We have seen a few examples of Polaroid's classic cameras getting a modern makeover, with the launch of digitally-equipped shooters like the Cube, Snap and this year's Snap Touch. The company has now further beefed up the digital side of things, introducing at CES the new Polaroid Pop, which offers higher-res photos in a package that retains more than a hint of nostalgia.
The company has launched the Pop to celebrate its 80-year anniversary, marking the occasion by bringing back its traditional printing format: photos in the traditional 3 x 4-inch format with the typical white border, making for prints totaling 3.5 x 4.25 in (8.9 x 10.8 cm) in size.
These come courtesy of the Zero Ink printer built into the camera, which also features on the Snap and Snap Touch. Rather than using ink, the tech uses a paper made of composite materials embedded with cyan, yellow and magenta crystals beneath a protective polymer overcoat. When heated, the crystals colorize. This isn't going to provide professional-grade prints, but the quality produced by this tech is getting better all the time.
The Polaroid Pop also seems more than capable of holding its own as a standalone digital camera, at least on paper. It features a 20-megapixel CMOS sensor (the Snap Touch's was 13-megapixel), while the touchscreen on the back has also been upsized to a 3.97-inch LCD. There is a dual LED flash onboard, along with image stabilization, 1080p full HD video recording capability and a Micro SD slot for storage up to 128 GB.
There's also a timer for self-portraits, and with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, there is additionally the ability to use the Pop simply as a photo printer. Users can hook up to the camera through the companion smartphone app to edit and print photos from their device, with a few filters, stickers and effects thrown in if they are looking to get creative.
The company has yet to reveal pricing details for the Polaroid Pop, saying only that it will become available in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Source: Polaroid
