If the Polaroid Flip is just another retro camera to you, then... you didn't read it right. It's a technologically updated homage to analog art, with four lenses, sonar (yes, you read that right), and an app that finally lets you tinker with the laws of light. The question isn't if you want it. The question is: why don't you have it yet?
Let's face it — if you've ever stood in the middle of a party, holding a beer in one hand and an iPhone with ten thousand saved photos in the other, you definitely remember what it was like when a photo from the camera came out. In physical form. All at once. With noise, smell, and colors that were, well, unique. Unfiltered. Just… there. Polaroid Flip!
Polaroid Flip is not playing with nostalgia here. Not only that. This is a camera that respects its analog roots, but shamelessly upgrades them with solutions that you would expect from a Tesla rather than an instant camera.
Sonar and four lenses? No, it's not science fiction.
The main star of the Polaroid Flip? Sonar. Yes, sound waves for focusing. Because why move lenses when the camera can measure distance and choose one of four fixed lenses? Each one covers a different distance — from “give me a selfie” to “over there on the street.”
The result? Always a sharp image. No missed moments, no wrong focus zone, no… frustration. The technology that Polaroid first experimented with back in the 80s has now been given a new lease of life. And that life has some pretty good genes.
Shape: Like Darth Vader walking on the beach in Miami
The Polaroid Flip isn't just smart. It's beautiful. The kind of industrial design that makes you want to carry it around with you. Not to put in your bag — to carry, as an accessory. A flip-up cover that becomes a flash. A handle that hides the battery. Buttons? Three. You know they're there. And that's enough.
The app is also surprising. Not because it exists (even smart benches have an app these days), but because it actually doesn't suck. You can adjust the exposure, time, aperture. You can use it as a remote shutter release. You can... play.
Old soul, new problems
Well, it's not all flowers. The Flip uses classic i-Type and 600 film. Which means 2 $ per photo. And no, that's not a decimal point error. It's expensive. It's whimsical. But it's also part of the charm. If you're willing to shell out a euro and a half for a good espresso, you can probably shell out two for a photo that will last.
Fujifilm Instax is cheaper, more reliable, more… Japanese. But if you want a real statement piece, something that will spark conversation, something that smells of chemistry and memories — then the Flip has no real competition.
Technical Porn (for specs lovers)
- Lens system: Four fixed lenses for different distances, sonar focusing
- Movie: i-Type and 600
- Application: Bluetooth, USB-C, manual settings
- Search engine: finally big enough to see what you'll catch
- Buttons: Three. Just three.
- Weight: almost 1 kg – not pocket-friendly, but for serious fun
- Price: 200 $/€ (camera body). Color versions coming. Red and Blue edition coming soon.
Conclusion: The best Polaroid in decades?
Yes.
If Steve Jobs had made a Polaroid, it would have been the Flip.
If Kubrick had made films with an instant camera, it would have been the Flip.
If you think Instagram is all you need for photography, then Flip it is not for you. But if you want something that's real, mechanical, but smart like your cat... then Flip is just waiting for one more click. Of your trigger. And the price is around 200 euros.
