Once upon a time, there was no name more synonymous with action than GoPro. “Be a Hero” was more than a marketing line. It was a cultural movement. Whether you were chasing apexes on a racetrack, bombing a downhill trail, or leaping out of a perfectly good airplane, that tiny black box made you feel like you were part of something bigger.
It turned everyday thrill-seekers into filmmakers and brought first-person adrenaline to the masses before social media even knew what to do with it.
But that was then. These days, GoPro feels like a relic of an era when adventure edits ruled YouTube. The stock has cratered from triple digits to loose change. Revenues are shrinking, losses are piling up, and GoPro’s dominance has been chipped away by hungrier rivals like DJI and Insta360. Those brands now define what’s cool in the action camera world, and GoPro’s once-mighty Hero line has quietly slipped off the radar.
Now comes the Lit Hero, a curious little camera that feels like both a comeback attempt and a cry for help. Priced at US $269.99, it’s GoPro’s most affordable entry in years, sitting about $130 cheaper than the Hero 12 Black and almost half the original launch price of the Hero 11. It’s stripped down, yes, but it has something no GoPro before it has ever had: its own built-in LED fill light. That one feature might sound small, but it tells you everything about who this camera is for.
The Lit Hero isn’t built for pro-level content creators chasing cinematic perfection. It’s built for people chasing likes. It shoots 4K at 60fps, captures 12-megapixel stills, and lets you instantly switch between landscape, square, or vertical video using its touchscreen. It uploads everything to the cloud at full quality while charging, and even wipes your SD card automatically after backup. It’s light at 93 grams, waterproof up to 4.9 meters, and its 1,255 mAh battery gives you roughly 100 minutes of shooting time, or 75 if you keep that light blazing on high.
This camera is tailor-made for vloggers, influencers, and everyday users who want something quick, flattering, and ready to share. The onboard light replaces the need for bulky rigs, tripods, or ring lights. You can slap it on a helmet, a tripod, or even a refrigerator thanks to its magnetic mount. It’s convenience wrapped in nostalgia, a reminder of when GoPro meant freedom and creativity in the simplest form.
But here’s the question nobody at HQ wants to hear: is this too little, too late? The Lit Hero is a fun and functional product, but it doesn’t exactly scream innovation. In a market where competitors are playing with advanced tracking, 360-degree stitching, and deep app integration, to some, GoPro’s latest move might look more like survival than disruption.
Still, it’s a move the company desperately needs. A cheaper, creator-focused model could help GoPro sell in volume and bring some life back into a brand that’s been on the ropes for years. Whether the Lit Hero sparks a comeback or just flickers out remains to be seen.
