Not every summer moment needs to end up buried in your phone’s digital camera roll. On Tuesday, Polaroid launched the Go Generation 3, the latest version of what it calls the “world’s smallest instant analog camera.”
The small camera was designed to use Polaroid Go film to capture and instantly print small-format photos that can fit in your phone case.
According to the company, the target audience is Gen Z, with aspirations for an “analog summer” — that is, spending less time on their phones and more time in the physical world. The Go Generation 3’s compact size is designed to support that lifestyle, making it easy to take on-the-go use.
“We focused on perfecting the optical system, integrating a genuinely powerful flash and optimizing the camera for great, close‑up selfies of you and your friends,” Stine Bauer Dahlberg, Polaroid’s chief product officer, said in the press release.
Based on this photo, it looks like the Go Generation 3 is slightly larger than an orange.
Along with a stronger flash for low-light conditions, a new lens with improved contrast and reduced glare and the ability to take more zoomed-in selfies, the Go Generation 3 adds several updates. It also carries over features from the Go Generation 2, including a selfie mirror, a self-timer and a double-exposure mode that layers two images in a single frame.
As with the Generation 2 model, the rechargeable battery lasts for about 15 packs of film per charge. There’s an included wrist strap, charging cable, a one-year limited warranty and the ability to scan and share your photos in the free Polaroid app.
The Go Generation 2 and Go Generation 3 cameras are priced at $90 each. Go film, which measures 2.62×2.12 inches and has an image area of 1.85×1.81 inches, costs $22 for a double pack, with each pack containing 16 photos.
Unlike the second-gen camera, you get five new colors to choose from with the Go Generation 3: light blue, purple, teal, black and white.
The Go Generation 3 is now available on Polaroid.com and will be sold at select retailers starting June 16.
The Go Generation 3 works with Polaroid’s Go film, but you can also scan and share your photos using the free Polaroid app.
Compact and instant
Based on the size dimensions and weight listed on the instant camera’s product page, it would seem that the Go Generation 3 (4.2 x 3.3×2.54 inches and 8.9 ounces) is larger than the Go Generation 2 (4.3×3.3×2.44 inches and 8.43 ounces).
However, when asked whether that would make the Go Generation 2 the world’s smallest instant camera, a Polaroid representative clarified that when it says “world’s smallest instant analog camera,” it’s referring to the Go line as a whole.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
