Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer vs Polaroid Snap: Which should you buy?

Blue Polaroid Mint Camera and Printer on wooden table with five prints of Christine Chan
Blue Polaroid Mint Camera and Printer on wooden table with five prints of Christine Chan (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

While both of these are not the best digital camera, they're good options to consider if you want an instant camera. Both the Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer and Polaroid Snap are fairly similar to one another. However, in some ways, the Mint is definitely like an upgraded Snap, especially considering the price points.

Polaroid Mint Camera vs Snap: Breaking it down

When it comes to the Polaroid Mint Camera vs Snap, the Mint is essentially an upgraded Snap. They both come in a slim and compact design, shoot in three color modes (color, black and white, and sepia), and have the option to add the classic Polaroid frame to printed photos. They both also support microSD cards, come in a variety of colors, and even use the same size ZINK paper.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Polaroid Mint Camera & PrinterPolaroid Snap
Price$60$69
Dimensions3 x 0.5 x 1 in0.98 x 4.72 x 2.95 in
DesignSlim and compactSlim and compact
Megapixels16MP10MP
PowerRechargeable battery lasts up to 40 printsRechargeable lithium ion
IndicatorsPower on lightLow battery, low paper, low memory
FlashYes, automaticYes, automatic
Paper2x3" inch ZINK paper2x3" inch ZINK paper
ColorsBlack, blue, yellow, red, whiteBlack, sky blue, pink, purple, red, white, dark blue
Manual adjustmentNoNo
Color modesColor, B&W, SepiaColor, B&W, Vintage
Selfie mirrorYesYes
TimerYesYes
Printed framesYes, optionalYes, optional
Digital copiesYesYes
microSD cardYes, up to 256GBYes, up to 32GB
LanyardClear plasticNylon

As you can see from the specs, the Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer and Polaroid Snap are very similar in terms of functionality. The benefit of having the Mint, however, is that you'll be taking better resolution photos with the 16MP sensor versus the 10 megapixels you get with the Snap. The Mint also supports microSD cards up to 256GB in size, whereas the Snap only goes up to a measly 32GB.

However, the benefit of the Polaroid Snap that there are light indicators that let you know when you're running low on battery, paper, and even memory. With the Mint, you'll need to remember how much paper you've used since there's no way to tell when it's about to run out. You'll also need to pop the microSD into your computer to see how much space is left.

Still, despite the flaws of the Mint, we think it's the better buy for people who want to check out instant cameras if you're comparing the Polaroid Mint Camera vs Snap. The quality of the digital copies end up better because of the jump in megapixels, and you can store many more digital photos with it compared to the Snap. You'll get better quality pictures for not much of a jump in price.

A white Polaroid Snap with a cute dog

A white Polaroid Snap with a cute dog (Image credit: Polaroid)

However, if you prefer how the Snap looks and don't mind the loss in quality, the Snap is not a bad purchase. We just don't feel like the price difference is large enough to justify going for a model that won't take pictures as well. Be warned though — this model is discontinued and is getting harder to find at a reasonable price, considering that it is an older version.

Christine Chan

Christine Romero-Chan was formerly a Senior Editor for iMore. She has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade at a variety of websites. She is currently part of the Digital Trends team, and has been using Apple’s smartphone since the original iPhone back in 2007. While her main speciality is the iPhone, she also covers Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac when needed. When she isn’t writing about Apple, Christine can often be found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as she is a passholder and obsessed with all things Disney, especially Star Wars. Christine also enjoys coffee, food, photography, mechanical keyboards, and spending as much time with her new daughter as possible.