Spare Batteries and Chargers for the GoPro HERO3 & HERO3+

There’s a lot to like about the GoPro cameras. Being small and light has its upsides in being able to put them in places other cameras can’t easily go. But it also has its downside: the GoPro Hero 3 battery life isn’t great. Depending on the settings you use, how fully it’s charged, and how cold it is, you might get up to 2 hours if you’re lucky–and much less if you’re not.

So if you’re doing any kind of serious shooting with the GoPro, you’ll want to have spare batteries on hand. And you’ll want a way to charge those batteries that doesn’t involve in-camera charging that effectively takes the camera out of action while you’re doing it.

Below are two good options for battery and charger kits for the GoPro Hero 3 and Hero 3+. You can also buy GoPro-branded batteries by themselves (available here). The price isn’t exorbitant, but they are more expensive than the options below. And you don’t get an external charger (you can buy a wall charger separately).

Both the kits below include 2 spare batteries, made in Japan, and with the same power specs as the original GoPro batteries. Both kits include an AC charger and a DC car charger. Both come in at street value under $30.

But there are other differences between these kits that might make the difference for you.

Wasabi Power Charger and Batteries for GoPro Hero 3 and GoPro Hero 3+

At around $24, this is cheaper than the Smatree option below. Available at Amazon.

The key difference is in the AC charger. The charger in this kit charges one battery at a time. (Wasabi now have their own dual charger available here. It’s basically identical to the Smatree model).

What’s in the box:
– 2 x batteries
– AC charger
– DC charger
– European and US adapters

The kit includes a combined AC charger/cradle, a DC charger, European power adapter, and 2 spare batteries.

This AC charger charges one battery at a time and plugs directly into the wall. A single LED light indicates charging status.

The default US power prongs fold away for travel.

Smatree Battery and Dual Charger Kit for GoPro Hero 3 and GoPro Hero 3+

This GoPro battery and charger kit has a street price around $25. It’s available at Amazon.

The kit charges two batteries at once. Smatree also has a version that charges one battery at once, which is basically identical to the Wasabi kit above (but a bit cheaper). The single version is available here.

In addition to charging two batteries at once, this AC charger adds flexibility. It separates out the part that plugs into the wall from the battery cradle. That means that the part that plugs into the wall can be a dual USB charger, meaning you can also charge your phone or tablet or whatever else you want to charge by USB. It also means that you don’t have to use this as an AC charger.

The battery cradle itself is much smaller than in the Wasabi model above. And the cradle can be be attached by USB cable to your computer or DC adapter to charge.

What’s in the box:
– 2 x GoPro batteries
– Dual AC charger using USB
– DC charger using USB
– European and US adapters

The kit includes 2 spare batteries, a dual battery cradle, a European adapter, a dual DC USB charger, a dual AC USB charger, and a USB cable.

Two batteries sit in the cradle at once. The cradle can be connected by USB cable to the included AC charger, to the DC charger, to a computer, or to an external battery.

The dual cradle is smaller than a naked GoPro HERO3+.

There are two LEDs for indicating each battery’s charge status.

The AC and DC chargers can be used for charging other devices. So you’re getting a dual AC USB charger and a dual DC USB charger.

Some users have complained that the batteries fall out from the cradle too easily. I haven’t found that problem.

NiteCore UGP3

If you’re looking for a charger with a few extra bells and whistles like an LCD screen with percentage progress indicators and an external USB port, the NiteCore UGP3 is worth a look. It doesn’t come with batteries–it’s just a dual cradle charger–but it works with GoPro-branded batteries as well as the ones above from Wasabi and Smatree. I have a separate detailed review here.

Wrap-Up

I have both of these kits. Both work well. I’ve not found any functional difference in the batteries–they all seem to perform just as well as the GoPro-branded ones.

But I prefer the dual charger version for several reasons: it charges two batteries at once, it’s smaller, it’s more flexible in your power source, and you’re getting a dual AC and DC USB chargers.

I’d read reviews from some users that complained that the batteries didn’t sit snugly in the cradle and fell out easily. I don’t know if Smatree revised the design, but in the version I have the batteries sit tight, even hanging it upside down, so I’ve not found that to be an issue.