How do you extend the battery life of your action camera?

Does your action camera run out of battery fast? We'll give you 5 tips to extend the battery life.

Tip 1: update the firmware

Tip 2: record in a lower resolution

Tip 3: turn off the screen

Tip 4: turn off WiFi

Tip 5: turn off your camera

Manufacturers develop firmware update to implement improvements on their products. In addition to new options, a firmware update may also provided an extended battery life. You can update the firmware of your GoPro action camera via the GoPro Quik app. If there's an update, you'll see a notification on the home screen. The same applies to DJI firmware updates, but you'll find them in the MIMO app instead.

If you record in a high resolution, your battery will run out faster. That's because the action camera records more pixels in that case, which consumes more energy. The same applies to the number of frames per second. The lower the number of frames per second, the less energy it costs. So if you wan to extend the battery life, choose the Full HD resolution instead of 5.3K or 4K, for example. Keep in mind that this does affect the image quality.

You can control newer action cameras via the LCD screen. The screen consumes a lot of energy. If you have the DJI Osmo Action or a GoPro HERO 9 or newer, your action camera also has a screen on the front. If you turn off the screen while you record, you can extend the battery life.

If you connect your action camera to an app, the battery runs out faster. Without a WiFI connection, the battery lasts 10 to 15 minutes longer.

This tip seems obvious, but you wouldn't be the first person to accidentally press the on button. That's a shame, because it unnecessarily consumes a lot of energy. That's why you should regularly check whether the camera is on when you're not recording. This way, you prevent recording footage you then have to delete.