In brief
FUJIFILM Corporation says its instax WIDE Evo hybrid instant camera was selected for TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 in the Consumer Electronics category. The company notes that instax Pal received a Special Mention in the 2023 list. WIDE Evo uses WIDE-format film and lets users review images on the camera’s LCD before choosing which to print. It can also print photos from a smartphone through the instax WIDE Evo app. Fujifilm says the camera offers lens and film effects, adjustable effect controls, Film Styles and a Wide Angle Mode. TIME described the product as bringing digital features together with the appeal of instant photography. Fujifilm says the instax brand has offered analog and digital cameras and smartphone printers since its launch in 1998, and is available in more than 100 countries.
Key takeaways
- TIME selected Fujifilm’s instax WIDE Evo for its 2025 Best Inventions list in Consumer Electronics.
- The camera supports WIDE-format film and can print selected camera images or photos from a smartphone.
- Fujifilm says users can combine lens and film effects and adjust lens effects across 100 levels.
- The instax Pal received a Special Mention in TIME’s 2023 Best Inventions list.
The new photographic experience achieved through the fusion of analog and digital has received high praise.
Tokyo, Japan, October 22, 2025 -- FUJIFILM Corporation announces the instax™ hybrid camera, “instax WIDE Evo™” (WIDE Evo) has been selected as one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 in the Consumer Electronics category. In 2023, the “instax Pal™” received a Special Mention in the Best Inventions of 2023. This time, instax™ has achieved the remarkable feat of being selected for the Best Inventions list for the second time.
Cover credit: Photography by Spencer Lowell for TIME
“TIME’S Best Inventions of 2025” highlights emerging fields such as AI, apps and software, connectivity and communication, manufacturing and materials, medical and healthcare, and more, with nominations submitted by TIME’s editors and correspondents worldwide. Each product or idea is evaluated based on several key criteria, including originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact. This year, TIME’s annual list features 300 groundbreaking innovations that are changing lives, along with 100 Special Mention inventions. For more details, please visit TIME’s Best Inventions 2025.
The “WIDE Evo”, following the globally successful “instax mini Evo™”, is compatible with double-card-sized WIDE format film. The instax™ hybrid camera “WIDE Evo” allows users to take pictures by viewing the LCD monitor on the back of the camera and selecting their favorite shots to print. Also, it can be used as a smartphone printer, printing photos directly from the user’s smartphone camera roll via the free downloadable instax WIDE Evo™ app. The camera comes with 10 lens effects including “Magenta” and “Monochrome”, as well as 10 film effects including “Light Leak” and “Color Gradient”. These two types of effects can be combined in a variety of ways to create 100 different shooting effects. Furthermore, for the first time in the instax™ series, the lens effects feature a “Degree Control” function, allowing users to finely adjust effects such as intensity of light and color gradation in 100 levels, enabling delicate and precise expressions as desired. In addition, a variety of “Film Styles” can be chosen to give the user unique film effects for their instax™ prints, and the “Wide Angle Mode,” which allows for a dynamic shot with a wider range, further enhances the appeal of WIDE format film. The combination of “100 Shooting Effects”, “Degree Control”, “Film Style”, and “Wide Angle Mode” results in more than 100,000 possible expressions, making every shot a masterpiece.
In its Best Inventions of 2025 list, TIME commented regarding WIDE Evo that the camera “combines slick digital features with instant photography nostalgia, letting you hold memories nearly as fast as you can capture (and filter) them.”
Fujifilm will continue to expand the world of the “instax™” instant photo system that allows people to enjoy on-the-spot photo printing.
About the instax™ brand
Since its original launch in 1998, the instax™ series of instant cameras has embraced trends and evolving technologies with time and expanded its lineup to include not only analog instant cameras, but also hybrid instant cameras using digital technology, smartphone printers and palm-sized digital camera. The instax™ continues to offer diverse ways to enjoy photography, broadening the user base in more than 100 countries.
* instax, instax print, instax WIDE Evo, instax Pal and instax mini Evo are registered trademarks or trademarks of FUJIFILM Corporation.
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Questions around this news
What can the instax WIDE Evo do?
The release describes WIDE Evo as a hybrid camera that lets users compose images on a rear LCD screen and choose which shots to print. It can also print photos from a smartphone camera roll through its companion app. Its effects and shooting options include adjustable lens effects, film styles, and a mode for capturing a wider view.
What is a hybrid instant camera?
A hybrid instant camera combines digital image capture and controls with the ability to produce physical instant prints. Depending on the model, users may review or edit images before printing, rather than having every exposure immediately produce a print. This approach brings some digital-camera flexibility to the experience of making tangible photographs.
How does TIME select its Best Inventions?
The release says TIME’s editors and correspondents around the world submit nominations. Products and ideas are assessed using criteria that include originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact. The list covers innovations in areas such as software, connectivity, manufacturing, and healthcare, as well as other fields.
What is a smartphone printer?
A smartphone printer is a device that receives image files from a phone and produces physical prints. The connection may use a wireless link or a dedicated app, depending on the device. Some models are designed for portable use, while others are intended to stay in a home or workplace.
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