I Just Used the GoPro Max 2 Action Camera and Love Its Ability to Capture Immersive 360-Degree Content

When it comes to shooting action from a first- or third-person perspective — on land or in the water — and at locations where you could not take a traditional camera or smartphone, there’s no better option than the GoPro Hero 13 Black camera. But, if you want to capture that same immersive, smooth, and sharp video with accompanying stereo sound, but add a compelling 360-degree viewing element, the action camera you want is the GoPro Max 2.

GoPro Max 2 Action Camera

$499.99 $299.00 from Amazon $500.00 from Best Buy $500.00 from GoPro Website

GoPro has kept the Max 2’s user interface and camera controls rather simple to operate, especially if you’re already familiar with how to use a GoPro Hero 13 Black and the company’s Quik mobile app. Plus, you get access to many different shooting modes, resolutions, and fields of view. This allows you to capture exactly what you want, then present your content in a wide range of popular formats. 

Along with the release of the GoPro Max 2 in late-September 2025, the folks at GoPro sent me a review unit of the camera, along with the optional 4-foot Invisible 360 Grip Extension Pole, so I could test out this innovative action camera for myself. As you’re about to discover, I quickly fell in love with the camera’s diverse capabilities. 

So, whether you’re interested in capturing the high-action activities you participate in, or just want to up your photo and videography game when on vacation or capturing content of your friends, pets and family, keep reading to learn all about the lightweight, durable, and extremely portable GoPro Max 2 camera. 

What’s Different About the GoPro Max 2 Action Camera?

The most obvious difference between the Max 2 and other GoPro action cameras is that this model captures all still images and video content with either a 180-degree or 360-degree field of view. Then, using the Quik mobile app, you can adjust the field and view and aspect ratio, and select which part of the frame you want to showcase. With other GoPro cameras, as you’re shooting, you can also adjust the field of view and aspect ratio, but there’s no 360-degree option.

For capturing the world around you as you’re embarking on any type of adventure, the 360-degree element is a game changer. You can choose the best perspective, aspect ratio and field of view for the people seeing your content after the fact and then use the Quik app to edit and share your content from almost anywhere. While capturing video, you can access a handful of specialized shooting modes, like Super Slo-Mo, Time Lapse, Night-Lapse, 360-Degree Max Time Warp, Looping Video, HindSight, Star Trails, Light Painting, Burst Photo, Night Photo and more.

When you want the Max 2 to function more like a traditional camera, select one of the single-lens shooting modes to capture 180-degree content that can later be cropped to a linear, wide, ultra-wide, or Max Superview perspective. Meanwhile, since an immersive viewing experience is what the Max 2 is designed to create, the six built-in microphones automatically capture clear audio from all directions (while simultaneously reducing wind noise).

Like the flagship GoPro Hero 13 Black, the Max 2 offers numerous, user-selectable shooting modes. This allows you to adapt how you capture content based on the shooting situation and location. After all, the camera is designed to work flawlessly on land, submerged in water, during the day and at night. As you’re shooting video, the camera automatically uses proprietary and adjustable Max HyperSmooth image stabilization and horizon lock, so your content appears smooth and looks more professional. 

And while you can shoot and share 360-degree video at up to 8K (30 fps) resolution, or photos at up to 29MP, using the GoPro Quik mobile app, it’s simple to choose your own field of view and aspect ratio so your content can be viewed on a computer or mobile device screen, widescreen HD TV or any social media platform. Your creative options are virtually limitless, which is one of the things I really like about the GoPro action cameras. As you’re shooting video, you can have it automatically formatted for YouTube and TikTok at the same time, for example.

By mounting the camera on GoPro’s optional 4-Foot Extension Pole, the camera digitally removes the accessory from your footage, allowing you to capture third-person, drone-like footage while engaged in your favorite activities. While the GoPro Hero 13 Black can be mounted to your body or the equipment you’re using, so you can use it hands-free, in many situations, the Max 2 requires one hand to hold the camera or the pole it’s mounted to. 

The GoPro Max 2 works with more than 35 GoPro mounts and accessories (each sold separately), and the GoPro Quik smartphone app, and the optional (but highly recommended) GoPro Subscription service. This means you can easily capture, edit, and share stunning video content or still images from virtually anywhere with the help of your internet-connected smartphone or tablet. 

Whether you’re holding the camera in your hands, using an extendable pole, or mounting it on a tripod, for example, you have the ability to position the Max 2 in a way that provides flexibility to capture your content from whatever point-of-view or angle you choose.

One obvious difference between the Max 2 and the GoPro Hero 13 Black is that this camera has two built-in, 180-degree cameras, one on the front and the other on the back of the device. Based on the type of content you plan to create using the camera, you can use one or both cameras at the same time. Content from both cameras automatically stitches together seamlessly.

Unlike the GoPro Hero 13 Black, the Max 2 is best used mounted on the optional GoPro 4-Foot Extension Pole (or similar accessory), a handle, or mini tripod. This makes it easier to capture unhindered 360-degree content. Since the Hero 13 Black has just one, front-facing camera, it can also be mounted on your body or the equipment you’re using to capture a wide-angle first-person perspective. The cool thing about capturing 360-degree content from a third-person perspective (and having a drone-like perspective) is that you can keep it as is, or using the Quik app, select a portion of an image or video clip to be viewed in a traditional, one camera aspect ratio and field of view.

You can use the built-in, full-color touchscreen to adjust camera settings, and then use the display as your viewfinder, or you can use voice commands to remotely handle various camera-related tasks. Also, the camera can be remotely controlled using the GoPro Quik app from an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. This is the control method I discovered was the easiest to work with.

One major improvement GoPro made to the Hero 13 Black (compared to the Hero 12 Black) was introducing a much simpler and more intuitive interface when using the camera. This has also nicely been adopted by the Max 2, which greatly reduces the learning curve associated with the camera. That said, you can switch to a more advanced mode that provides far more customizable control over the camera and many of its settings.

How the GoPro Max 2 Action Camera Compares to the GoPro Hero 13 Black

The GoPro Max 2 has a lot of functionality overlap with the GoPro Hero 13 Black, but having access to the two built-in cameras allows users to capture everything that’s all around them, and then choose what the viewer sees later via the Quik app. Which action camera you should choose comes down to your shooting styles, and what you want the end result to be. Both cameras offer a wide range of customizable options, but some of those options are different. And with the Max 2, things like the aspect ratio and field of view get selected after the content has been shot, as opposed to while you’re shooting with the Hero 13 Black.

The following table outlines some key similarities (and differences) between these two action cameras.

Who Will the GoPro Max 2 Appeal To?

The GoPro Max 2 is extremely portable, durable, waterproof, temperature-resistant, and versatile. It can be taken and used almost anywhere. The core audience for this camera are people who want to capture themselves participating in a high-action activity in a visually immersive way, from a third-person (drone-like) perspective. You can, however, also shoot photo and video from a first-person perspective, or choose a first-person perspective when editing the content using the Quik app. 

The camera is also a great companion to take along on a vacation, or for capturing everyday moments that require an extremely wide field of view. What I like most about the camera is that when it’s not in use, it literally fits in a pocket, so it’s easy to carry around. It takes just seconds to remove the lens caps, turn on the camera, and prepare it to shoot still images or high-definition video.

You’re Investing in the GoPro Ecosystem, Not Just a Camera

In addition to offering a vast selection of optional mounts and accessories available from GoPro, many third-party companies offer equipment that can be used with the camera. When you use the camera in conjunction with the GoPro Subscription service, you get unlimited cloud storage, more robust video editing tools, access to a vast GoPro user community, generous discounts on popular GoPro accessories purchased from the GoPro website, and the ability to use AI to automatically create highlight videos from your raw footage. This feature works extremely well with zero effort when it comes to creating short social media posts from a large amount of raw video footage or many still images.

Another benefit of a GoPro Subscription is guaranteed camera replacement from GoPro while your subscription is active. This means that if your Max 2 camera gets damaged for whatever reason, GoPro will fix it or replace it up to twice per year (a deductible applies). And when you’re ready to upgrade your GoPro camera to another model, you can get up to $100 off. 

One year of the GoPro Subscription is included with the GoPro Max 2 camera purchase. After that, I recommend subscribing to the service for $49.99 per year. For more advanced content creators, there’s the Premium+ subscription option for $99.99 per year. It includes additional content editing and image stabilization features, plus an extra 500GB of cloud storage for non-GoPro content.

Recommended GoPro Max 2 Accessories

Some of the GoPro mounts designed for use with the Hero 13 Black are not suitable for use with the Max 2. For example, this camera is not designed to be mounted to your body or certain types of equipment. A few of the optional accessories I recommend for the Max 2 include:

• The Magnetic Latch Mount ($22.99)
• The 4-Foot Extension Pole ($59.99)
• The Shorty Mini Tripod ($44.99)
• Extra Enduro for Max 2 Batteries ($34.99 each)
• The Max 2 Dual Battery Charger ($79.99)

Based on the activities you plan to capture, a handful of more specialized mounts and accessories are also available, such as the Locking 1/4-30 Mounting Buckle, Flexible Grip Mount, Handlebar / Seatpost / Pole Mount, Suction Cup Mount, Helmet Front + Side Mount, Fetch Dog Harness and Surfboard Camera Mount. All are available from the GoPro website, or wherever GoPro camera products are sold. 

While all of the optional mounts and accessories give you more creative control over your content, my biggest issue with them is their cost. Genuine GoPro accessories are expensive. When you purchase a GoPro Subscription, however, you can get up to a 50 percent discount on accessories purchased via the GoPro website. Through sites like eBay and Amazon and many third-party companies offer their own (unlicensed) versions of GoPro mounts and accessories for much less money, these sometimes offer inferior quality and are less durable.

GoPro Max 2 Action Camera

$499.99 $299.00 from Amazon $500.00 from Best Buy $500.00 from GoPro Website

My Final Thoughts: Is the GoPro Max 2 Action Camera Worth It?

The biggest reason to purchase and use the GoPro Max 2 is for the ability to capture 180-degree or 360-degree photos or video in high resolution. I appreciate the options you get via the Quik app to edit the field of view and aspect ratio of the content after it’s been shot. What you can expect from this camera is clear, smooth, and immersive video, plus impressive looking still images. The 360-degree aspect of content creation might not have been something you’ve considered in the past, but it provides more options when it comes to capturing showcasing immersive, professional-looking, and highly customizable content.

Like all GoPro action cameras I’ve tested over the years, this one is well-designed and meets expectations. And the redesigned user interface that was introduced in the other GoPro cameras last year makes a huge difference in terms of the camera’s ease of use. I’ve been a fan of GoPro cameras for years, and after using the Max 2, it becomes obvious that content creators now have more options and creative control when shooting, editing, and publishing their content when it’s originally shot in 180-degrees or 360-degrees. The powerful AI-driven tools offered by the Quik app used to quickly and automatically edit raw video footage is remarkable and a huge time-saver.

Yes, the Max 2 is a powerful and versatile action camera. But to get the most out of it, you will need to purchase the appropriate optional accessories based on how and where you plan to use it. At the very least, whenever you’re out and about using the camera, be sure to bring along extra fully-charged batteries and microSD memory cards. This provides you with more time and storage capacity to capture all of the content and memories you want, without having to stop and then wait around for the camera’s battery to recharge, or for your content to be uploaded to the cloud before you can delete content from a memory card and reuse it.

If you’re interested in the GoPro Hero 13 Black ($430), GoPro LIT Hero ($270), or the Insta360 X5 which can also capture 360-degree content ($550), be sure to read my in-depth reviews of these popular action cameras here on In My Expert Opinion.