GoPro Max 2 Review: GoPro’s Most Creative Camera Yet

The Max 2 is GoPro’s long-awaited follow-up to the original GoPro Max, and “long-awaited” is not a dramatic phrase here. It’s been six years. Six years in camera tech is an eternity, and the jump from the original Max to the Max 2 is so huge that comparing the two almost feels pointless. 

The Max 2 doesn’t feel like an update. It feels like GoPro returning to a category it helped define, and doing it properly this time. What matters more is how the Max 2 fits into today’s 360 market, where the obvious competition comes from Insta360’s X5 and DJI’s Osmo 360. 

That’s where the real comparison lives. And after spending time with the Max 2 as someone stepping into 360 capture for the first time, I can confidently say GoPro has built something that feels modern, thoughtful, and very “GoPro” in the ways that count.

It also has limitations that become impossible to ignore once you live with it long enough.

A familiar GoPro experience, built around a very different kind of footage

The Max 2 doesn’t feel like GoPro trying to become a different brand. It feels like GoPro taking what it already does well and translating it into a 360 camera that can handle the same kind of real-world use people expect from the company.

The stabilisation is here. The special shooting modes GoPro fans care about are here too, including Hyperlapse and star trails. And the Max 2’s mounting flexibility is a reminder that GoPro has always understood one thing better than most brands: action cameras don’t live on shelves, they live on helmets, handlebars, chest mounts, tripods, and sometimes places that don’t feel safe for electronics.

You get tripod mounting, magnetic mounting, and the classic three-finger GoPro mount that’s practically iconic at this point.

GoPro launched the Max 2 globally last September, and if you’ve been following the category, you’ve probably already seen the specifications and early impressions everywhere. 

So instead of treating this like a spec-sheet recap, I’m writing this from the perspective that mattered to me: what it feels like to actually use the Max 2 when you’re new to 360 cameras, and what you learn once the excitement wears off and the workflow becomes routine.

Setup is easy. The mindset shift takes longer.

The first few minutes with the Max 2 are almost too smooth. You insert a microSD card, drop in the battery, power it on, and follow the on-screen instructions to pair it with your phone. GoPro’s Quik app is central to the experience from the start, and it stays central long after setup.

Quik isn’t just for pairing. It becomes your main interface for previewing footage, accessing key features, and starting the editing process. That consistency helps because it reduces the friction of getting started, even if what you’re recording is fundamentally different from what most people are used to.

And that’s where the Max 2 gets interesting. Because it’s not difficult in the way a confusing camera is difficult. It’s difficult in the way learning a new creative tool is difficult. The camera records everything around you, but good results still depend on you knowing what you want the final output to feel like.

The design choice that changes how you mount it

The Max 2 has a squarish design, and it’s immediately noticeable if you’ve held the longer, stick-friendly shape of Insta360’s X5. DJI’s Osmo 360 also leans closer to the Max 2’s design philosophy.

In day-to-day use, I found the Max 2’s squarer shape more conducive to mounting on helmets, bike handlebars, and your chest. It sits in a way that feels stable and balanced. The longer form factor of the X5 makes more sense when you’re using it on a stick, where the camera becomes this slim “periscope” for capturing yourself and the environment around you.

There are pluses and minuses to both designs, but I appreciated that the Max 2 feels built for practical mounting first, not just for looking sleek on a selfie stick.

Lens covers that don’t require tools or patience

One of the smartest, most confidence-boosting decisions GoPro made with the Max 2 is how it handles lens protection.

Like other flagship 360 cameras, the Max 2 uses a twin-lens design and supports replaceable lens covers. The difference is that on the Max 2, replacing them is genuinely simple. 

You twist the covers off with your fingers and swap them. No special tools, and no “send it away to the manufacturer” process, which is still something you have to deal with on DJI’s Osmo 360.

That ease matters because 360 cameras are inherently more vulnerable than regular action cameras. Those lenses stick out. They’re meant to see everything, which also means they’re exposed to everything.

I found the lens covers durable too. I dropped the Max 2 from waist height onto a gravel driveway and the lens didn’t even scratch. But the bigger point is peace of mind. If you’re heading out, you can throw spare lens covers into your bag and stop worrying that one accident will end your shooting day.

“True 8K” is a headline, but the real story is what it enables
The Max 2 uses two 14mm lenses (35mm equivalent), and each lens records to a 1/2.3-inch sensor. Together, they produce what GoPro calls “True 8K” video, with 10-bit colour support.

GoPro has been unusually direct about how it believes this differs from what others are doing. The company points out that some pixels get lost when you’re recording circular footage on a square sensor, and that some competing cameras get close to 8K and then use algorithms to boost the final output up to 8K.

GoPro argues that the Max 2 captures more usable pixels in the actual recording area, and it has an entire webpage explaining how that works.

In my testing, the difference isn’t massive for everyday use. It exists, and professionals will care, especially if they’re mixing footage with high-end cameras where every bit of detail matters.

But for most people, the Max 2’s appeal isn’t just about a resolution argument. It’s about how the footage looks, how much room it gives you in editing, and how reliable it feels when you’re shooting in good light.

Colour is where the Max 2 quietly wins hearts

Two things stood out to me almost immediately: 10-bit colour and GoPro’s default colour rendering.

The 10-bit support matters because it helps prevent banding in skies, especially around sunsets where gradients can look ugly fast. And GoPro’s default look leans darker, contrastier, and more realistic than what you typically see from other brands in this space.

Blue skies are where I noticed it most. The Max 2 gives a more natural tone, with a slight magenta touch that feels closer to what you actually saw in the moment. If you want something that looks louder and more attention-grabbing straight out of the camera, there are cameras that will do that too, but GoPro’s look feels more grounded.

And if you want to colour grade later in DaVinci Resolve, 10-bit footage gives you much more flexibility. It’s the difference between footage that holds up under edits, and footage that starts falling apart the moment you push it.

Daylight detail is strong, even when scenes get messy
In bright light, I found the Max 2 held detail well, especially in scenes with a lot of texture like foliage. It’s the kind of footage that stays crisp enough to feel premium, but not overly sharpened to the point of looking artificial.

It also helps that the camera’s contrast handling feels controlled. The footage has definition without feeling harsh, which is exactly what you want from a camera that’s going to be used outdoors most of the time.

Single-lens mode is a practical option when you don’t need everything

Like most 360 cameras, the Max 2 offers a single-lens mode. It’s useful when you know the second lens isn’t adding value, like when the camera is mounted to your chest and you’re not planning to use the full spherical view.

In this mode, the Max 2 essentially becomes a 4K action camera, and the biggest advantage is that it saves you time later because you don’t need to reframe the footage. The trade-off is that you’re capped at 4K, but for quick shoots where speed matters, that’s a fair compromise.

Audio is the one place the Max 2 feels undercooked

The Max 2 packs in six microphones and uses them intelligently in theory, dampening the side facing wind and prioritising the cleaner direction.

On paper, it sounds excellent. In real-world use, I found the audio consistently subpar. It sounded quiet and flat, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get it to feel as full or as punchy as I wanted.

If audio matters to you, I’d plan to use an external mic. Honestly, that’s good advice for most action cameras, but it feels especially important here.

Slow motion is still not a 360 camera’s strongest talent
The Max 2’s slow-motion tops out at 100 frames per second and is only available when shooting 4K. Once you reframe that footage, your maximum output resolution becomes 1080p.

It’s usable, but it’s not the reason you buy this camera. The reality is that 360 cameras, at least for now, still don’t deliver the kind of slow-motion experience people expect from more traditional action cameras.

Editing is where the Max 2 becomes the product you actually paid for

If there’s one thing the Max 2 taught me, it’s that 360 capture shifts creative control into post-production.

Most people aren’t buying these cameras to upload raw 360 footage for immersive goggles. They’re buying them to create normal, cinematic videos for YouTube, Instagram, and everything else we actually watch. That means reframing is not optional. It’s the whole point.

GoPro gives you two paths here: the revamped Quik mobile app and desktop software through GoPro Player for macOS and Windows.

Quik is clearly the star. The best feature in the mobile workflow is Object Tracking, which lets you select a subject in the 360 footage and have the software keep the shot locked on them, regardless of how the camera moved during recording. 

In my use, it worked really well. It’s not perfect, sometimes it frames the subject slightly differently than you’d choose, but fixing those moments manually is easy.

The downside is that Object Tracking is mobile-only. The desktop software is capable and covers most of what you need, but missing automatic tracking slows things down. Hopefully GoPro brings it to desktop in a future update.

For more serious editors, GoPro now offers a DaVinci Resolve plugin alongside the long-existing Adobe Premiere plugin. The catch is that you have to transcode your clips into a Resolve-friendly format using GoPro Player first. Fortunately, there’s a batch-processing option, and if you care about combining 10-bit footage into a larger workflow, it’s worth the extra step.

One feature I genuinely loved is that you can plug the Max 2 directly into your phone to download clips. It’s far faster than relying on Wi-Fi transfers, and it makes the workflow feel instantly less annoying.

The long-term realities: storage, stitching, and low light

Living with the Max 2 also means accepting the practical side of 8K 360 video.

File sizes are huge. Storage management becomes part of your life. Transfer times matter, especially if you’re working on your phone and you’re impatient, like most of us are.

The Quik app and GoPro Player are accessible and beginner-friendly, but they don’t have the depth required for professional-grade editing. And if you want to bring footage into traditional non-linear editors, you still have to do reframing and adjustments inside GoPro’s ecosystem first, which adds extra steps.

I also noticed stitching inconsistencies in certain scenarios, and GoPro doesn’t offer manual stitching controls in its apps, which means you can’t always fix what you can see.

Low-light performance is another limitation. Indoor and night footage isn’t the Max 2’s strong suit, and GoPro has clearly optimised for daylight shooting.

Verdict: powerful, creative, and not a shortcut

The GoPro Max 2 offers real creative advantages. It lets you capture scenes once and shape them later, enabling perspectives that aren’t possible with more conventional cameras. But it also demands patience, planning, and a willingness to spend time in editing tools.

For newcomers, the Max 2 is approachable, but it isn’t effortless. It rewards experimentation. It rewards learning point-of-view. And once you start getting it right, it’s hard not to get addicted to the freedom it gives you.

If you don’t currently own a 360 camera and you want one, the Max 2 is easy to recommend. The video quality is excellent, the colour rendering looks more realistic out of the box, the lens covers are genuinely easy to replace, and 10-bit colour gives you flexibility if you want to grade footage later.

The biggest caution is audio. If sound matters, plan for an external mic. And if you shoot mostly indoors or at night, you’ll feel the limits sooner than you’d like.

The GoPro Max 2 is priced at Rs 54,990 in India.