It used to be a rumor only a few months ago. From the previous reports that the GoPro Hero 5 shall be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, the action camera shall reportedly run on Ambarella H1 processor which is several notches better than Snapdragon SOCs when it comes to video compression and image processing,
The Ambarella H1 processor shall give GoPro Hero 5 the ability to capture 4K videos at a remarkable rate of 60 frames per second (fps), which would make it simply the best action camera when it comes out in the market.
Ambarella is known as a developer of low-power, high-definition (HD) and Ultra HD video compression and image processing products. Its products are used in a variety of HD and Ultra HD cameras including IP-cameras, sports cameras, wearable cameras, flying cameras, and automotive video camera recorders.
Its chipsets are also being used in broadcasting TV programs worldwide, so it is not surprising that GoPro would go for the Ambarella H1 processor for its Hero 5.
Now it is already confirmed that the GoPro Hero 5 shall have an Ambarella processor when it comes out in October, or at the very latest, before Christmas of this year.
Modest evolutionary hardware improvements
It was N. Quinn Bolton, a financial analyst in Needham, who said that the Ambarella’s stocks on the New York Stock Exchange are poised to make a Christmas miracle when the GoPro Hero 5 action camera starts picking up sales in the fourth quarter of this year.
Bolton projected a strong GoPro Hero 5 build ahead of the Holiday Season but he cited that the sales could be short-lived as the upcoming device only has modest evolutionary hardware improvements from its predecessor, the Hero 4.
As a matter of fact, the Hero 5 video resolution only matches the same feature of its predecessor, which some consumers might find a let-down since GoPro had all the time in the world to make the device way better than the Hero 4.
In addition, contrary to reports that the Hero 5 shall be a lot smaller and slimmer than the Hero 4, the device shall apparently come out slightly larger, notes Investor’s Business Daily.
Bolton cited that the there is a big risk on their forecast for January to April next year because they also expect the GoPro Hero 5 to see lackluster demand during the Holiday-selling season.
Keeping the wait for GoPro Hero 5 manageable
GoPro fans have been waiting for the Hero 5 as early as October last year but the American camcorder company decided to push back its release to October this year.
Since GoPro has yet to make an official update regarding the development or release date of the Hero 5, some people are starting to get tired and have, in fact, redirected their attention on four cameras in the market today that could somehow soothe their anticipation for the latest GoPro action camera, reports Game & Guide.
These four major cameras, which are reported to give the GoPro Hero 5 a run for the money, include the Sony HDR-A S20/B, the Polaroid XS100 HD, the Polarion XS100 HD, and the FullTime Outdoors Adventure Camera.
Furthermore, all these four cameras are way cheaper than that $450-$550 price range of the GoPro Hero 5 when it comes out in October.
The Sony HDR-A S20/B is now being retailed in Amazon for $138.99, while the Polaroid XS100 HD and the Polarion XS100 HD are being retailed at the same online shop for $129.99.
The FullTime Outdoors Adventure Camera is actually the cheapest among the four alternative action cameras as it is being retailed for $119 also in Amazon.
While GoPro has yet to make an official statement regarding the latest and upcoming iteration of its action camera, reports are rife that the device would finally launch in October.
The October 2016 launching of the GoPro Hero 5 is actually a one-year push-back from the previously reported October 2015 rollout of the action camera.
The delay in the launch of the device made a telling impact on the profit bottom line of the American camcorder company that it would be foolhardy for the company not to launch the GoPro Hero 5 in October this year.