Instax Mini Link+ review: Smarter & sharper

A sharper, smarter instant photo printer with a strong companion app, but the step up in quality comes with a step up in price

At a glance Expert’s Rating

Pros

Sharp and detailed prints

Plenty of useful features in the app

USB-C cable included in the box

Loops to attach a strap for easy carrying around

Up to 100 prints per charge

Cons

Pricier than Mini Link 3

Real Instax film cartridges are sold separately (and expensive)

Less of a retro feel than older Instax printers

Colours could be punchier

Our Verdict
The Fujifilm Instax Mini Link+ is the sharpest, most colour-accurate printer in the Instax Mini line-up, and the new Design Print mode finally makes it plausible to print text and graphics alongside your favourite photos. It’s a smart, well-built device with a strong companion app, but that extra polish comes at a price that sits above the model it replaces, and you’re still committing to the ongoing cost of real instant film, which, let me tell you, is not cheap. Overall though, it’s a great smartphone printer, even if it doesn’t have the added fun of sticky-backed photographs like the Polaroid rival. Price When Reviewed

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Best Pricing Today

Price When Reviewed $159.95

Best Prices Today: Fujifilm Instax Mini Link+

$158.96

Fujifilm’s Instax brand built a reputation on analogue cameras that spit out a square or rectangular print the second you press the shutter button, but the Mini Link series takes a different path to what is effectively the same destination. Rather than a camera that does it all, the Mini Link+ is a portable printer that connects to your phone via Bluetooth and turns a digital image of your choosing into a physical photograph.

It’s the newest and most capable printer in the Mini Link range, sitting above the Mini Link 3 offering sharper prints, a redesigned body and an improved companion app. But is it worth £130/$169, especially when you consider how much the Instax Mini Instant Film costs on top of that initial outlay? I’ve spent weeks printing out my favourite digital photos to find out.

Design & Build

The Mini Link+ swaps the rounded, candy-coloured shell of the Mini Link 3 and Link 2 for a boxier, more angular design. It’s predominantly black, but it’s made a little more interesting thanks to ridged edges and a couple of orange accents, including the print’s output, charging port and the control buttons.

The plastic finish doesn’t scream premium, but it doesn’t feel cheap either.

At 86.7 x 33.4 x 128mm and 240g without film, it’s a slim, easy-to-hold rectangle that sits comfortably in one hand or a coat pocket, though the sharper angles mean it doesn’t slide in and out of a pocket as easily as the Polaroid HiPrint 2×3 Generation 2. Britta O’Boyle

There are a pair of strap loops on the body here, however, and Fujifilm includes a wrist strap with a metal buckle in the box, though good luck trying to figure out how to get it attached to those strap loops. Neither my husband nor I could see a logical way to do it securely. If you do manage, though, you can sling it around your wrist so you have it to hand for your next printing session.

Thankfully, loading film is much simpler than attaching the wrist strap.

A hinged door on the back opens to reveal the cartridge bay. Just line up the yellow markers on the cartridge and the printer, close the door, and the protective sheet will automatically eject, so you know you’ve done it right and it’s ready to print.

Controls are simple, too. There’s a power button and a separate button that checks remaining battery life via a flashing indicator light. A small flap on the opposite edge hides the USB-C charging port, though again, I found this very difficult to open (not helped by my nails).

Britta O’Boyle

A wider lip would be helpful here (or a push mechanism) as the gap between the ridges isn’t quite wide enough. On a positive note, though, Fujifilm includes the USB-C cable in the box this time, though you will still need to find your own plug. App & Features

The Instax Mini Link app (iOS and Android) is where you’ll find most of the Mini Link+’s personality. Simple Print lets you pull images straight from your camera roll or a connected Pinterest account for quick, everyday printing. There’s also a new feature called Design Print, however, which is exclusive to this printer and has been tuned specifically for text-heavy or graphic-led images like posters, illustrations and quote cards, rendering fine detail and lettering noticeably better than the Simple Print mode.

Britta O’Boyle

Beyond that, there are several other features: Simulation lets you preview a shot against a wall, shelf, in a frame or phone case before committing to printing it; Multiple Print lets you queue up to ten previewed images in one go; and Video Print pulls a still frame straight out of a clip.

There’s also Collage Print with 14 different layouts, Frame Print with over 80 options, a Click to Collage photobooth mode that captures six rapid shots and a two-player Match Test game that tests your compatibility with friends using a photo of two of you. Other features include Instax AiR Studio for layering live AR effects onto a shot before printing or saving it, and Instax Camera, which lets you use the printer as a remote shutter button to capture a photo, tilting it to zoom in and out, and taking a photo by pressing the power button.

Britta O’Boyle

A light-and-dark interface toggle rounds things out, resulting in an accomplished app with plenty of options and features to play around with. It’s a lot to learn initially, but the navigation groups everything logically, so it doesn’t take too long to get used to things. Print Quality

Instax printers don’t use ink. Instead, the Mini Link+ exposes Instax Mini Instant Film using a built-in OLED light source, so what comes out is chemically developed photographic film rather than a dye or heat-transfer print. Each sheet measures 86 x 54mm with a 62 x 46mm picture area, like the Polaroid HiPrint 2×3 Generation 2, so prints remain at the familiar credit-card size that not only feels wonderfully nostalgic but can slot nicely into a wallet or purse. These don’t have a sticky back like Polaroid’s option, however, and I missed that.

Britta O’Boyle

Fujifilm specs the printer at 318dpi with 256 tonal levels per colour channel (RGB), and in practice, that translates to crisp detail and lettering, particularly when using Design Print mode for anything with text. Colours aren’t as punchy as the Polaroid HiPrint delivers, but they are a good reproduction of the original digital image.

You can toggle between a Natural colour profile, which echoes the softer tones of classic Instax Film, and a Rich profile for more saturated, vivid output, depending on what you are going for. It isn’t a perfect match with what you’ll see on your phone, but that’s the trade-off of working with real film, and it’s part of what gives Instax prints their character.

Britta O’Boyle

The app allows you to make basic image edits and add any filters you might want to before you print, though it’s worth using a dedicated editing app if you want anything drastic. A single print takes around 15 seconds to push through the printer itself, with Design Print mode adding roughly a second more for the extra detail processing, though you’ll then need to wait closer to 90 seconds for the film to fully develop and the colours to settle once it comes out. That’s slower than some rivals, but there’s something satisfying about watching the image gradually appear, just like the old school Polaroid days. If you want another print immediately, there’s a nice little trick of turning the printer upside down and holding the power button down for a second, removing the need to use the app for a duplicate print.

Battery Life & Charging

Fujifilm claims the Mini Link+’s built-in, non-removable lithium-ion battery will manage around 100 prints per charge, which is significantly more than most of its rivals in this category.

Britta O’Boyle

It also means you’re unlikely to run dry mid-session, even at a party or family gathering where everyone wants a copy. I didn’t manage to drain the battery during my testing over two weeks, which I couldn’t say for the Polaroid HiPrint 2×3 Generation 2.

Charging is handled via USB-C, and it takes around two hours from flat. It also ships with its own USB-C cable, which is rare and it means there’s nothing extra to buy before you can start printing, so long as you have a plug to hand already. Price & Availability

The Fujifilm Instax Mini Link+ costs £129.99 in the UK, with stockists including Amazon, Jessops, and Fujifilm’s own online store. It’s more expensive than the existing Mini Link 3, which remains on sale as the more affordable option if you don’t need the more detailed output or the Design Print mode. In the US, it costs $169.95 and is available from retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart. If you’d rather have a hybrid camera-and-printer in one, you could consider the Instax Mini Evo, which, although it is more expensive than the Mini Link+, has the added benefit of built-in shooting effects.

As with any Instax printer, Instax Mini Instant Film cartridges are sold separately and need to be factored in as an ongoing cost on top of the printer itself. See our list of the best portable photo printers for our top recommendations. Should you buy the Fujifilm Instax Mini Link+? The Fujifilm Instax Mini Link+ is the best printer in the Mini Link family so far, printing sharper detail, more accurate colours and offering a useful Design Print mode that makes printing text and graphics worthwhile for the first time.

The redesigned body, strap-ready design and included USB-C cable are all notable improvements, and the depth of features within the app means there’s plenty to explore beyond simply printing a photo. It’s quite a bit more expensive than its predecessor, and you lose some of the more nostalgic design that’s part of the appeal of older Instax devices, but the Mini Link+ is a great-performing printer and an easy one to recommend. Specs

86.7 x 33.4 x 128mm

240g (excluding film pack)

Lithium-ion battery

USB-C charging

Printing speed approximately 15 seconds

Film developing time 90 seconds

Print size – 54 x 86mm (2.1 x 3.4in)

Printing resolution 318dpi

Print levels 256 levels per colour

Supported formats JPEG, PNG, HEIF, DNG

Uses Instax Mini instant colour film (sold separately)

Bluetooth 5.1