Kodak Polaroid Camera? 5 Best Kodak Instant Cameras 2026

Kodak instant cameras print on Zink or 4PASS paper, not film. The $99.99 Kodak Smile is the best for most people. Five picks from $69.99, with paper costs.

If you searched for a “Kodak Polaroid camera”, here is the short version: Kodak does not make Polaroid cameras, and no current Kodak camera uses instant film. Kodak’s instant cameras are small digital cameras with a printer inside. They print on Zink or 4PASS paper, a print comes out in a minute or less, and each one costs 30 cents to $1. The best for most people is the Kodak Smile, at $99.99.

How a Kodak instant camera works

A Polaroid or Instax film camera exposes a sheet of chemical film through the lens. There is no sensor and no digital file. A Kodak instant camera takes a digital photo with a sensor, then prints it. The Zink models also save that photo to a microSD card, so you keep a copy.

Kodak uses two kinds of paper:

• Zink (the Smile, Smile+, Smile Classic, Printomatic, Printomatic+, Step and Step Touch). The color is already in the paper as colorless cyan, magenta and yellow dye layers, and heat from the print head brings each one out. There is no ink. Kodak’s 2x3 Zink paper has a sticky back, so prints double as stickers. Oddly, Zink started as a project inside Polaroid Corporation in the 1990s and became its own company in 2005.
• 4PASS (the Mini Shot 2, 3 and 4). This is dye-sublimation: the paper and a dye ribbon come together in one cartridge, and the printer finishes each print with a laminate layer.

Kodak also does not build these cameras itself. It licenses the name. C+A Global makes the Smile cameras, and Prinics makes the Mini Shot 3 Retro.

Kodak did make real instant film once. From 1976 it sold the EK and Kodamatic cameras with its own instant film, which did not fit Polaroid cameras. Polaroid sued, won in 1985, and Kodak had to stop making both the cameras and the film. Those old cameras still turn up on auction sites.

The five picks compared

Camera prices and ratings were checked in November 2026. Prices are list prices, except the Mini Shot 3 Retro, which had no list price we could find and is shown at its typical price. “Camera + 100 prints” uses the list price, or the typical price shown where a camera usually sells for more than 20% below list (the Smile Classic). The Mini Shot 2 Retro is also often found for less than its list price. Ratings are typical owner ratings out of 5, rounded down to the nearest half star. Per-print figures use regular pack prices, never a sale, rounded up to the next 5 cents, and paper comes in packs of 40 to 60 sheets, so your real spend rounds up to whole packs.

Best overall: Kodak Smile

The Smile is the Kodak instant camera to buy if you only buy one. The reason is the screen. Several cheap Kodak cameras print every shot the moment you take it, blurry or not. The Smile shows you the photo on a color screen first, and you press a separate button to print it. At about $0.50 a sheet, skipping the bad ones adds up.

It was $99.99 at Kodak’s store on November 11, 2026, when Amazon had no new stock on its main listing. The body slides open to switch on and slides shut to cover the lens. At 122 x 79 x 23 mm it is thin enough for a pocket, which almost no Instax camera is. A print takes about 35 seconds, a charge lasts about 40 prints, and the flash can be set to on, off or auto. There is a self-timer, and a photo booth mode puts two shots on one sheet.

The camera side is basic. The sensor is 5 MP, and Kodak’s 10 MP figure comes from interpolation. The internal memory holds only two to five photos, so buy a microSD card with it. You press the shutter and then OK to keep a shot, which trips up anyone you hand it to. It charges over micro-USB, the flash is weak beyond about two meters, and there is no Bluetooth, so it cannot print photos from your phone.

Reviewers split. Tom’s Guide recommended it as a pocketable instant camera for under $100. Tech Advisor said low print quality and limited features made it hard to recommend. Owners typically rate it 4 out of 5, and what they praise most is the screen stopping children from burning through paper.

Best print quality: Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro

The Mini Shot 2 Retro is the Kodak camera reviewers praise for its prints. Tom’s Guide said it reproduces color faithfully and had the best low-light performance of any instant camera it tested. It prints on laminated 4PASS paper rather than Zink.

It lists at $149.99 and is often found for about $130. Prints cost about $0.45 each from a 60-sheet cartridge pack and measure 53 x 86 mm, close to the size of an Instax Mini print. It has a 1.77-inch screen, so you choose what to print, plus a selfie mirror and a self-timer. Over Bluetooth it also prints photos from your phone through the KODAK Photo Printer app, which makes it a camera and a pocket printer in one.

The weak point is the battery. It lasts about 20 prints, and there is no battery-level indicator, so it can go flat without warning. Each print takes about 60 seconds, and there is no double exposure.

Owners typically rate it 4 out of 5 across thousands of ratings. It is also our budget hybrid pick in best instant print camera, where it sits against the Instax Mini Evo.

Cheapest: Kodak Printomatic

The Printomatic was the cheapest in-stock Kodak camera that prints in color on our last check, with a $69.99 list price. With 100 Zink prints at about $0.50 it comes to $119.99. Owners typically rate it about 3.5 out of 5 across thousands of ratings.

It is as simple as a camera gets. Point, press, and a sticky-backed 76 x 51 mm print slides out a few seconds later. A slider switches between color and black and white. Put a microSD card in (not included) and it keeps a digital copy of every shot. That simplicity is why it works as a first camera for a young child.

You pay for the low price in two ways. There is no screen, so every shot prints, good or bad. And the prints are the weakest here: owners and reviewers describe them as washed out or pink-tinted, quality drops sharply indoors, and the flash fires on its own with no way to turn it off. Tom’s Guide called both the digital and printed results merely average. It manages about 25 prints a charge, and only 5 sheets come in the box, so buy a 50-sheet pack with it.

If you are weighing it against cheap Instax and Polaroid cameras, our best cheap instant camera guide ranks all of them on camera price plus 100 shots.

Best square prints: Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro

The Mini Shot 3 Retro prints 76 x 76 mm square photos on 4PASS paper, at the same cost as the Mini Shot 2, about $0.45 a print. The prints are laminated and resist water and fingerprints. It was often found for about $150 in November 2026, and owners typically rate it 4 out of 5 across thousands of ratings.

Buy it as a phone printer that happens to have a camera. Reviewers and owners agree that photos sent from a phone over Bluetooth print better than the camera’s own shots, which are weak indoors. And the built-in camera has no storage: its photos are deleted the moment you switch it off. Pocket-lint said it was not worth buying for that reason, along with slow printing and short battery life.

A charge covers about 20 prints, each print takes about 55 seconds, and owners report that it can overheat and jam if you print continuously. It weighs 370 g, so it is a bag camera, not a pocket one.

Biggest prints: Kodak Smile Classic

The Smile Classic prints 89 x 108 mm, the largest sheet of any Kodak we picked, with a white border, and reviewers say the prints look more like a real photo than a 2x3 Zink print. WIRED scored it 8 out of 10 and called its output the best Zink it had tested. It lists at $169.99 but was often found for about $120 in November 2026.

The big paper is the catch. It comes in 40-sheet packs at about $1.00 a print, which is more than Instax Mini film at about $0.95 a shot. The camera has no screen, so every shot prints, and Tom’s Guide wished it let you choose. Digital Camera World said the prints were closer to a photocopy than a lab print.

It doubles as a Bluetooth printer for phone photos through the Kodak Classic 2-in-1 app, and those print better than the camera’s own shots. It has a pop-up viewfinder and a self-timer, lasts about 35 prints a charge and weighs 408 g. Owners typically rate it about 3.5 out of 5, and some report units that stop printing or jam.

The other Kodak instant cameras, and why we skipped them

Kodak sells a lot of cameras with similar names. Here is the rest of the current range, with prices and owner ratings checked in October 2026.

• Smile+ ($129.99 list, often found for about $100; typically rated 4 out of 5). It adds Bluetooth and a twist-to-change effect lens, but it prints every shot automatically. For about the same price, the Smile’s screen saves more paper.
• Printomatic+ ($79.99 list; typically rated about 3.5 out of 5). The 2026 follow-up to the Printomatic, still with no screen. Paper jams are the most common complaint.
• Step Touch ($149.99 list, often found for about $130; typically rated about 3 out of 5). It has a 3.5-inch touchscreen and shoots 1080p video, but owners find the prints washed out.
• Step camera (typically rated 4 out of 5). It was unavailable at Kodak’s store on our last check.
• Mini Shot 3 Era ($169.99 list, often found for about $120; typically rated about 3 out of 5) and Mini Shot 4 Era ($118.99 at Kodak’s store, though it was no longer listed there on November 11, 2026; too few owner ratings to judge). The Mini Shot 4 Era prints the largest square Kodak sheet, 102 x 102 mm, at about $0.30, but it weighs 822 g and Tom’s Guide called its print quality underwhelming. Neither Era camera keeps a digital file.
• Mini Shot 2 Era. Sold out at Kodak’s store on our last check.
• Memo Shot Era ($39.99 sale price at Kodak’s store). It prints small 69 x 46 mm black-and-white pictures on thermal paper rolls from a 2 MP sensor, and its photos cannot be saved or sent to a phone. It is closer to a label printer than an instant camera.

Zink or 4PASS: which Kodak paper is better?

4PASS, if print quality matters. The Mini Shot prints are laminated and resist water, fingerprints and fading, and the Mini Shot 2 Retro is the Kodak camera reviewers praise for color. 4PASS is also slightly cheaper per print, at about $0.45 for 2.1x3.4 and 3x3 and about $0.30 for 4x4.

Zink wins on convenience. There is no cartridge, the 2x3 sheets are sticky-backed, and the cameras that use it are smaller and cheaper. The cost is color: reviewers describe Zink prints as washed out next to film. Our Instax vs Zink comparison sets the two print types side by side.

Should you buy a Kodak or a real instant film camera?

Buy a Kodak if the camera is for a child, a party or a scrapbook. A 2x3 print costs about half what an Instax Mini shot does, the Smile and Mini Shot cameras let you choose what to print, and the Zink models keep a digital copy.

Buy Instax or Polaroid if you want the print itself: a chemical photo that develops in your hand. An Instax Mini 13 lists at $89.95, with film at about $0.95 a shot. A Polaroid Go Generation 3 lists at $89.99, with film at about $1.40. If “Polaroid” was the word you searched for, our Kodak vs Polaroid comparison covers the difference in detail, and our best Polaroid camera guide ranks every current Polaroid.

How we chose

We have not tested these Kodak cameras in person yet. The picks come from each camera’s published specs, prices and owner ratings checked in November 2026 (October for the other Kodak cameras listed above), regular paper prices, and named professional reviews including Tom’s Guide, WIRED, Tech Advisor, Pocket-lint and Digital Camera World. Our method is on the How We Test page.

We ranked cameras with a screen higher, because skipping a bad shot saves paper, and cameras with enough owner ratings to judge. That is why the Smile is first and the Mini Shot 4 Era, with too few ratings to judge, is not on the list.

At a glance

Prices and ratings checked in November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Does Kodak make a Polaroid camera?

No. Polaroid is a separate company, and no current Kodak camera takes Polaroid film. Kodak did sell its own instant film cameras, the EK and Kodamatic series, from 1976. Their film did not fit Polaroid cameras. Polaroid sued, and on September 13, 1985 a federal judge in Boston ruled that Kodak had infringed seven Polaroid patents. Kodak had to stop making the cameras and the film.

Do Kodak instant cameras use film?

No. Every current Kodak instant camera is digital. A sensor takes the picture and a printer inside the body prints it on Zink paper, 4PASS dye-sublimation paper or, on the Memo Shot Era, black-and-white thermal paper. The Zink models can also keep a digital copy on a microSD card.

Which Kodak instant camera is best?

The Kodak Smile, for most people. It was $99.99 at Kodak's store on November 11, 2026, it has a screen so you choose what to print, and owners typically rate it 4 out of 5. For better color, the Mini Shot 2 Retro, often found for about $130, prints on laminated 4PASS paper.

How much does Kodak instant camera paper cost?

From about $0.30 to $1.00 a print at regular pack prices. 2x3 Zink paper comes in 50-sheet packs, about $0.50 a print. 4PASS 2.1x3.4 and 3x3 cartridges come in 60-sheet packs, about $0.45 a print. 4PASS 4x4 comes in 120-sheet packs, about $0.30 a print. The large 3.5x4.25 Zink paper comes in 40-sheet packs, about $1.00 a print.

Can a Kodak instant camera print photos from my phone?

Some can. The Mini Shot cameras, the Smile+, the Smile Classic and the Step Touch print phone photos over Bluetooth through Kodak's apps. The Kodak Smile has no Bluetooth, so it only prints its own shots.

Is Kodak better than Instax?

Kodak is cheaper to run and Instax gives the better print. Kodak's 2x3 Zink paper costs about $0.50 a print, against about $0.95 a shot for Instax Mini film. Reviewers describe Zink prints as washed out next to Instax, and our records for the Kodak Smile, Smile+ and Step all list print quality below Instax as a drawback.

Related reading

• Kodak vs Polaroid Instant Cameras: Which Should You Buy? (2026)
• Instax vs Zink: Which Instant Print Should You Choose? (2026)
• Best Budget Instant Camera 2026: 5 Affordable Picks
• Best Hybrid Instant Camera 2026: 7 Instant Print Cameras
• HP Sprocket vs Kodak Step: Which Should You Buy? (2026)