Buying a Digital Photo Frame: Best Brands and Things to Consider

Digital picture frames are perhaps one of the most sought-after products during the holiday season, and rightfully so. These picture frames let you display photos of your loved ones with ease. And the fact that you can change the photos or opt for a slow slideshow adds to the charm of these digital photo frames. With tons of digital photo frames around, things can be a bit confusing when it comes to buying a digital photo frame.

Well, worry not. That’s where we come in. In this buying guide, we will walk you through all the things you should check when buying a digital photo frame in this post. Let’s get started.

1. Basics: Screen Size, Resolution, and Aspect Ratio

Just like conventional picture frames, digital photo frames come in various shapes and sizes. The picture size varies from company to company. The right thing to do is to pick a frame size that will blend seamlessly with the rest of your home decor.

At the same time, you’ll have to ensure that frame’s display is vivid and sharp. If the image quality is essential to you (it should be), invest in a slightly smaller photo frame since there are fewer chances of pixelation.

Because, most picture frames available today have an HD or FHD resolution. And when you put this resolution on a big frame, the odds are that the photos will lose their sharpness. At the same time, a smaller frame ensures that the old low-res photos are also displayed at their best.

The idea is to walk the fine line between resolution and screen size. For instance, the Aura Mason photo frame is just a 9-inch frame but carries 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution. Do note that not many picture frames go over the 1920×1080 resolution.

2. Interface: Touchscreen or Remote

Secondly, how would you like to go through the photos on your digital photo frame? Some digital photo frames, like those from Pix-Star and Nixplay, offer a touch-based screen. This means you can easily scroll through the photos and slideshow.

Secondly, the screen makes it easy to go through the built-in settings and the other options. It’s worth noting that most frames come with a built-in slideshow timer that help to the photos change automatically. That said, a touchscreen interface or a touch-based bar at the top makes it a future-proof product.

Most of the affordable digital frames come with a remote. While it’s easy to handle, a remote constitutes additional responsibility. You will have to remember its location and change the batteries. If you are someone like me, you will eventually attach a tracker on the remote for easy tracking.

3. Photo Sharing: Email or App-Based Sharing

Now that the screen size and the access method are sorted, you need to check how to share photos and videos with the frame. This feature comes to the picture when you need others to send photos to the picture frame.

For now, two major ways to share pictures remotely to a digital photo frame are Email and App. As for the former, some frames come with a dedicated email address for the photo frame.

Depending on the frame’s make, you can share the email address directly with your family. Or, you can add the family member to the frame, after which they can email the required photos. The second process ensures that there are few spams. These processes remove the hassle of connecting and reloading SD cards.

Some digital picture frames support companion apps to share images. At the same time, these apps let you upload images directly to the frame. Like the one above, you can set up the app on your near one’s phone so that they can share the photo directly.

4. Storage & Sharing: Built-in, Wi-Fi, or Cloud-based Sharing

Another factor that plays a big part when choosing the best digital photo frame is storage. If you wish to gift a photo frame to an elderly, a frame that supports built-in storage is the apt pick. As you may have guessed, you need to load the photos on an SD card or flash drive. Once set up, it will show all the photos.

One of the main advantages of frames with built-in storage is that you do not depend on external factors like Wi-Fi or companion apps. At the same time, you will have o take the pain of loading newer photos on the external drive.

On the other hand, frames that support Wi-Fi let you share frames directly through an app. Here again, you’ll have to ensure that the place where the frame has adequate Wi-Fi connectivity. Wi-Fi connectivity brings a lot of convenience to the table. For example, app support or cloud storage support will only work if the frame can connect to the internet.

However, if you store all your photos on Google Photos, you might want to check out the frames that support cloud services like Google Photos. Again a couple of frames let you share and change photos through a companion app. Some frames let you send photos to a dedicated email address, and the frame will display them.

The idea here is to check which feature works best for you.

6. Design: Traditional or Modern

Perhaps, design is one of the primary things that come into the picture when buying a digital photo. After all, you don’t want a frame that will stand out like a sore thumb, do you? Most of the frames today bring an array of designs to the table. As such, you can pick one that sits best with your home decor. You can either pick one with a wooden finish. Or, go with a slightly modern finish.

7. Use: Ease of Use

However, all these above go for a toss if the frame has a complicated setup process and an equally complicated app. Hence, you must also look at some customer reviews (especially if you are buying online) to see how the advertised features shape up in real-world scenarios.

That said, most of these digital frames bundle interesting features such as timers, alarm clocks, ambient light sensors, motion sensors, auto-off, and so on.

Top 4 Digital Picture Frame Brands

As noted earlier, there are quite a few digital picture frames around, and not all brands are known for their durability or ease of use.

If you plan on buying a digital photo frame, here are the best digital picture frame that stand out.

1. Aura Frames

Aura Frames have two popular candidates — namely the Aura Carver and the Aura Mason. While the Aura Carver works in landscape mode, the Mason works in both Landscape and Portrait mode. The display is excellent and does justice to the uploaded photos. Lastly, they are available in several different colors and designs.

Note that they do not support internal memory. Instead, you can upload photos via the companion app. Plus, family members can also share photos via email.

2. Nixplay

Another popular brand for digital photos is Nixplay. They have a range of digital photo frames. And the NixPlay Touch Screen is one of the newest products. The best part about this frame is that you can prop it up on a table or mount it on the wall.

The photo quality on the NixPlay Touch Screen frame is on point, even though it’s a non-HD display. Plus, it comes with both paid and free cloud storage.

3. Aluratek Frames

Aluratek is known for its affordable and feature-rich digital photo frames. They come in several different looks and features. For example, you can pick a Wi-Fi Touchscreen frame with a smooth finish. Or, opt for a distressed wood frame with internal memory.

As noted earlier, Aluratek frames are affordable and highly popular amongst its user base.

4. Skylight Frames

Last but not least, we have the Skylight frames that are popular for their likeliness to conventional photo frames, all thanks to the mat cover around. The Skylight frames walk the perfect line between budget frames and premium frames.

At the same time, they are durable, and the picture quality is great.

Buy Smart

These are some things you need to check when buying a digital photo frame. Aside from the above, you need to take note of the product weight and the mounting options. Other than that, if you’d like a smart frame, you can also look for Alexa or Google Assistant integration.