Skip to main content

Polaroid’s Cube action camera gets more mobile with Wi-Fi, smartphone app

One of the things we wished Polaroid put in its Cube camera is Wi-Fi. With no way to see what you’re recording or replay what you shot, the Cube isn’t as convenient to use as Wi-Fi-enabled action cams. But, with the Cube’s low price and fun-to-use approach, we gave the company a pass. Well, Polaroid just introduced a new Cube with Wi-Fi built in, making it much more mobile friendly than its predecessor.

The Cube+ retains the original Cube’s dimensions and most of the specs, including its unique magnetic bottom that attaches easily to metal objects or specialty mounts. Besides Wi-Fi, Polaroid upped the photo resolution from 6 megapixels to 8MP, and added support for 64GB Micro SD cards. Despite having Wi-Fi, Polaroid says battery life remains the same (90 minutes of video recording, but we assume this is based on Wi-Fi turned off).

Like most smartphone apps for cameras, the Polaroid Cube+ App (iOS and Android) gives you a live view image, and you can edit, print, and share videos and images from the app. You can print directly from your phone to one of Polaroid’s portable Zink printers (via Bluetooth), like the Zip.

Otherwise, the Cube+ is similar to the original Cube (click here to read our review). It will come in black, red, and blue, and retail for $150. The price puts it above GoPro’s entry-level Hero but well below the new Hero+ with Wi-Fi. While the Cube+ has Wi-Fi and higher resolution, the Hero has advantages like burst shooting, SuperView mode, and low-light mode. However, from a marketing standpoint, Polaroid has told us it’s targeting a somewhat different crowd than GoPro.

As for the original Cube, it will stay in the lineup for $100. In August, Polaroid will introduce it in two new colors: hot pink and glow-in-the-dark green.

Editors' Recommendations

Les Shu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I am formerly a senior editor at Digital Trends. I bring with me more than a decade of tech and lifestyle journalism…
The GoPro Hero7 action camera gets price cut on Amazon ahead of Father’s Day
amazon fathers day deal on gopro hero7 action camera

Got an adventurous dad who likes to bike, hike, swim, surf, or ski? If so, an action camera might be your best bet for a fun, functional Father’s Day gift that he’ll actually enjoy. GoPro has long been a go-to among action cam aficionados, and the GoPro Hero7 Black is by far our favorite model on the market, marrying rugged durability with premium photo and video performance. Now, ahead of Father’s Day, you can capture yours on Amazon for just $329, down from its normal $400. Sunday is just days away, so act now before you disappoint dad by settling on another set of socks. If dad is more of a point and shoot kind of guy, we've also found a great Canon EOS DSLR camera deal.

The GoPro Hero series are the most advanced action cameras offered by the brand, and while the Silver and White editions are excellent cams in their own right, the Hero7 Black is the cream of the crop. A full range of features from stunningly smooth footage to housing-free waterproofing up to 33 feet place the GoPro Hero7 Black in a class above, and make this action cam a fantastic Father’s Day find. HyperSmooth stabilization provides built-in gimbal-like support throughout the shakiest moments, as for instance an eagle’s aerial flight. A smartphone-like touchscreen makes navigation a snap, and smart voice controls offer more freedom than ever to record videos or capture photos through audio commands. Simply say “GoPro, start recording” or “GoPro, take a photo,” and watch your father’s face light up with excitement over his awesome new action camera.

Read more
Notch no more: The era of the in-display smartphone selfie camera has arrived
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 review

An in-display selfie camera has been demonstrated by two different smartphone companies, ready to end the era of notches and pop-up cameras, and make future device design more neat and seamless. Both Oppo and Vivo have shown videos featuring unidentified smartphones, with selfie cameras that are hidden away underneath the screen.
Oppo
“You are taking a very first look at our under-display selfie camera technology,” Oppo wrote in a tweet, with a portrait video attached showing off how the tech worked. The video needs watching a few times to see what’s going on, as only the top half of the phone is visible. The phone’s operator activates the camera app, which is already in selfie mode. The on-screen view is unidentifiable, and it’s not clear what we’re really seeing -- until the operator puts their finger over a previously invisible camera lens, obscuring the view of what was presumably the ceiling.

It’s an effective demo of what we’re seeing, or more accurately, what we’re not seeing. Watch again and you’ll notice the wallpaper extends to the top of the display, and does not have a break for the lens. The only evidence one is there comes when the camera is activated — look out for the spinning circle animation at the top of the screen.
Xiaomi
Within a few hours of Oppo’s video going live, Xiaomi published its own video on Twitter, demonstrating the same type of technology, but in a way that’s much easier to understand. The 15-second video has two side-by-side phones, with the one on our right equipped with a notch and a selfie camera. As the phones are rotated to catch the light, you can see the one on our left doesn’t have any visible notch, or camera lens at all. Yet the operator opens the camera app, switches to selfie mode, and takes a photo.

Read more
DJI’s waterproof Osmo Action camera to take on GoPro with two LCD screens
dji osmo action news 6

Previous

Next

Read more