Previous release date rumors hinted that the GoPro 5 was ready for the consumer market. Earlier reports mentioned that the latest action cam from GoPro will be on retailer shelves first in October, then the holidays, last year. However, the two supposed release periods came without the GoPro Hero 5 being rolled out.

According to speculations, while the Hero 5 is ready for release, GoPro is still waiting for the final version of its other upcoming product, the Karma drone. As per observers, fans may expect two GoPro launches in the latter part of the year, with the Hero 5 reportedly surfacing in October.

According to BidnessEtc, current speculations place the Hero 5's release date to occur sometime in the latter half of 2016, possibly in October. The industry follower stated that this may be the timeframe for the Karma drone to make its way to the market, and having an almost simultaneous launch with the GoPro Hero 5 will be a good strategy for the company.

The features of the Karma drone itself may have indirectly made GoPro delay the Hero 5's release. GoPro has said that the upcoming Karma drone is compatible with both past and future GoPro action cams. This means that should the drone be launched before the new Hero 5, owners of GoPro action cams might check out the drone first and therefore decide to wait for a while before upgrading their action cams (since their current devices are compatible with Karma). This will affect the Hero 5's projected sales.

However, there are rumors that although the Hero 5 will come out with new features and improved specs, the price difference between the new action cam and previous iterations will not be that much, and there are even speculations of the Hero 5 being priced lower than the Hero 4.