Tearing Down Walmart’s $12 Keychain Camera - Hackaday

Walmart’s $12 Vivitar keychain camera teardown exposes misleading "FULL HD" and "14MP" claims

Keychain cameras are rarely great, but this one appears worse than advertised. Creator FoxTailWhipz picked up the $12.88 Vivitar Retro Keychain Camera from Walmart—manufactured by Sakar International—and put its bold specs to the test.

No matter which setting was selected, every photo saved at just 640 x 480 (about 0.3 MP), far from the "FULL HD" and "14MP" promised on the box. A quick teardown revealed a no-frills build: the screen and battery were simply stuck to the PCB with double-sided tape. More tellingly, the sensor and lens module exposed a model number that led to the datasheet—confirming a 2 MP sensor capable of up to 1632 x 1212. Despite that, the camera’s firmware only outputs 640 x 480, leaving most of the sensor’s capability unused.

This isn’t shocking for an ultra-cheap gadget, but it’s disappointing to see major retailers selling products that don’t meet their stated specs. It’s another reminder to be skeptical of inflated numbers on budget electronics.

Key takeaways:

• Price: $12.88 at Walmart
• Branding: "FULL HD" and "14MP"
• Actual output: 640 x 480 (0.3 MP)
• Sensor: 2 MP (up to 1632 x 1212), underutilized by firmware
• OEM: Sakar International
• Reviewer: FoxTailWhipz, who performed the teardown and testing

Bottom line: Expect very low-resolution images despite the packaging. Verify real-world performance before buying spec-heavy budget gadgets.

Source: https://hackaday.com/2025/12/15/tearing-down-walmarts-12-keychain-camera/