Fujifilm’s bringing instant cameras into the selfie age

Fujifilm has announced an update to its Instax Mini LiPlay that first launched in 2019. The new Instax Mini LiPlay Plus offers similar functionality as the original with the ability to snap digital photos that can be immediately printed on the company’s Mini instant film and the option to record an accompanying audio clip. Now, it features a boxier design that looks a little more modern and a second rear-facing wide-angle camera that makes it easier to frame and capture selfies using its LCD screen.

The camera’s redesign includes a slightly larger 3-inch LCD display on the back, but the LiPlay Plus carries forward the same limited resolution as the original with both the front and back cameras capturing images at 2,560 x 1,920 pixels, according to Digital Camera World. A new layered photo mode lets you combine images from the front and rear cameras into a single shot, but instead of creating double exposure images, two photos are simply stacked atop each other using four different templates.

The LiPlay Plus lets you record audio clips to accompany images that can be played back on the camera or through the Instax Mini LiPlay mobile app. The recordings can also be accessed on printed images by scanning a superimposed QR code, and Fujifilm says it will store those audio clips and make them accessible for up to two years. However, while the original LiPlay captured 10 seconds of audio, the new Plus limits audio recordings to just 3 seconds.

The app also lets you edit images, apply filters, add stickers and frames, share images from the LiPlay Plus to your smartphone, and print images captured by your mobile device. You can use your smartphone as a wireless Bluetooth remote for the LiPlay Plus, too, making it easier to capture group images using the front-facing camera with you included, and without having to hold it at arm’s length.