Polaroid just launched the ‘world’s smallest instant camera’ — and this pocketable hit of 1980s nostalgia only has one big drawback | Tech Radar
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Polaroid just launched the ‘world’s smallest instant camera’ — and this pocketable hit of 1980s nostalgia only has one big drawback
The Go Gen 3 taps into a miniature camera trend, and it's set to be a hit
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Polaroid has announced the third generation of its tiny 'Go' series of instant cameras, the smallest yet.
Like previous models, it uses Polaroid's dedicated 'Go' film, a smaller format producing 2.6" x 2.1" prints
With a selfie mirror and self-timer for group shots, the Go 3 is courting a younger user
Summer is here, festival season is upon us, and Polaroid has unveiled what it's hoping is the perfect camera for it all. The Polaroid Go Generation 3 is the latest, and smallest, in the rejuvenated firm's line of tiny instant-film cameras, shooting and printing smaller-format photos in the iconic square Polaroid format.
With research indicating that many members of Gen Z are fatigued by modern tech, the Polaroid Go Gen 3 is pitched as a tactile and authentic means of experiencing (and documenting) an 'analog summer'. It's small enough to take to concerts and festivals and on road trips, and Polaroid is betting that its lo-fi aesthetics will charm a screen-weary generation.
Preceded by the Polaroid Go 2 in 2024, this new version is apparently somehow even smaller. Polaroid hasn't yet provided precise size and weight specs, though the firm is calling it 'the world's smallest instant analog camera'. It uses the same dedicated Polaroid Go film, which produces prints measuring 66.6mm x 53.9mm (2.623" x 2.122"), with an image area of 47mm x 46mm (1.851" x 1.811"). This is about four times smaller than the standard I-Type format.
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The Go Gen 3 has a selfie mirror, a self-timer for group shots and a double-exposure mode — which allows you to expose the same frame twice for creative effects. All this was true of the Go 2 as well, and indeed, it sounds like the Go Gen 3 is going to be a very similar point-and-shoot affair, with fixed focus and fully automatic settings. I'll be able to confirm this once my review sample arrives — en route at the time of writing.
It'll be available from today in a choice of five colors — white, black, teal blue, ice blue or purple — at a starting price of
I'm a big Polaroid fan — I love instant photography and I own a Polaroid Flip. Even so, I can admit that the Polaroid Go Gen 3 doesn't look like the most exciting release, more an iterative update on the Go 2. And far as I can see from inspecting the early release materials, the main iteration seems to be that it's a bit smaller.
Still, I think in many respects it has the makings of a hit. Polaroid is not wrong to point out that many younger people are craving low-tech, lo-fi experiences, as demonstrated by recent hits like the Camp Snap and the Rewind Pix. And people like cute cameras too, as seen in the huge viral success of the Kodak Charmera keychain camera.
Plus, there's the perennial popularity of Polaroid's key rival in the instant photography space: Fujifilm Instax cameras, which consistently sell like hot-cakes.
With its cute, pocketable form factor, the Go Gen 3 could quite easily take a big bite out of Fujifilm Instax's lunch. It's priced at about the same level as the Instax mini 12, and the price of its 'Go' film is comparable to Instax mini. With Go film you get 16 shots for
(This is a sharp contrast to the larger I-Type film — as much as I love it, forking out $18.99 / £16.99 for just eight shots is a bitter pill.)
I'll reserve full judgement on the Polaroid Go Gen 3 until I've been hands-on with it for myself, but for now, I think Polaroid is in the right place at the right time for a storming success. Don't be surprised if you see quite a few of these little cameras at festivals and on beaches this year...
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Writer, photographer and editor Jon Stapely is an expert in all things cameras and digital art.
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