The GoPro Hero11 Black Mini ($299.99) isn't substantially smaller than the regular Hero11 Black ($399.99), but its dual mounting points mean it can go places and get angles the standard version can't. Helmet fan cams might thus find something to love, though we don't think most people should give up the Hero11's dual color displays, photo mode, and swappable battery for that extra flexibility. That's why the more expensive Hero11 Black remains our Editors' Choice winner for action cams.

The Return of the Session?

When news broke that GoPro was releasing a screen-free version of the Hero11, I immediately thought back to the similarly minded Hero5 Session from 2016. The Mini isn't as impressively tiny as the cubic Session though. In fact, at 2.02 by 2.06 by 1.50 inches (HWD), it's a smidgen taller than the full-size Hero11 Black (2.00 by 2.83 by 1.32 inches).

The similar build is in part due to a shared hardware platform—both versions use the same lens, sensor, and processing engine. The Session cameras, by comparison, made some spec compromises to achieve their more compact design. GoPro sized up its cameras starting with the Hero9, so the Hero8 Black (1.9 by 2.6 by 1.1 inches) is your best bet if you're after a smaller model with a full-on screen.

The Mini is a bit lighter than the standard version at 4.7 ounces (versus 5.4 ounces). It seems like a meager weight savings, but that can make a big difference for several use cases, including helmet mounting and FPV drones. The dual rear mounting point is another plus for those situations, though you can still get the 1.9-ounce Hero10 Bones for DIY drones. Of course, the Mini is a more versatile, full-featured, and rugged camera. GoPro rates its waterproofing to 33 feet (10 meters).

Two Mounts, Two Buttons

The Mini includes not one, but two sets of mounting clips. The second set of clips on the rear is the major differentiator between it and the full-size Hero11; they're ideal for helmet mounting and point-of-view shots. The bottom ones work just like those on any other GoPro.

The on-device controls are pretty basic. The Mini has a power button on the front near the lens and a Record button on top. There's also a two-line monochrome display up top that shows how much record time you have left on the card, the remaining battery life, and your resolution and frame rate settings. Together, the buttons and screen let you make changes to settings and modes, a throwback to the control scheme from the pre-screen GoPro days. I gave high marks to the Hero4 Black when I reviewed it, but years of touch-screen action cams have since spoiled me. Using the two buttons alone to navigate through the Mini 11's sundry capture modes and menu settings is a pain, to say the least.

GoPro tries a couple of things to reduce the hurt. For one, the Mini 11 supports voice commands. You can tell it to start or stop recording, as well as to mark a highlight clip in your video. I wish it went a little further, though. For instance, I would like to be able to tell it to switch to its TimeWarp hyperlapse mode and start a recording or otherwise change a setting. This limitation is not a big problem if you're just using the GoPro for one type of media, but scrolling through the many options to change modes is a downer.

For a better control experience, you need to pair the camera with the free GoPro Quik app (available for Android and iOS) via Bluetooth. The app serves as a touch menu for the camera, so you can change settings on the fly. This might not be as convenient as simply tapping on the camera itself, but makes sense for helmet and remote mounting. The app can show a live preview from the lens too, helpful for framing your shot.

The app also supports firmware updates and enables some of the cloud-exclusive features available with a GoPro subscription ($24.99 for the first year, and $49.99 annually thereafter), including uncapped video storage and convenient automatic cloud uploads. You can even set the camera to clear the memory card after the footage offloads. The app can put together an auto-edited highlight reel, too.

Hero11 Black Mini Connectivity and Power

GoPro cameras tend to run hot and get so-so battery life. The Mini 11 is no different. Its built-in battery makes it particularly difficult to work with because there's no way to swap it out when you run out of power mid-adventure.

In testing, it got about 45 minutes of runtime at 5.3K60 and about an hour at 4K60. Heat gets in the way of long-form recording, but you can still use the camera for decent-length clips. I got about 24 minutes of 5.3K60 and 31 minutes of 4K60 footage in room temperature conditions before the Hero11 overheated and stopped recording. Those results are right in line with those from the full-size Hero11 Black.

The promise of on-the-go charging somewhat ameliorates the issue, and, for the most part, this feature worked well. That said, I had some issues with one review sample; it just wouldn’t take a charge after I fully ran it down. GoPro sent a replacement for testing, however, which worked fine over a half-dozen rundowns and recharges. I'm willing to write it off as a bad experience, but it's another point in favor of the regular Hero11 and its swappable battery pack. If something goes wrong with the 11 Mini's battery, you can't fix the problem yourself.

When the Hero11 Mini gets hot, it gets hot. I made the mistake of grabbing it after a battery rundown test and yoinked my fingers away in pain. An instant-read thermometer showed surface temperatures of 140°F near the top of the camera's rear heat sink. It raises legitimate safety questions for a camera that you might want to use mounted to a helmet or somewhere else on-body. Exercise real caution in these situations and don't secure it anywhere in direct contact with your skin.

The Hero11 Black Mini includes Bluetooth 4.2+LE for quick connections to your smartphone and remote controls. Wi-Fi 5 support enables remote control with video previews, file transfers, and cloud uploads. If you pay for the GoPro subscription, the Mini uploads all recordings to your GoPro account as soon as you bring it home and plug it in to charge.

As for onboard storage, the camera saves clips to a microSDXC card. Make sure to get a reasonably fast memory card (such as one rated for U3 video) with at least 64GB of storage. These are the memory cards GoPro recommends if you’re confused about which one to get.

A Nearly Full-Featured Hero

The Hero11 Mini does almost everything the full-size Hero11 Black does. For movies, that means 10-bit video at up to 5.3K60 or 4K120, and 8-bit recording for 2.7K240 and below. It also has Time Warp, Time Lapse, Star Trail, Car Lights, Light Painting, and Night Time Lapse options, plus works with the Max lens add-on for an immersive ultra-wide view.

The Max add-on is a little less necessary to get an extreme perspective than it was with the Hero10, however. Both Hero11 cameras use an 8:7 aspect ratio sensor, nearly square, and can use its full-frame to get extra wide perspectives—its Hyperview aspect adds some stretch to the edges to fill 16:9 screens. Alternatively, recording its 8:7 gives editors the flex to pull out both 16:9 and 9:16 video from the same clip, a benefit if you need to post to both YouTube and TikTok.

For video capture, the Mini matches up with the larger camera point-for-point. That's a good thing, since the Hero11 delivers the clearest, highest-quality video you can get from an action camera. The 10-bit color gives you more room to edit color than with the Hero10's 8-bit video, while the various frame rates let you experiment with slow-motion recording.

Curiously, there's no photo mode. The full-size Hero11 Black snaps 8-bit JPGs or 12-bit Raw photos at 27MP. If you want stills from the Mini, you need to pull frame grabs from video, around 16MP for 5.3K and 8MP for 4K.

Apart from that, the Hero11 Mini offers the same level of creative versatility as the full-size model. You can pick between various frame rates for different looks and slow-motion effects, use Hyperlapse to compress time, and adjust the angle of view to suit your scene. I'm especially impressed with GoPro's Hypersmooth digital stabilization; it's as good as what you get from a gimbal without the hassle.

Life Without a Display

The GoPro Hero11 Black Mini makes some sacrifices to realize its dual-mounting-point design. For instance, the lack of a true on-device screen means you must reach for your phone to comfortably compose shots and change settings. Additionally, the internal battery prevents you from swapping it out for a spare if it runs out in the field. The camera also gets very hot—enough so that we don't endorse it for on-body mounting.

You might be able to overlook these shortcomings if you want a low-profile cam for helmet-mounting, but most people should get the Hero11 Black, our Editors' Choice winner, instead. Among its advantages over the Mini are displays on the front and rear, as well as support for interchangeable batteries.