Who would have thought that in the age of impeccably good smartphone cameras, Polaroid’s instant prints will still be a thing? Yes, people love immediately getting to enjoy physical photographs of those moments they capture in time. The Polaroid Go is the latest instant camera from the outfit and it’s their smallest one yet.
Billed as a “pocket-sized analog instant camera,” the device measures just 5.9 x 3.3 x 2.4 inches, likely making it not just Polaroid’s smallest model, but the most compact instant camera out there. We know, that sounds like it will make for a substantial bump in your pocket, but it’s still a whole lot smaller than any instant camera you can probably get today.
The Polaroid Go retains the classic appearance of old Polaroid models, combining the camera sensor on top with an extruded section that dispenses instant prints below it. Except… you know… in much smaller dimensions. It’s equipped with a polycarbonate resin lens with a focal length of 34mm, with an aperture of f/12 and f/52, as well as a shutter speed of 1/125 to 30 seconds. We don’t know how all of those details translate to instant prints, but we imagine it will take decent-looking shots.
It has all the features found in classic Polaroid cameras, along with new ones that support how people take pictures. There is, for instance, a small selfie mirror in front, so you don’t have to waste film taking poorly-framed selfies, as well as a self-timer that you can activate when posing for photos at a distance. For more creative shots, they offer a double-exposure feature that, the outfit claims, is dead easy to use, while an automatic flash illuminates the scene, so you can take pictures in low-light environment.
Not only can the Polaroid Go fit, albeit uncomfortably, in your pocket, it’s small enough that they designed it to be worn using a neck strap, ready to be lifted to snap a picture at a moment’s notice. Sadly, the smaller size means it won’t accommodate full-sized square film packs that are currently in use. As such, the outfit developed an entirely new one designed specifically for this model, each of which comes with 16 small frames (2.122 inches wide), so you can crank out instant prints that just may be small enough to fit in your wallet (depending on how big your wallet is, of course). Do note, while they call it an instant print, it’s not exactly instant, requiring around 10 to 15 minutes to render the photograph in full color.
It has a shell cut in durable plastic that should hold up to daily use, with a white colorway and iconic Polaroid branding, so it’s quite the affable-looking creation. Unlike Polaroids of the old days, it has a rechargeable battery that will allow you to use up to 15 film packs before requiring to be plugged in. That’s 240 instant prints, so you can preserve a whole lot of memories before the battery drains out.
The Polaroid Go is available now, priced at $99.99, with two packs of film selling for $19.99.