Introduction

Ease of Use

The Instax Mini LiPlay+ has a slightly more serious, sober and angular design than its 6-year-old predecessor complete with textured finish and a thinner, more rectangular design, with the blue version in particular looking more business-like. It should still appeal to a younger audience, though, especially the attractive sand beige colourway.

Being one the smaller instant cameras currently available, the Instax LiPlay+ is more transportable than many of the other cameras in the brand’s extensive catalogue. Measuring 83.3 x 123.5 x 38mm and weighing 265g, It’s not quite pocket-friendly though, so you will need a small bag to store it in. 

Designed to be as user-friendly as possible, learning how to use the Instax Mini LiPlay+ isn't be too complicated, although there are a few design quirks that take a little getting used to. The camera is primarily designed to be used in portrait-format orientation, so that when the Instax prints are revealed, the larger part of the frame will be at the bottom. 

You can choose to ignore this and shoot in landscape orientation if you prefer though, of course, although the text/icons on the camera's LCD screen will only be the “correct” way up when holding the LiPlay+ in the portrait orientation.

On the front of the Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay+, you’ll find the lens, which is surrounded by a textured frame. Outside the frame next to the product name you’ll see the small flash unit, which can be switched on or off from the menu.

Instead of the small mirror on the original LiPlay which you could use to help you accurately line up selfies, the new version has a second wide-angle camera on the rear which is toggled on/off using a button on the side of the device.

The LiPlay+ is the first ever Instax camera to feature a dedicated selfie camera, with all previous models that offered this feature doing so via the rudimentary built-in mirror. It's a much better (but more costly) implementation that is more precise and will be a lot more intuitive to the target audience.

The one thing that we don't like about the new Selfie mode is the position of the toggle button right next to the power button. One is larger and slightly raised and the other is smaller and slightly recessed and requires a longer press, but we still often inadvertently hit the wrong one. Also the power button now takes far too long to respond, requiring a long press of over three seconds before the camera leaps into life or powers down.

A lozenge-shaped shutter release button is found on the front of the Instax LiPlay+, which feels slightly strange for those who are used to finding buttons in the more traditional place (on top of the camera). Although awkward at first, you do eventually get used to using it, although it isn't very well positioned when using the camera in landscape mode.

On one side of the Instax LiPlay+ is a slot for inserting a microSD card. The LiPlay+ comes with an inbuilt memory which can store approximately 45 images, while up to 850 images can be stored per 1GB of memory on a Micro SD card - so it’s worth investing in one of those unless you want to frequently delete your images.

Also found in the same location is the new upgraded USB-C port, which you can use to charge up the camera and connect it to a computer. The flash on the front of the camera will light up to let you know it’s charging, switching off when it’s complete.

To charge to its full capacity can take up to three hours, but once it is charged, the camera is able to print up to 100 images from a single charge. Of course, if you’re using it to take pictures as well, the power will run out sooner. 

Moving to the back of the Instax Mini LiPlay+ and you’ll see that again it’s quite a simple set-up here. There’s an improved 3-inch 920k-dot LCD screen, which doubles up as the screen door for the film slot. Slide across the switch that's located above the screen (next to the selfie camera) to open the film door when you want to insert a new pack of Instax film. 

Instax film is incredibly simple to use - all you need to do is line up the small yellow line on the Instax film with the same yellow line on the camera and close the door when it’s in place. Be careful not to accidentally open the film door once you start using the film though, as you’ll risk exposing and ruining the film.

When the Instax LiPlay+ is on, you’ll see some helpful information on the screen. The number of photos that you've taken (either stored internally or on a micro-SD card) is displayed at the bottom-left of the screen. Over on the right it shows how many prints you’ve got left in your film pack, if there's a Bluetooth connection and the battery level.

You’ll see the navigation guide for the current shooting mode displayed on the screen, which is controlled by the four way navigational dial just underneath it. 

In the Normal Shooting mode, pressing the up key adds a frame, the down key adds a digital filter, the left key activates a self timer (two seconds or ten seconds), while the right key lets you switch the flash between auto, forced (always on), or suppressed (always off).

The Sound Print mode activates a microphone which will record up to 3 seconds of audio before and after you take a shot. You can then listen to the sound in playback, or rather quirkily by adding a QR code to your Instax prints and then scanning it with your smartphone to play back the sound recording.

The new Sound Album mode is essentially an extension of the Sound Print mode, allowing you to take 2-5 images with sound to create an animated video complete with background colour and music.

Note that your audio data is is only securely stored in the app for up to two years - we're not quite sure what happens to it once that time period has elapsed.

The new Layered Photo mode uses both the front and rear cameras to create a composite images so that one subject appears in the foreground and one in the background (basically a traditional multi-exposure).

As well as the navipad, underneath the screen, there’s a print button, a back button, a playback button and a shooting mode button, which rather unintuitively is represented by a musical note symbol.

The Menu/OK button is found at the centre of the four way navigational dial. Pressing it toggles between live view, the shooting menu, and a summary of the current key camera settings.

The menu features a number of different settings which you can change, including image information, switching the AF illuminator on or off (you might wish to switch it off if you’re trying to shoot somewhere discreetly), exposure compensation (the only form of manual control supplied), record settings, status display, shooting mode guide, bluetooth settings, and camera settings including the QR code, print brightness and quality, date and time and so on. 

If you press the playback button, you’ll be able to scroll through the images you’ve taken. By pressing the up directional key you’ll be able to add a frame to your image before you print it. 

Press the print button when you’re ready to print one of your shots - if you’ve recorded any sound then you’ll be given the option to print it with or without the QR code for scanning with your mobile phone.

The Instax Mini LiPlay+ is designed to work with a companion smartphone app, which is available to download for free. You can connect to the LiPlay+ via Bluetooth, and for the most part it connects quickly and seems to remain stable once the initial connection and setup has been completed. 

From the app you can perform a number of useful functions, including taking remote control of the camera (useful for selfies and group shots) and playing back the sounds you’ve “printed” here too. You can also use the app to add finishing touches to your images with frames, sticker icons or overlay text.

Most useful is the “direct print” option, which allows you to print any image which you have stored on your phone. This effectively turns the LiPlay+ into a portable Instax Mini printer, and is a great way to use to print better photos than the onboard camera is capable of capturing.

Once an image has been printed out, you’ll need to allow some time for the Instax film to develop - in other words, don’t be alarmed when it pops out completely white. After a few minutes, the colours should have fully rendered. 

The print slot is found at the top of the Instax Mini LiPlay+, so make sure it is unobstructed when you press the print button. A nice quirk is that the camera display will show a graphic of the print coming out from the screen.

Image Quality

Instax printing is never about superb image quality, but rather the fun and quirky aspect of printing out your shots on instant film. Some Instax cameras are analogue, but one of the big benefits of using the Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay+’s digital camera is that you can preview your shots before printing them - so you don’t accidentally print out a dud and waste precious film. 

Put bluntly, the onboard camera on the Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay+ is nothing to write home about. It’s almost like using a camera from 10-15 years ago, boasting a low resolution and lacking detail. 

In bright conditions, the shots that it can produce are fine for the small size of an Instax print, though, even taking into account the increased 600dpi resolution that the Instax Mini LiPlay+ prints at. In darker conditions, the camera struggles to focus (even with the AF assist light switched on), and using the flash is a definite requirement, too.

It’s best to view the digital versions of the photos as just a guide to let you know what you should bother to print. They don’t stand up on their own when viewed on a computer screen, and certainly aren’t ones you’re likely to want to keep or use for any other purpose than for printing in the small Instax size.

As for the prints themselves, they’re nicely saturated and give a good impression of detail thanks to their small size. They’re fun enough for souvenirs and keepsakes, particularly if you use the camera at a special event such as a party, special trip or a wedding and so on. 

It’s also something you might consider a good present for children, or anybody who might not be in possession of even the most basic smartphone, which in 2025 will almost certainly surpass the image quality of the Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay+’s camera.

The good news is that you can use the Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay+ as a printer, as well as a camera. That means that in theory you could completely ignore the camera aspect and use the device to print much better photos from your smartphone, or even dedicated camera.

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay+ camera, which were all taken using the 4.9 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Product Images

Conclusion

The LiPlay+ extends and refines the blueprint of the original 2019 model principally by incorporating a dedicated selfie camera, something that we'd anticipate seeing on future Instax models that have this feature. The new sound album and layered photo modes are less compelling, so the LiPlay is still worth considering despite the 6 year gap between the two models.

The biggest drawback of the LiPlay+ (and its predecessor) continues to be the quality of the onboard camera. While it produces shots which are just about adequate for the Instax mini print size, as stand-alone digital files they leave a lot to be desired. It’s best if you almost ignore that the digital files exist, and only use them in order to decide whether or not you want to print a shot. Alternatively, for kids or anybody without a smartphone or dedicated camera, the quality might be adequate enough. 

The best news is that the Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay+ can be used as an Instax Mini printer, which for most people in possession of a half-decent smartphone will be the preferable way of using the LiPlay+.

If you’re mainly going to do that, though, you could dispense with the camera altogether and purchase a dedicated Instax printer like the Mini Link 3 instead , which at £114.99 will save you £75 off the price of the Instax LiPlay+.

Obviously if you opt for a printer you'll miss out on the (low-quality) digital images and also the the ability to record and “print” sound, which has been extended on this model to be slightly less of a gimmick than on the original model.

There is a lot to like about the Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay+. As an all-in-one digital camera, selfie device, instax printer and to a lesser extent audio recorder, it ticks a lot of creative boxes, and the app is very polished and satisfyingly feature-rich.

At around £190, it’s probably too expensive to be considered an “impulse purchase”, but it’s still just about affordable enough to appeal to those who are fans of this kind of thing.

At around £10 for a pack of 10 shots, printing Instax is never going to be the cheapest hobby in the world. While the resulting prints are lots of fun, you do have to think before you press print - “is this shot really worth £1?”.

Compared to a dedicated Instax camera with no built-in printer, the LiPlay+'s ability to create digital images at least means you won’t waste that expensive film with under/over exposed photos, blurred shots or those that have been framed poorly. Even better, you can also quickly produce instax mini prints of any image that's accessible from your much higher-quality smartphone.

Overall, the Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay+ does what its name suggests, namely extends the functionality and widens the appeal of the rather quirky original model, with the addition of a true selfie camera being a particular highlight for its target audience.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4
Features	4
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	3
Value for money	3.5

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