The viral Kodak Charmera is the worst camera I’ve ever used – but it’s so bad and so retro, that I actually love it

TechRadar Verdict

Ah, the Kodak Charmera [exhales]. Well, it's a great idea; a thumb-sized keychain digital camera with an 1980s-inspired exterior, in one of six mystery colorways. It fully works, and it's available for a zero-risk $30 / £30. What's not to like? Well, its skills as a camera for one, and its piddly battery life for another. As a serious photographer, I should hate this camera, but, and emphasis on the but, I rather like it. And probably most importantly to Kodak, and photographers across the land during gifting season, it'll sell by the bucketload.

SG$55.22 at Amazon Singapore SG$326.19 at Amazon Singapore Pros

• +

  Thumb-sized

• +

  Retro design, collector colorways

• +

  It's a fully working camera!

• +

  A genuinely great gift idea

Cons

• -

  Probably the worst image quality I've seen

• -

  Tiny battery

• -

  There's a risk it'll quickly become an unused gadget

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Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Jump to:

• Two-minute review
• Price and availability
• Specs
• Should I buy
• Also consider
• How I tested

Kodak Charmera: Two-minute review

It took me a while to get my hands on the Kodak Charmera – such is the viral popularity of this $30, 30g keychain digital camera, that it sold out on its release day late last year (with what felt like minimal advertising), and it only came back in stock as I publish this review a month later. Who knows, it might be out of stock again by the time you read these words.

And I can see the appeal – the Charmera is cheap, tiny, retro, it’ll easily fix to your keyring, and it’s an actual working camera with a screen.

What's more, there are six 1980s-inspired colorways, plus a limited edition see-through version, and you don’t know which version you’ll get since it comes in a 'blind box'. That’s got gift idea written all over it.

When I unboxed mine, cue disappointment – the black version with rainbow frontage – the one pictured on the box that appealed to me the least. Still, inside the box, a nice poster, a collector card, and a small charging cable.

• Kodak Charmera at Amazon Singapore for SG$55.22

Image 1 of 5(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

I charged the Charmera up and slotted the thumb-sized camera into my pocket where it would live for the following weeks.

The Charmera shoots tiny 1.6 megapixel JPEG photos and HD video (1400 x 1080p at 30fps) through a fixed 35mm f/2.4 lens, has seven photo filters and four animated borders to choose from, stores onto micro SD (which needs to be purchased separately), and has a (predictably) tiny internal battery that is recharged through USB-C.

There’s a tiny 16:9 LCD screen with live view that in practice is even smaller given that images are captured in 4:3, a miniscule LED light that illuminates closeup subjects, and possibly the smallest viewfinder I've ever used, which is novel and in a way works.

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Honestly, that’s about all the features and design aspects worth knowing about, but what is the Charmera actually like to use?

Image 1 of 7(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

Menus are simple enough to navigate; turn the camera on, and you select either photo, video, or set date using the three buttons on the rear, with the playback button doubling as select.

The power button doubles up as a back button, and then there's the shutter button to shoot photos and video. It takes barely a minute to figure this all out.

Everything about the Charmera is tiny: a tiny thumb-sized body, tiny screen, tiny images. And it's actually kind of fun to shoot with...in the moment. I was certainly charmed by the Charmera, and I think many others will be too.

It's when you plug the camera into a computer or hook up the memory card to view any images taken with the Charmera that the warm fuzzy feeling quickly vanishes.

Image 1 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

The Charmera's photo quality is about the worst I've seen from a digital camera in my lifetime – and I've been shooting digital since consumers could, when 16MB memory cards existed (yes, megabytes).

With a resolution being a truly retro 1.6MP and a barely existent dynamic range, photos are more impressions than anything else. A collection of pixels, pieced together.

And that's me commenting on the regular color profile. Use any one of the monotone filters, and things get super abstract.

Photos are like one of the novel, abstract filters you get with a decent digital camera. I guess such dated quality could charm some. For me, it screams short-lived novelty; for others, it could be the camera they always have with them.

My own gripes aside, I also think that the Charmera is so small and so distinct, that I'll keep it on me every day for the months to come.

It's a conversation starter. A whimsical capturer of moments (assuming it's tiny battery isn't flat when you pull it out of the pocket – that'll happen).

The Kodak Charmera certainly ain't good quality. But that's hardly the point, is it? This is a cheap, charming retro gift for the photography lover in your life, that should get more use than a foot spa or marmite-scented deodrant (the UK's most unwanted Christmas gift for 2025). That's the hope from me as someone who hates waste.

The Charmera is far from being one of the best compact cameras, even the best cheap compact cameras, but I don't expect that to slow down its sales.

Kodak is killing it right now with multiple best-selling cheap cameras – like the recent Ektar H35N half-frame film camera, and the PixPro C1 – and the Charmera could just be the pick of the pack in terms of concept (not quality). It's a marketing masterstroke. Who knew a keychain camera could be so popular?

Kodak Charmera: price and availability

• Announced in November 2025 and sold out in a day
• Priced at $30 / £30 / AU$54.95

The Kodak Charmera costs $30 / £30 / AU$54.95 for a single 'blind box', or you can buy the whole set of 6 for $180 / £180 to guarantee getting each colorway. There's a 1 in 48 chance of scoring the limited edition transparent version.

Scalpers have been selling the Charmera for extortionate prices, and some retailers have bumped the price a little, but you should be able to pick up the Charmera for its fair, original price through one of the links below.

Today's best Kodak Charmera deals SG$55.22View SG$326.19ViewWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Kodak Charmera: specs

Swipe to scroll horizontallyKodak Charmera Specs

Sensor

1/4-inch

Resolution

1.6MP

Video

1440 x 1080p at 30fps, AVI format

Lens

35mm f/2.4

Screen

Really, really small

Viewfinder

Even tinier

Dimensions

58 x 24.5 x 20 mm

Weight

30g

Battery life

200mAh, rechargeable

Memory

Micro SD (1GB to 128GB)

Should I buy the Kodak Charmera?

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

Buy it if...

You're looking for a cheap gift for the photography lover in your lifeI can personally think of multiple people in my life who would love to receive a Charmera.

You'd appreciate a cheap, always with you camera that isn't your phoneIt weighs 30g, is about the size of your thumb, shoots bad photos that could appeal to anti-tech heads and it costs $30 / £30. The Charmera is an easy sell.

Don't buy it if...

You want decent photo qualityIt's no exaggeration to say the Charmera produces the worst quality photos I've seen for quite some time – they're awful from a technical standpoint.

You need a reliable cameraFor me, the Charmera would be a whole lot more useful as an every day carry if its battery life wasn't so bad.

Also consider

Camp Snap Camera Check Amazon Singapore

Another perfectly executed cheap camera is the original Camp Snap, available for around twice the price of a Charmera. Think of it as a digital version of the single-use camera – a larger, screen-less 4MP shooter with retro design. I'm a fan.

Read my Camp Snap Camera review

Pros

• Cute looks
• No screen
• Point-and-shoot simplicity

Cons

• Poor image quality
• Glare from photo counter when using viewfinder
• Low power LED flash

How I tested the Kodak Charmera

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

• I got the Charmera last year and it's mine to keep
• I've used it sporadically over a couple of months
• I've tried the various color filters and animated borders

I'm not going to dig into technicals of how I've tested this novel point-and-shoot camera. In short, I've rattled off hundreds of photos in good light and bad, played with the various color filters and shot short video clips. Image quality is predictably bad, but short battery life is particularly unfortunate.

First reviewed January 2026

Today's best Kodak Charmera, Kodak Ektar H35N, Kodak Pixpro C1, Camp Snap and Instax Pal dealsKodak Charmera SG$55.22ViewSee all pricesKodak Ektar H35N SG$114.38ViewSee all pricesKodak Pixpro C1 SG$141.41ViewSee all pricesInstax Pal SG$99.96ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best pricesKodak Charmera: Price Comparison SG$55.22View SG$326.19ViewWe check over 250 million products every day for the best pricespowered by Timothy ColemanSocial Links NavigationCameras editor

Tim is the Cameras editor at TechRadar. He has enjoyed more than 15 years in the photo video industry with most of those in the world of tech journalism. During his time as Deputy Technical Editor with Amateur Photographer, as a freelancer and consequently editor at Tech Radar, Tim has developed a deeply technical knowledge and practical experience with cameras, educating others through news, reviews and features. He’s also worked in video production for Studio 44 with clients including Canon, and volunteers his spare time to consult a non-profit, diverse stories team based in Nairobi. Tim is curious, a keen creative, avid footballer and runner, and moderate flat white drinker who has lived in Kenya and believes we have much to enjoy and learn from each other. 

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