Alleged GoPro Hero 5 leak points to some really cool new features

A video posted to Reddit and Vimeo this morning gives us a quick (nine second) peak at what looks to be GoPro’s long-awaited Hero 5 camera. The video is nearly identical to other GoPro quick start guides designed to get users up and running when they purchase a new camera.

Albeit brief, the guide shows a step-by-step process to connect the camera to a smartphone as well as offers up a few glimpses into what GoPro’s newest iteration could offer.

For one, the back appears to be a touchscreen, a departure from the Hero 4 where the Silver model was a touchscreen, while the highest-end Black model required users to use the accompanying smartphone app. This was a bit of a head-scratcher, as the low-end ‘Session’ employed the same non-touch interface that relied on the smartphone app.

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The touchscreen also appears to take up the entire back of the camera, a move that could see the BUS connector removed. If that’s the case, it appears those carrying extra batteries, accessories or an additional LCD screen are in for something new entirely.

As for form factor, the raised shutter/record button on top looks like it borrowed heavily from the Session and less from the previous iteration of the Hero line. This could mean the Hero 5 is waterproof right out of the box, just like the lower-end model.

The menu system appears to have undergone an update as well. Gone are the clunky touch-buttons and taking their place are a series of touchscreen-friendly quick settings for framerate, shooting mode and resolution. Also curious is a setting called “GoPro Sniper” which doesn’t seem to have been mentioned by GoPro, nor does there seem to be a trademark protecting the name.

The rest looks pretty standard, but if this is indeed the Hero 5, it looks like a giant leap up from the Hero 4 which was outstanding, if unspectacular compared to cheaper clones.

We’ve reached out to GoPro to confirm, but as of this writing have yet to hear back. We’ll update if needed.