The next iteration in the GoPro range of cameras is currently has no scheduled release date, but already rumours are circulating about what features it will have. While nothing it yet confirmed by GoPro (and is unlikely to be so until just prior to the launch date) we’ve set our our own hunches on what we expect might feature on the new GoPro, and what the overall GoPro range will look like when it is released. 

First up – what is it going to be called? Although we’ve entitled this article “GoPro Hero 5”, we wouldn’t be at all surprised if GoPro rolled out a “Hero 4+” designator, like it did with the Hero 3+ previously. That way, the 4+ could perhaps sit more naturally alongside the some of the existing 4 models and the 3+ models. However, for convenience in this article we’re going to refer to the new top end models as the Hero 5, as that is what the rest of the world is calling it for the moment! 

Starting with the flagship product, most sources seem to agree that the GoPro Hero 5 Black might see a doubling of framerates across its various modes, with the top end 4K video becoming available at 60fps. This could mean that the Hero 5 Silver would see a bump to 4K at 30fps while retaining its built in touch LCD screen. Some sources have speculated that the resolution itself could be increased beyond 4K, even to as much as “8K”, but we don’t consider this very likely at all – 4K technology is not yet fully mainstream, and 8K is not yet really even on the horizon. However, it is possible that GoPro will launch another 3D dual camera set up (similar to the GoPro Dual Hero Systemfor the Hero 3+ Black) which would allow the capture of 3D footage at a theoretical resolution of twice 4K – one 4K image for each eye (though in practice the resolution of the resulting 3D would, in effect, remain at 4K). 

Another step we expect to see, especially if the framerates of the GoPro Hero 5 do go up, is an increase in the battery capacity of the cameras. Already, the recording time at full resolution on the Hero 4 Black is down to under an hour, and a bump in the framerate will necessarily impact on that further. Indeed, GoPro might have to take the step of enlarging the physical dimensions of the Hero 5 in order to fit in a larger battery, though doubtless they would prefer to keep any such increase to a minimum. 

It’s also likely that the GoPro Hero 5 range will be designed from the outset to integrate with the forthcoming GoPro Karma Drone, which has been announced to arrive in 2016. As of yet, there are precious few detail on the drone, but it will certainly be very interesting to see what GoPro come up with!