Polaroid Pop Review: How It Stacks Up Against the Competition

Instant cameras have come a long way from the bulky devices from the 1970s and 1980s. Modern instant cameras offer the convenience of the old Polaroid cameras with the convenience and high-tech functions of modern digital cameras. The result is a fun, portable device that you can use to create enduring mementos on the go. In this Polaroid Pop review, we will go into detail on the features of the Polaroid Pop and compare it to several other instant cameras available on the market today. You’ll discover that modern instant cameras are great for social gatherings, scrapbooking, travel and more.  

Polaroid Pop Review: What Is the Polaroid Pop?

The Polaroid Pop is a unique instant camera that comes in a stylish body loaded with features. Many modern instant cameras print a picture that is around the size of a credit card. The Polaroid Pop, however, prints in the classic 3.5 by 4.5 inch format. The overall design is sleek and not nearly as bulky as older instant cameras. You can carry the Polaroid Pop on the convenient and comfortable wrist strap and be ready to get an instant print of a special moment in just a matter of seconds. You can even use the touch screen to write special messages on the photo.  

Product Specs

The Polaroid Pop measures 1.2 by 4.7 by 5.79 inches which makes it slightly larger than a standard camera but much smaller than older instant cameras. The Pop has a 4 inch LCD touchscreen that allows you to preview your pictures before you print them. The 20 megapixel sensor allows you to capture very high quality images, and the Pop is Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatible. A Micro SD slot allows you to get a digital backup to all your prints.

The Pop is available in black, white, blue, peach, yellow, or green, so you can pick the color that best suits your personal style. You can use the touchscreen to add colorful touches like borders, filters, and stickers. There’s even a self-timer. The Pop uses Zink Zero printing paper, which is much more economical than traditional instant camera film cartridges.

Pricing

The products we tested for our Polaroid Pop review ranged in price from $50 to $150. The more expensive models printed larger prints, had higher resolution images, and contained LCD touchscreens. Inexpensive models did not have internal memory and did not have an option to preview images before printing. Because of the high overall cost of instant camera print paper or film cartridges, we feel that a preview feature is an essential component. The option for expandable memory storage is a fantastic feature as it allows you a digital backup to all your images.

How It Compares

For our Polaroid Pop review we compared the Polaroid Pop to several other similar instant cameras that are currently available. We tested these cameras on ease of use and design and gave a set of pros and cons for each product. We noted the price of each camera, although the price range for everything in our Polaroid Pop review is fairly small. Finally, we gave warranty information on each product. The other cameras included are review are:

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

Polaroid Snap

Kodak Mini Shot

Polaroid Pop

Price $$$

Ease of Use *****

We found that the Polaroid Pop is a very easy camera to use. You get great images simply by pointing and shooting, and the paper is easy to load. The images print out in just a matter of seconds and there’s no need to shake the prints to make them develop faster. There is a free app you can download to your phone which allows you to send pictures from your phone to your Polaroid Pop. You can even use the app to enhance the images. The Polaroid Pop works very well as a camera and as a high quality portable printer.

Design Quality ****

Everything works very well on the Polaroid Pop and the design is sleek and comfortable to use. We would have preferred more of a traditional rectangular shape because the square shape felt a little awkward, but this wasn’t a major distraction. We enjoyed using the app and appreciated the extra filters and interactive nature of taking photos with this device. The Polaroid Pop is a fun camera that brings an injection of fun to any social gathering.

Warranty ****

The Polaroid Pop comes with a limited one-year warranty.

Pros

• 20 megapixel images
• Large LCD touchscreen
• Full size print images

Cons

• Square shape
• Larger than most cameras
• Some set up time to install and connect the app

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 is an inexpensive instant camera that creates a small 2.4 by 1.8 inch print. The print is about the size of a standard credit card. The device is rather large and measures 5.5 by 5 by 3 inches. It comes in a variety of pastel colors such as flamingo pink, ice blue, lime green, cobalt blue, and smokey white. There is no LCD preview screen, the camera prints a picture whenever you hit the button. There is no memory card or Bluetooth connectivity feature. This is a nice, inexpensive, point-and-shoot instant camera.

Price $

Ease of Use ***

The limited features of the Fujifilm Instax actually make it easier to use. There are minimal shooting modes and you don’t have an LCD display screen to add any confusion. However, the lack of a preview screen means that you might print some poor quality photos. This camera works great for a social event when want to take a lot of pictures quickly without spending much time adding filters or cropping them. The camera body is large and the Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 is not easy to carry around.

Design Quality ***

We liked the ease and the low price of this camera, however it is so bulky that it is difficult to use for an extended period. This isn’t a camera that you would want to bring with you on a trip because it takes up so much space in your bag. This is a durable camera and is a good choice for kids. The camera uses Fujifilm Instax mini film cartridges which cost approximately $20 for 20 photos.

Warranty ***

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 comes with a limited one-year warranty. Further warranties are available through individual sellers.

Pros

• Inexpensive
• Simple to use
• Vibrant images

Cons

• Prints are small
• The camera is bulky
• High price per photo

Polaroid Snap Touch

The Polaroid Snap Touch is a compact instant camera that features an LCD touchscreen to preview and improve your photos. It is a powerful 13 megapixel camera with a 3.4mm lens. The Snap Touch uses inexpensive Polaroid Zink photo paper to print vibrant 2 by 3 inch pictures that are tear-resistant, water-resistant, and have a sticky back.

The Snap Touch features Bluetooth connectivity so you can connect to a smart phone and utilize the free app. The camera measures 2 by 4 by 3.6 inches making it highly compact and good for travel. Six picture modes offer a lot of versatility, and the purchase price also includes a convenient wrist strap. Features a Micro SD card slot so you can record digital copies of your images.

Price $$

Ease of Use *****

This camera is really fun and easy to use. It has more of a rectangular design and is small and sleek enough to slip into a pocket or a backpack. The touch screen allows you to make some nice adjustments to your image, and it is great to have a preview before you print an image. The Micro SD card slot is a nice feature because it allows you to preserve your images, and the Bluetooth connectivity and free app allow this camera to act as a portable printer for all devices.

Design Quality ****

The only drawback to this camera is that it only prints 2 by 3 inch images that are much smaller than the standard Polaroid size. The 13 megapixel images provide enough resolution for most purposes. The touchscreen is very easy to operate, and the app has a ton of great features. We liked the durable prints and the sticky back makes this camera great for scrapbooking and many other fun and creative activities.

Warranty ****

The Polaroid Snap Touch comes with a limited one-year warranty.

Pros

• Compact
• 13 megapixel image
• LCD touchscreen

Cons

• Small prints

Kodak Mini Shot

The Kodak Mini Shot is a sleek instant camera that measures 0.9 by 3 by 5.2 inches. The camera features a small LCD display on the back that you can use to preview a picture before deciding to print it. There is also a small set of tactile controls. The 10 megapixel camera takes high resolution photos, but there is no internal memory or space for a Micro SD card.    The camera is Bluetooth compatible and you can download a free app so you can print images from your cellphone. Through the app you can add filters, borders, and other artistic touches to your images. The camera is available in black, blue, yellow, pink, purple and white. The camera uses the Kodak Mini 2 photo printer cartridge that costs around $15 for 20 prints.

Price $$

Ease of Use ***

Overall, the camera is very good with high picture quality and easy-to-use features. The LCD screen is small and makes it difficult to preview an image accurately before deciding to print. The camera is a good shape and size, but many of the best features come through the app and are not accessible through the camera by itself. The lack of internal memory means that you aren’t able to store any images. A Micro SD card slot would have added another star to this camera.

Design Quality ***

This camera comes very close to having an excellent design, but the lack of internal memory or a Micro SD slot undermines the quality of the camera. The images are 2.1 by 3.4 inches with a sticker backing. The images print out in less than a minute. A larger LCD screen would have been an excellent edition because the screen is too small to get a good look at the image.    The camera is small with a sleek design with a lot of color options, but the lack of memory and the small print size hurt the functionality. We also experienced some Bluetooth connectivity issues.

Warranty

The Kodak Mini Shot comes with a one-year limited warranty.  

Pros

• 10 megapixel image
• Vibrant prints
• Water resistant, tear resistant prints with a sticky back

Cons

• Small LCD screen
• No internal memory or Micro SD slot
• Bluetooth connectivity issues

Conclusion

Any of the selections in our Polaroid Pop review would make an excellent selection depending on your budget and your photography needs. Before making a selection, always be sure to check the availability of print paper or film cartridges and the price per print. A less expensive camera that has a higher print cost will end up being a more expensive camera in the long run. The ability to preview images before printing is a great way to ensure you get the maximum value from your instant print camera as you will be less likely to print poor images.

Our Polaroid Pop review found that the Polaroid Pop has significant advantages over other similar cameras. The larger print size makes for more attractive, dynamic images. The downside of the larger print capability is that the camera has to be larger to accommodate the film. However, Polaroid did a fantastic job of creating a sleek and efficient camera body that is only slightly larger than the compact instant cameras. The 20 megapixel camera with Micro SD slot, and the large LCD touchscreen ensure you’re able to use all the Polaroid Pop’s features with or without the free app.

Instant cameras are a lot of fun. They allow you to create an instant memento of a special situation that has a lot more character than a digital file sent via email. Our Polaroid Pop review found that the Polaroid Pop is a versatile and efficient instant camera that provides great quality, large prints, at a very affordable price. If you’re looking for an instant camera, the Polaroid Pop is a terrific choice.

Final Verdict: *****