Flip Video Flip UltraHD

The main difference between the Flip MinoHD and the Flip UltraHD is size. The MinoHD has nearly half the weight and thickness of its slightly cheaper big brother. With this smaller size, the MinoHD becomes more portable, easier to fit in a pocket, and also more difficult to get a good hold of. The Flip MinoHD is coated in a hard plastic finish that can be quite slippery in your hand, while the Flip UltraHD has a more grippable surface. The UltraHD also offers stereo audio recording, 8GB of internal memory (the MinoHD has 4GB), a removable battery pack, and a larger LCD screen.

In our testing, the Flip UltraHD showed significant improvement in performance over the MinoHD. The camcorder provided more accurate colors in bright light, less noise in low light, and a much improved video sharpness. It seems the processing and compression updates to the Flip UltraHD really improved the video quality of the camcorder. The two models did, however, have matching low light sensitivity scores.

Since most Flip camcorder users aren’t likely to care about slight differences in video performance, the real question for these two models comes down to size and design. If you’re looking for the tiniest HD camcorder out there, the Flip MinoHD is what you want. The Flip UltraHD does have its perks, though. Its button design is better than the MinoHD, and its larger size gives you more to hold onto—making the camcorder less prone to drops and more durable overall. The Flip UltraHD also has a removable battery pack, as well as the option of recording to regular AA batteries (the Flip MinoHD has a non-removable battery). Also, when you think about it, the Flip UltraHD has twice the storage capacity of the Flip MinoHD (8GB/120 minutes vs. 4GB/60 minutes). So, if you’re someone who likes to capture a lot of footage, the Flip UltraHD may be the more portable device in the long run. The Flip UltraHD is also $30 cheaper, which, for a consumer camcorder in this price range, is a lot.