GoPro HERO10 Extended Battery Mode

The GoPro HERO10 Black gets hot and goes through the battery quickly. Plenty of users have been vocal in their disappointment in both aspects (including me).

And since the camera’s launch in the fall of 2021, GoPro has tried to address these issues in a two-track way: with hardware and software.

Firstly, they’ve just released a new high-performance battery that GoPro claims has much better performance in very cold conditions, slightly better performance in “normal” conditions, and faster charging. At the time of writing, the Enduro battery has only just become available, and I haven’t yet had a chance to try it out to see much of an improvement it is in real-world shooting.

For the software track, GoPro has released a new firmware update. ¹ It includes some new Video Performance Modes. To reduce the risk of overheating when shooting in conditions with limited airflow around the camera, there’s a new Video/Stationary Video mode. And to tackle the short battery life, there’s a new Extended Battery mode.

In practice, both the Extended Battery and Tripod/Stationary Video modes offer a limited number of resolution/framerate combinations, lower bitrates, and the disabling of some features.

Lower bitrate video tends to consume less processing power and places less demands (and heat) on the transfer of data from camera to SD card. So by using these rather than the full high-bitrate modes of the Maximum Video Performance category, users should see fewer overheating issues and get longer battery life.

What is Extended Battery Mode?

The main thing about the Extended Battery mode is that it reduces the video bitrate and offers a pared-down selection of resolution/framerate combinations. So it won’t give you the option of using the most power-hungry settings (you can switch to Maximum Video Performance mode for that).

GoPro HERO10 Black Extended Battery Mode Availability Chart

These are the resolution/framerate combinations that are available on the HERO10 Black when using Extended Battery mode. The numbers denote the video bitrate in Mbps (using HEVC).

Resolution	Framerate	Extended Battery
5.3K	30	60
	25	60
4K	60	60
	50	60
	30	45
	25	45
2.7K	60	45
	50	45
2.7K4:3	60	60
	50	60
1080p	120	45
	100	45
	60	45
	50	45
	30	34
	25	34

How to Turn on Extended Battery Mode

There are two ways to turn on Extended Battery Mode.

On the Camera:

• On the HERO10’s back screen, swipe down to get the dashboard. The bottom-left icon represents the Video Performance Modes. A lightning bolt icon represents the Maximum Video Performance Mode. A battery icon represents the Extended Battery mode. And a camera on a tripod represents the Tripod/Stationary Video mode. If you click on that icon, you’ll get the Video Performance Modes menu.
• Use the slider at right to choose which Video Performance Mode to use.

On the GoPro Quik Mobile App:

• Put the app into video recording mode.
• Click on the wrench icon at the top right of the screen to open Camera Preferences.
• Scroll down to Video Performance Mode.

Things Worth Knowing

• The Video Performance Modes were added with firmware v.1.16. If you’re not seeing them, make sure you’re updated your HERO10’s firmware to at least 1.16 (but definitely skip 1.15!).
• When you’re using Extended Battery mode, you’ll see the video icon change to alert you.

1. Technically, there have been two firmware updates. But v1.15 was botched, and caused a range of show-stopping problems. So it was quickly recalled and replaced with v.1.16, which is the one I’m referring to here.[↩]