These are worrying times for GoPro in an updated financial filing(1), GoPro has set out some serious concerns regarding their future. This includes these statements: “there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.” as well as “Our credit agreements impose restrictions on us that may adversely affect our ability to operate our business.” Yikes!
GoPro famously invented the action camera market, back when phones with good cameras were expensive luxury items, there was almost no competition. Now GoPro is up against cheaper (and many would say better) rivals like DJI in the “traditional” action camera market (square-ish box with camera lens), rivals like DJI in the vlogging arena (with the wildly successful Osmo Pocket 3/4), as well as innovative rivals like Insta360 who’s 360 cameras have offered something genuinely useful for a long time now.
Whilst GoPro continued to offer the same square (rectangle) camera boxes, other companies were offering multiple generations of alternatives, which GoPro seemed to wilfully (and stubbornly) ignore, all whilst also seemingly ignoring the problems with their own products, as users continued to complain about memory cards corrupting, and footage being lost – we experienced problems with GoPro products ourselves, having to delay publishing a review because on one occasion the first GoPro we had was faulty! Lost footage only needs to happen once, and a user is never going to trust your product again. And this is all while smartphones were getting better and better replacing traditional point and shoot compact cameras, as well as GoPro’s action cameras.
We’ve looked into this numerous times previously: Is this the end of the Action Camera as we know it? (June 2025), Opinion: GoPro needs to innovate or die (August 2025), GOPRO has lost the action camera market, with these two companies winning (January 2026). And unfortunately, it looks like it might be too late for GoPro, who seem unable (or unwilling) to effectively compete against the likes of DJI, Insta360 and others. (Did GoPro look at the Insta360 GO – now on the 3rd version – and simply ignore it?)
Perhaps GoPro should have been thinking about competitors 10 years ago, rather than releasing the same boxy camera year-on-year for the last 10 years. In fairness to GoPro, they have tried, a little bit, every now and again, with smaller cheaper GoPro models (why buy a cheaper cut-down GoPro model, when a fully feature DJI action camera is available for the same price?), as well as 360 cameras, but again, these seemed to miss the mark, being bulky and expensive compared to rivals.
“Just buy a GoPro” isn’t a saying anymore
When people want an action camera, the saying used to be “Just get a GoPro” – but it’s not been that simple for a long time now. If you do want an action camera – then you’ll find a DJI Osmo Action camera available for less – now on the 6th version. If you want something for vlogging, the Osmo Pocket 3/4 is likely to be better, or for 360 views, the Insta360 X5. Or if you simply want something cheap, you could just start by using your phone, and that’s not including the numerous other cheaper brands out there – Akaso, for example, will sell you an AKASO EK7000 4K (GoPro look-a-like) bundled with ALL the accessories you’ll ever need for just £59 with waterproof case. In comparison a waterproof case for a GoPro will cost you £49 – JUST for the case!
The recent product announcements by GoPro – the Mission 1 series – once again, seems to be completely missing the point. Expensive premium GoPro cameras, are not an answer to the mass-market, consumer friendly, affordable alternatives available. Sure, they may look good to investors and share-holders, with high profit margins, but as soon as you get to a high enough price point, you’ll find you’re then competing with a whole other market, one dominated by the likes of Canon, Sony, Nikon and Panasonic.
via Yahoo finance.
Related reading:
- DJI Osmo Action 6 vs GoPro Hero 13 Black – for night it’s no contest
- GoPro Hero 13 Black vs Insta360 X5: should you buy an action camera or 360 camera?
- Is GoPro’s Mission 1 series too little, too late, as whispers circulate of the company being sold?
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