GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition – Review

Recently received my new Hero 3+ from GoPro and I love it. I’ve previously owned or used the original GoPro Hero, 2 and 3 as well as rival models like Contour‘s Roam 2 and +2. So how does the Hero 3+ stack up?

If this is your first action/sports/helmet cam, I’d recommend the 3+ because:

– it’s the market leader in this category
– you get a huge variety of video and photo recording options
– extremely high quality HD footage (more details here)
– there are countless cool features, like taking video and photos simultaneously and time-lapse mode
– they’ve kept it the same price as the Hero 3 at £359.99
– it comes with a wireless remote and plenty of mounts
– it includes the waterproof case with a spare non-waterproof back
– using it with the free GoPro app is so much fun and useful for seeing what the camera is recording
– in its protective case it’s extremely durable (see my video where we fired one from a slingshot here)

If you already have a GoPro, here are the reasons for upgrading:

– the wifi speed to the GoPro app has been significantly improved – on the Hero 3 there was a good couple of seconds lag between what the camera saw and what you saw on the app, now it’s less than a second
– they have a new wider, wide-angle mode called SuperView – awesome for selfie videos
– battery is 30% better than the 3
– image quality is 33% sharper than the 3
– it’s smaller and lighter than the 3

Downsides:

– it took me a good 30 minutes to set up the GoPro app with my iPhone 5 and I was following the instructions exactly, however now I’ve set it up it works instantly
– I’ve never liked the square profile of the GoPro, they’ve done their best to slim the 3+ down as much as they can, but it still looks clunky
– a built-in LCD back is needed and probably will be coming with the 4, I know there is an LCD back as an optional extra but it doesn’t fit in the case with this attached
– when recording video with the GoPro in its case, you can barely hear people talking (you can use something like The Frame to solve this but costs extra and doesn’t protect the camera)

Conclusion:

– GoPro has again brought out an upgrade that will keep people happy with a decent amount of extra features
– Totally worth the money at the same price as the 3 when it came out
– If you’re a first time buyer you won’t be disappointed
– Even if you’re considering upgrading from the 3 you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the better battery life and wifi connection of the 3+
– There are still improvements to be made regarding the shape and lack of LCD back, so let’s see what the 4 is like when it comes out!

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