GoPro Hero 11 Black has just been announced, along with the GoPro Hero 11 Mini and the GoPro Hero 11 Creator Edition. The new cameras are equipped with a larger sensor compared to the Hero 10 Black, that’s capable of capturing 8:7 aspect ratio photos and videos. They also feature 10-bit colour support. The Hero 11 Black series features the next-generation HyperSmooth 5.0 stabilisation system, a new HyperView lens, and offers an optional simpler user interface for beginners. The Hero 11 Black now ships with GoPro’s Enduro battery that claims to extend recording time by up to 38 percent, compared to the standard battery.

Capture in places only a GoPro can go.

Long-Lasting Enduro Battery Included

Get dramatically improved camera performance in cold temperatures, while also extending recording times by up to 38% in moderate temps over previous GoPro cameras and batteries.⁴

Drop a GoPro on grass from a drone

I’ve always wondered how well the payload droppers work on a drone, and I figured there was no better way to find out than to drop a GoPro from different heights onto a big grass field. I used a DJI Mavic Air 2S and this payload accessory that’s activated when you turn the spotlight on and off on the drone.

I went to the local park, made sure no one was around and dropped a GoPro from 10, 50, 100 and 200 feet. Somehow the 50-foot drop didn’t get recorded on any devices, but it had the same results as the rest of the drops on grass: The GoPro Hero 11 Black survived with barely a scratch. Wild.

Result: The GoPro survived!

Drop a GoPro on asphalt from a drone

I wasn’t sure what would happen when dropping a GoPro on grass, especially from 200 feet, but I was confident that dropping it onto asphalt would result in a busted-up camera.

Using the same payload accessory and drone, I dropped the Hero 11 Black from 10, 20, 50 and 100 feet. The 10-foot drop resulted in some scratches but nothing major. The 20-foot drop was more of the same, but the jostle from the impact, plus the fact that the camera landed on the record button, meant that the drop itself wasn’t captured on the GoPro. The 50-foot drop was all it took for the GoPro to break. Again, the jostle caused the GoPro not to save the last few seconds of what it was recording, which happened to be the drop itself.

Result: a busted GoPro


Bottom line

After all this torture-testing, I learned that GoPro’s cameras really are durable. I gave it zero chance of surviving a 200-foot drop on grass, and yet it did so with ease. I also learned that the back display is most likely going to be the first thing you break on a GoPro. It just doesn’t handle hard impacts very well, as I experienced in the baseball test where the front of the GoPro hung in there like a champ, while the rear screen’s glass broke the moment it landed on some rocks.

As with any device that has a screen, it’s an obvious weak point. I asked GoPro about the rear screen breaking and was reminded of the protective housing that the company sells, which adds another layer of protection. If you plan on using your GoPro in extreme environments, you might want to consider picking one up.

Another oddity about this experience is how some of the damaged GoPros wouldn’t save whatever it was recording for a few seconds leading up to the impact. In the end, I missed out on some footage I would have loved to see. Oh well.