HP Sprocket 2nd Edition Review

Review By William Harrel from Pcmag

PROS Impressive print quality. Lower price and running costs than original Sprocket. Expressive colors. Sprocket App has lots of new functionality. Nascent augmented-reality aspects.

CONS A few features (notably, multi-user connections and print queue) are under-developed.

Get Dieter and Helmut out of your head: You're thinking of the wrong Sprockets(Opens in a new window). The HP Sprocket 2nd Edition ($129.99), a pocket-size portable snapshot printer, is the company's third by that name, replacing the popular original Sprocket reviewed in December 2016. Since then, we've tested similar models from Canon, Kodak, and Lifeprint, but we didn't find one worthy of our Editors' Choice nod until the HP Sprocket Plus came along in mid-2018. The Sprocket 2nd Edition's beefed-up feature list, funky augmented-reality angle, and impressive output-quality overhaul represent big steps forward for this fun device. Our new Editors' Choice, the HP Sprocket 2nd Edition ends its sibling's short reign as PCMag's top portable photo printer.

A Quirky, Spiffy Printer

The Sprocket 2nd Edition is about the footprint of a smartphone, but chunkier. Because the HP Sprocket Plus ($149.99 at HP)(Opens in a new window) prints slightly larger photos than the original Sprocket and the Sprocket 2nd Edition (the pics are 2.3 by 3.4 inches, versus the more common 2 by 3 inches), the Sprocket Plus is slightly wider than the other two. The Sprocket 2nd Edition measures 1 by 4.6 by 3.2 inches (HWD) and weighs about 4 ounces. That's in line with the original Sprocket, as well as the competing Canon IVY Mini, the Kodak Mini 2 HD, and Lifeprint's Hyperphoto Printers.

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While the original Sprocket comes in a practical black with silver trim, or in all-white, the Sprocket 2nd Edition comes in…well, not really colors, but moods, or states of mind. You have your choice of three hues: Noir, Luna Peral, and Blush.