level model in the Hero lineup – and that's traditionally been a popular one for discounts.
The most likely scenario is a Prime Day discount or Lightning deal on one of the many Hero 8 Black bundles, which is usually some mixture of extra batteries, mounts, and accessories.
While these are pricier than the camera-only bundles, they're still well worth considering – the Hero 8 Black's battery lasts for about 45 minutes of filming, so extra batteries are always welcome, while grips like the Handler do significantly boost its versatility.
- Read our in-depth GoPro Hero 8 Black review
GoPro Max
- Lowest recent price: $425 / £376
- Record-low price: $425 / £376
The GoPro Max may have launched back in 2019, but we still think it's one of the best 360 cameras you can buy. If it receives a sizable Prime Day discount, which is possible given its age, then it could be a good buy for those who want the flexibility of being able to reframe their action sports videos after they've been shot.
A word of warning: based on some GoPro comments earlier this year during an earnings call, we think it's possible that a successor (perhaps called the GoPro Max 2) will launch later this year.
This means the current Max would need to receive a pretty big discount for us to consider it a good deal, but it's certainly one to look out for. It shoots 5K 360-degree videos, which you can reframe using GoPro's Player software, and originally cost $499 / £479 / AU$799 at launch.
- Read our in-depth GoPro Max review
What about older GoPros?
It's possible that we'll see some older, discontinued GoPro models get discounts in the Amazon Prime Day sales. While they could offer good value, the oldest Hero model we'd now consider is the Hero 7 Black.
This 2018 model was a pretty big step up from the Hero 6 Black, particularly when it came to stabilization. That's because it debuted GoPro's HyperSmooth stabilization, which is still found (in updated forms) in all of today's current Hero models.
Recent models like the Hero 10 Black have HyperSmooth 3.0 and offer it in a wider variety of frame rates than the Hero 7 Black, which only has standard stabilization in its slo-mo modes.
But the Hero 7 Black marked the start of GoPro's modern action cams, so could offer good value if you see a discount. Older models like the Hero 6 Black, though, are likely now trumped for value by today's best cheap action cameras, like the Akaso Brave 7 LE.
Should you buy a GoPro on Amazon Prime Day?
If you need a polished action camera to film your travel adventures or shoot videos for a YouTube channel, then Prime Day could certainly be a good time to buy a GoPro. The shopping event has previously delivered some solid action camera discounts, particularly on GoPro models that are 1-2 years old, and we think the Hero 9 Black and Hero 8 Black are still among the best action cameras you can buy.
We think it's highly likely that a GoPro Hero 11 Black will arrive in September, and it's possible that we'll also see a GoPro Max 2 later this year, too. While this is worth factoring into your buying decision, they would both likely be premium models – and a healthy discount on an older GoPro could definitely offer better value.
It's also worth comparing any deals to the GoPro Subscription offers on its own site, as these frequently give you discounts of at least $100 / £100 on current models, as long as you sign up for a one-year subscription (which will auto-renew for $49.99 / £49.99). We'll be on hand throughout Amazon Prime Day to pick out the best GoPro deals, so make sure to keep an eye on TechRadar and our guide to the best Prime Day deals throughout the event.
