How to Charge GoPro HERO8

There are several ways to charge the battery of your GoPro HERO8 Black. Here’s a rundown of the various options, as well as some recommendations on which is best to use, when.

The HERO8 doesn’t come with an AC power supply or wall charger.¹ But it does come with a USB charging cable that you can use with an existing wall charger or USB power supply.

If you’re new to GoPro cameras, particularly the latest models, you’re quickly going to become very familiar with battery charging. That’s because GoPros don’t have very impressive battery life. For all the good things about GoPro cameras, battery life is a weak area. So you’re going to have to proactively factor in charging the battery more than you might be used to with other cameras.

Ways to Charge the HERO8 Battery

There are basically two main methods to charge GoPro HERO8 batteries:

• charge the battery in the camera
• remove the battery and use an external battery charger
  

With both methods, you can use a range of different power sources (more on that below).

Charge the Battery in the Camera

For this, you just leave the battery in the camera as normal, connect a USB charging cable to the camera, and connect the other end of the USB cable to the power source.

The advantages of this approach are that it’s simple, and the only accessory required is the USB cable that comes with the camera. The disadvantage is that you can’t be shooting with the camera and charging the battery at the same time.

• Power the camera off
• Connect the camera to your power source by using the USB cable
• Wait for the red light to go out. If you don’t see the red light while it’s charging and only see charging bars on the front screen, you’ve probably still got the camera powered on. That slows the process because it’s still drawing power to run the camera.
  

GoPro Charging Cable

The camera comes with a USB charging cable. But despite the GoPro stamp on it, it’s just a generic USB-C cable and conforms to USB-C standards. In other words, it’s not a propriety, special cable, and it’s easy to replace if you’ve misplaced it or would like a spare.²

That said, as nice as it would be if all cables were created equal, unfortunately, they’re not. You don’t need to fall into the trap of buying the most expensive cable available, but it’s also worth being a little picky and to take note of reviews, if they’re available. Most of the aftermarket cables I’ve bought have worked just fine, but occasionally I’ve found some of the cheapest cables can be a bit flaky.

The specs you’re looking for are:

• USB-C connector (that goes into the camera)
• USB-C 3.0 (or USB-C 3.1)
• Supports 3A fast charging
  

The next thing to look for is that the cable has the right connectors for your power source.

The most commonly used in power sources is the standard USB Type-A connector. That’s usual USB plug that you’ll have been used to seeing on devices for years. It’s usually a safe bet for most power sources.

Some newer USB power sources use a USB-C connector, although, for now, that’s not as common.

Power Sources for GoPro HERO8

The HERO8 doesn’t come with a charger in the box.

But there are many good options, and chances are you already have several basic options around the house that will work just fine.

All GoPros charge with the USB standard. What that means in practice is that there’s a lot of flexibility when it comes to a power source. You’ve probably already got a bunch of AC wall chargers you can use, or you can use a USB power pack battery, for example.

Here are some good options for power sources for charging a GoPro with the battery in the camera.

GoPro SuperCharger for HERO8

GoPro’s SuperCharger is the premium option. There are cheaper options, but the advantage of the SuperCharger is it’s designed specifically for fast-charging GoPro cameras. It also comes with an assortment of international adapter plugs that you can switch out based on your travel destination.

You can find them at: GoPro.com, Amazon, B&H Photo, or Adorama.

By itself, the SuperCharger can be used to connect directly to the camera (using the charger cable). It can also be used in tandem with the Dual Battery Charger, an external charger, for rapid charging and charging two spare batteries while you continue shooting with a third. Make sure to get the one specifically for HERO8 batteries; there are also versions for the MAX, Fusion, and HERO9/10, but none of those will work with HERO8 batteries.

Other Wall Chargers for HERO8 Black

Not all wall chargers have the same power output. An AC charger that came with your new phone or tablet is probably a lot more powerful than the one that came with the Kindle you bought five years ago.

But they’re nearly all designed to intelligently provide only what the receiving device can accept.

The HERO8 can take up to 5V/2A, which allows for faster charging. Newer chargers can output that easily, although older chargers might offer less power than that and therefore will charge more slowly.

Things to watch when shopping for wall chargers for your GoPro HERO8:

• The cheapest wall chargers are usually low power, which will lead to slow charging.
• If there’s more than one output port on the charger, the power output will be divided between the ports when they’re in use. In other words, if you’re charging your phone and a GoPro at the same time, the total output will be split between them.
  

An example of a simple option:

If you’re planning on charging phones or tablets or even laptops at the same time, a more powerful option would be a good choice. I pack one like this one in my travel kit. It’s small and portable but allows me to charge multiple devices at once, including my GoPros.

Charge HERO8 via Computer USB

You can plug your HERO8 into a USB port on your computer. It works, but it’s not the best way to do it, mainly because most computer USB ports have relatively low power output, and therefore charging is slow.

If you’re plugging it into a laptop, make sure to have your laptop powered by AC. Many laptops throttle down the USB output charge when they’re running off battery power as a power-saving measure.

Charge HERO8 with a USB PowerBanks

Using a USB powerbank can be among the most convenient power sources to use for charging your HERO8, mainly because you can do it anywhere. It can be especially convenient to do when traveling between shoots.

What to look for: Not all powerbanks (or powerbricks) output enough power for rapid charging (5V/2A), but newer ones often do.

Other USB Power Sources to Charge HERO8

There are some other USB power sources available, although these are probably less useful in most circumstances:

• Car charger. They also used to be known as a cigarette lighter adapter. They’re often underpowered, but they can be useful in a pinch.
• Solar charger. Good as an off-the-grid option when camping or hiking, but obviously reliant on specialized gear and direct sunlight.
  

What Kind of Battery Does the HERO8 Take?

The battery for the GoPro HERO8 Black is model AJBAT-001.

It’s rated for 1220mAh and is a lithium-ion rechargeable battery.

Note that the HERO8’s battery will work in some earlier models, but it’s not the same battery as for the HERO9/10 cameras.

Aftermarket Batteries for GoPro HERO8

Aftermarket batteries can be significantly cheaper. They can also come in more creative bundles, some with convenient double or triple external chargers.

Some aftermarket batteries are better than others, but overall I’ve had pretty good experiences with the many I’ve tried over the years.

What to look for: Make sure that the battery is specifically for the HERO8/7/6/5. Batteries designed for other GoPro models will not work in the HERO8.

External Battery Chargers for HERO8

The most efficient way to manage HERO8 battery life is to have spare batteries and use an external USB charger cradle. That allows you to continue shooting with one battery while charging spares.

GoPro makes a Dual Battery Charger that pairs well with the SuperCharger for fast charging.

You can also find good aftermarket versions in various configurations; they’re often sold with multiple spare batteries, so can be especially good value.

How Long Does it Take to Charge a GoPro HERO8?

How long it takes to fully charge your HERO8’s battery depends on whether it’s fully depleted, the battery’s overall health (ie. how old it is), and what method you use for charging.

The charging tends to be fastest at the beginning and slow down for the last 20 percent or so. So you can get enough power quite quickly to resume shooting, but it will take quite a bit longer to get the last 20 percent of power into the battery.

If you’re using a power source with a low current such as a computer’s USB port, it can take up to 4 hours to fully charge your HERO8’s standard battery.

If you’re using a standard AC wall charger, it shouldn’t take longer than 2 hours. It should be at about 80 percent after 1 hour.

The USB-C SuperCharger is faster still, but precisely how much improvement you see in practice varies by the specific models of camera or accessory; GoPro claims it can range from 20 percent to 70 percent faster.

International Travel Adapters

If you’re traveling overseas, you can use any of the usual international travel adapters. Some of the newer ones have integrated USB charging, like this one. Some of these support up to 2.1A output, but it varies by model. You can of course still use an adapter that doesn’t have built-in USB by plugging the USB wall adapter into the travel adapter.

Because GoPros use the USB standard there’s no need to get a voltage converter–you can just use a simpler adapter that works with the local power plug system.

Another option is the SuperCharger. It’s an official GoPro accessory that includes a dual USB-C output as well as clip-on adapters for several international plug types (US, UK, Europe, and Australia). These chargers aren’t inexpensive, and they make the most sense with the newer GoPro cameras like the HERO8 that can take advantage of the fast charging by using the charger’s higher output.

Things Worth Knowing

WiFi. It’s a good idea to turn the wifi off before charging. Even with the camera powered off, the wifi function drains battery power, especially if there’s an active wireless connection to the Quik/GoPro mobile app.

Disconnect Power Accessories. To simplify matters, it’s often a good idea to disconnect any external accessories related to power.

Charging While Shooting. You can run your GoPro with external power. And while external power is connected, it’s generally charging the internal battery. But the charging function is disabled while you’re recording video. An exception is when the camera is connected to a computer’s USB port, in which case you won’t be able to record while it’s connected (but the power throughput is probably on the low end).

1. There’s only one camera in the HERO8 lineup: the HERO8 Black. There are no Silver or White or Session editions with the HERO8. So when I refer here to the HERO8 here, I’m referring specifically to the HERO8 Black. ↩
2. Oddly, GoPro doesn’t sell their official, branded USB cable as an official accessory. Not that it has any better performance than other cables. It just seems like a missed opportunity for GoPro to sell one with official imprimatur at a premium price point. ↩

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