Review: Polaroid Flip

How long can a revival be called a revival? At what point is something considered, well, just back? The “renewed” interest in analog experiences and physical media is something that’s been discussed and dissected for well over a decade now, and where vinyl and record players have led the way, instant photography has followed.

With the launch of the new Polaroid Flip, Polaroid’s second new launch this year, the mood seems to one of being not only “back” but “here to stay”. There’s now a whole family of cameras to suit different prices and abilities, but the focus with the Flip is now to supposedly make the experience as good as possible for as many people as possible.

“We believe this is the best instant camera for most people,” Polaroid’s new CEO Dan Dossa tells me. Let’s find out if the Flip lives up to such a lofty claim.

A Nod to Its Roots

As someone who was born in the 80s, it’s impossible not to see the Flip’s nod to its roots. The whole Polaroid family is suitably retro in its styling, but the clamshell design of the Flip, which sees the flash fold into itself and double up as a lens cover, is a clear nod to the One Step camera—just with rounder edges and an overall softer look.

It’s available in white with an orange and black lens panel or in all black and grey, with an orange shutter button. To my eyes, the white is the most striking of the two, but of course, it’s also the most likely to get grubby and marked. My review sample has picked up its fair share during two weeks of snapping so far, some of which have become more engrained and difficult to remove. At least the lens is protected, though, and for a camera you’ll likely want to be taking around with you, that’s the most important thing—and one of the clear benefits over the recently announced, slightly cheaper Now Gen 3 family.

Another notable addition here is sonar autofocus, a well-loved feature first developed by Polaroid in 1978 but that hasn’t been seen on a new camera for decades. It works when you half press the shutter button to focus, and trigger an ultrasonic pulse from the small circle of dots that sit to the left of the lens. This pulse bounces off any nearby large objects and helps the camera to understand how far away the subject—or subjects—might be, reaching a distance of 0.4 to 4 meters.

With this information, the Flip can theoretically then automatically choose the best option from its hyperfocal four-lens system, which you can literally hear the camera switching between them as the scene changes. There’s a choice of lens for sweet spots at 0.65m, 0.85m, 1.2m and 2.5m, which roughly translates to a macro shot, a single person portrait, group of people or a landscape picture.