The Polaroid Go Gen 3 is a palm-sized instant camera that produces lovely little prints in the right conditions

Date:
Sat, 20 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Description:
The Polaroid Go Gen 3 is a minor refresh with a new lens and flash even better for instant-film selfies,

FULL STORY ======================================================================Polaroid
Go Gen 3: Two-minute review Cards on the table: I love Polaroids. Im of the right generation to have grown up with these instant-film wonders on holidays and at parties, and I was thrilled when the brand was properly revitalised in 2017 under new ownership. From the early OneStep cameras to more recent efforts like the Polaroid Flip (which I currently own), Ive used a lot of nu-Polaroids offerings, and I was thrilled to try out the Polaroid Go Gen 3.

The Go series are Polaroids range of super-small instant cameras. They use their own dedicated Go film, producing prints measuring 66.6mm x 53.9mm with an image area of 47mm x 46mm (for context, a full-size I-Type print measures 107mm x 88mm with an image area of 79mm x 77mm). They still have that
Polaroid look, that lo-fi charm, that iconic square format. Theyre just smaller. The Go Gen 3 is the smallest camera the series has yet produced. It is clearly pitched at a younger crowd festival-goers, beach-enjoyers, selfie-takers, and it has a selfie mirror to facilitate this. Its controls
are extremely simple; you cant control settings, you just point and shoot. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

Most of this was also true of previous Go cameras, such as the Go 2 , so what exactly is new here? Well, as well as the reduced size, Polaroid has
outfitted the Gen 3 with a boosted flash and a redesigned lens sporting a narrower focal length of 63.75mm, compared to 51.1mm on the Gen 2. This gives you a slightly tighter perspective, gets you closer to your subjects, and makes your selfies that little bit more flattering. (Image credit: Jon Stapley) Polaroid Go Gen 3 (Black) at Amazon for 94.99 So, it's a much
simpler offering than the Flip, which has a fancy four-zone focus system and offers full settings control via the Polaroid app. The Polaroid Go Gen 3 does have a shutter speed range of 1/5001sec and aperture settings of f/14.4 and f/32, but it will be selecting those for you. However, thats not to say youre completely without agency. You can turn the flash on and off via the flash control button, which also activates a self-timer mode and a double exposure mode meaning you can expose the same frame twice for surreal, creative effects.

I used the Polaroid Go Gen 3 for about a week, mostly capturing shots on
photo walks outdoors, but also making use of the selfie mirror to shoot some self-portraits indoors. Ive been very impressed with the level of quality those little prints are able to display when the lights been right, Ive
found myself absolutely poring over images, appreciating all the subtle details that are conveyed in these tiny prints. Even in the smaller size, you still get the feeling of Polaroids signature lo-fi tones.

Its not perfect. I found ultra-bright sunlight to be a problem, with the prints easily becoming blown out and overexposed on sunny days which also seem to me like the days youre most likely to want to use the camera.
However, the relative affordability of Go film compared to I-Type makes me much more willing to play, experiment and have fun with the Go Gen 3, and not sweat my mistakes too much. Which as far as Im concerned, is what instant photography should be all about. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. (Image credit: Jon Stapley) 89.99 at very.co.uk (Purple) 89.99 at Argos 94.99 at Amazon (Black) 94.99 at Polaroid Polaroid Go Gen 3: price and availability Polaroid has been cannily stalking the Instax market share with the Go series, and part of that has been keeping the cameras nice and cheap. The Go Gen 3 comes at a reasonable launch price of $89.99 / 79.99
/ AU$150, which is about the same as the comparable Instax camera, the Instax Mini 13 , and similar to cheap lo-fi digital cameras like the Camp Snap .

However, as its a film camera, you have ongoing costs to factor in. Polaroid Go cameras use dedicated Polaroid Go film, which costs around $21.99 / 18.99
/ AU$39 for a pack of sixteen shots (two cartridges of eight). Again, this is similar to Instax mini, which is slightly cheaper at around $20.99 / 14.99 / AU$34.95 for a pack of twenty.

Happily, its much more reasonably priced per shot than full-size I-Type film. As much as I love proper Polaroids, $18.99 / 16.99 / AU$32 for just eight shots is really quite brutal, and makes the experience a bit less fun. You dont kick yourself for a fluffed Go shot in quite the way you do for a
fluffed I-Type shot, and it makes the Polaroid Go Gen 3 a more realistic option for kids and families. Polaroid Go Gen 3: Design Super small, trop mignon, fits in the palm of your hand Very simple operation with just three buttons No tripod thread, but there are lugs for a strap (and one is
supplied) Polaroid Go cameras have always been cute its practically their
key USP and the Go Gen 3 is the cutest yet. The makers call it the worlds smallest instant camera, and I certainly cant think of a challenger. This thing is tiny, sitting comfortably in the palm of a hand. It measures 106.5 x 83.8 x 64.6 mm and weighs just 8.9oz / 251g.

As such, there isnt a whole lot of room for bells and whistles, and operation of the Polaroid Go Gen 3 is no-frills. There are just three buttons power, shutter, and flash control, the latter of which also activates self-timer and double-exposure modes. The entire bottom of the camera is taken up by the
film door, meaning theres no tripod screw thread best find a flat wall if
you actually want to use that self-timer. There also isnt any of the
app-based camera-trigger functionality that you get with the likes of the Polaroid Flip, which also means you wont be capturing long exposures or anything like that.

The viewfinder is small but lovely. I really enjoy looking through it; I just love that square frame. It really fires my imagination compositionally, and
if I hadnt been limited by how much film I had on hand, I would have been firing off shots left and right. Flip the camera around, and youll see that the front of the viewfinder is reflective. This is the selfie mirror, and I have to say, it works exactly as intended. Image 1 of 5 (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) On the side, theres a USB-C port for charging, and at the back are two lugs on the right and left for attaching straps, and a rope-style wrist strap is included in the box. And, well, thats pretty much it! This is a very simple offering, something that works in its favor as a lo-fi camera for fun, friends and family. Its a
camera so simple a child could use it, something I tested by giving it to a three-year-old, who with a little coaching did indeed manage to capture a photo. If youre looking for a camera with kid-appeal, I can attest that the
Go Gen 3 has it in abundance.

Its available in five stylish colorways: white, black, teal blue, ice blue
and purple. As you can see, I had the white version, and as I took it out and about, it did draw a few comments and compliments from passers-by. This is a nice-looking camera. (Image credit: Jon Stapley) Polaroid Go Gen 3: Performance Lovely detail and tonality in prints, even with small size But ultra-bright sun can easily overwhelm images Flash is always on, so you need to remember to turn it off every time if you dont want it When a Polaroid works, theres nothing like it. Even in the smaller Go size, Im really impressed by the level of detail and tonality you can get out of this thing. For me, it beats Instax any day of the week. In good light, with a
well-chosen subject, you can make images that absolutely sing, and I
genuinely adore some of the shots Ive captured with this camera. I'm really impressed with the level of depth and detail here. The reflection is gorgeous and there are some lovely hints of blue in the sky. (Image credit: Jon Stapley) One thing that really impressed me was the selfie-taking capability. The Polaroid Go Gen 3s reworked lens and powerful flash are designed to facilitate just that, and using the mirror as a compositional aid, I was able to capture selfie images that were vivid, detailed and true-to-life, the
flash comfortably illuminating the scene without blowing it out. The flash automatically adjusts by distance for a balanced image. (Image credit: Jon Stapley) Out in the big wide world, of course, you can and will run into issues. While I was testing the Gen Go 3, we were blessed with several days
of glorious sunshine, and in very bright conditions you know, the exact kind of conditions where you might find yourself saying something like, Darling, its lovely out, shall we bring the Polaroid? its easy for those little
frames to just be overwhelmed. For all these frames, conditions were just a bit too bright, even with the flash off. (Image credit: Jon Stapley) More
than a few of my images were quite significantly bleached by very bright sunlight, even when I remembered to turn the flash off and you have to do this manually every single time, because the camera will always turn it back on. Even, as I discovered, halfway through a double exposure. This worked better than I expected, but that blast of flash probably wasn't needed.
(Image credit: Jon Stapley) Im generally a bit wary of double-exposure modes on instant cameras; I feel like most of the time, Im likely to end up wasting a frame on a blurry, muddled mess. However, the lower cost of the Go film
made me much more willing to give it a try than I ever am with my Polaroid Flip, and I ended up with a decent image though I think it would have been better without that unexpected blast of flash halfway through. Image 1 of 11 (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) (Image credit: Jon Stapley) Ultimately, as with any Polaroid camera or indeed any instant
camera, the Polaroid Go Gen 3 is solid knockabout fun. Youll get some images you like, and some that feel like a bit of a waste of film. Thats just the game, and its a much easier game to enjoy when the film is more reasonably priced than full-size I-Type. Polaroid Go Gen 3: Should you buy? (Image credit: Jon Stapley) Buy it if... You want an instant camera to take travelling With its tiny dimensions and relatively cheap film, the Go Gen 3
is a great option for trips. You want simple, point-and-shoot operation The Polaroid Go has minimal controls and is very straightforward to operate. You want an all-analog experience No screens, no apps at the core, the Polaroid Go is just chemicals and light. Don't buy it if... You want a high level of image quality. While I like the look of the little prints, there are limits
to what they can manage. Bright sunlight in particular posed a problem. You dont want ongoing costs While Polaroid Go film is cheaper than I-Type, it still represents an ongoing cost that you wont get with, say, a digital Camp Snap. How I tested the Polaroid Go Gen 3 (Image credit: Jon Stapley) I received a sample camera from the manufacturers, along with some Go film I took the camera on several photo excursions, mostly shooting outdoors I shot with and without flash, and tested the double-exposure mode Ive had the Polaroid Go Gen 3 with me for the past couple of weeks, and Ive taken it on excursions around London, as well as on a trip to Bradford-upon-Avon. During that time Ive gone through a double pack of Polaroid Go film, and have tested out the camera in different scenarios and lighting conditions, with a particular focus on seeing how it renders different colors.

I have shot outdoors and indoors, both with and without the flash. I also
gave the double-exposure mode a whirl, using it to create a composite image
of my own face from different angles. I shot selfies with flash using the selfie mirror as a compositional aid. First reviewed June 2026 Polaroid Go
Gen 3: Price Comparison 89.99 View deal 89.99 View 89.99 View 94.99 View
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/cameras/instant-cameras/polaroid-go-gen-3-review


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