The quality of cameras on mobile phones has improved considerably. Thanks to smartphone printers, you can now print your photos from anywhere. Here’s a guide to the best printers to buy for your mobile.
In recent years, the use of smartphones has become so widespread that it is now difficult for us to do without them. We use them to browse the internet, go on social networks, manage our e-mails or take videos and photos. A multitude of accessories have emerged to accompany our mobile phones. This is for example the case of smartphone printers that can be easily taken anywhere. Light and compact, they allow you in a few seconds to have a paper print of one of your photos to keep it or offer it to a loved one. There are many models with very different characteristics. To find your way around and make the right choice, discover our selection of the best smartphone printers.
The best smartphone printers
Which smartphone printer to buy?
Cannon Selphy CP 1300
Canon Selphy CP 1300 at the best price
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Fnac
108.99€
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Cdiscount
111.09€
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Rakuten
116.99€
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Amazon
125€
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Baker
129€
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Darty
129.99€
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The Canon Selphy CP1300 portable printer is not the most compact of the models in our comparison, but the printed photos are high quality for a very good price. Thanks to its WiFi connection, it can be used using a smartphone but also a tablet, a camera or a computer. The Canon Selphy CP1300 can be used very well for printing of official photos for a passport, identity card or driver’s license.
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| Good quality photos | Not very compact dimensions |
| Print 10 x 15 cm | Noisy printing |
| Possible printing of photos for official documents | |
| Compatible with many devices |
HP Sprocket Plus
HP Sprocket Plus at the best price
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Cdiscount
125€
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Amazon
283.49€
After releasing its portable printer Sprocket, Hp decided to market the Sprocket Plus, a new version larger while remaining compact. Compared to the previous model, HP has improved the print quality even if it is still perfectible. The wireless printer operates using the Bluetooth. Its particularity compared to the competition is to print photos on sticker paper. You can personalize photos using the HP Sprocket app, such as adding frames or filters.
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| Self-adhesive photo paper | Photos lack depth and contrast |
| Good autonomy | Longer print time |
| Improved print quality | |
| Fairly fine printer |
Fujifilm Instax Mini Link
Fujifilm Instax Mini Link at the best price
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Baker
99€
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Rakuten
99€
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Amazon
113.92€
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Fnac
201.35€
The Fujifilm brand is already renowned for its instant cameras. By marketing the Instax Mini Link, the Japanese brand offers a good solution for printing photos directly from your smartphone. Compact and lightweightthis small portable printer even fits in a trouser pocket so you can take it anywhere. Very easy to useit works using the dedicated Instax Mini Link application which allows you to personalize your prints by adding stickers or text for example. Photos develop rapidly in a format 62 x 46mm. The printer is compatible with Instax Mini films.
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| Good autonomy | Image quality can be improved |
| responsive printer | |
| Fun app |
Fujifilm Instax Share SP-3
Fujifilm Instax Share SP-3 at the best price
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Fnac
139.99€
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Darty
139.99€
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Cdiscount
153.9€
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Amazon
171.77€
The Fujifilm Instax Share SP-3 prints photos at square format, giving them the retro look of vintage Polaroids. Larger than the Mini Link, it uses WiFi to connect to your device. The Instax Share SP-3 smartphone printer works using the Instax Share mobile application which is very complete to personalize your photo print according to your tastes and desires of the moment. The rendering of the prints is appreciable.
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| Excellent autonomy of 160 prints! | Expensive Instax cartridges |
| Good photo quality | Perfectible photo colorimetry |
| Removable rechargeable battery |
Polaroid Hi-Print
Polaroid Hi-Print at the best price
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Baker
99€
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Rakuten
99€
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Amazon
99€
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Fnac
99.99€
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Darty
99.99€
Like Fujifilm, Polaroid is a historical actor instant cameras. For the hi-Print, the brand chooses to use the thermal sublimation for its prints, which offers photos of fairly good quality. The size of this printer is tiny. We therefore logically obtain small photos of 54 x 86mm.
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| The quality of the photos | High printing cost |
| Small format |
Polaroid Mint
Polaroid Mint at the best price
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Amazon
192.33€
The Polaroid Mint works with Zink technology which does not require any ink cartridge because the color crystals are directly in the printing paper. Using the dedicated application, the printer allows the printing of photos saved on your phone as well as photos present on your Facebook, Instagram and Dropbox account. You can print them as is at 2×3 print size or edit them before printing by retouching, for example, the brightness or the contrast. The photos, obtained in less than a minute, are water and tear resistant and self-adhesive.
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| Good autonomy | Cost of the print run |
| Good value for money printer |
Kodak Step Instant Printer
Kodak is also a known player in instant cameras. With Step Instant Printer, the American brand joins the smartphone printer market. The printer works with a dedicated application, Step Print. You can thus print the images stored on your telephone but also those of the social networks. The printer connects in Bluetooth. It also uses Zink technology. It can print up to 25 photos before having to recharge it
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| Can print social media photos | MicroUSB charging (we would have preferred a USB-C port) |
| Good value for money | |
| Self-adhesive pictures |
Xiaomi Mi Pocket Photo Printer
Xiaomi Mi Pocket Photo Printer at the best price
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Cdiscount
59.9€
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Rakuten
59.9€
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Fnac
59.99€
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Amazon
59.99€
As often, Xiaomi offers lower cost alternatives. The Xiaomi Mi Portable Photo Printer is thus positioned as a low-cost smartphone printer. using Zink technology for his photos, even if the quality of the rendering is perfectible, it is an easy-to-use device that works thanks to Mi Home app to be able to retouch these shots before printing them.
| The + | The – |
|---|---|
| Little price | Autonomy |
| Printing time | Photo quality |
How to choose your smartphone printer?
The main advantage of smartphone printers is the ability to print photos directly from your mobile. Some printers go further by offering applications to personalize your photos before printing such as adding filters, retouching photos or even photomontages. Not all printers are created equal. To make your choice, you must take into account specific criteria:
- Connectivity : you have to look at how you can transfer your photos to print them. This can usually be done wirelessly using an app, for Bluetooth, by WiFi or more rarely with an SD card.
- Printing time: the printing time will depend on the device used. The fastest printers will only take about ten seconds while the slowest will take more than a minute.
- Battery life : printers for smartphones have the advantage of being portable. They therefore operate using a battery. Depending on the model and the technology used, the printing processes will be more or less energy-intensive. The autonomy will be expressed in number of prints which varies from about twenty impressions to more than a hundred.
- Image quality : the final rendering will mainly depend on the technology used (silver, Zero ink (Zink) or thermal sublimation).
What is the best technology for instant photo printing?
There are 3 common technologies for mobile printers:
- thermal sublimation printing : This technology allows you to have excellent quality color photos. The device uses heat to transfer the ink to the photo paper. This technique, on the other hand, requires more time and makes a little more noise.
- Zink printing (Zero Ink) : This process prints photos without ink. Zink paper contains ink in the form of crystals that are activated by the heat of the printer. This is the most widespread technology in the snapshot. Note that Zink photos generally have a lack of contrast. Photos come out looking slightly washed out.
- film : It’s a printing method that makes people stung with nostalgia happy. This solution is unfortunately the most expensive and the rarest.
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