Best Instant Cameras · head-to-head

Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 vs Kodak Smile Instant Print Camera

A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 is cheaper at $93.95. Every spec and price links to its source.

Which is better: the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 or Kodak Smile Instant Print Camera?

On the specs we track, they're closely matched. The Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 is the cheaper at $93.95.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Prices verified at capture; live price may differ.

Full spec sheet

marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.

Spec Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 Kodak Smile Instant Print Camera
US price $93.95 MSRP per instaxus.com $99.99
BrandFujifilmKodak
Released2023-03
Film format instax_mini zink
Hybrid digital No Yes
Built in screen No Yes
Selfie mirror Yes
Self timer No Yes
Rechargeable battery No Yes
Weight (oz) 10.8
Release year 2023

Sources — Fujifilm Instax Mini 12: fujifilm.com (verified 2026-06-23). Kodak Smile Instant Print Camera: kodakphotoplus.com (verified 2026-06-19).

What's the difference between the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 and Kodak Smile Instant Print Camera?

Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (5 of 7). Matching specs are omitted.

  • Film format: Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 instax_mini vs Kodak Smile Instant Print Camera zink
  • Hybrid digital: Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 false vs Kodak Smile Instant Print Camera true
  • Built in screen: Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 false vs Kodak Smile Instant Print Camera true
  • Self timer: Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 false vs Kodak Smile Instant Print Camera true
  • Rechargeable battery: Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 false vs Kodak Smile Instant Print Camera true

What reviewers say

Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 12

Two whitelisted hands-on testers (TechRadar, Tom's Guide) rate the Instax Mini 12 the best budget instant camera for beginners: dead-simple to use, cheap film, lovely prints. Both flag consistent overexposure in bright sunlight and a slippery, hard-to-grip body. Neither published lab benchmark figures, so there are no measured values. (2 sourced reviews, 2 lab-tested.)

Praised: Extremely easy to use — true point-and-shoot for beginners; Bright, detailed prints with rich, vintage-looking color; Cheap, widely available Instax Mini film — strong value.

Flagged: Overexposes shots in bright sunlight; Slippery, hard-to-grip body; fiddly for selfies; Limited control: always-on flash that can't be turned off.

Kodak Smile Instant Print Camera

Two hands-on reviews cover this camera: Tom's Guide (July 2019, with timed measurements) and Digital Trends (April 2023, reviewing the Smile printer and camera together). Both credit the slide-open design, the roughly $99-$100 price and the fact that you choose which shots get printed. Both fault the digital image quality and the gap between the marketed megapixel figure and what the sensor actually delivers, and both note Zink prints lose detail and skew color. (2 sourced reviews, 2 lab-tested.)

Praised: Slide-out panel doubles as the power switch and makes the camera simple enough for a child to operate unaided; Inexpensive for a pocketable instant camera at roughly $99-$100 (Digital Trends lists MSRP $99.99 and calls the plastic body surprisingly sturdy for the money); Does not print every shot by default, so you stay selective about what gets committed to costly Zink paper.

Flagged: Digital image quality is poor and the real sensor resolution falls short of the marketed megapixel claim (Tom's Guide measured 854 x 640 files; Digital Trends found the advertised 10MP is a 5MP sensor upscaled by interpolation); Zink prints lose detail and skew color — pink cast on Tom's Guide's test shot, magenta/yellow skew and dark shadows for Digital Trends, which blames the Zink medium rather than this camera specifically; Rear LCD is less than an inch and a half wide, low resolution, and hard to read off-angle.

← All instant cameras compared · Open data