Polaroid Flip

The Polaroid Flip is a modern instant camera from Polaroid, announced in April 2025 and released shortly thereafter. It features a folding design (“flip”) that protects the lens and controls when closed.

The camera combines classic instant photography technology with modern features such as sonar autofocus and an automatically switching 4-lens system to ensure high usability and image quality. It is positioned as an easy-to-use camera for users seeking an authentic analog photography experience.

Sales began on April 15, 2025, on the Polaroid website, followed by wider retail availability from May 13, 2025. The new price is listed as €219 (or $199.99 / £199.99 / CNY 1699).

Lens

The Polaroid Flip’s optical system is a central feature of the camera. It is an automatically switching 4-zone optical hyperfocus system based on sonar autofocus. Inside the camera is a rotating element with four different lenses made of PMMA plastic.

Depending on the distance to the subject determined by the sonar rangefinder, the camera automatically selects one of the four lenses to achieve optimal sharpness. The four zones and their corresponding lenses are:

Close-up (Lens 1): Focal length 94.17 mm, optimal focus at 0.65 m (zone range 0.4 m – 0.77 m)

Near-focus (Lens 2): Focal length 97.75 mm, optimal focus at 0.85 m (zone range 0.77 m – 1.03 m)

Mid-range (Lens 3): Focal length 101.4 mm, optimal focus at 1.2 m (zone range 1.03 m – 1.68 m)

Long-range (Lens 4): Focal length 106.99 mm, optimal focus at 2.5 m (zone range 1.68 m – infinity)

This system is designed for both close-up and long-range photography. Landscape shots produce sharper images. The integrated sonar autofocus emits sound waves to measure the distance to the subject. Since this system doesn’t rely on ambient light, autofocus works reliably even in the dark.

The shortest shooting distance is 40 cm. If the subject is closer, the camera prevents the shot to avoid blurry images. The camera’s field of view is 40.8° vertically and 39.4° horizontally.

Exposure Settings

The Polaroid Flip features automatic exposure control, which aims to deliver correctly exposed images in most situations. A special feature is Scene Analysis. This function warns the user via a red LED in the viewfinder if the image is likely to be over- or underexposed.

Symbols on the display indicate whether the image is likely to be too bright or too dark. Taking a picture is still possible in this case. If the LED in the viewfinder flashes and a “c” appears on the display, this indicates that the subject is too close (less than 40 cm), and the camera will block the shot.

Although exposure is primarily automatic, the camera offers manual intervention via Exposure Compensation (EV). Pressing and holding the MODE button activates EV mode.

Pressing the MODE button again toggles between three levels: +0.5 EV (brighter), 0 EV (neutral), and -0.5 EV (darker). The selected setting is indicated by a line above, in the middle, or below the EV symbol on the remaining image display. The setting is confirmed by pressing and holding the MODE button again, or it is automatically saved after 7 seconds of inactivity.

The shutter speed ranges from 1/200 second to 1 second by default. Advanced settings can be adjusted via the connected Polaroid Mobile app, allowing shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and a Bulb mode for long exposures. The effective aperture varies depending on the selected focus zone and ranges from f/8.5 to f/66.6.

Half-pressing the shutter button locks both the focus and exposure for the targeted subject. This allows the photographer to recompose the image before capturing the photo by fully pressing the shutter button.

Flash System

The Polaroid Flip is equipped with a built-in flash located in the lid. It is a vacuum gas discharge tube strobe system with auto-adjust output. The camera adjusts the flash intensity to the distance to the subject to achieve balanced illumination. The flash range is up to 4.5 meters. For subjects further away, the photo may appear underexposed even with the flash.

The flash is activated by default and fires with every shot as soon as the camera is turned on. This is recommended for achieving good results, especially indoors or in low-light conditions.

However, the user can deactivate the flash by double-pressing the flash button (indicated by a lightning symbol). The flash will then remain off for the next shot and will be activated again by default the next time the camera is turned on.

If the flash is deactivated, it can be reactivated for the next shot by briefly pressing the flash button (< 1 second). A corresponding symbol will be displayed while the flash is charging. [responsive imageid='78983']

Additional Features

In addition to its core functions, the Polaroid Flip offers other useful features:

Self-Timer: Pressing the MODE button once activates the self-timer. An orange LED on the front flashes, indicating the 12-second countdown. The countdown can be canceled by pressing the shutter button again before the timer expires or by turning the camera off.

Double Exposure: Pressing the MODE button twice quickly activates double exposure mode. The remaining image display first shows a flashing ‘1’ for the first shot and then a flashing ‘2’ for the second shot. After the second exposure, the photo is ejected.

Combining Modes: It is possible to combine multiple modes, such as self-timer, double exposure, and exposure compensation.

Bluetooth Connectivity: The camera can be connected via Bluetooth to the free Polaroid app (for iOS and Android). The app allows remote camera control, access to advanced manual settings (including slower shutter speeds), and activation of the self-timer and double exposure from your smartphone.

USB-C Port: The built-in lithium-ion battery is charged via a modern USB-C port. A charging cable is not included.

Battery Level Indicator: An indicator on the display provides information about the battery charge level. A more detailed status (in 10% increments from 1 to 9) can be viewed by holding down the flash button while turning on the camera. A fully charged battery lasts for approximately 15 packs of film.

Force Ejection: In certain situations, such as after the first shot of a double exposure that you want to discard, you can manually force the film to eject. To do this, hold down the MODE button with the camera closed while opening the flip cover. Holding the MODE button for another 10 seconds ejects the film.

Dimensions and weight

The Polaroid Flip has the following dimensions:

Closed: 163.5 mm x 117.2 mm x 89.7 mm (6.44″ x 4.61″ x 3.53″)

Open: 163.5 mm x 117.2 mm x 121.6 mm (6.44″ x 4.61″ x 4.79″)

The camera weighs 648 grams (22.86 oz) without a film cassette inserted. The housing is made of polycarbonate and ABS plastic. The operating temperature is between 4°C and 38°C with a relative humidity of 5-90%.

Film Recommendations for the Polaroid Flip

The Polaroid Flip is compatible with two types of Polaroid instant film:

Polaroid i-Type Film: This is the recommended film type. i-Type films do not contain their own battery, as the camera provides the necessary power. They are generally slightly cheaper than 600 films. For color film, there is the Polaroid Color Film for i-Type*.

Polaroid 600 Film: This classic film type has a built-in battery in the cartridge, which is not required for the Flip. The camera still works perfectly with 600 film. The current color film for the 600 format is the Polaroid Color Film for 600*. For black and white images, there is the Polaroid B&W Film for 600*.

Both film types are available in color or black and white and contain 8 images per cassette. When a new cassette is inserted, the camera automatically resets the frame counter to ‘8’. It is recommended to always use up a film pack completely before inserting a new one to ensure a correct display of the remaining frames and to avoid accidentally exposing unexposed images to light.

Quick Operation Guide

• Charge the camera: Connect the camera to a suitable charger via the USB-C port (5V/1A recommended). A full charge takes approximately 2 hours.
• Turn on the camera: Open the flip cover. The camera turns on and the display shows the frame counter (shows ‘0’ without film).
• Load the film: Open the film door using the corresponding button. Insert an i-Type or 600 film cassette (darkslide facing up, pull tab facing the user) until it clicks. Close the door. The darkslide will automatically eject. Remove the darkslide.
• Frame the subject: Look through the viewfinder and compose your shot. Maintain a minimum distance of 40 cm. For subjects less than 1.2 m away, adjust slightly up and to the left to compensate for parallax.
• Check warnings: Pay attention to the red LED in the viewfinder (warns of over/underexposure or too close a focus).
• Focus and lock exposure (optional): Press the shutter button halfway to lock focus and exposure on the targeted subject. Hold the button halfway to recompose the image.
• Take a photo: Press the shutter button fully. The photo will be ejected from the front and initially covered by a retractable film shield.
• Remove and develop the photo: Wait about 5 seconds before carefully removing the photo from under the film shield. Place the photo face down on a flat surface and protect it from direct light during development (see film packaging for development time). Do not shake the photo.
• Turn off the camera: Close the flip cover. The camera will turn off to save battery power.

Prototypes

Polaroid created several prototypes during development. These images show a selection of them.

The flip design is based on the old Polaroid 600 cameras.