Best High-End Smartphone Photo Printer 2022

Polaroid cameras were particularly popular when they first came out because of their style and convenience. As technology advanced, however, even more convenient options came along that saw the instant camera fade to the status of “old tech”. The retro aesthetic has retained its appeal though, and so a new set of products on a similar premise are now available.

Instant photo printers allow you to print photos whenever you want rather than having to take them to a printer studio. Most are portable, allowing you to take them with you and get your print straight away. You can normally connect via Bluetooth, though some devices offer USB compatibility too. This new use breathes life into the old tech by letting it work with new tech. You can still use your smartphone or camera to take photos, can edit them, and then you can print them.

To help you find the best instant photo printers, we’ve drawn up our list of the best high-end smartphone photo printers in 2022.

The Canon SELPHY QX10 is a small portable instant printer that produces square prints that look strikingly similar to classic polaroid photos, only better quality. The printer uses dye-sublimation technology meaning that it makes four passes to make a single complete print and that the print will then need a short time to dry. Paper comes in packs of 20, which is exactly how many prints the dye cartridge that comes with the paper can print too.

Rather than connecting over Bluetooth you, unfortunately, have to use Wi-Fi direct. This means that your smartphone will need to disconnect from your Wi-Fi network if you’re at home, to be able to print. The peelable backing is useful, giving you a plain back by default, but allowing you to peel it off for a self-adhesive back. It charges via Micro-USB which isn’t a particularly sturdy connector.

The Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro is not just an instant printer but also an instant camera. While this can be convenient occasionally, the camera is weaker than the printer. The picture quality of the camera isn’t particularly high and if you do take a picture with it, you can only print or discard it, there’s no option to save it for later or to print multiple copies. The printer itself takes four passes for a dye sublimation print and can make borderless 3-inch square prints.

The app includes a range of borders, filters, and other editing tools for you to customise your photos before you print them. The prints themselves are laminated making them hardwearing. A small screen is on the back of the printer allowing you to see the photo you took before you print it, though the size will make it hard to tell if the picture will be good or not.

The Kodak Dock Plus is a larger instant printer, intended for use in a fixed or small number of locations. It prints larger photos at 4 by 6-inches but this necessitates a larger printer, making it heavier and bulkier. It also doesn’t feature a battery, meaning it needs mains power. The larger print size does, however, mean that you get clearer pictures with more details than you would from smaller prints.

You can connect to the printer via Bluetooth or USB. For USB connections it comes fitted with a Type-C connector to plug straight into an android device. It also comes with a lighting adaptor for iOS users. The dye sublimation printing process requires four passes to complete a print. The app also includes a range of filters, borders, and other editing tools.

The Canon SELPHY CP1300 is a relatively small form factor printer, that is too big to be pocketable but can fit in a bag if you want to take it somewhere with you. It can print photos up to 4 by 6 inches. It can also make smaller prints, either with smaller paper packs or by making a collage with the photo booth mode.

It technically requires mains power, but if you want it to be truly portable, a battery pack is available separately. It supports a broad range of connectivity, meaning you can print from many devices. To be able to print from small form-factor SD cards, such as microSD, you will need a separate adaptor as the physical slot only takes full-size SD cards.

That was our roundup of the best high-end smartphone photo printers in 2022. Have you recently bought a high-end smartphone photo printer? What sold you on it and what has your experience been with it so far? Let us know down below.