Tuesday 8 April 2014

Mia's Review: LG Pocket Photo 2 (LG POPO PD239)

Just like countless of people (girls, especially?) out there, I've always have this obssession with instant camera but never ever get my hands on one because.... oh well, just because! 

Recently after Airmeli asked for people to join her in getting Fujifilm Instax Share, I've decided to do some mini research on such instant photo printer that can be connected and printed via smartphone using bluetooth or NFC connection.
And viola! Here's what I've laid my hands on.
LG Pocket Photo 2, in pink! They do carry this Hello Kitty limited edition, but I'm not a fan... So, yup. Pink is great. 
Although much pricer as compared to a basic instax camera, these instant photo printer allows you to choose which photo to print, and also allows you to edit your photos however you like them to turn out, before you print them out in hardcopy. Awesome, isn't it? 

Want to know how much of an upgrade this 2014 version of LG Pocket Photo 2 is compared to its predecessor? 
First up, the zink photo paper capacity in the printer is upgraded from 15 pieces to 30 pieces per load. It also has faster charging time of just 1 hour to a full charge. Most important of all, the photo quality is now of dpi 313 x 600, instead of just 313 x 400 in the older version. This version is also smaller at 76 x 126 x 20mm and weighing just 221g! It's smaller (but heavier) than my Samsung Note 2! Lastly, the latest version supports both Android and iPhone unlike the older version(s), which has separated machine model for different operating systems. 

Just showing how small the printer is. It's really just palm sized, very handy. You can easily just pop this into your bag and print pretty selfies and other photos on the go. 

The package came along with the charger (if you actually own a Samsung Note 2, you can use back the same charger), a technical manual in Korean, and a packet of 5 pcs Zink Photo Paper. No worries if you don't understand the manual, getting this printer to work is totally idiot-proof you do not need a manual in the first place. :)

Here's the only English instruction I've found in the entire box, teaching me which side up the zink paper should be placed in the printer. 

 After that, head over to the playstore (or apple store for iPhone users) and download the LG Pocket Photo app. From here, we can edit the photos by adding frames & memo, choosing filters and doing basic photo editing like tweaking the brightness and contrast. 

Showcasing some of the frames you can find in the app itself. :) 

After you're done with all the editing, just tap the printer icon and you will be prompted to complete the transmission and then simply wait for the photo to be printed! I didn't time the printing, but it took a couple seconds. 

Giving you an idea of how the photo will look like. Do not expect the colour pay off to be as fabulous like the photo you develop from your dslr camera. Like other inkless, instant photo printer, the colour of your photo will be dimmer and slightly faded. 
I've also noticed the same problem of the diagonally opposite corners of the printed photos curling upwards to give the piece of photo an unwanted (imo) curvature, which is pretty frustrating for me. I'm pretty sure the paper was loaded perfectly flat and straight. It came out perfectly flat and straight in printing as well. But after a few minutes, both the photos I've printed curled up in the same manner at the diagonally opposite corners.
It's pretty much an eyesore to me, for I will prefer to pin these photos up on my photo cork board, and these curvature will just make the entire board looks.... unsightly. :( 

I can't be sure if it's a 'common defect' of all zink paper, or is it really just a defect with this particular pack of paper I've loaded in. Fellow LG POPO users, do share your comments down below if you're facing the same issue of the curvature, or not. :)

LG Pocket Photo 2 is available on qoo10.com.sg

Till then,
Mia

36 comments:

  1. I almost bought this because I've been looking for a handy photo printer for those I've taken using my phone and it sucks that this doesn't develop great pictures! GladI stumbled upon you review prior to buying it! saved me a lot of money!

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    Replies
    1. i guess all instant photo printer has similar 'faded' colour quality. no matter what, i'm glad to be of help! :)

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  2. I don't usually print my photos, but this would be nice because you can get cute frame themes. I think I'll get one when I get my new phone.

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  3. OMG That's so cool!! And it's in pink. I want one!! =)) gig

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  4. is this like instax but you can print any photos you have? how much the paper cost?

    - from gig
    www.swirlsandscribbles.com

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    Replies
    1. yup, this is like instax but we can choose and edit which photos we want to print. the paper i can get them at 70 to 80 sgd for 90 sheets at qoo10.com.sg

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  5. Awww that sucks :( I thought this will produce a clear and sharp images. I think I will stick to laser printer and photo paper for now LOL It's convenient, though. Still debating should get this or not. Thank you for the review! <3

    GIGLOVE

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  6. whoa can customize frames that is cool!

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  7. I didn't know this existed either but I never really print photos, only very occassionally. Shame about the quality, they may improve on it in the future though!

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  8. WOW this is soo cute! :D

    Love the frames!

    Ling
    Blog: happylingfish.blogspot.com

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  9. it should be! if not you can get them online! :)

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  10. oh wow how portable! i want one now

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  11. This portable printer is on my wishlist ,hope I can buy it soon ^^
    Nice photo print^^
    Angiebeautydiaries.blogspot.com

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  12. I don't have this LG but It cute!! !love pink
    GIG love unlimitedbeautysecret.com

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  13. this is actually an amazing thing to have considering these days no one prints their pics out anymore..its always good to have a hard copy instead of a digital one which can be deleted in just a few seconds...

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  14. Woww it looks really pretty ! I would love to get the Hello Kitty one.. hahaha

    giglove, www.smallnhot.com

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  15. Oh pretty nice! I haven't even got the first one for myself, now it has its second version? Not a fan of Hello Kitty, but it looks cute too

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  16. OMG OMG!!!!!! I've been aiming for this but I got instant camera already :(

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  17. wow this look so cute lehhh!!! so convenient to bring around!

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  18. It's very usefull! I didn't print a photo since I had my forst digital camera!
    gig love
    Travel and Fashion Tips

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  19. This sounds pretty cool! I haven't heard of this before, but I may have to get this for my daughter. gig

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  20. handy photo printer is a great idea i was unaware of such thing by LG ... but i prefer soft copies of pictures

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    Replies
    1. but these small printed copy will be perfect for scrapbooking!

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  21. What a great little device - I would definitely love to see some of my favorite shots printed out. Thanks for sharing! <3 GIGLove

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  22. I have seen this pocket printer in store but I never saw the real print out of the photo. Tempted to buy it.


    GIG Love,
    www.nellanelwan.com

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  23. I got one of these just this week! went into the store to get a polaroid version that researched but the clerk showed me the LG which was waaay cheaper! So far i have had no issues with my paper curling at the edges. I must say the colours are not as sharp as that of a studio or pc based printer but I think it's good enough :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the colours are like an instax shot. and i guess that's how most instant photos will look like. polaroid is always more expensive, their film too! and yeah, when i started on my 2nd pack of zink, the curling ends are no longer an issue. i guess it was a defect on that pack of zink paper.

      Delete
  24. I rather buy polaroid pogo camera

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    Replies
    1. huh, why?
      polaroid is more expensive, i think. both the machine and definitely the paper too. watched a demo vid on youtube, printout colour payoff is not very good also.

      Delete
  25. may i ask, where did u buy yours ya? do you by any chance know the difference with fujifilm instax printer? thank you for the helpful blog!

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    Replies
    1. I bought this online via qoo10. Instax are more expensive, and if I'm not wrong, so are the films as they uses the usual Instax camera film, those with a "Polaroid-ish" frame around the photo. For colour payoff, I reckon it should be the same, as I do not feel that the Instax printer will be more superior than Instax cam. Has taken pictures with Instax cam before and it has the same faded colour payoff.

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  26. Is this product compatible with iPhone4?

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  27. The photos curl coz this is a thermal printer. Heat = photo bending. Can you remove the backing so that it sticks like a sticker? May be that will help you with where you want your photos displayed.

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  28. tambahan info buat orang indonesia ;
    http://infosmartphonemurah.blogspot.com/2015/07/lg-pocket-photo-printer-pd239-printer.html

    ReplyDelete
  29. Best Android Data Recovery App ?
    Looks review app

    ReplyDelete