Review: Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay+ Hybrid Instant Camera

Fujifilm has released a new Instax hybrid digital camera and smartphone photo printer, the Mini LiPlay+, which expands the LiPlay line of Instax instant cameras with some new features, like a rear selfie camera, more audio recording options, and the ability to create what Fujifilm calls "layered photos," combining images from front and back cameras.

The internal components of the LiPlay+ are largely unchanged, with the same small sensor for recording images, a rear LCD screen so you can see what you shot before you print, and the ability to also use the camera as a printer, printing any image from your phone.

LiPlay Repeat

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

Externally, the new Mini LiPlay+ is not massively different than the Mini LiPlay. The body is slightly more squared off, and the selfie mirror is gone. There's now a rear-facing camera to take self-portraits, and you can compose in the LCD screen, but more on this in a minute. The shutter button is a bit smaller, but in the same place, and the audio record button is gone from the front.

The back is quite different and nicely improved. Instead of a row of buttons, they've been moved off to the side to make room for a slightly larger rear LCD. The screen is bright enough when reviewing images indoors, but it's difficult to use in bright sunlight. I also found it annoying that the only film count indicator is on the screen. I much prefer the row of 10 lights found on other Instax printers, where each light turns off to show remaining prints. There's still the four-way click wheel in the center, which handles selecting all the various options and makes scrolling through menus pretty simple. There are now four smaller buttons: a dedicated back button, as well as buttons for printing, reviewing photos, and recording audio.

One thing that's completely unchanged from the LiPlay is the lens and sensor. The LiPlay+ main camera uses the same small 1/5-inch, 5-megapixel sensor, which sits behind an f/2 28-mm equivalent lens. That combo captures images that are plenty good enough for printing Instax Mini prints. Shooting scenes alongside my Pixel 7 phone, the printed results from both devices were close enough in image quality that I couldn't tell the difference (aside from the wider lens on the phone).

As with the plain LiPlay, you can save to a microSD card or the built-in memory, which can store about 45 images. I strongly recommend using a microSD card for expanded storage capacity—a 1-GB microSD card holds about 850 images, according to Fujifilm—but reviewing that many photos on the LiPlay+ can be slow and tedious; a 128-GB card should suffice. Even if you use the internal memory, you can back up those photos onto a microSD card (although you have to do it image by image). Once the internal memory is full, you'll need to delete or transfer images to the memory card. It is nice not to need a microSD card, but if you want to easily make backups or have more storage, it's the way to go.

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

The big change and new feature of the LiPlay+ is the rear selfie camera. It has a 23-mm equivalent lens that's slightly slower at f/2.2. Fujifilm hasn't revealed what type of sensor is being used here, but in my testing, I could see no real difference in the printed image quality versus what I took with the front camera.

The second new feature is the ability to combine images from front and back cameras to create a layered photo, as Fujifilm calls it. When I first heard the name, I thought double exposure, but alas, that's not what this is. Instead, it just stacks a selfie on top of another image. In theory, it should create an almost environmental portrait type of feel. In practice, the background photo gets lost beneath the top photo, so I found myself treating it as a border of patterns, textures, and colors to enhance selfies.

The last new feature is some expanded capabilities of the audio recording. As noted above, the audio record button has migrated to the back of the camera, and it has also gained a new recording mode, Sound Album. In this mode, you shoot a series of images with sound, which will be combined into an animated video on the Fujifilm servers (via the app). As with the individual sound recordings, you can then print a QR code onto your image; scan it with your phone, and it will take you to the animated video. Sound recordings and animated videos will live on Fujifilm's servers for two years.

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

When I initially reviewed the original Mini LiPlay back in 2019, I was a little dismissive of the sound recordings, but I've come to really like these little snippets of ambient sound. I have about two dozen of them that I've downloaded over the years, and while I've mostly lost the Instax prints that go with them, I can still remember the photo just by listening to the sound. The Sound Album feature hasn't wowed me so far, but I'm withholding judgment for a few years to see how I get on with them. I'd still like to see Fujifilm expand the QR capabilities to be able to embed links, enabling me, for example, to shoot a portrait of someone and then print them a link (on their portrait) to a gallery where they could find higher-resolution images. Alas, so far as I know, there is no way to do this.

Dream features aside, the LiPlay+ is a solid upgrade, and I especially like the layered images mode. It's Instax at its best, not taking itself too seriously, enabling fun, creative options that allow you to play with images and experiment in ways you might not otherwise do.

Mini LiPlay+ vs. Mini Evo

If you want both an Instax mini-sized camera and printer, there are two options: the Mini LiPlay+ and the older, but still very capable Mini Evo.

The Mini Evo has a retro, film camera-inspired design, with functions like a rotating lens ring to switch lens effects and an ISO-style dial control for film effects. To print, you pull the film winder. It's all very clever and fun, but also functional. Like the LiPlay+, the Evo has an f/2 lens, can store about 45 images (expandable to 1 GB with a microSD card), and offers quite a few fun borders and effects.

In the end, I'd say the choice comes down to whether you want the rear selfie camera and layered photos of the LiPlay+ or the retro looks of the Evo.