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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Build Quality
    2. Dimensions
    3. Expected Maintenance
    4. Display Screen
    5. Cartridge
    6. Scanner Features
    7. Scan Quality
    8. In The Box
    9. Battery
  5. Document
    1. Black & White Documents
    2. Color Documents
    3. Cost-Per-Print
    4. Printing Speed
    5. Document Printing Sizes
  6. Photo
    1. Color Gamut
    2. Color Accuracy
    3. Small Details
    4. Photo Printing Sizes
  7. Mobile App And Connectivity
    1. Connectivity
    2. Mobile App
    3. OS Compatibility
  8. Comments

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 vs Canon SELPHY QX20

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2
Canon SELPHY QX20

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Feb 28, 2025 03:52 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Feb 28, 2025 03:44 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 Picture
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Portable
  3. Small
  4. Under $100

Variants

  • Hi-Print Generation 2 (Black)
  • Hi-Print Generation 2 (White)
  • SELPHY QX20 (Dark Gray)
  • SELPHY QX20 (White)

Our Verdict

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2

Canon SELPHY QX20

The Canon SELPHY QX20 and the Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 are both portable photo printers. However, the Canon produces 2.7" x 2.7" photos, while the Polaroid produces more rectangular 2.1" x 3.4" pictures. Performance-wise, the Canon has a slightly wider color range and better accuracy, producing photos that look brighter and more true-to-life, but the Polaroid is better at reproducing small details, resulting in sharper images.

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White
Hi-Print Generation 2
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White
SELPHY QX20
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Black
Hi-Print Generation 2
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Dark Gray
SELPHY QX20
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Main Differences for
Family

Threshold 

0.10

Family 

3.7
3.9

Cost-Per-Print 
 

4.8
5.5

Small Details 
 

8.5
7.0

Full Comparison

Design

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build Quality Close Up  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Build Quality Close Up
Canon SELPHY QX20 Build Quality Close Up

Type  

Photo Only
Photo Only
Show Text 

Dimensions 
 

ISO View Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 ISO View Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 ISO View Picture

Height  

1.1" (2.7 cm)
1.3" (3.3 cm)

Width  

3.1" (8.0 cm)
4.0" (10.2 cm)

Depth  

5.9" (15.1 cm)
5.7" (14.5 cm)

In Use Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 In Use Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 In Use Picture

Height When In Use 
 

1.1" (2.7 cm)
1.3" (3.3 cm)

Width When In Use 
 

3.1" (8.0 cm)
4.0" (10.2 cm)

Depth When In Use 
 

5.9" (15.1 cm)
5.7" (14.5 cm)

Weight 
 

0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)
1.1 lbs (0.5 kg)
Show Text 

Expected Maintenance 
 

7.5
7.5

Ink Related Maintenance 
 

Not Needed
Not Needed

Drum Unit 
 

No Drum Unit
No Drum Unit
Show Text 

Display Screen 
 

0.0
0.0

Display Screen Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Display Screen Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 Display Screen Picture

Display Screen  

No
No

Display Screen Size 
 

N/A
N/A

Touchscreen  

No
No
Show Text 

Cartridge 
 

5.3
5.3

Cartridge Picture In The Printer  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Cartridge Picture In The Printer
Canon SELPHY QX20 Cartridge Picture In The Printer

Technology  

Dye-Sublimation/Thermal
Dye-Sublimation/Thermal

SuperTank 
 

No
No

Photo Cartridge 
 

No
No

Color  

Yes
Yes

Number Of Color Cartridges 
 

1
1

Black Cartridge Model 
 

No Black Cartridge
No Black Cartridge

Tested Black Page Yield 
 

N/A
N/A

Estimated Black Page Yield 
 

N/A
N/A

Color Cartridge Model 
 

Polaroid Hi-Print 2x3 Paper Cartridges
SELPHY Color Ink/Label XS-20L Set

Tested Color Page Yield 
 

20 prints
20 prints

Estimated Color Page Yield 
 

20 prints
20 prints

Third Party Cartridge 
 

Not Found At Time Of The Review
Not Found At Time Of The Review

Ink Type 
 

Dye
Dye

High Yield Cartridge 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Scanner Features 
 

0.0
0.0

Scanner Flatbed Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Scanner Flatbed Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 Scanner Flatbed Picture

Scanner 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner

ADF Capacity 
 

N/A
N/A

Scan Speed 
 

N/A
N/A

Duplex Scanning 
 

No Scanner
No

Max Flatbed Scan Size 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner

Max ADF Scan Size 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner

Flatbed Hinge Adjustability 
 

N/A
N/A

Fax 
 

No
No

Copy 
 

No
No

OCR Included 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner
Show Text 

Scan Quality 
 

0.0
0.0

Scan Quality Photo  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Scan Quality Photo
Canon SELPHY QX20 Scan Quality Photo

Max Scan Resolution 
 

N/A
N/A

Max Scan Color Depth 
 

N/A
N/A

In The Box  

In the Box Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 In the Box Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 In the Box Picture
Show Text 

Battery 
 

Advertised Battery Life 
 

~20 prints
N/A

Tested Charging Time 
 

40 min
65 min
Show Text 
Document

Black & White Documents 
 

0.0
0.0

B&W Document Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 B&W Document Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 B&W Document Picture

Color Ink Needed For Black & White 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Color Documents 
 

0.0
0.0

Color Document Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Color Document Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 Color Document Picture
Show Text 

Cost-Per-Print 
 

4.8
5.5

Printer Total Cost 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Black Cartridge Price 
 

0 US$
0 US$

Color Cartridge Price 
 

0 US$
0 US$

Black-Only Printing Cost 
 

N/A
N/A

Color Printing Cost 
 

N/A
N/A

Photo Printing Cost 
 

0.849 US$/print
0.750 US$/print

Ink Subscription 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Printing Speed 
 

0.8
1.4

Printing Speed Video  

Black Only Text Document 
 

N/A
N/A

Color Document 
 

N/A
N/A

Photo Printing Time 
 

82.1 s
45.0 s

Single Page Out Time (Black Only) 
 

N/A
N/A

Duplex Printing 
 

No
No

Input Tray Capacity 
 

10 pages
10 pages
Show Text 

Document Printing Sizes 
 

Letter (8.5" x 11")  

No
No

Legal (8.5" x 14")  

No
No

Tabloid (11" x 17")  

No
No

A6 (105mm x 148mm)  

No
No

A5 (148mm x 210mm)  

No
No

A4 (210mm x 297mm)  

No
No

Max Paper Weight 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 
Photo

Color Gamut 
 

4.5
5.0

Parrots Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Parrots Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 Parrots Picture

Color Range Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Color Range Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 Color Range Picture
Show Text 

Color Accuracy 
 

6.4
6.9

Friends Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Friends Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 Friends Picture

Color dE Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Color dE Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 Color dE Picture

Color dE Graph  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Color dE Graph
Canon SELPHY QX20 Color dE Graph

Average Color dE 
 

7.48
6.32
Show Text 

Small Details 
 

8.5
7.0

Small Details Photo  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Small Details Photo
Canon SELPHY QX20 Small Details Photo

Max Print Resolution (DPI) 
 

Not advertised
287 x 287
Show Text 

Photo Printing Sizes 
 

2.5
0.0

Glossy Paper (4" x 6")  

No
No

Glossy Paper (5" x 7")  

No
No

Glossy Paper (8" x 10")  

No
No

Glossy Paper (8.5" x 11")  

No
No

Glossy Paper (13" x 19")  

No
No

Borderless Printing 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 
Mobile App And Connectivity

Connectivity 
 

1.0
1.0

Inputs Picture  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 Inputs Picture
Canon SELPHY QX20 Inputs Picture

Ethernet 
 

No
No

USB Input To Computer 
 

No
No

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
No

Wireless 
 

Yes
Yes

Wi-Fi via Router 
 

No
No

Wi-Fi Direct 
 

No
Yes

External Storage Support 
 

No
No

Apple AirPrint 
 

No
No

Mopria Print Service 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Mobile App 
 

4.7
4.7

App Printscreen  

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 App Printscreen
Canon SELPHY QX20 App Printscreen

Mobile App  

Yes
Yes

App Name  

Polaroid Hi-Print
SELPHY Photo Layout

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

Photo (JPEG, PNG) 
 

Android and iOS
Android and iOS

PDF 
 

No
No

Microsoft Office Files 
 

No
No

Text Files (TXT) 
 

No
No

Webpages (HTML) 
 

No
No
Show Text 

OS Compatibility 
 

Windows  

No
No

macOS  

No
No

Chrome OS  

Fully
No
Show Text 

Check Price

White
Hi-Print Generation 2
Searching
Finding store
White
SELPHY QX20
Searching
Finding store
Black
Hi-Print Generation 2
Searching
Finding store
Dark Gray
SELPHY QX20
Searching
Finding store

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2

Canon SELPHY QX20

Comments

  1. Comparison

Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 vs Canon SELPHY QX20: Main Discussion

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