Technology

Kodak Smile+ Review: A More Affordable Instant Camera Hybrid

Published

3 months ago

April 13, 2024

At a glance

Expert review

Plus points

Nice retro design
Undermines competition
Cheaper running costs than rivals

Cons

Mixed image quality
No option to view images in the app
No selfie mirror

Our verdict

The Kodak Smile+ is one of the brand’s most versatile instant cameras and has an attractive price tag. That said, some competitors offer better quality printing.

Price upon review

$99.99

Best prices today: Kodak Smile+

$99.99

Instant cameras are most associated with classic vintage items, but today they make a great gift for people who want physical, candid copies of memories.

Kodak has been in this space for a while and the Smile+ is the brand’s newest camera. Like previous models, it is a Zink camera, which produces inkless prints. However, it also doubles as a portable printer, which provides more versatility.

Design and construction

The Smile+ is available in a wide range of colours. The one pictured is the pink variant, but you can also get it in white, black, green, blue and fuchsia.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Unlike the Step Instant Camera, the Smile+ has a rugged and sturdy plastic build, but it’s still quite light. It’s reminiscent of old-school digital cameras and has a light toy feel that reminds me of the Instax Mini line. It will still fit in a small bag, but is probably too big to fit in a tight jeans pocket.

At the top are the power button and shutter button. The speaker is at the top (mainly for sound effects while shooting), along with a large viewfinder. There are two hooks on either side that you can use for hand straps, although strangely something like that isn’t included in the box.

As a point-and-shoot camera, it is quite easy to use, making it an ideal gift for children

The circular 5Mp lens dominates the front of the camera and can be rotated to change to one of three filters: standard, retro and star. Since this is a manual camera, you don’t see the impact of this effect in the viewfinder, which is a bit annoying.

The constant flash is located just above the lens. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a selfie mirror for front-facing photos.

You can place prints on the back of your Smile+ camera; a pack of five prints is included in the box as standard. Images come out of the side of the device and take about a minute to print after you click the shutter button. As a point-and-shoot camera, it is quite easy to use, making it an ideal gift for children.

The bottom of the camera contains a microSD card slot. Placing one will save images even if you run out of physical prints, which is a nice touch.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Features and image quality

The images printed on the Kodak Smile+ are consistent with other Zink devices Tech Advisor has reviewed: very hit and miss.

At 2×3 inches, Zink prints are about the size of a credit card, so quite small. The images take up the entire paper, instead of the white border found on some competing prints.

Photos taken under good lighting conditions are sufficient, especially if there are bold colors such as red highlights in the shot. I found the retro filter useful on duller days, as it took shades like pink blossom to a warmer tone. The star filter gives a sunburst effect to all the bright lights in a photo.

However, the images often have problems with color banding and loss of detail, with many lines becoming blurred and shadows dominating the images. Instax prints are noticeably superior in brightness, gloss and contrast.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Just like the Step, this camera also has difficulty with exposure. I’ve had numerous cases where I would get a completely white or black sheet if I was in too bright or too dark an environment. Using this camera at night is a fruitless exercise.

I should also note that the first model I tested was defective. Kodak quickly replaced this and I have had no problems with the new model since.

One advantage the Smile+ has over previous Kodak models is its hybrid camera-printer construction. You can download the official app on iOS and Android to print physical images of photos you take with your smartphone. There’s support for your camera library, screenshots, and images you’ve uploaded to social media apps like Instagram.

…images often have problems with color banding and loss of detail

Although the quality of these images may not match what you see on your screen, the colors are more dynamic than the instant prints. However, it must be emphasized again that the quality of these images cannot capture the same level of depth as Instax or Polaroid prints.

Zinc prints have a self-adhesive backing that peels off, allowing you to stick your images to scrapbooks, boards and surfaces. This is something that may appeal to younger photographers.

The app includes a special camera mode so you can take photos in the correct aspect ratio on your phone. You can also edit these photos and others you want to print from your phone’s library by cropping them and adding filters and frames.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Although simple to use, some adjustments can be made to make the app more user-friendly. For example, you cannot edit or reorganize the folders on the home screen. That means if you choose not to connect a social account like Facebook, it will just show up as a big ugly icon taking up space.

Each time you press the shutter button, the images are printed immediately. That means that if you do take a wrong photo, you won’t know until afterwards, which can result in a number of wasted prints. Since you can print photos from your smartphone, it’s a shame you don’t have the option to view your results in the app before deciding to print a sheet taken directly on the camera.

The Kodak Smile+ uses a lithium-ion battery pack. The app shows you how much juice is left, so you know when you’re almost reaching your limit. Additionally, you can also set off timers for the camera if you’re worried about accidentally leaving the camera on and draining the battery.

Included in the box is a small USB cable. It doesn’t come with a charging brick, but I used that for my phone and it worked fine.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Price and availability

The Kodak Smile+ costs £119.99 / $99.99. In the UK you can get it from Kodak and Amazon, and in America you can also get it from Kodak and Amazon.

The Kodak Smile+ has the advantage of also being a portable printer, which makes it more attractive than the older Kodak Step. However, it still functions as an instant camera in that you cannot view images before they are printed, as you can with a digital variant.

I’d recommend the Instax Mini LiPlay for this, or the Instax Mini Evo if your budget stretches far enough. Both have the ability to examine your photos before printing, which is a huge win.

If the instant camera part of the product is what you’re looking for, then I’d recommend the Instax Mini 12 instead, which is cheaper than Kodak’s camera and produces much higher quality prints, with fewer issues when it comes to lighting.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The main advantage the Smile+ has over these rivals is its lower running costs. Zinc prints typically cost £17 for a pack of 20 in the UK and $10 for 10 prints in the US. They are much more economical per sheet than both Instax and Polaroid prints.

For more options, check out our charts of the best instant cameras and the best portable printers.

Should you buy the Kodak Smile+?

The Kodak Smile+ is at the cheaper end of the hybrid camera-printer space, so it may appeal to those on a budget. You can get some decent prints from your smartphone via the app, but the main camera doesn’t deliver the same quality.

This poses exposure issues in environments that are too dark or too light, and you may notice some color banding and blurring on details that are common with Zink prints.

If you don’t care too much about quality and just want the novelty of a hybrid instant camera, this one is easy to use and inexpensive. Additionally, children will enjoy the adhesive backs of the prints as they are ideal for creative projects.