Upcoming GoPro (GPRO) Hero5 Black Expected to be Thinner, GPS Equipped - Dougherty & Co.

Dougherty & Co. is out with commentary on GoPro's (NASDAQ: GPRO) next action camera amid FCC filings made last weekend.

Analyst Charles Anderson noted that filings indicate that the GoPro Hero5 Black camera is "about 16% thinner than its predecessor and will be the first GoPro camera to have built-in GPS and 802.11ac Wi-Fi."

We saw no evidence in the filings that the Hero5 Black (which we expect to debut in late September or early October) will have cellular connectivity nor did we see any evidence of dual lenses for 360-degree capture -- two features that industry-watchers have speculated the camera may have. We wouldn't foreclose the option of 360-degree as the FCC filings are fairly incomplete in covering that portion of the hardware, but cellular looks unlikely as the FCC would have definitely tested for that feature. Additionally, we note that GoPro has not filed any FCC applications yet for the Hero5 Silver. On the last generation, the Hero4 Silver camera came with an LCD touchscreen while the Hero4 Black did not. GoPro generally reserves the highest image quality for the Black version of the camera while the Silver will sometimes get differentiating features, but with lower image quality.

In terms of adding GPS, we note that GoPro officials in the past have dismissed the idea with us due to the fact that GPS created a power drain for negligible added benefit. They argued that if a user really wanted to use GPS (which could be used to measure speed, etc.), they could pair a GoPro with their smartphone and get the GPS signal there. Several competitors, including Garmin and Sony, have added GPS to action cameras as a differentiating feature but neither was able to pick up noticeable market share as a result, Anderson noted.

Dougherty rate GoPro at Neutral

For an analyst ratings summary and ratings history on GoPro click here. For more ratings news on GoPro click here.

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