Polaroid Insta-Share Printer MotoMod hands-on

2021-04-18

Photos used to be tangible objects – a physical representation of a memory to be treasured and kept safe in an album. These days a photo has so little value that two years ago there were 8,796 photos sent on Snapchat per second. Yes, those photos were automatically deleted in 10 seconds, so much for the memories.

Motorola and Polaroid are offering you a way back to the way things used to be. The new Insta-Share Printer is a MotoMod that attaches to the back of a compatible Moto phone – including both flagships and mid-rangers.

The printer uses ZINK technology to print out a photo in less than 60 seconds. It is a tiny photo though, 2” x 3”. That’s about the size of the screen of the iPhone 4s.

ZINK – aka Zero-INK – printers do not use cartridges so you’ll never need to refill the Insta-Share. The mod’s battery will last 20 prints on a single charge while a pack of 50 blank sheets goes for around $23 on Amazon.

Yes, these photos cost money, which is something you’ll need to get used to – but they certainly last longer than a 10 second Snap! Speaking of price, the Insta-Share Printer will set you back $200 / €170, which we think might be a bigger issue.

A Polaroid Zip Instant Photoprinter costs $105. It prints the same 2” x 3” ZINK photos, received over Bluetooth. It is compatible with just about any Android and iOS device too.

We think these printed photos are pretty neat. The image quality is acceptable and the ability to give out printed photos on the go can’t be matched by a desktop printer. Still, for practical reasons we’d go with a separate printer (quite a few companies make one).

This MotoMod does add a physical shutter key, but does little else to assist in taking a photo. Wouldn’t you rather use the Hasselblad True Zoom and print wirelessly?