If Polaroid Go Prints Feel Too Tiny, the Now Gen 3 Is the One to Buy

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It’s Fourth of July weekend: cookouts, road trips, beach days, and backyard fireworks. These are the once-a-year moments worth capturing on something better than another phone photo you’ll never scroll back to. Polaroid’s tiniest camera is fun, but tiny prints aren’t for everyone. If you’re burned out on shooting 40 phone photos you’ll never look at again, an instant camera makes you slow down and keep the one shot you actually took.

🛒Price: From $129
Where to Buy: Amazon

The catch is picking the right Polaroid, because the Now Generation 3 and the smaller Go Gen 3 are not the same camera. The Go Gen 3 shoots pocket-sized Go film for the smallest possible body, while the Now Gen 3 shoots full-size i-Type film, so the print’s image area is nearly triple the size (about 3.1 x 3.1 inches versus the Go’s 1.85 x 1.8 inches). After checking both against current US pricing and more than 1,200 owner reviews, the Polaroid Now Generation 3 Starter Set is the one I’d tell most people to buy, and below I’ll show exactly who should get it, who’s better off saving money with the Go, and what the film really costs.

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Why this one makes more sense than the tiny Go

It’s worth being clear up front: these are two different cameras, not two versions of the same one. The Polaroid Go Gen 3 has the cute factor, and that totally works if you want the smallest analog instant camera possible. The trade-off is the print size. Go film is pocket sized, which is part of the charm, but at roughly a third of the i-Type image area it can feel too small if you want photos for a wall grid, dorm shelf, scrapbook, or real gift.

With i-Type film, the Now Gen 3 has a different job. This is the one you bring when the photo itself is the point, not just the novelty of carrying a tiny camera around.

Start with the print. The camera body is only half the purchase. The film ecosystem is what you’ll keep paying for, carrying, storing, and showing off.

What changed with the Now Gen 3

The catch? Polaroid says the Now Gen 3 has been optimized for sharper photos in bright lighting. The official product page lists an upgraded light meter position, a ranging sensor, and a two-lens autofocus system.

It also keeps the features that make an instant camera more fun than a phone camera pretending to be nostalgic. You get a self-timer, double-exposure mode, built-in tripod mount, filter compatibility, and support for Polaroid i-Type film.

That’s the balance here. It doesn’t turn the Now Gen 3 into a precision camera. It’s still analog instant photography, which means film cost, missed shots, softer detail, and lighting limits are part of the experience. That tracks with owner feedback, too: the Now Gen 3 averages 4.2 stars across more than 1,200 Amazon ratings, and the most common gripe is that indoor shots come out dark unless you add light.

The upside is simple: the bigger i-Type print gives those imperfect photos more room to feel intentional.

Now Gen 3 vs Gen 2: is the upgrade worth it?

If you already own a Now Gen 2, here’s the honest part: the Gen 3 is a refinement, not a reinvention. The headline changes are a repositioned light meter, an improved ranging sensor, and an upgraded two-lens autofocus system, all aimed at sharper shots in bright light. Reviewers who’ve shot both back to back describe it as fundamentally the same camera with tweaks to the exposure formula, and some note the Gen 3 can crush shadow detail in high-contrast scenes.

So if you’re happy with your Gen 2, there’s no urgent reason to trade up. But if you’re buying your first Now, or moving up from the tiny Go, the Gen 3 is the version to buy, since it brings the latest metering and autofocus tweaks for the same money.

Now Gen 3 vs Now+ Gen 3

Model	Official starter set price	Best for	Key difference
Polaroid Now Gen 3 Starter Set	$144.99	People who want a simple point-and-shoot Polaroid	Two-lens autofocus, i-Type film, self-timer, double exposure
Polaroid Now+ Gen 3 Starter Set	$164.99	People who want creative controls	Adds app controls like aperture priority, remote controls, and manual mode
Polaroid Go Gen 3	$99.99 starter set at Polaroid	People who want the smallest possible Polaroid	Uses smaller Go film instead of i-Type film

If I were buying, the regular Now is the one I’d point toward. You don’t have to open an app to make it useful, and the price stays lower than the Now+ starter set.

Go Now+ if you already know you’ll use the app features. Aperture priority, remote control, and manual mode are cool if you like experimenting.

If that sounds like homework, save the $20 and get the regular Now.

The film cost is the real decision

Here’s the catch. Instant cameras always look cheaper before you price the film. Polaroid i-Type film usually costs more per shot than phone photos, because obviously, but that’s also the point. To put a real number on it, a pack of Color i-Type film runs about $17.99 for 8 shots at Polaroid (a little cheaper per pack if you buy multipacks), so you’re looking at roughly $2 a photo before you even press the shutter.

Every frame has a price.

You don’t buy this because it’s efficient. You buy it because choosing the moment feels different when every photo costs something.

That makes the Now Gen 3 better for people who want fewer, better physical photos. If you mostly want party snapshots, small keepsakes, or a camera that disappears into a bag, the Polaroid Go Gen 3 is still the easier carry.

If you want a bigger print to tape to a mirror, slide into a card, or keep on a shelf, the Now is the better place to spend your money.

Who should buy it

This is the easy buy if you want the classic Polaroid shape, full-size i-Type prints, simple controls, and a camera that feels more like an actual keepsake machine than a cute accessory.

Dorm rooms make sense. So do first apartments, trips, parties, scrapbooks, and anyone who’s tired of taking 40 phone photos and liking none of them.

Who should skip it

Skip this if you want the cheapest possible instant camera setup, if you hate paying for film, or if you want predictable sharpness every time. An Instax Mini camera or a phone printer may make more sense if cost per print beats the Polaroid look for you.

Also skip the Now+ unless you’re sure you’ll use the app controls. Extra features are only useful if they don’t get in the way of actually taking the photo.

So here’s the short version before the details: buy the Now Gen 3 if you want full-size instant prints and a camera that stays out of your way. The Go Gen 3 only wins if the smallest possible body matters more to you than print size.

🛒Price: From $129
Where to Buy: Amazon

My pick

My pick is simple. I’d buy the regular Polaroid Now Gen 3 Starter Set before the Now+ and before the Go. The Now+ is more flexible, but the regular Now gets the important part right: bigger Polaroid prints, simple shooting, and enough creative features to make instant photography feel fun without turning it into another app project.

If you want the tiny-camera vibe, the Go line is still worth watching. For more analog-style gear, this retro gadget roundup is the same kind of rabbit hole, and the Timex Tennis Snoopy watch hits that same collecting itch in a totally different category.