Most of the best digital photo frames are exactly and only that: digital photo frames. But every so often we come across something like the Google Nest Hub or, in this instance, the myFirst Frame Clario, which supercharges the photo display experience and adds in smart home features such as video calling and calendar interaction.

The Frame Clario is a family hub designed to connect generations through photos, comments, birthday reminders, and video calls. The goal of the frame is to make daily sharing and communication simple for everyone. Having tested it for several weeks, I can testify that myFirst has created a fine-tuned, well-engineered device that is as easy to use for adults as it is for children.

For the purposes of this review, I have focused testing first on its photo display capabilities and second on its video-calling feature. And as it's designed for the whole family, I've drawn in my young children to get first-hand thoughts from the frame's primary target demographic.

Specifications

Price

The Frame Clario costs $89.99 / £89.89 / AU$149.00 and is therefore priced almost identically to the similar, although more well-known, Google Nest Hub. Compared to 7-inch digital photo frames, it sits at a very premium price point, but considering most of those offer zero smart features, you can see what you're paying the extra money for.

If you're not concerned about video calling or interacting with your calendar, then a traditional-featured digital photo frame is a much better bet. You'll be able to get a much larger and higher-resolution display for less money with the Aeezo Portrait, taking pride of place as our favorite budget option in our guide to the best digital photo frames.

Design & Handling

The most obvious thing about the myFirst Frame Clario is that it looks nothing like a traditional photo frame. At 1.30 inches deep and with large rounded corners, it looks more like a mini-monitor or a smart hub than a device to beautifully "frame" your photos. If you're looking for a frame that will blend in with your other photo frames on the mantelpiece or side table, you'll need to look elsewhere.

The display is also much smaller than traditional digital frames, featuring a 7-inch IPS touch display rather than a much more standard 10- or 11-inch screen. The resolution is also lower than I was expecting, maxing out at 1024 x 600 px. These specs mirror the Google Nest Hub exactly. I think 1920 x 1080 px should be the minimum on a device like this, especially when you're wanting to avoid any "low-res" blurring of your photos and videos.

More positively, the build is sturdy and lightweight, utilizing high-quality matte polymers that are designed to resist fingerprints and withstand the hands-on nature of a device meant for children. Despite my children using it to navigate menus, type comments, and interact with photos, the device was weighty enough to remain in place most of the time. And even when it didn't, its robust build quality meant it didn't suffer any damages.

One of the defining design features of the Frame Clario is the dedicated Magic Button located on the top of the frame. This large, friendly physical button provides a tactile way for children to instantly trigger actions like starting a slideshow or making a video call. Other essentials, like the 2MP camera, built-in speaker, and dual noise-canceling microphones, are integrated into the front and side panels to facilitate clear, face-to-face communication.

At the rear, I was pleased to find a USB-C charging port rather than USB-A. That means I can make use of any USB-C cable I have laying around for my plethora of other devices. I would also love to have seen an additional USB port or two for charging other devices that's probably too much to expect at this price point.

Performance

Getting the Frame Clario set up was as easy as it could be, especially given the familiarity of the interface, which is almost identical to iOS pre-Liquid Glass. After connecting to my WiFi, dialing in a few settings, and pairing it with the myFirst Circle app, I was ready to give the features a try.

I began with photos and was able to quickly post one to my group of pre-approved contacts, with a notification popping up immediately on the Frame Clario. Photos can be shared with different 'circles', including family, besties, friends, and acquaintances, with each category containing a pre-defined set of people. The parents are completely in control of these 'safe lists', so children can only interact with the family or friends that you've approved.

Interacting with photos centres around adding an emoji or typing a short comment using the built-in keyboard. Accessing this functionality felt a little clunky and unintuitive compared to a modern social media platform. I think work could be done to better position the social elements and thereby improve engagement with them. My children struggled a little with this, and the long tap for emojis was a little tricky for my youngest child. I also felt that the 16-character limit on ShoutOut comments was rather restrictive.

With the rudimentary photo functionality taken care of, I moved on to setting up a video call with one of my pre-approved contacts. Each person that you want to video call also requires the myFirst Circle app, so you'll need to get your family members and friends on board before you can connect with them.

As expected, the image quality could be better. Despite only being a 7-inch display, the 1024 x 600 pixel resolution wasn't quite sufficient to eliminate a slight pixelation and blurriness, especially around text. Pushing it up to Full HD (1920 x 1080 px) would be a great step in elevating the experience of viewing media as well as taking part in video calls.

The Frame Clario is also capable of playing music (via the microSD card) or built-in soundscapes such as Forest Stream and Fireside Calm. These could be used as white noise to help children get to sleep at night or as ambient noise while relaxing. It's even possible to create your own soundscapes by choosing a blend of elements such as Bird, Cafe, and Footsteps. That was really fun for my children to play with, but there hasn't been much interest in it beyond the initial excitement.

In general, the Frame Clario is a relatively well-set-up hub for interacting with family and friends through photos, video calling, and music. I wouldn't say it's the most streamlined of experiences, though, and more work could be done on the social elements. That said, it's not a bad attempt at replicating the Google Nest Hub experience, but for families with young children.

Verdict

The myFirst Frame Clario sets itself apart from traditional digital frames by being a kid-friendly smart hub. You could think of it as a Google Nest Hub but for children. The device is built well and even has a playful and fun aesthetic which will appeal to families. With that in mind, the Frame Clario excels in providing safe list functionality so children are only able to interact with preapproved family members and friends.

Unfortunately, its technical specifications leave room for improvement, particularly regarding its 7-inch, 1024 x 600 px display. Most of us will have better definition on our smartphones, and the lack of resolution is noticeable during video calls and photo viewing.

The setup is straightforward, but the restrictive character limits are a problem, and clunky emoji menus can feel unintuitive. Ultimately, if you are looking for a high-resolution digital photo frame for your mantel, you should look elsewhere, but if you need a sturdy, secure family portal, the Frame Clario is a commendable, albeit lower-res, contender.

Alternatives

E-ink is slowly spreading from e-reader tech into more paper-like digital picture frames – and one company’s new option doesn’t even require batteries. The VidaBay Snap is an e-ink magnetic photo frame.

What’s most interesting about the Snap e-ink frames, however, are what’s not included: Batteries. E-Ink screens have a lower power draw than traditional screens, but the technology still needs electricity to change what’s on the screen.

The new frame gets all the power that it needs to change the images from the same place the images come from: A smartphone. The tech uses NFC (Near-Field Communication) to send both the image and just enough power to rearrange the e-ink screen’s charged particles. The display doesn’t need power again until its next photo swap.

While NFC technology allows for a thin design that doesn’t need a battery, it doesn’t work over long distances like transferring photos to a digital picture frame using Wi-Fi does. The phone’s NFC spot needs to be properly aligned with the frame – and the company recommends removing the phone case first, too.

The amount of energy that NFC is able to send is small, which is why the tech is coming first to a small frame (the company doesn’t specify how small) that’s designed with the classic white border of Polaroid film.

For now, the frames are also only compatible with iOS, though the company says it’s developing a dock so that Android users can access the frames, too.

The frame comes from a company based in China, but the company offers international shipping, including to the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. The frame sells for $30.99, which is about £23 / AU$43 / CA$42 for one, or $88.99, which is around £65 / AU$125 / CA$122, for a three-pack.

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My wife and I are often saying that we should update all the photos around the house, but we never get around to it. That's why the best digital photo frames are so useful. They let you display a selection of your favorite shots and enjoy them in rotation, which means you don't have to worry about the hassle and cost of creating new prints.

Having been in existence for nearly 30 years, we all know what a digital photo frame is. But what if I told you that thanks to the Homture Magic Frame, you can now turn your digital photos into AI moments? This emerging technology is not yet readily available, with Homture aiming to define the market.

This won't be everyone's cup of tea, but for the tech enthusiast who likes the idea of bringing relatives back to life or injecting movement into still photos, the Magic Frame might be just the ticket. It boasts all the features you'd expect from a traditional digital photo frame but with AI smarts added in.

The AI-generated clips are made possible courtesy of Homture's AI technology, which carries out the aforementioned magic in return for credits that you've paid for. With each moment of creation costing $1, each creation isn't going to break the bank. Delivering a frame with these features is impressive, but only time will tell whether the world wanted it in the first place.

Specifications

Price

At $139 / £148.85 / AU$210, the Homture Magic Frame sits in the mid-to-high value bracket for digital photo frames. The high price bracket is on account of the great specs, good build quality, and AI smarts.

If you don't have any desire to create AI motion from your photographs, then the Aura Aspen or Lexar Pexar are fantastic alternatives. If AI functionality is important to you, then you could shoot for the SwitchBot AI Art Frame or KOKONNA AI Frame, which use AI to modify photos in different artistic styles.

Design & Handling

The Magic Frame from Homture boasts a simple, stylish aesthetic with a premium plastic and aluminum hybrid construction. The thin black outer edging frames the most striking part of the design, the white front face, which replicates the paper border seen in traditional framing. This black/white combo creates a clean, neutral transition between the digital screen and your room’s decor.

At the rear of the unit there's a unique circular protrusion that houses the core electronics and doubles as a mounting point for its stand. Supporting both portrait and landscape orientations, the frame is relatively versatile, but the inability to be able to adjust the angle of the bracket is a little disappointing. It also lacks wall mounting. functionality.

The 10.1-inch Full HD (1920 x 1200px) touchscreen features an anti-glare coating, which ensures clarity from wide angles. There's also a millimeter-wave radar sensor that is hidden within the frame's 0.5-inch slim profile. When the sensor detects motion, it triggers specific AI animations. Imagine your grandma waving to you as you enter a room or your children blowing you a kiss. This won't appeal to everyone, and I personally found it a little intrusive to be comfortable.

The video clip below is based on a still photograph of me, with an AI-generated wave created by Homture's AI engine. As you can see, it's uncannily realistic.

Performance

The defining feature of the Homture Magic frame is the integrated AI motion tech, which turns static photos into animated memories. All you have to do is upload a photo using the Homture app, choose a style, and after four or five minutes, the app will deliver back an AI-generated video. It's remarkably easy, and I had no issues adding waves, blinking, or other related motions to my photos. It's so good that it's a little disconcerting.

These AI moments are created by spending pre-bought credits. Customers get 2000 credits as a welcome treat, which is enough for about 20 videos, but when these are spent, you'll have to buy additional ones. It's convenient having this generative AI baked into the heart of the Homture experience, but if you wanted greater digital photo frame choice, then you could easily generate these clips using any AI image tool before syncing the results with your frame.

Whether we're talking about AI videos or simple still photos, the Magic Frame makes them look fantastic. With a full HD (1920 x 1080 px) resolution, media is displayed with detail, crispness, and vibrancy. Color replication is also pretty spot on, so photos look almost exactly as they do on your phone.

To display media on the frame, you first have to upload photos to the Homture app. That brings us to one of the most limiting factors, the lack of direct cloud sync to the likes of Google Photos or Amazon Photos. A more seamless experience would allow users to pick specific albums from these photo repositories rather than require them to be uploaded manually. As a result, I think people will be put off making regular changes to the set of displayed photos.

The usability of the frame is pretty good with an effortless setup, a responsive touchscreen, automatic switching between landscape and portrait, and the ability to adjust the AI moment frequency. Its smart credentials would be boosted by a set of voice controls. The menus are not particularly difficult to navigate, but who doesn't love controlling their tech from the comfort of a sofa?

Verdict

The Homture Magic Frame is one of the first of its kind, offering innovative AI smarts to turn still photos into short videos. It's remarkably good at what it does, but if you want to use the AI feature a lot, then costs could quickly mount up. The frame itself looks fantastic, with a mock paper frame mount and classic black edging. It also boasts a full HD resolution, which delivers clear and detailed results.

The lack of direct cloud syncing to Google Photos is a problem for me, but if you're happy uploading your own photos to the Homture app, then this missing feature is unlikely to hinder your experience.

Alternatives

Digital photo frames are meant to display entire galleries in one frame, but a new arrival to the space brings 3D holographic images to homes. Creator Looking Glass says Musubi is the first consumer photographic photo and video frame.

The Musubi turns any photo – as well as video clips up to 30 seconds long – into a 3D hologram for display. The frame works by using Hololumiscnet Display or HLD technology, which is a 2D display with a holographic background built into the layers. That allows for high-resolution images with depth, without 3D glasses.

Machine-learning software converts images and short video clips, building the depth information required for that holographic look without requiring specialty cameras. The desktop-based software converts any image in a few clicks, the company says. Those images are stored on the device itself using a wired USB-C connection, not the cloud, which means the frame doesn’t require a subscription, and images aren’t used to train the machine learning, according to Looking Glass.

Above: See the Musubi frame in action

The frame and software support holograms with the background removed, or holograms with the background left intact. The frame plays an automatic loop of any holograms uploaded to the frame, though buttons on the back will allow users to look through the different images.

The frame itself is a 7-inch display (measured diagonally) with a 9:16 vertical aspect ratio. The holographic photo frame can run for up to three hours on battery, while the included cord provides a constant looping of photos. The built-in storage can hold up to 1,000 holograms.

While the company says the frame is the first consumer-oriented frame of its kind, Looking Glass, which was founded in 2014, has previously built Hololuminescent Displays (HLD) like the Looking Glass Go and Portrait.

The Looking Glass Musubi is launching on Kickstarter and is expected to begin shipping to the first backers in June. The campaign has a first-day launch special for $99 for the first 24 hours only, where the frame is expected to retail for $149, which doesn’t include shipping. The frame will also ship outside of the US, with that early backers special translating to about £74 / AU$139 / CA$135, excluding shipping and import taxes.

All Kickstarter projects carry some level of risk, but the frame has already met its goal, with the company expecting full-scale production between March and May.

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Digital picture frames are typically just a miniaturized screen – but the same E Ink technology behind eReaders is slowly redefining the space. The Pocketbook InkPoster Tela and Pininfarina Duna are the largest E Ink digital frames yet, promising cordless, glare-free digital art in an A1 or 40.5-inch size.

Last year, Pocketbook launched the first E Ink frame, the original PocketBook InkPoster, in 13.3-inch and 31.5-inch sizes. Now, the InkPoster Line is expanding to the standard A1 size, or 40.5-inches, with the Tela and Duna announced at CES on January 6.

Both the Tela and the Duna are the same size – which the company says is the largest yet for E Ink art displays – with the Duna being designed in collaboration with Italian Design house Pinidarina. Like with earlier InkPoster models, the tech is a collaboration between PocketBook as well as E Ink’s Spectra 6 and Sharp’s IGZO.

As an E Ink screen, both frames use millions of dots of ink rearranged inside the screen to display artwork, including photos, as well as other digital art. E Ink only uses power to rearrange those ink dots, so the frames are cordless displays with batteries that can last up to a year and can still display the last image when the battery runs out.

The company says those embedded inks allow for up to 60,000 color tones inside the display.

The E Ink screens borrow some of the same benefits of the eReaders using the tech, including eliminating the typical glare and backlighting of more traditional screens. That, Pocketbook says, makes the frames feel “more like artwork than a device.”

The larger screen, longer battery life, and glare-free screens, however, aren’t without downsides. Pricing has yet to be finalized, but the InkPoster x Pininfarina Dura is expected to sell in the $6,000 region, while the Tela is estimated to cost around $4,200.

Arzopa is a relatively new name in the digital photo frame world; however, the company behind the D14 Metal Digital Picture Frame is an established manufacturer of computer monitors, specializing in portable devices designed to complement laptops, so it does have some pedigree in making displays with a compact form factor. So it's perhaps only natural that the company is eyeing up the photo frame market.

That said, the digital photo frame market is a crowded one, dominated by established big players Aura and Nixplay, so how does this newcomer make its mark? If the D14 Metal Digital Picture Frame is anything to go by, it's with frames made from premium materials at a very competitive price, as we shall see…

Arzopa D14 Metal Digital Picture Frame: Specifications

Arzopa D14 Metal Digital Picture Frame: Price

Arzopa's own website shows the 'list price' for the D14 as $219.99 / £196, but this feels like an artificially high price that is designed to be discounted. At the time of writing, Arzopa was selling it at $134.99 / £121, and it can be had for even less from the likes of Amazon, which was selling it for $109.99.

So, taking its full RRP with a pinch of salt, and considering its bigger-than-average 14-inch LCD panel and decent hi-res output, it's actually very attractively priced for a frame of this size and upmarket build.

In addition to this 14-inch frame, Arzopa makes the D10, a 10.1-inch model with a 1280 x 800 resolution that costs a little less, and the D15, a 15.6-inch frame with a 1920 x 1080 'Full HD' widescreen aspect ratio that costs a little more.

Arzopa D14 Metal Digital Picture Frame: Design & Handling

The most striking thing about the Arzopa D14 is its genuine metal frame, which is cold to the touch, catches the light, and adds a touch of class. It comes in 'Champagne Gold' and 'Rose Gold' finishes, which have an attractive sheen that simply can't be replicated with metallic-effect plastics. This surrounds a slim, textured inner mount, and the whole thing looks and feels way more upmarket than the multitude of cheap plasticky frames out there.

That said, the main material at the rear of the frame is plastic. And rather quirkily, the back is designed to look like a retro-styled phonograph, with a circular 'turntable' stamped into the plastic and a metal 'arm' playing the 'record'. This arm, in fact, pops out to become the stand and is poked into a hole in one corner of the frame to prop it up in either horizontal or vertical orientations, with images auto-rotating to suit.

The frame itself is pretty slim, but the stand is quite long, forcing the frame a good eight inches or so away from whatever is behind it, which might be a problem on shelves that aren't that deep or are cluttered with other knick-knacks. There are also hook recesses for wall hanging, if you don't mind its power cable trailing down to the nearest power outlet. This cable is of the plastic-coated variety, rather than the braided fabric of some rivals, so I think most people would prefer to have it tucked out of sight.

The only physical control is a power button on the back of the frame, with the main interaction via the touch-sensitive screen, which allows you to swipe between images, re-crop them, and access basic frame functionality. For anything more involved, you'll need to use the Arzopa app, more of which is in the 'Performance' section below.

Arzopa D14 Metal Digital Picture Frame: Performance

The frame is based on a 14-inch IPS touchscreen panel that has a 1920 x 1200 display, which is pretty high resolution and results in a pixel density of around 160ppi. The 67% sRGB color gamut isn't particularly earth-shattering on paper, but the images look sharp and detailed.

You can swipe left and right on the touchscreen to move through the images stored on the frame, and tapping the screen brings up a limited menu. This allows basic tasks, such as selecting between the frame's internal image libraries, resizing photographs, changing its brightness, and granting others access to the frame via an on-screen QR code.

By default, images are displayed in their entirety, necessitating a border around the 'empty' portion of the image. You can tap an icon to make images fill the screen instead, and pinch to zoom in further, while swiping with two fingers scrolls the image around to perfect your crop. It's a bit fiddly to get it right, and as the frame or app has no 'intelligent' cropping function, but merely zooms into the center of each image, you will have to manually recrop the vast majority of your pictures, as the frame's 16:10 aspect ratio isn't native to the 4:3 of most phones or 3:2 of 'proper' cameras. Otherwise, unless you've got your subject bang in the center when you took the original shot, zooming in to remove the unsightly border will likely result in the tops of heads being cut off and the like.

To access any in-depth settings, such as overlaying the time and weather on photos (I like to switch all of these kinds of distractions off), you'll have to delve into the companion Arzopa app. This is the main way to upload images from your phone, too. Once you grant the app access to your image library, you can scroll through your pics and check a tickbox to upload them. However, all images are displayed square in a grid, which makes it impossible to see whether the images are in portrait or landscape format.

Hats off to Arzopa for developing its own app, rather than using an off-the-shelf solution like the Frameo software that powers many rival photo frames, but it has to be said that there's plenty of room for improvement. It doesn't attempt to intelligently crop images to suit the subject, for example, or allow you to correct images that aren't well-cropped; you'll have to upload them to the frame first. However, software can always be updated, so I'm hopeful that Arzopa can improve this over time.

There's a generous 32GB of internal storage. Arzopa doesn't state how many images this will hold, but it does also claim to offer unlimited cloud storage, covering all the bases. There are also USB-A, USB-C, and SD card slots, which can be used to bump the storage up to 128GB or as a means of transferring images to the internal memory. You can also connect the frame directly to a PC to transfer images via USB, which is handy for photographers who like to edit their images on their computer first. But it is only compatible with PCs; Macs are not supported.

Arzopa D14 Metal Digital Picture Frame: Verdict

The Arzopa D14 is an attractive-looking and well-designed photo frame. The metal outer frame makes a really nice change from the usual plastic and is both unfussy and eye-catching. The high-resolution display shows off images crisply and clearly, even if the color gamut isn't as wide as some competitor frames. And just as importantly, it's available at a very good price considering its specs, undercutting the top-end competitors by quite a margin, while being a far more upmarket product than some of its cheap and cheerful rivals.

Its shortcomings are mainly on the software side. The companion Arzopa app is fiddly to use compared to the established apps from the likes of Aura, or off-the-shelf apps like Frameo, and having to crop each and every image manually on the frame is a bit of a faff. Hopefully, that's something that Arzopa can address over time.

Alternatives

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: digital photo frames make the best Christmas gifts. After all, the best gifts are those that are personal, and there's nothing more personal than a digital photo frame packed full of treasured photographs of the recipient's loved ones.

Nixplay is one of the premium manufacturers of digital photo frames, and in their pre-Christmas sale, they are selling their most popular frame, the Classic 10.1in HD Touch Screen, for half the regular price, at just £89.99, down from £179.99.

And not only that, if you buy two frames, they'll knock another tenner off, bringing the price down to just £84.99 per frame, so you could get one as a gift and keep one for yourself.

If you want to really show off your shots in style, there's the same half-price deal on the Classic 15.6in, which is a real showstopper of a frame, down from £349.99 to £174.99. This time, if you buy two, you'll save a further £20.

And if that deal wasn't sweet enough, there's free shipping too, but you'll need to order by Saturday, December 20, to guarantee delivery in time for Christmas…

Pexar is the digital photo frame arm of Lexar, the company better known for its memory cards and USB sticks. It entered the photo frame market in 2024 with an 11-inch frame that had a super-high-resolution 2K display. And it has now produced the Starlight, which has a much larger 15.6-inch widescreen display, albeit at a lower resolution.

What sets this new frame apart from the competition is that it's billed as the world's first photo frame with a rear backlight; a gentle light projects from the rear of the frame, which helps lift it from its surroundings and draw attention to the photos displayed on it. This novelty aside, let's see what else this frame has to offer.

Lexar Pexar Starlight 15.6in digital photo frame: Specifications

Lexar Pexar Starlight 15.6in digital photo frame: Price

The list price for the Starlight is $349.99 / £349.99 (it was unavailable at the time of writing in Australia, but websites including Amazon have a holding page for it, so it's coming). That's a premium price, and a little more than other large frames from respected brands, such as the Aura Walden.

However, digital photo frames are often discounted, and even shortly after its initial release the Starlight was available at around $50 / £50 less than the RRP, which certainly makes it a more tempting buy, so it pays to shop around to see whether you might be able to pick it up for a more attractive price.

Lexar Pexar Starlight 15.6in digital photo frame: Design & Handling

The Starlight is based on a 15.6-inch, 16x9 ratio, 1920 x 1080-pixel panel – the same dimensions as your widescreen television (and the same resolution, if it's a 'Full-HD' model). This is inset within a textured off-white beveled inset that's about an inch and a half deep, and it's all set within a wood-effect frame. It's certainly a nice change from the usual minimalist black bezel that many digital frames have as standard.

Its USP, which gives it the Starlight name, is a subtle light at the rear that envelops the entire frame with a golden glow that lifts it from its surroundings. There's a sturdy metal stand that props it up in both portrait and landscape orientations, with the display auto-rotating to display images.

The only physical button is a power on/off switch, with all the functionality being controlled via the touch-sensitive screen. Tapping anywhere on the screen brings up a menu that enables you to easily grant access to 'friends' via an on-screen QR code that links directly to the frame, access the frame's library to decide which photos are displayed, hide photos you'd prefer weren't on display, recrop images, or jump into a more involved settings menu that controls every aspect of the frame.

Lexar Pexar Starlight 15.6in digital photo frame: Performance

This may be physically larger than the same company's 11in 2K frame, but it's lower resolution, with a 1920 x 1080 display as opposed to the other frame's 2000 x 1200 pixels. It therefore has a much lower pixel density of 141ppi compared to 212 ppi. It doesn't boast its sibling's 100% sRGB color gamut either. On the surface, then, this bigger screen isn't as highly specced as the 2K frame, but does this really matter? When viewed side by side, perhaps you'll see a difference. In reality, when viewed from a sensible distance, there isn't a whole lot in it, and it's a clear and bright display that will do your photos justice.

The parent company behind Pexar is Lexar, the memory storage specialists better known for memory cards, SSD drives, and USB sticks. It's perhaps no surprise, then, that the Starlight boasts a huge 64GB of internal storage, which is enough for 80,000 images. There are also USB-A, USB-C, and SD card slots, which can be used to store additional images, should 80,000 not be enough, or to copy images to the internal memory.

It's powered by the popular Frameo app, which allows you to browse through your phone's library, select, and upload images in batches of up to 10 at a time. If you want to upload more simultaneously or back up photographs to Frameo's servers, you'll need to take out a subscription at an additional cost, but for most of us, the app's basic free functionality will be absolutely fine.

Lexar Pexar Starlight 15.6in digital photo frame: Verdict

You may regard the gallery backlighting feature as a novelty to set this apart from the many other frames out there, but it really does help make this something of a statement frame. The warm and gentle light it emits behind the frame gives it a rather lovely golden glow.

It's a big frame too, although the 16x9 aspect ratio isn't perfect for either smartphone or camera photos, but if the automatic cropping doesn't get things quite right, it's easy enough to tap an image and reframe it to your liking. On the whole, this is an upmarket frame that shows off photographs admirably, but it's on the expensive side.

Alternatives

One of my favorite features of Aura's photo frames is how they easily allow multiple users to upload images via a user-friendly app, even allowing images to be pre-loaded onto frames for gifting. It's why Aura frames feature heavily in my buying guide to the best digital photo frames. However, 'user-friendly' is a relative term. It still requires downloading an app and linking it to a frame, which may be enough to put the less technically minded among us off in the first place.

Now Aura has made uploading images to a frame as easy as sending a text. The company's new "text-to-frame" feature lets friends and family send their shots directly to an Aura frame via a text message, eliminating the need for contributors to download a dedicated app.

With text-to-frame, the frame owner still manages the device via the Aura app, but they can now invite specific contacts to contribute via text. Once invited, these contacts simply send a picture message to a designated number, and the image automatically appears in the frame's library. To prevent spam or unwanted images from appearing on your frame, only contacts explicitly invited by the frame owner can contribute.

The core appeal of the new feature is accessibility. While digital frames are popular for displaying family photos, requiring every contributor to create an account and download an app can be a barrier, particularly for friends or extended family members who may not be as tech-savvy.

According to Ashley Phillips, Director of Product at Aura, the feature was born out of a desire to capture "quick snaps" and "everyday moments" that often get buried in group chats or text threads. While messaging apps are a primary way families stay connected, those digital memories rarely make it off the phone screen.

"If they can text, they can share," said Phillips.

The process is designed to be frictionless for the sender. The frame owner attaches a phone number to their Aura account and invites contacts. Invited users can then text a photo (or multiple images) to the frame. The photos are securely uploaded to the Aura cloud and appear on the designated frame instantly.

The text-to-frame feature is available immediately for iOS and Android users with a US phone number within the United States, and Aura says it will explore market availability in other territories in due course.

Aura is the name behind some of the best digital photo frames on the market, known for their top-quality minimalist designs, and backed by the brilliant Aura app that not only enables easy management and uploading of images from multiple people, but also allows frames to be preloaded with images without opening the packaging, making them ideal gifts.

Unlike many competitor frames, Aura's frames have no inbuilt storage or the ability to plug in memory cards, but instead offer unlimited cloud storage, with photos stored on Aura's own servers. But with the company seemingly already having a frame for every sector of the market, from the oversized 15-inch Walden through the midrange Aspen to the 'budget' Carver (not that anything Aura does is particularly cheap), what more can it bring to the table (or bookshelf or wall, for that matter)? Well, while its latest offering is destined to be one of the best digital photo frames, it's quite unlike anything the company has produced before…

Aura Ink: Specifications

Aura Ink: Price

Let's get this out of the way. Launching at $499 in the United States (at the time of writing, it's yet to become available in other territories), this is a premium-priced product and is very expensive compared to even Aura's other frames, which already sit at the top end of the market. It leaves the Walden, the company's previously highest-priced product, at $299, looking like a bargain.

But you are getting some absolutely revolutionary tech for your money. Thanks to its e-ink display that reflects rather than emits light, it provides the most natural viewing experience I've ever, well, experienced, and photos really do look like printed pictures. And with a built-in battery powering it for months, it's truly worthy of hanging on your wall, as well as taking pride of place on the mantelpiece.

Aura Ink: Design & Handling

Before turning it on, the Aura Ink looks just like any other Aura frame, with a thin black bezel surrounding a deeper white matte-effect inset. It's unfussy and stylish. There are three buttons tucked around the back of the frame, mainly used to move forward and back through the available photographs, and an Action button. Unlike other Aura frames, there are no touch-sensitive sidebars, nor is the screen touchscreen.

It has the same 1600 x 1200 resolution as Aura's Walden and Aspen displays, this time set within 13.3 inches of screen real estate, putting it midway between the 11.8-inch Aspen and 15-inch Walden. There is a USB-C socket, but this is not for removable media; it is used exclusively to power the device. For within the frame is a battery; this is the first Aura frame to be rechargeable, and the result is that it can be positioned anywhere you like, without needing to be within a cable's length of a power outlet.

Supplied with the frame is some 'hanging hardware' – basically, a hook and a couple of nails. And while many other frames are wall-mountable, the requirement to be plugged into mains power has meant that I've never been tempted to do anything but display them on a shelf, hiding the cable around the back. The Aura Ink is the frame I'd actually want to hang on a wall, as there's no cable to spoil the aesthetic.

Aura Ink: Performance

While it may have the same 1600 x 1200 resolution as many other Aura frames, it uses a completely different 'e-ink' technology to display images. Whereas a traditional LCD screen is formed from a brightly lit arrangement of pixels that can display millions of colors, the e-ink pixels themselves do not emit light but reflect the ambient room lighting, and can display just six colors: white, black, red, yellow, green, and blue. A dithering algorithm is used to create the appearance of photos with millions of colors, each pixel color chosen relative to its neighbors to create the illusion of a full-color photo, at least when viewed from a distance.

Take a closer look, and you can clearly see this dithering pattern with the photograph taking on a distinctly dotty appearance. But that actually adds to its charm; it really does make it look as if the image has been created from a printed process, rather than displayed on a screen. Some images look better than others – and Aura is the first to admit this. But thankfully, the images that work best are nicely lit portraits, rather than moody landscapes; exactly the sort of images of loved ones that most people will use a digital frame to show off.

Speaking of loved ones, images can be easily uploaded by multiple members of a household via the Aura app, which makes it really easy to find, manage, and upload images from a phone's library, with the ability to search for specific people, and crop intelligently to show the most important part of an image. Best of all is the ability to preload images onto a frame without first opening the packaging by scanning a QR code, making it ideal for gifting.

By default, images are changed once per day overnight, chiefly to conserve battery power, but also because it takes about 20 seconds or so to transition from one image to another, during which the screen flashes and flickers throughout the image-changing process; this would certainly be something of a distraction if it were to happen every 10 minutes or so – as you can see in the video below.

But I must confess that I'm not too keen on photo frames changing every few minutes, and the overnight update is further in keeping with the 'real' photo aesthetic. Clearly, video is not possible with a technology that updates from frame to frame in such a way, but again, I suspect most people will avoid displaying moving images on a photo frame, anyway.

You can chose to update images more frequently, should you wish, and you can also change the currently displayed image via the buttons tucked around the back of the frame (which replace the touch-sensitive sidebars found on most of Aura's other frames).

Aura Ink: Verdict

The Aura Ink is quite unlike any other digital photo frame I've seen before, and I've seen quite a few. It doesn't offer the highest-resolution display, nor the biggest, but it does produce the most print-like images. While it's an electronic device, the e-ink technology really does create the overall impression of a printed image, rather than a digital screen. Subtle backlighting that adjusts to suit the ambient light doesn't give the game away, either.

Other frames may come with wall-hanging options, but I've never been tempted to hang them on my wall, largely due to the cable that's needed to power them. By contrast, the Aura Ink has actually taken pride of place among real framed photos and other wall art in my living room.

Alternatives

Aluratek has announced a pair of photo frames that double as digital calendars, enabling you to keep track of your family’s day-to-day diaries, as well as displaying photos of your nearest and dearest. There are 15.6-inch and 10.1-inch variations, and they synchronize family calendars across all the major platforms, including Google, Apple, Cozi, Yahoo, and Outlook.

The Wi-Fi-enabled frames consolidate the entire household’s appointments, events, and reminders with a single, easy-to-navigate, color-coded interface. Touchscreen navigation enables quick modification or addition of events, while integrated family management tools include such wonders as customizable to-do lists, meal planning, and chore tracking, complete with automated reminders. A companion eCalendar app for iOS and Android devices manages the frames’ scheduling and content features, and enable photos to be added.

When not actively serving as a planner, the devices transform into digital photo frames, with 32GB of built-in storage. An IPS LCD screen (with 1080p resolution on the 15.6-inch model) displays photos crisply and clearly, while a built-in light sensor automatically adjusts brightness to suit the ambient conditions.The display auto-rotates for both portrait and landscape viewing. The 15.6-inch model further includes a removable stand and wall-mounting capabilities.

“The new 15.6-inch and 10.1-inch Digital Calendars are designed to make family organization simple and seamless,” says John Wolikow, CEO at Aluratek. “With real-time sync across popular calendar platforms, customizable reminders, and a bright, easy-to-read display, this product transforms how families plan their days, weeks, and months together.”

Digital photo frames make it possible to put hundreds of photos into a single frame, but the cords and glare mean the tech is better suited for a tabletop than a wall. Aura’s newest photo frame, however, is not just cord-free but is made to blend in with prints in a gallery wall thanks to e-ink.

The Aura Ink is a cordless 13-inch frame that uses e-ink rather than LEDs. Taking inspiration from the tech used to make e-readers (like the Kindle) longer lasting and easier on the eyes, the Aura Ink is a cordless digital frame with up to a three-month battery life rating.

The e-ink technology, however, isn’t only about creating a frame that’s power-friendly enough to ditch the cord. Aura says Ink uses a proprietary E Ink Spectra 6 technology that uses six ink color dots to make up a color photograph. The result, Aura says, is a “a vintage-toned display that brings out the warmth of a sunset, the subtlety of a black-and-white portrait, and, most importantly, the joy of a loved one’s face.” The close-up of the ink dots almost reminds me a little of film grain.

Aura says that Ink’s more paper-like surface will also help the digital frame not to look so out of place when mixed in with printed photographs on a gallery wall. The frame includes a paper-textured mat and a glossy finish.

E-ink readers can appear dim without a built-in light, so Aura included what they describe as a “subtle” front lighting that’s around 1/8th the brightness of an LCD. That light adjusts as the light in the room changes, with the frame using built-in light and motion sensors.

The Aura Ink is automatically set to swap images just once per day – users can change those settings, though increasing the number of photographs displayed each day will decrease that three-month battery life rating.

As a photographer and avid Kindle reader, I’m highly intrigued by the idea of an e-ink screen. I love the idea of a digital photo frame, but most of my photos hang on the wall rather than sitting on a shelf or a table, and a cord would just ruin the look of one of my many gallery walls that I have.

The Aura Ink isn’t the first e-ink frame. The $499 price is higher than other Aura frames, but sits under the recently launched InkPoster that starts at $599 in the US. International pricing and availability for the Aura Ink haven’t yet been announced.

The Aura Ink is available to order direct from Aura.

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Browse the best digital photo frames or the best photo printers.

Aura makes some of the best digital photo frames around, and Amazon Prime Day is the best time to buy one, with Aura offering generous discounts on its two finest frames. You can save $30 on Aura's newest Aspen frame, which packs a stunning 1600 x 1200 resolution into a sleek 12-inch frame, or you can go bigger (and receive a bigger $60 discount) with the 15-inch Walden frame.

• See all of today's Amazon Prime photo deals

Aura digital photo frames store all your images for free on cloud-based servers, effectively enabling you to display an unlimited number of images (and short videos, too). They are quick and easy to set up, and it's a doddle to instantly add photos and videos from your phone using the free Aura app, which is available on iOS and Android.

You can also invite family and friends to share their photos directly to your Aura digital picture frame, where the color-calibrated HD display automatically manages photo cropping and screen brightness to best suit each image. But the best thing about Aura frames is that they are perfect for gifting; you can preload images into the frames without first opening up the box, simply by scanning a QR code on the packaging, so they are ready to display as soon as the recipient powers up their present. And at this price, they really are a gift!

Check out our guide to the best digital photo frames

Aura makes some of the best digital photo frames around, and Amazon Prime Day is the best time to buy one, with Aura offering a generous discount on its showstopping 15-inch Walden frame.

• See all of today's Amazon Prime photo deals

Aura digital photo frames store all your images for free on cloud-based servers, effectively enabling you to display an unlimited number of images (and short videos, too). They are quick and easy to set up, and it's a doddle to instantly add photos and videos from your phone using the free Aura app, which is available on iOS and Android.

You can also invite family and friends to share their photos directly to your Aura digital picture frame, where the color-calibrated HD display automatically manages photo cropping and screen brightness to best suit each image. But the best thing about Aura frames is that they are perfect for gifting; you can preload images into the frames without first opening up the box, simply by scanning a QR code on the packaging, so they are ready to display as soon as the recipient powers up their present. And at this price, they really are a gift!

Check out our guide to the best digital photo frames

I’ve just reviewed the Pix-Star Lux 17-inch photo frame and two things struck me about it above all else. The first is that it’s very, very big, measuring (as the name suggests) 17 inches across the diagonal. To put that in context, that’s a little more than an A3 sheet of paper, so if you were considering buying one of the best A3 printers to display your prints, this could be an intriguing alternative way to show off your entire portfolio.

The second is that the surrounding bezel is really quite fancy, with a contoured design that flies in the face of the minimalist thin-black-bezel-with-paper-like-white-inset ethos that every other frame I’ve reviewed recently seems to have. My buying guide to the best digital photo frames is full of them.

Hats off to Pix-Star, I say. After all, when buying a traditional (non-electronic) photo frame to pop your prints into, it’s the design of the frame that will be the main buying criterion. My own shelves are full of ornate carved wooden frames, glitzy gold ones, ones with mirrored mosaic tiles surrounding the print, you name it.

But then again, what determines a tasteful frame is, well, a matter of taste. What one person might consider a beautiful design worthy of pride of place on their mantelpiece might have the opposite effect on another, which probably goes a long way to explain why most digital photo frame makers err on the side of caution and decide to keep things simple.

I have a solution: a frame within a frame. Surely it would be an easy matter to have a range of clip-on outer frames that a digital photo frame sits within? They could be sold as accessories, or a selection could be bundled with a digital photo frame for the user to customize to their heart's desire. Samsung does this with its The Frame range of TVs – which can also function as wall-mounted digital photo frames. But this option simly isn't available on smaller frames so far…

In the meantime, if you're fed up of boring 'classic' photo frames, the Pix-Star Lux 17-inch is the one to get.

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Want to show off your photos, but don't like digital frames? Take a look at the best photo books and best photo printing online services, or make your own physical prints with the best photo printers.

The Pix-Star Lux 17-inch is a big photo frame. Really big. With a display area measuring 17 inches on the diagonal, it shows off your images as super-sized enlargements, all within an ornate, contoured surround.

Images are stored on Pix-Star's servers for an effectively unlimited number of photographs, but it also has a generous 16GB of storage built in, so the screen doesn't go blank if your Wi-Fi goes down. There are SD and USB slots for plugging media directly into the frame, too, so it seems that all the bases are covered. Let's see what else this oversized frame has to offer.

Pix-Star Lux 17-inch: Specifications

Pix-Star Lux 17-inch: Price

The list price of the Pix-Star Lux 17-inch frame is $299 / £259 / AU$545, making it fairly pricey, though not too bad considering the physical size of the screen real estate. That makes it around the same price – or a little cheaper – than the competing Aura Walden 15-inch frame. But while the Pix-Star is a couple of inches bigger, it's not as high-resolution, as we'll see below.

As well as being sold on Pix-Star's own website, it appears on Amazon, so look out for discounts. To see how it fits into the crowded photo frame market, don't miss my digital photo frames buying guide. Pix-Star also makes a smaller (and lower resolution) 10-inch photo frame that sells for $169 / £179 / AU$289, which may be a consideration for those on a budget.

Pix-Star Lux 17-inch: Design & Handling

The large 17-inch display is housed within a fairly ornate, contoured white inner frame, which is about an inch wide. It's certainly something different from the more minimalist – dare I say boring – designs of the majority of digital frames, and whether you prefer this is down to your own personal taste. It grew on me and I rather like it, when viewed from the front at least. Side on, the unit depth is pretty chunky, at almost two inches thick, and is rather reminiscent of a PC monitor. But when placed on a shelf or sideboard, you won't be too troubled by this.

The VESA mounting sockets on the rear of the frame futher add to the PC monitor feel, and in addition, there are wall-hanging indents for both horizontal and vertical orientations, as well as slots for the supplied stand to support the screen in either orientation; however, the on-screen images or text don't auto-rotate to suit, instead, you have to delve into the Slideshow menu and select 'Portrait' orientation. It's a bit of a faff and took me a while to figure this out, and is certainly not as intuitive as competitor frames that rotate automatically.

It's not a touchscreen display, but navigation through menus, selecting pictures, and so on, is via a remote control (this can be tucked into a handy recess on the rear of the frame when not in use), which does prevent getting mucky finger marks on the screen. The most important controls are replicated on the edge of the frame itself, presumably in case you misplace the main controller or the batteries run out. It does take away from the photo frame aesthetic somewhat.

The frame has a built-in motion sensor, which turns it off when it doesn't detect movement after a while, and back on again when someone enters the room. However, it doesn't automatically dim to suit the ambient room lighting, and brightness needs to be changed via on-screen menus.

Pix-Star Lux 17-inch: Performance

The first step in setting up the frame is to hook it up to your home Wi-Fi network, which is done via an on-screen keyboard. If your password is of the complex alphanumeric variety, with a sprinkling of capitals among lower-case characters, then top marks for security, but you will find it a bit of a pain to enter as characters need to be selected individually (or capitalization activated) by moving a cursor around. It's nowhere near as elegant as some of the app-based frames that import all this information automatically. Still, once it's done, it's done.

Next, you need to set up an account on Pix-Star's website, and as part of this process, you register your own personal @mypixstar.com email address. This is because the primary method of uploading images to the frame is to email them to it. If you're the sort of photographer who likes to edit your images on your computer before sharing them with the wider world, then this offers a more natural process than the many frames that use a smartphone app to manage image content. That said, there is a Pix-Star Snap app for uploading images from your smartphone, but its functionality is pretty basic, and most of the management is via the website or on the frame itself. Of course, you can share the email address with anyone you like, so they can upload images to the frame, too.

The 17-inch screen is large, but it's not particularly high resolution, with its 1280 x 960 pixel display resulting in a density of 94 ppi (pixels per inch). To be fair, a large screen is better viewed from a little further away, so the lack of resolution isn't overly obvious in normal viewing, though you can see a degree of pixelization in some of the transitions.

By default, photographs are displayed in a five-image collage, which I wasn't particularly keen on, but this can be changed, easily enough, to instead display images one by one in the Slideshow settings. Left to its own devices, all manner of transitions are used to move from one image to the next, with a variety of fades, zooms, images spinning off into the distance, and so on. This does seem to be more about showing off the effects the programmers have managed to cram into the device rather than concentrating on the more sober functionality of a digital frame. Thankfully, you can limit which transitions are used in a sub-menu; I turned everything off aside from a simple fade from one image to the next.

Displaying photographs aside, a variety of other functions are avialable, such as the ability to listen to internet radio stations or your own music (though this has to be from an SD card or memory stick, rather than any streaming service you might have an account with), show the local weather, set reminders and alerts, or access an onscreen calculator. There is also a selection of games to play, though these are pretty basic and reminiscent of the system games on early Windows PCs or pre-smartphone-era phones, such as Minesweeper, Sudoku, and Snake. Once you've had an initial play around with them, you'll likely lose interest. Apart from Snake: I'd forgotten how addictive that game was…

Pix-Star Lux 17-inch: Verdict

You certainly get a lot of screen for your money with the Pix-Star Lux 17-inch, and the fancy frame styling is refreshing, though whether it's for you will be down to your own personal taste. It's not the highest-resolution frame, but that isn't too much of an issue, as such large images are generally viewed from a distance, and it displays images brightly and clearly.

There are a lot of bells and whistles, such as the mini-games and snazzy effects, but if you're anything like me, once the initial interest wears off, you'll be looking to pare things down to the basic functionality of a simple photo frame. Thankfully, it's not difficult to do.

The initial setup could be slicker, and the user interface perhaps isn't as polished as some competitors' photo frames, but the functionality is perfectly fine once you get used to its quirks. As most of the control is website-based and the primary means of getting images to the frame is via email, this will really suit those who take their photos on a 'proper' camera rather than a smartphone, and with such a big display, you'll want to ensure images have been edited to be at their best, rather than phone snaps.

Alternatives

Aura is well known as one of the foremost makers of upmarket digital photo frames, and the Aspen joins the ranks of the extra-large Walden and popular Carver frames. Like those frames, it uses the intuitive Aura app to manage the photographs and other content displayed, which is stored on the Aura's servers rather than the frames themselves, effectively offering unlimited photo storage, as long as you have a Wi-Fi connection.

It sits in the middle of Aura's range, yet has the highest density display that Aura offers, showing off your shots in all their glory.

Aura Aspen: Specifications

Aura Aspen: Price

The Aura Aspen costs $229 / £219 (Australian pricing was unavailable at the time of writing). This places it firmly in the middle of Aura's range when it comes to pricing, sitting between the smaller Carver frame that costs around $149 / £149, and the larger Walden retailing at $299 / £299. It's worth noting that Aura occasionally offers discounts on its frames, so be sure to check for the latest offers.

In terms of the wider market (see our guide to the best digital photo frames for our top picks), Aura frames are undeniably at the top end, but they are well-made and stylish, and offer great functionality. This is due in no small part to the companion Aura app, which is particularly intuitive and offers the ability to preload images for gifting, going a long way to make the entire range worth their premium price.

Aura Aspen: Design & Handling

The Aura Aspen is available with an outer bezel that comes in two colors, Ink and Clay (black and gray, to you and me), surrounding a deep white inset that is textured to look and feel like the heavy-duty card you'd find on a traditional photo frame. Indeed, Aura has made great pains to make this as close to a physical picture frame as possible, with sleek minimalist looks. Although it's made of plastic, it does not come across as plasticky.

It is Aura's slimmest frame to date, with an edge thickness of just half an inch (1cm). The frame can be propped up in horizontal or vertical orientation, with the display auto-rotating to suit. There are no noticeable physical controls, aside from an on/off button tucked around the back. That's not quite true: although you can't see them (once you're removed the protective transit stickers), the top and side of the frame house Touch Bars, which have a slightly smoother feel than the rest of the surround, that you can tap and slide your finger along to activate certain functions, saving the display from getting covered with greasy fingermarks, as is often the case with competitor frames.

There is a slight bulge at the back of the frame around the speaker grille, but this is hidden well out of sight and makes no difference to its overall depth when it's supported by the supplied stand. However, it does mean that the back of the frame would no longer be flush if set against a wall, and as a result, there is no option for wall-mounting it. That said, I've never been tempted to wall-mount any of the digital photo frames I own, as I feel the aesthetic would be spoiled by the trailing power cord needed to keep the frame powered up.

Aura Aspen: Performance

The 12-inch diagonal display houses a 1600 x 1200-pixel high-resolution display. This is the same pixel count as the larger Aura Walden 15-inch frame, but it packs them into a smaller space and thus has a higher 170ppi (pixels per inch) density for an ultra-crisp display.

Images are stored on Aura's servers rather than built-in memory on the frame itself, thereby providing an effectively unlimited capacity (provided your Wi-Fi network doesn't go down). Images are managed by Aura's bespoke app, which I really like. It is easy to scroll through your phone library and add images, with the facility to search for specific people. As the frame matches the aspect ratio of most smartphones, they are generally displayed natively, but it's an easy matter to crop and rotate individual images from within the app, should you want to remove any distractions at the edge of the frame, for example.

You can also grant access to friends and family so they can add their own images, no matter where they are in the world, ideal for keeping abreast of thier travels without having to wait until their return. In addition to this, and one of my favorite features of Aura frames, is that you can preload images onto a frame by scanning a unique QR code on the outer packaging. This makes it perfect for gifting; when the recipient sets their frame up, your selected images are downloaded. It makes it a truly fabulous and thoughtful present for doting grandparents.

The app also has a scanner function, enabling the quick and easy digitization of prints; point your phone at a photo, hold it steady, and it does the rest. You can edit in the app to straighten edges if needed and convert images to black and white, among other features.

The only controls on the frame itself are the aforementioned (and unobtrusive) Touch Bars. Sliding right displays the next photo in the sequence, left the previous one, a tap brings up image information, a double-tap gives the image some "love", and a long-press brings up a menu that allows you to exclude images that you'd rather not be seen.

A light sensor automatically dims the brightness to suit the ambient room lighting – or switch the frame off altogether after dark – thus avoiding the excessive glow of some frames. While it's still clearly a backlit image on display, it still looks pretty natural.

Aura Aspen: Verdict

Underneath the Aura Aspen's minimalist, unfussy looks is a very well-specced photo frame. Its 12-inch screen area is a little larger than the 10 or so inches of the majority of photo frames, but not overly dominating, as some of the really big frames can be. It packs a lot of pixels into those 12 inches, with its 1600 x 1200 resolution displaying images beautifully clearly. Auto-dimming means that the brightness is never at eye-searing levels, so while the photos are clearly backlit, they look natural.

Aura's trademark Touch Bars are another nice feature, enabling you to scroll through images on the frame and perform other basic functionality, without getting grubby fingermarks all over the main image area, as can be the case with touchscreen displays. But most of the functionality is via the intuitive and powerful Aura app, which enables sharing between family members (or gifting the frame with pre-loaded images) super easy.

It costs a little more than some frames, sure, but the ease of use and top-quality display makes it worth it.

Alternatives

The best gifts are those that are personal, and there's nothing more personal than a digital photo frame packed full of treasured photographs of the recipient's nearest and dearest. Thankfully, there's no shortage of excellent frames, as you can see in my best digital photo frames buying guide, and there are plenty of bargains to be had on Prime Day. But with such a wide choice, picking the best that suits your needs can be bewildering. It's my job to help you find the best one for you.

Big brands include Aura, Nixplay, and Pexar (which is a sub-brand of leading memory card maker Lexar), and you can typically expect crisp, high resolution displays, cloud storage, the ability for multiple users to upload images, and even the ability to preload frames with images without opening up the packaging, and I've focused on these. But if you're on a budget, there are lots of choices too, but, for my money, the Aeezo Portrait 10.1-inch frame is an absolute bargain in both the US and UK.

• See all of today's best Amazon camera deals

🇺🇸 Best digital photo frame deals in US

🇬🇧 Best photo frame deals in UK

Aura makes some of the best digital photo frames around, but its best-selling frame of all is the Aura Carver Mat. This is essentially a more luxurious version of the company's Carver frame, only with a smart 'Mat' art board-like inset within a stylish black bezel versus the standard frame's all-plastic surround.

And now the Aura Carver Mat is available with a handsome 20% discount during the Amazon Prime Day extravaganza, reducing the price from £179 to just £143! At this price, you get the more upmarket frame for less than the standard version!

• See all of today's Amazon Prime photo deals

Aura digital photo frames store all your images for free on cloud-based servers, effectively enabling you to display an unlimited number of images (and short videos, too). They are quick and easy to set up, and it's a doddle to instantly add photos and videos from your phone using the free Aura app, which is available on iOS and Android.

You can also invite family and friends to share their photos directly to your Aura digital picture frame, where the color-calibrated HD display automatically manages photo cropping and screen brightness to best suit each image. While the Carver frame is limited to landscape orientation photos, it cleverly pairs portrait orientation images to display them side by side.

But the best thing about Aura frames is that they are perfect for gifting; you can preload images into the frame without first opening up the box, simply by scanning a QR code on the packaging, so they are ready to display as soon as the recipient powers up their present. And at this price, it really is a gift!

Check out our guide to the best digital photo frames

Aura makes some of the best digital photo frames around, but its best-selling frame of all is the Aura Carver Mat. This is essentially a more luxurious version of the company's Carver frame, only with a smart 'Mat' art board-like inset within a stylish black bezel versus the standard frame's all-plastic surround.

And now the Aura Carver Mat is available with a handsome 21% discount during the Amazon Prime Day extravaganza, reducing the price from $179 to just $141! At this price, you get the more upmarket frame for less than the standard version!

• See all of today's Amazon Prime photo deals

Aura digital photo frames store all your images for free on cloud-based servers, effectively enabling you to display an unlimited number of images (and short videos, too). They are quick and easy to set up, and it's a doddle to instantly add photos and videos from your phone using the free Aura app, which is available on iOS and Android.

You can also invite family and friends to share their photos directly to your Aura digital picture frame, where the color-calibrated HD display automatically manages photo cropping and screen brightness to best suit each image. While the Carver frame is limited to landscape orientation photos, it cleverly pairs portrait orientation images to display them side by side.

But the best thing about Aura frames is that they are perfect for gifting; you can preload images into the frame without first opening up the box, simply by scanning a QR code on the packaging, so they are ready to display as soon as the recipient powers up their present. And at this price, it really is a gift!

Check out our guide to the best digital photo frames

Nixplay, one of the best-known names in digital photo frames, has gone early with its Prime Day deals – and you don't have to be an Amazon Prime subscriber to get them because, despite the Prime Day tag, these deals are available direct from Nixplay's website.

Three of the company's best-selling frames are highlighted in the deal. You can save $60 off both the Classic 10in Black and Modern 10in Black & Silver frames, and a staggering $100 off the oversized Classic 15in frame. Let's take a closer look…

Nixplay has a huge range of digital photo frames, but these are the best deals I've found. Common features with the highlighted frames include auto-rotation of images to suit the frame in both landscape and portrait orientation, compatibility with a wide range of photo websites and apps (including Google Photos, Instagram, Dropbox, Facebook, and Alexa), the ability to add photos and share playlists directly from your smartphone using the Nixplay app (available for iOS and Android), and the option to pre-load your Nixplay frame with photos, videos, and a message before it’s opened when giving it as a gift.

Although Nixplay is badging these offers as Prime Day deals, they are actually nothing to do with the Amazon Prime Day promotion, and are hosted on Nixplay's own website. Indeed, it's a timely reminder that other websites may try to beat Amazon at its own game with equally tempting offers, so it pays to shop around!

Nixplay, one of the best-known names in digital photo frames, has gone early with its Prime Day deals – and you don't have to be an Amazon Prime subscriber to get them because, despite the Prime Day tag, these deals are available direct from Nixplay's website.

Three of the company's best-selling frames are highlighted in the deal. You can save £50 off both the Classic 10in Black and Modern 10in Black & Silver frames, and a staggering £100 off the oversized Classic 15in frame. Let's take a closer look…

Nixplay has a huge range of digital photo frames, but these are the best deals I've found. Common features with the highlighted frames include auto-rotation of images to suit the frame in both landscape and portrait orientation, compatibility with a wide range of photo websites and apps (including Google Photos, Instagram, Dropbox, Facebook, and Alexa), the ability to add photos and share playlists directly from your smartphone using the Nixplay app (available for iOS and Android), and the option to pre-load your Nixplay frame with photos, videos, and a message before it’s opened when giving it as a gift.

Although Nixplay is badging these offers as Prime Day deals, they are actually nothing to do with the Amazon Prime Day promotion, and are hosted on Nixplay's own website. Indeed, it's a timely reminder that other websites may try to beat Amazon at its own game with equally tempting offers, so it pays to shop around!

Aluratek has released a 13.3” ePaper WiFi Digital Photo Frame, which the manufacturer of digital lifestyle products claims to be the world's first digital photo frame not to require a constant AC power connection. This makes it ideal for wall-mounting, as there are no unsightly cables needed to power the display.

The frame employs a 13.3” color ePaper panel with a 4:3 aspect ratio, 1200 x 1600 resolution screen, which not only consumes a minute amount of power but has a glare-free, paper-like display that mimics the look of printed photos while remaining fully digital.

The ePaper display works in a similar way to that of an Amazon Kindle e-reader; unlike traditional digital displays, the ePaper frame emits no backlighting, enabling a static image to be displayed indefinitely. Power is only consumed when changing the image or uploading new ones over Wi-Fi, enabling its rechargeable battery to keep the display updated for up to two years between charges, depending on how often the displayed image is changed.

The frame features a sleek, minimalist design, with interchangeable museum-quality white and black matte insets, and is equally at home on desks, shelves, and walls, in both home and office settings. Wall mounting brackets and a table stand are included, and the frame can be displayed in portrait or landscape orientation.

With an ultra-thin, lightweight design combined with Wi-Fi connectivity, photos can be sent directly to the frame using the company's eFrame app, which is available on iOS and Android. The frame can store up to 10 photos, and low-profile push-button controls on the side of the frame allow you to transition to the next photo. Alternatively, you can schedule a specific time or interval in the app to see new images.

“The 13.3” ePaper WiFi Digital Photo Frame was designed to be placed anywhere without the need to plug into AC Power,” said John Wolikow, CEO at Aluratek. “This truly is the next-generation picture frame, leveraging Wi-Fi, e-Paper, and Smartphone App technology to bring you a whole new user experience!”

Google has made a change that has been accused of “breaking” some digital photo frames.

The tech giant is changing the way apps can access Google Photos libraries, which has been causing issues for people who use various brands of digital photo frames. The change is meant to be positive, and is designed to make your photo library more private, however, it’s also blocking certain devices, such as those made by Aura and Cozyla, from automatically syncing and updating slideshows.

Currently, Aura makes cloud-connected photo frames that display digital images you – or anyone else you’ve granted access to – uploads, automatically updating the slideshow.

Aura offers several ways to upload the images, however, the easiest way is to create a Google Photos album, with photos of loved ones for example, and then turn on auto sync to automatically add any new photos in the album to the frame.

The best digital photo frames are a popular gift for elderly relatives, as they have a direct line to the latest photos of children and grandchildren, allowing family members to get a constant stream of family memories, straight to their homes.

However, according to Jenisse Curry, Aura's senior director of communications, Aura will disable its Google Photos auto sync feature. Aura users will now have to manually upload any new photographs to the Google Photos app.

Google is making this change to Google Photos API, a move announced last September. Curry says Aura is getting ahead of the change to help customers transition into manual mode.

The change limits how apps can access your photo library, and no longer allows integrated access to your entire library, or shared albums. Apps will only be able to access photos or albums through the new Google Photos Picker API, which requires users to manually pick each photo they want on the slideshow.

“We had a deeper integration with Google Photos that enabled direct access from within the Aura app and the ability to auto-sync a Google Photos album,” Curry said in an interview with The Verge, which accused the change of “breaking” some photo frames. “That will go away because our app can no longer communicate with your cloud library.”

Curry also mentioned that Aura’s iCloud integration works in a similar way. “You can select your favorites album, for example, and then every time you ‘heart’ a photo, it will show on your frame,” she says.

You can also choose to turn on auto-add with native albums in your camera roll on iOS, or native albums in folders on Android, according to Curry.

Still interested in purchasing one? Take a look at our guides to the best digital photo frames. Feel like going back to basics? Here are our guides to the best film cameras, and the best film for 35mm cameras.

The Google Nest Hub (and its bigger brother, the Nest Hub Max) sits at the center of Google's Smart Home system. Linked to its Google Assistant, it can play music, stream YouTube videos, tell you jokes, and answer your questions about life, the universe and everything. And when it's not doing any of that, it can display your photographs, just like a dedicated digital photo frame.

For this review, I'll be focusing primarily on its capabilities to display your photos, but in the same way that you could use an iPad simply to display images, this is a powerful multimedia device with a (reasonably) intelligent assistant, and its ability to act as a photo frame is just one of its many party tricks.

Google Nest Hub: Specifications

Google Nest Hub: Price

There are two versions of the Google Nest Hub. The standard version is in its second generation and has a 7-inch display with a 1024 x 600-pixel resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio at a list price of $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$149. There's also a larger 10-inch version, the Google Nest Hub Max, in which the resolution increases to 1280 x 800 pixels and aspect ratio becomes a slightly deeper 16:10, but the price leaps up to $229 / £219 / AU$349.

To be fair the Max also adds a video camera for full video call functionality and has a far beefier speaker system, but even so, you're paying a lot more for a relatively small increase in screen real estate.

Google Nest Hub: Design & Handling

The Google Nest Hub comes in a variety of 'neutral' colors Chalk, Charcoal, Sand, and Mist, to match your home decor. These colors are limited to its stand, which is mostly hidden, and the screen itself is surrounded by a shiny white bezel that's curved at the corners. It doesn't look too much like a photo frame, but more like a tablet on its side.

The stand is chunky and there's little danger of the frame toppling over. It houses a decent speaker assembly that offers much better audio quality than the tinny ones found in most dedicated photo frames. The stand is fixed in place and so the screen is permanently in horizontal orientation, thus it is far better at displaying images shot in landscape rather than portrait mode.

The screen is touchscreen and allows a variety of swipes to move back and forth through images and to select options, but most of the device's functionality is controlled by your voice. Around the back there are a pair of volume up and down controls, but also a switch to disable the microphone for when you don't want Google to be eavesdropping on your every word.

There's no provision for plugging in USB sticks or memory cards; all images need to be stored in the Google Photos app, which gives you 15GB of storage for free and should be more than enough if you're simply using it to get selected photos onto the frame. However, there's the option to pay for a subscription if you're going to use it as your main way of storing images.

Google Nest Hub: Performance

The spec sheet shows that the Nest Hub has 2GB of memory, but this isn't for photo storage and the device needs to be linked to a Google account to have any decent functionality. You have to use the Google Photos app if you want to use it as a photo frame. The Google Photos app can be downloaded to Apple and Android devices, and links to the host phone's photo library, enabling you to copy images into your Google Photos storage. You can also download a version of the Google Photos app onto your computer, which is handy for photographers who prefer to use a dedicated camera rather than their phone to take pictures, and there's a web-based version too, enabling you to upload images without first installing a full application.

You'll also need to use the Google Home app – but this is a requirement for using much of the Google Nest Hub's other functionality, such as setting up music and video streaming services, connecting to other Nest devices or products such as TVs, and so on.

The easiest way to get started, once you've done the basics of setting up your Nest Hub via the Google Home app, is to simply say, "Hey Google, set up a photo frame" or similar, and the Google Assistant springs into action, presenting you with options to create a slideshow using Google Photos, use an art gallery of curated images, or keep to its default of a full-screen clock.

I did find that getting things set up initially meant a fair bit of hopping between the Nest Hub itself and the Google Photos and Google Home apps, but once they're all talking to one another then things become fairly straightforward. The first step is to grant Google Photos access to your phone's photo library, and then set up an album, which you can populate with images simply by tapping them on a grid. Back on the Google Nest Hub, you can select the album (or albums) from which you wish to display images.

To control how images are displayed, you need to use the Google Home app or do this directly on the Nest Hub itself. Here you can decide to have information such as time and weather overlaid onto images, the duration each photo is displayed for, and whether to display portrait images in pairs (which looks best as otherwise single images are hemmed in by unsightly borders). Images are cropped automatically, and you have no control over this. Luckily, Google seemed to make sensible decisions on how it cropped the images I uploaded. Other users linked to the Google Nest Hub can also create albums from their own phone libraries to be added to the display.

The 7-inch display is hardly a showstopper, displaying images more akin in size to a regular photo print rather than an enlargement. But despite the screen only having a 1024 x 600-pixel resolution, images are displayed brightly and crisply, as the small screen size results in a decent 170ppi density. The display brightness automatically dims to suit the ambient lighting, which is a nice touch. It's a tough device designed for busy environments such as kitchens, and the protective clear plastic that encases the screen is quite reflective.

Google Nest Hub: Verdict

It's best to think of the digital photo frame abilities of the Google Nest Hub as a nice extra, rather than its primary function. The 7-inch screen is much smaller than most dedicated photo frames but it is nevertheless bright and punchy and the pictures look good – just a bit small. It's a bit of a pain to set up initially, with a lot of hopping between apps required, but that's soon forgotten once you've got it working.

There are other limitations. It can only be set in landscape orientation, and you don't have any control over the way images are cropped. But in the same way that phones aren't the best cameras but are used to take the most pictures, the beauty of the Goole Nest Hub as a photo frame is that it's a highly practical device that's designed to take the knocks and shocks of busy environments such as kitchens, rather than tucked safely away on a shelf, and as such will probably be used to view more photos day to day.

And it is incredibly good value, considering everything else it does, from steaming music and video, tackling pretty much any questions you might throw at it, and sitting at the heart of a smart home system to control satellite speakers, turn down the lighting, show who's at the door, and even change channels on your TV.

Alternatives

Among the better-known brands of digital photo frames, such as Aura, Pexar and Nixplay, there are dozens of cheap and cheerful frames of Chinese origin available on Amazon, eBay, and other marketplace websites, so how do these budget alternatives compare with their big-name counterparts?

I plumped for an Aeezo Portrait frame, which has a standard 10.1-inch frame size and can upload images over Wi-Fi as well as from SD cards and USB memory drives. The LCD panel is surrounded by a black plastic bezel with a textured feel to it, which doesn't look particularly luxurious but doesn't look tacky either. It also comes in a solid white version and a black-and-white combo with a white inner bezel and black surround.

Aeezo Portrait 10.1in photo frame: Specifications

Aeezo Portrait 10.1in photo frame: Price

This 10.1-inch frame has a list price of $79.99 / £79.99 on Amazon's US / UK websites but was discounted to $53.99 / £59.99 at the time of purchase. Such discounting is fairly commonplace with these sorts of products, so do keep an eye out for deals. The first surprise was that while the product on the website has the brand name Aeezo, there is no mention of this on the product I received or any of its packaging, and the only branding was 'Aimor', which is actually the name of the app that it works with. Indeed, there looks to be a fair few similarly specced frames under different generic brands.

To add to the confusion, while I couldn't find the exact model on the Amazon Australia website, the Reumuar 10.1-inch Digital Photo Frame seems to be suspiciously similar in terms of looks and the spec sheet, with the same 1280 x 800-pixel display, 32GB storage, and auto-rotate and touchscreen functionality. The only real difference appears to be that this works with the Frameo app, rather than the Aimor app that comes with the Aeezo frame, but both those apps are similar in functionality, enabling easy upload of images from the phone library of multiple users.

Aeezo Portrait 10.1in photo frame: Design & Handling

The 10.1-inch screen has the 16:10 ratio commonly found on laptops and tablets, and is surrounded with a plain black plastic frame with a matt texture that is around an inch wide and has a shallow beveled design. First impressions are that it looks and feels more plasticky compared to more upmarket frames, but it is minimalist and unfussy. The 1280 x 800 resolution over 10.1 inches results in a pixel density of approximately 150ppi, which isn't as high-resolution as some, but images look reasonably crisp.

The frame is propped up by a long plastic stick that screws into one corner of the rear of the frame, and can thus support it in either portrait or landscape orientations. It's a rather inelegant solution, protruding by around five or so inches to offer enough support for the entire frame from just one corner. At least you won't see it if it's nestled on a bookshelf, but this does mean the frame has to have a fair amount of space behind it and can't sit flush against a wall or on narrow shelves. There are also a couple of hanging hook insets to mount the frame directly on a wall, although, as with other frames, this presents the usual problem of a trailing power cable. Most people will opt to pop it on a shelf or sideboard.

Images automatically rotate to suit the orientation of the frame, which is a nice touch that I'd normally only expect to find on more upmarket photo frames. There are slots for an SD card, as well as USB-A and USB-C memory sticks to upload images into the frame as an alternative to a Wi-Fi connection, however, the frame needs to copy the images from the plug-in device to its own internal memory, so you can't use external cards to expand the number of images the frame can store. That said, the 32GB is enough for many thousands of photographs.

It's not possible to download images wirelessly from your computer though; you will have to transfer using a memory card or flash drive, which is a little inconvenient if you primarily shoot on a camera rather than a phone.

The touchscreen functions well. Swiping to the right moves to the next image in the sequence, while a swipe to the left shows the previous one. Swiping up and down adjusts the display brightness. A tap brings up an onscreen menu that offers an option to fill the frame completely by cropping into the current image or fit the entire image, albeit surrounded by borders. You can pinch to zoom in and out of individual images and scroll around them using the touchscreen for the most pleasing composition.

There is also an option to switch between different 'galleries' held in the frame's storage, which could be handy to ensure that extended family photos are displayed when the inlaws visit, for example.

There are quick settings to adjust whether the time, temperature and captions are overlaid onto the display (I prefer to turn these off, to be as much like a 'real' picture frame as possible) as well as more in-depth settings for Wi-Fi access, slideshow control, and backing up the images from the frame to a memory card.

Aeezo Portrait 10.1in photo frame: Performance

Most of the functionality of the frame is controlled by the companion Aimor app, of which there are Apple and Andriod versions. It's easy to upload images from your phone photo library; images are displayed in a grid and you simply tap the ones you wish to upload, which are marked with a tick. You then have the option to add captions and crop images to control how they will display on the frame before uploading them. You can upload up to nine images at once; this rises to 50 if the phone and frame are on the same Wi-Fi network. If you want to do more then you will need to take out a paid Aimor subscription, which increases the number to 100 – or 200 on the same Wi-Fi network. Likewise, videos are limited to 15 seconds long subscription-free but can run up to two minutes if you pay. For most users, the free version will offer all the functionality they might want.

It's similar to the Frameo app that powers other photo frames, such as the Lexar Pexar, but the image management isn't quite as good, particularly when it comes to selecting the way that images are cropped. On the Frameo app, you tap the subject in each shot, and the app attempts to fill the frame so that this area of the image is centered, no matter whether it's in landscape or portrait orientation. But here you have to select a crop for the current orientation that the frame is in, and if later decide to orient the frame differently then the crop is lost and it's hemmed in by ugly borders. To be fair, most people will decide to keep the frame in one orientation and stick with it. And neither app is as good as the Aura one that powers its Walden and Carver frames, which, for the most part, automatically recognizes what's important in a scene and crops in intelligently.

The 10.1-inch screen is a reasonable size to display images, though its certainly not as showstopping as the bigger frames on the market, and the 1280 x 800 resolution is a little above 720p 'Standard Definition', but not by much. It equates to a pixel density around 150ppi, which is fine for most viewing distances, but not as stunning as some physically larger or more pixel-packed frames.

You can also invite other users to add their images to the frame. They need to download the Aimor app onto their own devices and set up an account. You then generate a code via your Aimor app or the frame itself, which you pass on to those you wish to grant access to. It's not quite as slick a system as some other apps but is perfectly functional. If you later change your mind, you can delete users' access again easily enough.

Aeezo Portrait 10.1in photo frame: Verdict

Sure, there are higher-resolution digital photo frames with larger and crisper screens around, and with more upmarket finishes, but I'm seriously impressed with the feature set that this budget frame offers for a very competitive price. The touchscreen is responsive, the storage is generous, and it can be used in either portrait or landscape orientation – whereas some pricer brand-name frames are strictly for horizontal viewing only.

The Aimor app that powers the frame is perhaps not as well rounded as some of its competitors, but it's perfectly functional and enables sharing from multiple users. For a fully featured frame with an affordable price tag, you really can't go wrong.

Alternatives

The wake-up call came when a friend Whatsapped the following message to me the other day: "I always get a kick out of your greeting every time it pops in in our digital photo frame!"

And there I am, in a group shot with a bunch of other people, some of whom I had met for the very first time, all beaming away for the camera. And I’m extending the middle finger… which pops up periodically on their family photo frame and apparently has been doing so for the past few years. (I’ve blurred out the others in the above shot to protect the innocent, though I don’t think the dog will mind.)

And it’s not just limited to flipping the bird to spoil an otherwise perfectly nice photo. I make rabbit ears behind the heads of unsuspecting nieces. I secretly gurn away to the camera as I’m posed with the in-laws. I pull all manner of stupid faces, and I just can’t help it. Point a camera at me and I have to do something to ruin the shot. I don’t even realize I’m doing it half the time. It’s almost like having the photographic equivalent of Tourette’s syndrome.

Things are absolutely tickety-boo when I’m the one taking the shot. I compose carefully to ensure there’s no unnecessary clutter and everyone’s framed correctly, I adjust my exposure settings, check the histogram, and review the shot to ensure I’m happy with everything before I allow people to unfreeze from their enforced poses.

So what is it that makes me feel I have to do something to spoil the shot? Why can’t I just sit there and grin and bear it like everyone else?

I guess it’s the old photographer’s excuse to cover our discomfort of "I'm better at the other side of the camera!"

Here's my guide to the best digital photo frames – but try to behave when you're having your shot taken to display on one. Take a look at the best cameras for portraits and the best lenses for portraits, and avoid these kinds of shenanigans with these portrait photography tips!

I don’t print enough pictures, but the power draw, ugly cord and screen glare of digital photo frames have kept me from fully embracing the technology. A new digital frame, however, is drawing inspiration from the e-ink screens on eReaders to create a frame with minimal glare and power draw. Announced during CES 2025, the PocketBook InkPoster is a digital picture frame that uses e-ink technology to display art without cords or backlight.

Developed as a collaboration between PocketBook, E Ink and Sharp, the InkPoster only draws power when it switches the art on the screen. That creates a low-power, eco-conscious wireless display that can last up to a year before needing a recharge, the company claims.

But the e-ink design could bring more than just a lower power consumption over LCD art displays. PocketBook says that the InkPoster has the “feel of ink-on-paper with vibrant colors and detailed, bright images.”

Two of the upcoming models, the 31.5-inch and 13.3-inch options, use an E Ink Spektra 6-color screen. The company explains that the technology uses millions of electronic colors that are arranged into the desired photograph by an electric charge that situates those inks into tiny Microcups. The result, it says, is a glare-free screen that only uses power when changing the image. It also doesn’t generate heat or blue light.

The 28.5-inch model will mix that same E Ink screen with Sharp IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) technology. The company explains that the IGZO component helps the frame to update the image faster.

The displays range from a 1200 x 1600 resolution on the compact 13.3-inch model to 2560 x 1440 on the 31.5-inch model. The frame can display art from the curated collections inside the InkPoster app, or personal photos. The frame can also be hung vertically or horizontally.

As a photographer and an avid Kindle reader, the idea of using e-ink displays to show artwork without glare or cords is an intriguing one. The only thing I’m not sold on is the price – after all, photo paper is relatively affordable and also cordless. The 13.3-inch model is expected to retail for $599 (£485 / AU$970), the 31.5-inch model for $1,699 (£1,380), and the 28.5-inch model for $2,399 (£1,945 / AU$3,875). A release date has not yet been announced.

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Browse our top picks for the best digital picture frames, or print more pictures (for real) with the best photo printers.

Aura is well-known as a maker of high-end digital photo frames, and the Walden is its biggest yet, displaying your treasured photographs on a stunning 15-inch high-res display. The surrounding frame is equally good-looking, with a minimalist black bezel surrounding a generous white inset that is textured to look like the heavy-duty card used in traditional frames.

And doesn't just look smart, it is smart, with a ton of clever features that put it ahead of the competition, such as auto-dimming, swipe bars embedded into the frame bezel, and the ability to preload the frame with pictures if you're giving it as a gift. I'll go into more detail on all of this later.

Aura Walden 15in photo frame: Specifications

Aura Walden 15in photo frame: Price

This 15-inch Walden Aura digital picture frame sells for $299.99 / £299 / AU$629, which puts it towards the top end of the photo frame market. Some of the cost is explained by that oversized 15-inch screen, but it's also packed with smart features that go a long way toward justifying the price tag.

There are a number of cheaper options available, as we've detailed in our guide to the best digital photo frames, but you're typically looking at a screen size of around 10 inches with most competitor screens, including Aura'a own Carver, which costs about half the price. And while I've listed the typical street price at the time of writing, keep an eye out for discounts that appear from time to time.

Aura Walden 15in photo frame: Design & Handling

The 15-inch screen sits within a heavy-duty card-like white surround inset into a minimalist black bezel and the overall look of the frame gives it a smart and modern feel. While the display itself is large, its 1600 x 1200-pixel resolution isn't as high-res as some, with a 133ppi pixel density, but as this bigger display is generally seen from a distance there is no sign of pixelation from a comfortable viewing position.

An inbuilt sensor adjusts the display brightness automatically to suit the ambient light in the room, automatically dimming the brightness when the lights are low, and turning off altogether when the room is completely dark. An anti-glare coating minimizes reflections.

A stand enables the frame to be propped up in either horizontal or vertical orientations, with the on-screen images rotating to suit. If a photo's native aspect ratio isn't the same as the 4:3 of the frame, it is automatically cropped to show the most important part of the image, keeping all the obvious points of interest, such as faces, in the shot. This works well most of the time, but when it's not possible to include everyone, the image is displayed with a black border, though this can be changed to a 'filled' version with a blurred-out portion of the main image, which looks better. While the frame makes sensible decisions most of the time, individual photos can be manually cropped via the companion Aura app for the times it doesn't get it quite right.

The frame also comes with 'hanging hardware' – essentially a hook and nail – for wall-mounting the display, again either horizontally or vertically. But as it is a mains-powered device, a cable needs to be trailed to the frame, spoiling the aesthetics somewhat (unless you're prepared to channel the wiring behind walls). At least the cable is an unassuming gray color hidden within a woven cord, so it's not too obtrusive.

There is no provision for plugging in a USB stick or memory card – in fact, there are no connectors of any kind around the back of the frame. It's a purely wireless device, and all the images are stored in the cloud, rather than inbuilt memory on the frame itself. While on the one hand, this does give you a theoretically unlimited number of images, on the other, you won't get to see anything if your Wi-Fi goes down for whatever reason.

The display isn't touch-sensitive, but there are two touch bars on the sides of the frame, so that one is always on the top, no matter which orientation the frame is in. This is a neat solution that helps prevent getting grubby fingermarks all over the screen. Swiping right moves to the next photo in the sequence, while a swipe to the left brings back the previous one. Tapping the bar brings up info about the image, such as shooting time and location, while a double tap shows some 'love' to the image, notifying whoever uploaded it. A longer press brings up options that enable you to exclude certain shots or turn the frame off altogether.

Aura Walden 15in photo frame: Performance

The Walden has a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is native to most compact cameras and mobile phones, but not 'proper' DSLR or interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras, which use a wider 3:2 ratio, so images taken on such cameras will usually be cropped. Aura does a good job of intelligently cropping into images so that all the important subjects appear in shot, but you can override anything it gets wrong with the companion Aura app.

When it's simply impossible to fit everyone in, images are displayed with a border, and this occurs most frequently when displaying portrait-orientation images when the frame is landscape (or vice-versa). The 'filled' border (with a blurred-out portion of the image) looks better than black, but it's generally better to stick to images shot in the same orientation as the frame.

The 15-inch screen is larger than most, and really does show off images at their glorious best, however, the 1600 x 1200 resolution doesn't pack in as many pixels as some of the higher-res competitors, and the Walden has a relatively modest pixel density of 133ppi. But unless you have your nose pressed up against the screen, you won't notice this at regular viewing distance, and images are displayed crisply.

I like how the screen auto-dims to suit the ambient lighting conditions, showing images clearly and brightly but not overly so, and turns off altogether when it's dark. On other frames, dimming manually is often too fiddly a process.

The frame displays video as well as images, and when a video comes on you're prompted to tap the touch bar if you want it to play the accompanying sound – which saves the surprise of the frame suddenly blaring out noise when you're least expecting it. Videos have a 30-second maximum length – it's a photo frame, not a TV, after all.

The frame has no internal storage, and all the images are stored in the cloud on Aura's servers. You upload images and control all aspects of what you see on the frame via the companion Aura app. It's a doddle to upload images from your smartphone library, and here you can fine-tune any cropping, as well as control settings like the duration each image is displayed for. You can also invite other users to add their images to the frame, although thankfully the frame owner can veto anything they'd rather not put on show.

The app enables you to search through your library for specific people via image recognition, making it easy to find only the shots you want. There's also a scanner function for easily adding artwork or prints. Just point your phone at whatever you want to scan and the app takes care of cropping out unwanted surrounding clutter and straightening edges so scans properly fill the frame.

Photo frames make great gifts, and one of the Walden's best features is the ability to preload the frame with images, all without having to open up its box. You simply use the Aura app to scan a unique QR code on the outer packaging, and can then upload images from your library in the usual way, ready for the recipient to view once they set up the frame. It's ideal for preloading with pictures of the grandkids and the like.

Images can also be uploaded directly from your computer via a web-based browser. It's a simple, no-frills affair, and any required reframing and so on will need to be done via the Aura app once the image has been uploaded to the cloud, but this will be welcomed by serious photographers whose images are primarily stored on their Macs or PCs, rather than their phones – particularly as there's no option to pop images on a memory card.

Aura Walden 15in photo frame: Verdict

The oversized display shows off photographs in stunning detail and sits within a well-proportioned surround that is textured to look like a genuine photo frame and should look good in any home. It's super-easy to upload images from multiple users' phones, thanks to the companion Aura app, and the ability to preload photos for gifting is fantastically implemented. The pixel density perhaps could be a little higher, but a big frame demands admiring pictures from afar. It's undeniably expensive, but it's Aura's most luxurious frame and one of the best that money can buy.

Alternatives

Digital photo frames are one of the best ways to display your photographic work around your home – with an automated slide show on an LCD display that shows off your best work, or your favorite portraits of your family.

Nixplay, who make some of the best digital photo frames, are running a brilliant offer for a buy one and get one free on their 10.1" HD matte touchscreen Wi-Fi digital frame, this is a great gift for you or a loved one and can even pre-load your Nixplay frame with photos, videos, and a gift message in the app before it’s opened - making it an extra special gift!

But that's not all. Thanks to a special Buy One Get One Free offer, you can also save yourself $190 / £180. What's not to like?

The offer also applies to other models in its range - including the non-matted 10in screen, and the extra large 15.1in screen (which will save you $349 / £349).

The black frame can be used in both landscape and vertical formats - unlike some rival models - and can display video with sound, as well as still images.

Investing in a digital photo frame provides a secure platform for sharing family memories without social media exposure. By creating a private social network, you keep special moments within the family circle, fostering a personal and secure sharing experience.

The NixPlay digital photo frame seamlessly integrates with your devices via a user-friendly mobile app on either iOS or Android where you can transfer photos directly from popular apps like Apple Photos, Google Photos, Facebook, and Instagram to the frame with ease. 

Samsung has announced the Frame TV Pro: a new top-of-the-line model of its range of art TVs. When you're not watching your favorite TV programs, an art TV acts as an oversized picture frame, and can display imagery of artworks more usually found hanging in a gallery, or your own photographs, making it a viable alternative to the best digital photo frames.

Designed to be wall-mounted, the Frame TV Pro has a smart bezel more reminiscent of an artwork frame than an item of consumer electronics, and an anti-glare matte screen to make viewing images (or TV) more pleasurable.

The Frame TV Pro has two major upgrades over the existing Frame TV range. First off, the new model is equipped with Samsung's Neo QLED display, based on mini LED tech, for greater peak brightness and better contrast, thus showing off artwork at its very best.

Secondly, content is streamed to the TV wirelessly via the companion Wireless One Connect box. Essentially, you connect any streaming devices, set-top boxes, gaming consoles, antenna, and the like, to the Wireless One Connect, which can be positioned anywhere in the room. Everything is streamed wirelessly and latency-free to the display, meaning the box can be tucked away out of sight, with no unsightly cables running to the back of the TV itself and thereby spoiling the aesthetic (aside from the power outlet, which would be ideally situated behind the screen).

While you can use the device to display your own photographs, Samsung also offers a subscription-based Art Store, which gives access to more than 3,000 artworks for $4.99/£3.99/AU$5.99 monthly or $49.99/£39.99/AU$59.99 annually. This service has now been expanded to work on a range of other Samsung TVs, not just the Frame TV range.

When you're not admiring your photos or watching the box, the Frame TV Pro is also ideal for gaming, with a refresh rate of 144Hz. A smart gaming interface enables you to adjust such things as the ratio, frame rate, and other customizations.

The Frame TV Pro was unveiled at the at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and will be available in 65-, 75- and 85-inch screen sizes, so is intended as a statement piece of tech for large living rooms. If you prefer a smaller screen, you'll have to settle for the standard Frame TV, which comes in 43-, 50 and 55-inch sizes and doesn't offer the mini-LED display (but does still have Wireless One Connect functionality). Pricing is yet to be announced.

Pexar is the photo frame offshoot of memory manufacturing giant Lexar, who you will no doubt be familiar with as the maker of some of the best memory cards, as well as top-rated USB sticks. It has two debut frames in its initial line-up: an 11-inch 2.4Mp model, which I'm reviewing here, and a frame that's physically not much smaller at 10.1 inches but has a much lower-res 1.02Mp display.

True to form for a company that made its name in memory, there's plenty of storage built in, with its internal 32GB being enough for 40,000 or so images. But if that's not enough for you then it has an SD card slot, as well as USB-A and USB-C interfaces, enabling up to a whopping 1TB of external storage.

Lexar Pexar 11in photo frame: Specifications

Lexar Pexar 11in photo frame: Price

This 11-inch Pexar digital picture frame sells for $159.99 / £149.99. There is also the aforementioned slightly smaller 10.1-inch version that costs $149.99 / £TBA, but while there's not a lot in it when it comes to the physical dimensions, the resolution of the smaller frame is only 1280x800 pixels, compared to 2000x1200 pixels on offer here. Considering the minimal difference in selling price, the 11-inch frame is the much better buy.

It's an attractively priced frame, considering the spec sheet, comparing well to other frames on the market from well-known brands. The 11-inch screen is bigger than most, the resolution puts it among the most generously proportioned frames, and the 32GB storage is way ahead of what most other frames offer.

Also, keep an eye out for frequent discounts. At the time of writing, there was a 20% Black Friday saving available on the Pexar Amazon US store until December 2, 2024, with those prepared to wait for the actual Black Friday weekend (November 29 to December 2) also receiving a 64GB Lexar USB storage drive, limited to the first 500 buyers.

Lexar Pexar 11in photo frame: Design & Handling

The 11-inch screen sits within a classic white surround inset into a thin black bezel. The display is bright and clear, and while the brightness can be toned down from its maximum 400nits so that it doesn't look overly bright in dark environments, it's not automatic but needs delving into a menu. An anti-glare coating makes it easy to view in bright conditions, while an antistatic coating prevents it from becoming a dust magnet.

A magnetic stand fixes firmly in place yet is easily removed and props up the frame in either portrait or landscape orientations, with images auto-rotating to suit. There are also insets for hanging the frame on a wall, should you wish to do so. Around the back are USB-A, USB-C, and SD card slots.

The only physical control on the device is a discrete power button. The display is touch-sensitive, and a swipe to the right moves onto the next photo in the sequence, while swiping left brings up the previous image. Tapping the screen brings up a set of options, and double-tapping allows a variety of 'like' emojis to be added. By default, the time and weather are overlaid onto the image, along with info on who uploaded it, but can be switched off – which was my preferred option for a more natural photo-viewing experience.

Lexar Pexar 11in photo frame: Performance

The Pexar boasts a 100% sRGB color gamut, so your images look true to life as they were intended, and it packs 2000 x 1200 pixels into its 11-inch diagonal screen, giving a very nice high-resolution display for its size. The resultant 2.4Mp images really do look gorgeous – beautifully clear and crisp, and full of color and pop.

Most of the frame's functionality is controlled by a companion Frameo app. This isn't custom-developed software from Pexar but a licensed app that's used by a variety of electronic picture frame makers and has the advantage that if you have other non-Pexar frames then the app can easily share shots to multiple different frames.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of Frameo is that many users can connect to a single frame, making it ideal for sharing images within the family or wider friendship groups. You do have to trust who you share the code with though, lest an unsuitable shot pop up when you're least prepared for it.

It's easy to upload images from your smartphone's library via the Frameo app. You can select up to 10 images at a time, add captions, and then choose the most important area of the photo. This is so the frame knows where best to crop into the image, both in portrait and landscape orientations.

You can also upload short videos – the maximum length being 15 seconds. These are best only uploaded to frames using the same native orientation, as otherwise the video is hemmed with borders. It's also wise to mute the volume for video uploads if you don't want it to disturb the peace when you're not expecting it.

The basic Frameo app is free, but there's also a paid-for option that enables up to 100 images to be uploaded at once, as well as longer videos. This service also enables you to see which photos have been uploaded to the frame and provides cloud storage. It's not overly expensive at $1.99/£0.99 per month or $16.99/£7.99 per year, but it's perfectly possible to get by without it.

If you're primarily a DSLR or mirrorless – rather than phone – photographer, then uploading images is a bit more of a faff. You'll have to first copy the images to an SD card or a USB drive, and plug it in manually. Images can be transferred directly from a PC via USB, but not Macs. There's no way to transfer images over Wi-Fi from a computer.

Lexar Pexar 11in photo frame: Verdict

There's a lot to like about the Lexar Pexar 11in digital photo frame. Perhaps the most important aspect of such a device is the quality of its screen, and this is an absolute cracker; packing 2.4 megapixels into 11 inches of real estate displays your images in beautifully crisp detail, while the full 100% sRGB color gamut ensures they are wonderfully vibrant too. It has enough storage space for even the most trigger-happy photographer, it's a breeze for family members to share their shots, and it's competitively priced. There's a choice of two models, but I'd go for the 11-in version every day of the week.

Alternatives

Lexar may be better known as one of the top manufacturers of camera memory cards, USB sticks and computer memory, but the flash RAM chip-maker has announced that it's branched out into digital photo frames with its new Pexar brand.

Its debut frame is an 11-inch 2K model, with a 2000x1200-pixel display giving an overall resolution of 2.4 megapixels, with an impressive full 100% sRGB color gamut, ensuring that every detail of the image is crisply and colorfully displayed.

As you might expect from a brand that's a market leader in memory, the frame has a generous 32GB of built-in storage, which is enough for more than 40,000 pictures. If your photo library really is ginourmous, however, then this can be expanded to up to 1TB with an SD card or USB flash drive.

The frame is also Wi-Fi compatible, so that familes can easily share their favorite photos with one another via their smartphones. And for those with really, really big extended families – or lots of trusted friends – up to 512 users can connect to the device, to upload their own photos and videos.

The frame features a smart, slim black bezel and white inset surround. An anti-glare coating and high brightness ensure details remain visible, no matter how brightly lit the room. A magnetic stand can orient the frame for either a portrait or landscape display, with the images automatically adjusting to be the right-way-up.

“Lexar is a trusted memory technology leader and the Pexar brand is an extension of its goal to preserve life’s precious moments,” said Wilson Chen, Lexar VP of Product. “Starting with Pexar digital picture frames, we’re proud to introduce innovations that not only store, but also display life’s most wonderful moments in their full brilliance.”

The frames can be set up in just a few easy steps, via the free smartphone app or using its intuitive touchscreen. A swipe on the touchscreen moves to the next image, useful if a particularly embarrassing photo is served up.

The 11-inch Pexar digital picture frame sells for $159.99 /￡149.99. A smaller 10.1-inch version with a 1280x800 resolution costs $149.99 / £TBA.

Both are available with a 20% Black Friday discount on the Pexar Amazon US store until December 2, 2024 – although my spies tell me that if you can wait for the Black Friday weekend proper (November 29 to December 2), the first 500 buyers will also receive a 64GB Lexar USB storage drive at no extra cost to sweeten the deal.

Don't miss our guide to the best digital photo frames

We take hundreds of pictures on our phones, and with ever-increasing megapixel counts, the best smartphones' images can rival those of the best DSLRs or mirrorless cameras, so it makes sense to show them off for all to see. After all, photos aren't photos until you print them – or at least display them in a digital picture frame. The Walden from Aura Frames promises to be one of the best digital photo frames on the market, with a sizeable 15in HD display, Wi-Fi connectivity, and oodles of smart features.

With a classic slim black outer frame bezel and generously large white paper-textured border, it looks more like stylish home decor than a piece of tech, yet tech it is, with a hi-res 1600x1200 full HD anti-glare matte-finish display that has been calibrated so that its brightness, contrast and color gamut ensure photos look as natural as their printed counterparts.

It has a 4:3 aspect ratio (the same as your smartphone camera), showcasing your top shots in a generous 12x9in enlarged display, but should you use it to exhibit images taken on your DSLR or mirrorless, the frame intelligently adjusts photos to optimize the composition on the screen, which should ensure that it doesn't chop the top of people's heads off.

Unlimited cloud storage and Wi-Fi connectivity enable the device to display thousands of photographs or videos directly from your phone to the frame via the easy-to-use Aura photo-sharing app – and you can even invite family and friends to add their own images, from wherever they are in the world. While the display will crop images automatically and sensibly, you can also manually crop oversized images within the app.

If you buy the frame as a gift, then there's even a personalized gifting option to pre-load photos to the frame before it gets delivered, without taking it out of its sealed box.

The Aura Walden frame costs $299/£299.

The frame comes complete with both a mounting kit and built-in stand, so it can be wall-mounted or take pride of place on a bookshelf or sideboard, in either portrait or landscape orientation, automatically rotating images so that they are the right way up and adjusting the composition to include the most important details. Ambient light sensors automatically adjust the brightness of images for a natural look in all lighting conditions and turn the frame off at night.

“Most people choose picture frames based on their design and how it will fit within their homes or gallery walls – a digital picture frame should be no different,” said Scott Chapps, Chief Creative Officer at Aura Frames. “Walden was thoughtfully designed to mirror what you’d expect from a traditional frame, from its slim ink bezel and paper-textured matting to a perfectly calibrated display. Walden was designed as quiet tech where photos are the primary focus.”

Hisense will launch their CanvasTV this summer, a matte television designed to seamlessly blend in with your décor when not in use by displaying artwork and photos. 

In direct competition to The Frame by Samsung, the CanvasTV will retail at the  lower price – $999 (£750, $1,422 AUD) for  the 55 inch model, and $1,299 (£1036, $1,906 AUD) for the 65 inch screen.

The Frame, on the other hand, retails at $1,499 (£1,197, $2,268 AUD) for the 55 inch, and $1,999 (£1,596, $3,024) for the 65 inch. 

Like The Frame, Hisense's CanvasTV has a 4K QLED anti-glare display, and also comes with 144Hz refresh rate, an RGB sensor for ambient light adaption, and multi-channel 2.0.2 surround sound. 

Hisense also offers a ‘Choose Your Frame’ feature, “a first in any Hisense TV product,” according to its website. This feature allows users to personalize their TV’s appearance. 

Each CanvasTV comes with a wooden teak frame, with the option for white or walnut if desired and for an extra costs, another similarity with The Frame. 

If you really can’t stand to look at your black TV screen any longer, this is by far the cheapest option for hiding your device in plain sight.

The CanvasTV comes with a vast amount of preloaded artwork in its ‘Immersive Art Mode’, with works “spanning abstract, modern, and renaissance styles.” 

What about the electricity bills, I hear you ask? 

Well, according to Hisense, “energy efficiency is at the forefront of the CanvasTV’s design with power saving capabilities in ‘Art Mode’ that automatically adjusts brightness and utilizes a light sensor to minimize energy consumption.”

The smart TV can also sense when the room is empty using a motion sensor, and turns the screen off. 

The CanvasTV will be equipped with Google TV, and when not in ‘Art Mode’ it will act like a normal Google TV-powered display. 

Without reviewing the CanvasTV its impossible to know how this much cheaper model will match up against Samsung’s offering, however come back at the end of the summer we might be able to tell you. If you are looking for something smaller, check out our guide to the best digital photo frames available right now.

Check out our guide to the best TV for a computer monitor, or if this has got you thinking that you need a digital whiteboard, check out our favorites here. 

If you're familiar with the Samsung's The Frame you'll know it's a fantastic TV that can also be used at its very own picture frame to showcase your very best images in a fine art style, you can even showcase iconic images for some of the masters of photography and the LIFE collection. 

So, when you hear Samsung has released a Music Frame, shaped as a square and with a 10x8 image in the middle you naturally think this is just The Frame technology in a smaller, square format with 6 speakers attached to the back. Well... that's what we all thought, but it turns out this $399.99 music device is not a smart picture display.

It is just a photo frame that can display a single 10x8 photo (which you have to replace by hand if you want to display another). No app. No pixels. Are you confused? I am too!

Where it uses the term "Frame" this photo frame really means it – old tech, a physical print can be displayed inside a photo frame. The real point of the device is for audio lovers and I have to admit it does look like a rather neat (and discrete) bit of kit on the mantlepiece.

While it does say it's customizable, really you can only change the photo or artwork you want to display. Oh, and the color of the bezel mount from either a cream or white bezel. So two things.

While it's not the cool tech picture frame I thought it was, I guess you could display a great photo you took along with a soundtrack that was playing at the time to remind you of when you were in the moment taking the photo, or you could be even more creative and run a soundtrack so it's as tho you are still in that moment.

I don't know maybe a silly idea, but what it does do well is become a music beacon for your home or apartment. With Dolby Atmos multi-direction sound from the 6 built-in speakers it should deliver rich, deep tones for your listening pleasure.

It can also sync with Samsung TVs via Q-Sympony so you can get that true-to-life sound when watching your favorite movies or film photographers on YouTube. 

It's a shame that is doesn't come with the tech built into the Samsung The Frame. Hey, maybe in the next one Samsung. Please?

Check our best digital photo frame guide.

I'm a big fan of modern digital photo frames. I have two of them on display at my home, providing a constantly changing display of my favorite photos. They remind my wife and I of cherished memories and happy holidays – and a new selection is added to the scrolling directory on each via an app after each family event or vacation.

But even as a big fan, would I be a big fan of a big photo frame? My frames have screens that are around 10in across, the recently-released Vieunite Textura is significantly larger with an LCD display that measures 27 inches. 

Vieunite launched this primarily as a way of displaying art - downloading paintings from its online library to display on your wall. But you can upload your own images to it - and using it to supersize my own photographs was what interested me.

It is designed to hang on the wall, rather than sit on a shelf or sideboard as do my current frames. As such you have to think carefully about where it will be placed, as it can't be moved easily.

Out of the box

The Textura has four separate components… 

• The main one is the LCD sceen itself, which has a white surround, which acts as the 4cm border to your photo - like the cardboard matt on a traditionally framed picture.

• Second is the wall mount which houses the power connector. This attaches to the wall, and has a bayonet mount to which you attach the screen to secure it in place. A template is provided to ensure you put the screws in the wall in the right place - and at that point, you need to decide if you want to use this as a vertical or landscape display (you can't readily switch from one to the other).

• The third component is the USB-C power lead that plugs into the frame's wall mount, and then into a power socket.

• Finally there is the frame itself, which snugly clips onto your wall-mounted screen. We tested a unit with a black frame - but there are wood-colored walnut, pine, and birch options too. Strangely there is not a white option - which would work so well with the white surround of the screen.

Handling

As I only had the screen for a short time, I didn't actually fix the screen to the wall in my flat - to avoid the trouble of drilling the holes, and making good when the unit was returned. But I was rather glad I had this excuse - as the wall fixing system filled me with fear…

The display is no lightweight - tipping our scales at around 12lbs (or 5.5kg) - so is a serious load for the wall and screws to support. And then there was the bayonet attachment that connected the screen to the mount - even thinking about how easy it would be for the whole thing to drop as I tried to turn the screen into position on this mount was enough to make me break out into a sweat.

I was also not impressed with the power lead... at 195cm long it didn't feel as it would be long enough for most installations, even if you had a conveniently-near plug point. You would also have the problem of whether to chase the wire into the wall, or let it stay hanging untidily in plain sight.

But these two issues were circumnavigated by having the screen balancing on a chest of drawers - which hid the power lead, and ensured I didn't have to use any power tools. Yes, I cheated out of the stress of dealing with the wall mount.

The display is controlled by a free app that you download to your phone. All the settings are controlled from this - there is no separate remote control, as you get with some other photo frames.

The app and the screen pair up over your home's wifi network - and this process what straightforward, and we had our screen up and running and ready to go in no time.

The app, however, is not particularly intuitive when coming to selecting your images. Part of the reason for this is that one of its primary purposes is to tempt you to pay for your artwork, from the selection that Vieunite has on offer online.

Getting your own photos onto the device is a two-stage process. You first upload your images, which you can do straight from your phone's camera roll. You then crop the photos to the 16:9 aspect of the frame. This is an important step - as if you don't you get white borders around the photo which don't look great. Obviously, not all photos will work at this aspect ratio - but it I'd recommend choosing the ones that do. And although you can crop your photos in this way - the touchscreen process is less than precise. So if you fussy about your cropping (which I am!), I would do the cropping on a computer before transferring them to your phone for use on the display.

The next stage is to transfer your images to the display itself - and ensuring which you want to appear in your slideshow. You can control how long your display is on each day, the interval before each photo changes, and the screen brightness. There is also a volume control - as the frame can also display video clips.

Performance

Once you have gone through the set-up process, you can just sit back and admire you photos... Having your image blown-up this big on a bright backlit screen is an impressive sight. I was blown away how good the photos looked. I checked the quality with a variety of images shot on variety of different cameras - from an iPhone 14 Pro through to a Nikon D800 and a full-frame Sony mirrorless model - and was not disappointed. A word of warning is that blowing up your photos this big soon shows up any shots with poor focus or exposure - they might look okay on your phone screen, but with this display your work is getting much closer scrutiny.

Verdict

I am in two minds about the Vieunite Textura. It takes everything I love about digital photo frames, and supersizes them. As a big display, this is one to show off my best work - rather than just family snaps - and it does this job brilliantly. I can see this appealing to professional photographers who want to show off their portfolios to clients in a cool, controllable way.

The downside is that this is a one-trick pony. You can't use it to play Netflix or to browse the internet - and you can't even hook it up to a laptop to use it a a monitor (even though it costs more than similar sized TVs and computer screens). It also has it design quirks - the wall attachment system being a particularly troubling one for me. 

Also consider…

The Vieunite Textura is not the the only XL photo frame available. A popular alternative is the Samsung The Frame which is a fully-functioning smart TV, which can also be put to service as a digital canvas. Available in seven sizes from 32in right up to 85in, The Frame has great versatility.

Also worth considering is the Netgear Meural II which is available in 21.5in and 27in options - although we have not tested this digital canvas, as yet .

Also check out our guide on the Best digital photo frames
and the Best TVs to use as a monitor

Digital photo frames are one of the rewarding new bits of tech to have in your home right now – and this great Black Friday deal is the perfect way of getting one for yourself, or as a brilliant gift. This Aura Carver frame with its 10.1in landscape-format screen has $40 off for the sales, making this a stylist $139 purchase - available in white, cream or black from Amazon.

Aura makes some of the best-looking digital photo frames around - I have had one for about three years, and it is now a treasured possession. Sitting on the side in the kitchen, my wife and I regularly upload it with photos of family and our travels – thereby giving us happy memories at every mealtime.

.And a feature we really like is that Aura makes it really easy to set it up without having to open the packaging – making it a perfect gift for those who may struggle with setting up the image. 

Thanks to a QR code on the box, you can use the app to pick the pictures to be displayed – providing a wonderful surprise when the recipient unwraps their present (you can then add more images to the cloud-based library remotely later at any time you fancy). 

The Aura Carver frame works over your home's wifi network - and that means that you get limitless picture storage, and no subscription fees to pay.

Other Black Friday camera deals that we like right now

Digital photo frames have come a long way from the basic models first introduced in the 1990s. While the digital photo frames of yesterday lacked style and sophistication, today, digital photo frames are smart and stylish. 

When I was first asked if I wanted to review the Aura Carver photo digital photo frame, I was a little worried I’d hate it. However, I did a complete 180 and my stance on digital frames has changed entirely. I use mine every day, I regularly update it and I love glancing over to it when I’m in my room. 

If you’re stuck on a present idea for a loved one, a digital photo frame is a great idea and with Amazon Prime Day there are plenty of deals that can save you a lot of money. But why are digital photo frames so great these days? Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Easily add photos

Upload images via Bluetooth, Wifi, or your frame's unique app. Many allow you to add photos from anywhere in the world too!

2. Looks stylish

Choose from a classic wooden finish to a more modern speckled stone finish – no mater your taste there'll be a photo frame to match. 

3. Internal memory

You won’t even have to go out and invest in a memory card or USB drive to use alongside your digital photo frame as all the best ones come with internal memory making it possible to store 1000s of images.

4. High-res display

The quality of digital photo frames has include significantly and many now feature a high-res 2K screen with touchscreen capabilities. Smart features such as auto-turn dimming turn the screen off in low light to save energy and not disturb you. 

5. No decision making 

Never make a tricky decision about which photos to frame again – with a digital photo frame you can upload all your favorite images and have them on rotation. We all take so many photos because even our camera phones are so good, so it seems a shame to not show them off. 

Here are some of the best Amazon deals on digital photo frames: 

The best digital photo frames offer a great way to showcase your favorite photos. Instead of being limited to a single printed image, you can upload a selection of shots and enjoy them in rotation. A major advantage over traditional frames is the ability to instantly display new images – no more waiting for prints, and no need to buy a new frame for each update. Whether you're displaying pictures of family and friends, vacation memories, wedding photos, or even short videos, there's a digital frame that suits your needs.

Today’s top digital frames are incredibly user-friendly. Unlike older models that require USB sticks or SD cards, all the frames in this guide are Wi-Fi-enabled and some store images in the cloud, allowing you to manage your gallery through a smartphone app. They variously use a touchscreen, touchbars, or a remote control to make navigation easy.

So, how do you choose the best digital photo frame? There are numerous styles to pick from, but you’ll also want to consider factors like screen size, storage capacity, and support for video and sound. If it’s a gift, think about the recipient too – some frames can even be preloaded with images without opening up their box.

Best digital photo frames

Best premium photo frame

The Aura Aspen digital photo frame stands out from the crowd, offering several premium features at a competitive price point. Top of the list is its stunning 12-inch, 1600 x 1200 resolution display, which provides a crisp and vibrant viewing experience. Its minimalist design, available in Ink or Clay (black or gray), is enhanced by hidden Touch Bars for navigation, which helps to maintain a clean look by preventing fingerprints on the screen.

It offers unlimited photo and video storage by backing up content to Aura's servers rather than storing it on the frame itself. This feature requires a constant Wi-Fi connection, but the benefit is the ability to display a vast number of photos without being limited by internal storage. The companion Aura app also makes it simple to crop and rotate images, share access with friends and family, and even pre-load photos for gifting.

An auto-dimming light sensor that adjusts screen brightness to ambient light, and there's a built-in speaker for video playback. The only real drawback is the lack of a wall-mounting option, if that's your preference.

Read our full Aura Aspen review

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Best large photo frame

When it comes to displaying photographs, bigger is almost always better, and the Aura Walden is a big frame that is big on features. The oversized 15-inch display shows off photographs in stunning detail and sits within a well-proportioned surround that is textured to look like a genuine photo frame and should look good in any home.

Features such as auto-diming enable the display to suit the ambient lighting so that images are clear to see but not overly bright. The swipe bars are another nice touch, offering the ease of use of a touchscreen to navigate through images without getting greasy fingermarks over your photographs.

It's super-easy to upload images from multiple users' phones, thanks to the companion Aura app, and the ability to preload photos for gifting is fantastically implemented. The pixel density perhaps could be a little higher, but a big frame demands admiring pictures from afar. It's undeniably expensive, but it's a luxurious frame and one of the best that money can buy.

Read our full Aura Walden review

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Best high-resolution photo frame

There's a lot to like about the Lexar Pexar 11in digital photo frame. Perhaps the most important aspect of such a device is the quality of its screen, and this is an absolute cracker; packing 2.4 megapixels into 11 inches of real estate displays your images in beautifully crisp detail, while the full 100% sRGB color gamut ensures they are wonderfully vibrant too.

The 32GB storage should be enough for pretty much everyone and is oodles more than most other frames on the market, ensuring enough storage space for even the most trigger-happy photographer. But if that's still not enough, then SD card and USB-A and USB-C slots enable up to 1TB of storage.

The frame is Wi-Fi enabled, and it's a breeze for family members to share their shots via the Frameo app, no matter where they are in the world. There's no provision to upload files from a computer wirelessly though – you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way using a USB memory drive.

It's very well priced considering its feature set. Be aware that there's a choice of two models, the other having a marginally smaller 10.1-inch screen but at a much lower-res 1.02 megapixels. The price difference is minimal though, and I'd go for the 11-inch version every day of the week.

Read our full Lexar Pexar 11in photo frame review

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Best widescreen photo frame

The Pexar Starlight 15.6in digital photo frame distinguishes itself from the rest with a large widescreen display and a unique ambient backlight. The 15.6-inch anti-glare touchscreen has a 1920 x 1080 resolution with a 16:9 aspect ratio, displaying photographs with good clarity and brightness. Its standout Gallery Lighting feature casts a warm golden glow on the wall behind the frame, creating a sophisticated, floating effect.

The frame itself has a wood-effect finish, offering a refreshing departure from standard black plastic bezels. A sturdy metal stand supports both portrait and landscape orientations, with auto-rotation functionality. It can also be hung on a wall with the supplied kit.

Powered by the popular Frameo app, setup and photo sharing are easy-peasy. Images can be transferred to its massive 64GB of internal storage via Wi-Fi, SD card, or USB, and with space for approximately 80,000 photos, that's more than enough for anyone. However, the 16:9 aspect ratio means standard 4:3 photos from smartphones will be cropped.

The Pexar Starlight is an upmarket choice for those who value aesthetics. Its large size and ambient lighting make it a centerpiece in any room. However, there's a premium price to be paid for its unique design elements.

Read our full Pexar Starlight 15.6in digital photo frame review

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Best metal photo frame

The Arzopa D14 Metal Digital Picture Frame is a stylish, mid-sized digital frame that distinguishes itself from the competition with its premium build quality; the outer frame is made from genuine metal rather than the usual plastic. Available in Champagne Gold and Rose Gold finishes, the metal exterior is cold to the touch and adds a touch of class. One quirky design element is the rear panel, which is styled to look like a vintage phonograph.

It features a 14-inch IPS touchscreen with a 1920 x 1200 resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. With a pixel density of 160ppi and 300 nits of brightness, the frame produces sharp, detailed images with wide viewing angles suitable for various lighting conditions. However, the 67% sRGB color gamut is rather modest.

The frame comes with a generous 32GB of internal storage and offers unlimited cloud storage via the proprietary Arzopa app. However, the app is quite basic and lacks intelligent cropping, meaning 3:2 or 4:3 photos must be manually adjusted to fit the 16:10 screen.

The Arzopa D14 earns top marks for its elegant design and value for money. While the companion app and cropping logic could do with refinement, the frame remains a top recommendation for those seeking a premium-feeling digital display that doubles as a piece of home decor.

Read our full Arzopa D14 Metal Digital Picture Frame review

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Best photo frame for smart homes

It's best to think of the digital photo frame abilities of the Google Nest Hub as a nice extra, rather than its primary function. The 7-inch screen is much smaller than most dedicated photo frames, but it is nevertheless bright and punchy, and the pictures look good, just a bit small. It's a bit of a pain to set up initially, with a lot of hopping between apps required, but that's soon forgotten once you've got it working.

There are other limitations. It can only be set in landscape orientation, and you don't have any control over the way images are cropped. But in the same way that phones aren't the best cameras but are used to take the most pictures, the beauty of the Goole Nest Hub as a photo frame is that it's a highly practical device that's designed to take the knocks and shocks of busy environments such as kitchens, rather than tucked safely away on a shelf, and as such will probably be used to view more photos day to day.

And it is incredibly good value, considering everything else it does, from streaming music and video, tackling pretty much any questions you might throw at it, and sitting at the heart of a smart home system to control satellite speakers, turn down the lighting, show who's at the door, and even change channels on your TV.

Read our full Google Nest Hub review

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Best AI photo frame

The Homture Magic Frame is an innovative addition to the digital photo frame market. Its standout feature is its integrated AI motion technology, which successfully animates static images into realistic movements, like waving or blinking, within just a few minutes.

Visually, the frame sports a sleek, minimalist aesthetic with a thin black outer border and a deep white paper-effect mount that blends beautifully with home decor. The 10.1-inch anti-glare touchscreen boasts a crisp 1920x1200 resolution, displaying photos with impressive detail and accurate color replication. There's a generous 64GB of local storage, unlimited AWS-backed cloud storage, and a radar sensor that triggers animations when you enter the room.

The AI animations are certainly impressive, but the credit-based system for generating AI videos can become costly over time once your initial welcome credits are used up. Additionally, I found the lack of direct cloud syncing to popular platforms like Google Photos or iCloud Photos to be quite limiting, making regular image management a bit clunky.

Read our full Homture Magic Frame review

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Best photo frame for wall-hanging

The Aura Ink uses an e-ink display instead of a traditional LCD screen, giving photos the authentic look and feel of a physical, printed image. This 13.3-inch frame is the only one I'd hang on my living room wall, because its light-reflective technology makes images appear like real artwork, subtly adjusting to ambient light. That, and the frame's long-lasting, built-in rechargeable battery, which powers it for up to three months, eliminating the need for a power cord, allowing the frame to be genuinely wall-mounted without unsightly wires.

In terms of performance, the e-ink display uses a dithering algorithm to simulate millions of colors using only six primary colors. Up close, images can have a rather dotty appearance, but this is not without its charm, and I feel it only adds to the 'print' aesthetic. The frame changes images once per day by default, not only to conserve battery life but also because the transition takes around 20 seconds, during which the screen flickers like crazy.

It maintains Aura's excellent connectivity through the user-friendly Aura app, which offers unlimited cloud storage and the easy management of images from multiple users, including the ability to preload photos for gifting. However, launching at $499 (it's only available in the USA at the time of writing), the Aura Ink is significantly more expensive than other premium frames.

Read our full Aura Ink review

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Best Wi-Fi photo frame

The Carver is Aura's most budget-friendly digital photo frame, but it doesn't really feel like a cheap option. It has the same high-quality finish and feel as the Aura Mason Luxe, and comes beautifully packaged, complete with braided cable and a set of three different plug adapters.

The one downside of the Aura Carver is that you can only use it in landscape mode – but that doesn't mean you can't load portrait photos onto it. Thanks to its Photo Match technology, the Carver frame will automatically pair portrait photos together and display them two at a time. Other smart features include automatic dimming, the ability to remove unwanted photographs using the frame, and the option to pre-load photos onto it, which is especially helpful when giving as a gift.

For the price, this is a high-quality, great-looking frame, and the fact that you can't use it in portrait mode isn't a huge issue. It does need a Wi-Fi connection to work, so it is not best suited to rooms with weak reception.

Read our full Aura Carver review

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Best photo frame for kids

The myFirst Frame Clario is a dedicated, child-friendly smart hub – think of it as a Google Nest Hub designed specifically for families – complete with digital photo frame functionality.

What sets this device apart is its emphasis on safe social connectivity. Through the myFirst Circle app, parents retain complete control over pre-approved contact lists, allowing kids to securely share photos, post short ShoutOut comments, and make two-way video calls using the built-in 2MP camera and noise-canceling dual microphones.

I particularly liked the top-mounted "Magic Button," which gives children a tactile, instant way to launch slideshows or start calls. The device itself is encased in durable, fingerprint-resistant matte polymers, and I was pleased to see a modern USB-C charging port. Beyond photo sharing, I enjoyed testing its custom ambient soundscapes, like Forest Stream, which double as relaxing white noise for bedtime.

On the downside, the 7-inch screen's 1024 x 600 resolution lacks sharpness, resulting in noticeable blurriness during video calls. Additionally, the 16-character limit on comments feels restrictive. Overall, if you need a secure, interactive family portal that doubles as photo frame, I highly recommend it.

Read our full myFirst Frame Clario review

Best budget photo frame

Among the better-known brands of digital photo frames, there are dozens of cheap and cheerful frames available on Amazon, eBay, and other marketplace websites, so how do these budget alternatives compare with their big-name counterparts?

The Aeezo Portrait frame has a standard 10.1-inch frame size and can upload images over Wi-Fi as well as from SD cards and USB memory drives. The LCD panel is surrounded by a black plastic bezel with a textured feel to it, which doesn't look particularly luxurious but doesn't look tacky either.

Sure, there are higher-resolution digital photo frames with larger screens around, and with more upmarket finishes, but I'm seriously impressed with the feature set that this budget frame offers for a very competitive price. Images are displayed crisply, the touchscreen is responsive, the 32GB storage is generous, and it's easy to adjust photos to fit properly within the frame. You can also add videos up to 15 seconds long, with sound played through its internal speakers, and it can be used in either portrait or landscape orientation – whereas some pricer brand-name frames are strictly for horizontal viewing only.

The Aimor app that powers the frame is perhaps not as well-rounded as some of its competitors, but it's perfectly functional and enables sharing from multiple users. For a fully featured frame with an affordable price tag, you really can't go wrong.

Read our full Aeezo Portrait review

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Best statement photo frame

With an expansive display and extensive feature set, the Pix-Star Lux 17-inch digital photo frame has a huge 17-inch screen and ornate design that sets it apart from more minimalist alternatives. While it may be large, the display is quite low resolution, though this is less of an issue when viewed from a distance.

The frame boasts unlimited cloud storage and 16GB of internal memory, providing ample space for a large photo collection. It also supports various connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, USB, and SD cards, offering flexibility in how users can upload images. The most straightforward method is to simply email images directly to the frame, which offers a different approach from the app-based methods of some competitors, and will be particularly welcome to those who edit images on their computer, rather than those who want to share smartphone snaps.

The frame is packed with a variety of bells and whistles, such as mini-games and internet radio, but most are likely to find these to be a short-lived novelty. But for its primary function as a digital photo frame, the Pix-Star Lux offers excellent value for its screen size, although the user interface could benefit from a more polished feel.

Read our full Star Lux 17-inch review

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How to choose the best digital photo frame

The main factors to weigh up while you choose your ideal digital photo frame include screen size, orientation and aspect ratio, and connectivity.

Screen size: Most digital frames are around 10 inches (measured on the diagonal), but you can go smaller or larger to suit your space. Screens with higher resolutions will show off more detail in your photos.

Orientation and aspect ratio: Most frames can be set up in either landscape or portrait orientation to match the way you shoot most of your images, but some only support landscape orientation. The aspect ratio is essentially the shape of the screen. Many digital frames have a relatively wide and narrow 16:10 or 16:9 ratio, similar to a TV. Some frames come in a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is a great choice if you want to showcase your smartphone photos, as most use the same default ratio. Bear the chief source of your photos in mind when you pick your frame.

Connectivity: With smartphone photography in mind, most digital frames have a Wi-Fi connection and are able to link with a free smartphone app for transferring images. Some frames offer slots for plugging in physical storage, such as SD cards or USB sticks. Think about the method that best suits how you take and share your photos.

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How we test digital photo frames

Digital photo frames come in all shapes and sizes and cover a wide range of price brackets, but we fundamentally test them in the same way.

We see how easy it is to upload images onto the frame, from smartphones, computers and cloud services, and test all wireless and removable media options available. We see how easy it is to set up the frame out of the box, and try out all the functionality of inbuilt software and related apps.

Most importantly, we use a critical eye to determine how well it displays images, looking for faithful reproduction of colors, and checking for artifacts such as pixelation and banding. We appraise it in different ambient lighting, day and night, examining the display at a variety of viewing angles, to see how anti-glare coatings and matte finishes deal with reflections.

Finally, we look at the build quality and finish of the product and ask whether it's worthy of displaying your most treasured photographs while bearing in mind its purchase cost.

Find out more about how we test and review at Digital Camera World

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If you have been wanting a great way to showcase your artwork within your home but are either limited on space or just fancy displaying your images in a unique way then Samsung's The Frame is the perfect solution for this as it combines a stylish TV inside, what looks to the viewer as fine art digital display.

Now, in this Amazon Early Access Sale you can get up to $800 off these amazing displays that come in sizes from 32-inch all the way up to a whopping 85-inches, so no matter the space you're trying to fill or the size of your home, you can be sure your images can look great on the wall, while also having the benefit of a 4K QLED display.

Artwork, shows, movies, and memories, you can display what you love on this picture frame-like TV. On The Frame, see everything on the QLED 4K TV at 100% color volume with a quantum dot that saturates your screen with a billion colors, making your work look true to life every time. Switch on the art mode and transform your TV into your own personal art exhibit within the comfort of your own home.

Now is the best time to buy thanks to massive discounts due to the Amazon Early Access Sale These might be more pricey than your average digital photo frame but quality always sells, and bigger is (almost) always better.

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The best digital photo frames

Use these picture frames to create a stunning display of your images in your home, in the office, or in an art gallery. Each of these frames will create a unique feel and finish to your photos to help create the look you’re aiming for. 

Each frame is thick, backed by synthetic wood to give it more stability, and plastic instead of glass. While using plastic cuts down on glare and won’t shatter, you still need to be careful because it is prone to scratching. The frames are rectangular and can be hung in either portrait or landscape. None of the picture frames have an easel, so it isn’t possible to display them on a side table, but unique, non-trace nails are included to help you mount and display your collections on any wall.

Each frame measures 6x4 inches, which is perfect for holding 4x6 images. It doesn’t come with mats to display smaller photos, though the traditional size lets you purchase these separately and easily pop them in to use. The front is glass, which means there is a risk of shattering if tipped over, plus it could create some glare depending on the lighting in your home. These Amazon Basic photo frames aren’t available in other colors or sizes.

The solid black finish matches the traditional and industrial decor. Though Malden does have both a gray and white finish option, too. The frame is made from PS, which is smoother than wood, though not quite as sturdy. It is still strong and isn’t heavy, so it’s easier to hang. The four frame panels are fronted with glass panes to keep your images clean and protected.

The BAIJIALI picture frames measure 4x6 inches, though they come with mats to easily frame 3.5x5 inch photos. The back has an easel that lets you display pictures on a table, but these easily can be wall mounted, too. The stand doesn’t tuck in and lay flush against the back of the frame, so when hung there may be a gap between the frame and the wall. The rectangle shape gives you versatility in displaying photos in portrait or landscape. The front has tempered glass to round off the look, though this does cause glare and is still prone to break if knocked over.

This frame doesn’t come with a mat, though a standard one purchased separately will fit. Also, the front panel is made from glass. This gives your photos a high-definition finish, though it is prone to glare and can break if toppled.

Perfectly finished display

Pictures displayed in any room make it feel friendly, inviting, and finished. Choosing the right frame to display your pictures shouldn’t be hard, but there are so many choices and the wrong frame will stick out like a sore thumb. This is why we recommend the upsimples frame set. The sleek black finish looks good in rooms with traditional decor, but will also make a bold statement in modern and industrial-designed areas. The 11x14 inch frames are large enough to display photos and some posters while highlighting details. Though with the included mats, you can easier showcase 8x10 inches photos, too.

For smaller photos, check out the Amazon Basics frames. This set of two 6x4 inch frames is great for smaller pictures and will a separately purchased mat can be used for showing off snapshots, too. 

Why trust us?

At Digital Camera World, we recommend the best products to enhance your life. As experts, we handpick products based on quality and usefulness to positively impact your life. We take our responsibility seriously — testing products, reading reviews, and sourcing knowledgeable outlets to ensure our selections are worthy of your time and money. Our detailed product overviews balance objective information with subjective opinions, so making the best choice for your home and lifestyle is easy.

Whether you're after a stylish digital photo frame for your own home or want to give one as a gift, the Aura Mason Luxe is classy, really easy to set up and you can pre-load it with photos. The 9.7-inch 2K display ensures your photos look high-quality and you can play videos with sound thanks to built-in speakers. It's definitely up there with the best digital photo frames.

Unlike most digital photo frames with touch operation, you control the display using a touch bar on top of the frame so you don't have to keep cleaning the screen. With this, you can replay a video, remove a photo, swipe through images or turn the frame off. 

Aura Mason Luxe: Specification

Screen size: 9.7-inch
Screen resolution: 2048x1536 PPI (2K)
Overall size: 9.82 x 7.84 x 2-inches
Photo storage: Unlimited
Orientation: Portrait or landscape
Power supply: Fabric power cord
Built-in speaker: Yes

Aura Mason Luxe: Key Features

Although the Aura Mason Luxe isn't the only digital photo frame that can be pre-loaded with photos, it has been made very easy to do so. All you need to do is download the Aura app, and if you have the box with you you can scan the gift set up QR code. If you don't it will generate a virtual code that can be inputted when the device is turned on. 

Images can be added by friends and family anywhere in the world, all they need is the frame's unique code or to be added as a member so they can share and view photos. 

The frame can be used in either portrait or landscape mode but unfortunately, if you choose a selection of both photos, not all of them will display properly. If you want them all to appear as they should it might be a good idea to pick one or the other. There is a touch bar to control the screen on top of the frame regardless of whether you choose to use it in portrait or landscape mode which shows how much Aura has thought about the design of this digital photo frame. It looks great and has some really intuitive features that make it easy to use. 

Aura Mason Luxe: Build and handling

The Aura Mason Luxe photo frame feels really good quality and it looks very stylish compared to some of the more basic photo frames. I have the Aura Mason Luxe in pebble which is a dark grey with specks of light grey, but you can also get it in Sandstone if you would prefer a lighter colored frame and darker specks. 

Even the power cord feels like it's made from really good quality material as it's coated in fabric and features a smooth metal attachment where you plug it into the back of the frame. 

The frame itself is a little chunkier than other digital photo frames but this makes it feel on the sturdier side – whether it's in portrait or landscape mode you shouldn't have to worry about it being easily knocked over.

Aura Mason Luxe: Performance

The screen isn't the highest resolution screen on the market, but with a 2K resolution, images look crisp enough from a reasonable distance away. So long as the photos you are displaying a good quality, they will look great on the screen. I found some photos did look a little more blurry and pixelated on the digital photo frame than they did on my phone but on closer inspection the ones that happened to were a little out of focus anyway.

If you've pre loaded photos on it, set up takes less than 30 seconds. All you need to do is make sure you have the Aura app pre downloaded and have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on. It will pop up with a pairing code you'll have to accept on your phone and then you're good to go.

Even if you don't have photos pre loaded set up is really fast, just make sure you allow the app to access all your photos and videos then select the ones you want to appear on the frame. 

Aura Mason Luxe: Final Verdict

You'll have to splash a bit more cash if you want to buy the Aura Mason Luxe frame but honestly, it's totally worth it. It looks and feels a lot better quality than some other frames and even though it's made of plastic it has a really nice matte finish. There are lots of little details Aura has thought about such as including two touch bars, two different ways of pre-loading photos and automatic orientation when you turn the frame around.

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Digital photo frame company, Aura, has made it easier to share physical photos found in the attic with the rest of the family. Using its new in-app photo scanner, anyone invited can access your digital "Aura frame" album full of memories. 

Many people still own physical photo albums that are passed through the generations. With some collections containing memories spanning across decades of family history and baby photos, in need of digitizing. 

• Looking for the best digital photo frames?

Why do I need to digitize my photos? You may ask. There are plenty of reasons why it's a good idea to start the long-haul process of converting your physical photos to Jpegs. It's more secure with copies and backups able to be made, arguably more private depending where you store them, it's long-lasting to show old photos to new generations, and easier to share photos online with relatives who may be overseas. 

An unexpected house fire or break-in can unfortunately happen to anyone, so it's best to keep a digital copy of your photos, preferably with a trusted cloud service, to protect them from physical damage or corrupted hard drives. Depending on how extensive your photo albums are, digitizing photos and home videos can take months to years of mundane effort. Luckily, Aura has a better solution.  

Aura's mission to connect people by bridging the gap between physical and digital is taking a new approach with its latest in-app scanner. The idea is that users can scan physical photos using their smartphones and have them uploaded into a digital Aura frame, an album to be shared with friends and family, making it much easier to show grandma both older and newly captured images. 

"Old photos are some of the most precious photos we have, often locked away in attics, and accessible to only those in the family who hold them." Shares Prooshat Saberi, Product Design Lead at Aura. "Our goal is to reduce the friction of sharing photos – printed or digital – to make memories more accessible and part of everyday life, no matter the generation, level of tech-savviness, or location.”

Aura is manufacturer of digital photo frames that allow photos and videos to be shared from your phone to a network of invite-only friends and family. No memory cards or subscription fees are necessary, with millions of photos already being shared and displayed on Aura frames in homes around the world. The launch of a scanner built into the Aura app makes it easier to add physical photos to digital Aura frames, offering the ability to share over 10,000 images with no storage limit.

While the ability to digitize and share older photographs is nothing to shout about, and can easily be done using a basic phone camera and Facebook, the Aura frame adds a luxury and sophisticated element to the act of sharing older memories with family. Seeing a digital photo album cycling through images on a professional high-resolution screen is a much better alternative to sending memories through Whatsapp, and would make a fantastic and emotional gift for any loved one. 

This scan function is now available as a free software update to the already existing Aura app on iOS (13+) with Android expected to follow. The photo scanner is part of the app’s “Add Photos” menu, and customers can scan multiple photos, adjusting features such as crop and color, plus including date information to archive the images as a memory. 

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In the last few years, digital photo frames have made a proper comeback but these days they have a lot of nifty features that streamline the process and make them super easy to use. We all take hundreds of pictures and it's sometimes hard to choose just one or two to display but digital photo frames take away the decision making entirely.

The Aeezo 9-inch frame has a lot going for it considering the price and while up close it looks and feels a bit plasticky, from afar you couldn't tell that it's not made of wood. It would make a fantastic gift or an addition to your home so you can show off your favourite memories. 

Specification

Resolution: 1280 x 800
Screen size: 9-inch
Screen ratio: 3:2
Internal storage: 16GB
Weight: 1.5kg
Power source: AC adaptor
Photo upload methods: USB, SD card, Frameo app

Key features

One of the best features about the Aeezo 9-inch frame is that anyone anywhere in the world can share photos to it as long as they have the frame's unique code and the Frameo app. This means that friends and family who live in different countries could easily send photos to view directly from their phone. 

Another cool feature (although I'm not sure how much you would really use it) is you can react to photos like you would on Facebook and it will alert the person who shared the photos with you.

The Frameo app itself is really easy to use, you just need to grant it access to your photos. It's slightly frustrating you can only add 10 at a time - especially as it boats it can hold up to 30,000 compressed photos on its 16GB internal storage but that's one of its only downsides.

There are three ways to upload photos: via the Frameo app, with an SD card or with a USB stick. If you have hundreds of photos you want to add in one go you might find it easier to use one of the latter two methods as it'll be much faster. Transfer from an SD card or USB stick is really fast - even when transferring high res images and once you've selected the images you want you can just leave it them to transfer in the background.

It can be used in either portrait or landscape orientation and it will automatically rotate the picture and display the most important part of the image. If it doesn't get it quite right you can simply tap the screen and a menu bar will pop up, click adjust the photo and you can slide it into the correct position. 

The Aeezo digital photo frame also plays videos, albeit only up to 15 seconds but it's still better than nothing. Again transfer is very fast and a loading bar at the top of the app shows you how much longer is left. The speakers are quite tinny and don't handle low-end sounds very well but are fine for videos of people speaking. 

Choose how long you want each image to be displayed for by going into the settings menu and selecting the slideshow tab. You can pick anywhere between 1 second and 24 hours but it's automatically set to 30 seconds.

In the menu you can also change things such as brightness level, what notifications you want to receive, the notification volume, you can backup the frames photos to an SD card and delete any photos you no longer want showing.  

Quality and usability

While the frame is very basic, it's timeless and would suit any kitchen, living room or office. From afar it looks really good it's only when you get up close and touch it can you tell it's made of hard plastic. 

Not only does the screen produce crisp, clean images with accurate colors, it's really sensitive to touch (in a good way). You only have to gently swipe or touch the screen to cycle through pictures or bring up the menu. It also feels really smooth and high-quality, in fact, it feels very similar to any touchscreen phone. 

Even someone who isn't very tech-savvy would have no problem setting up the Aeezo frame. When you turn it on for the first time it guides you on how to connect it to the Frameo app and there is a QR code in the instruction app you can scan to download it. It shows you how to add friends, where to find the code and how to add photos. Adding photos is really fast and really easy, you could even add photos when you're nowhere near the frame or get friends and family to share there favorite pictures.

You plug it in with an AC adaptor although it doesn't actually come with a plug. You can just use any USB plug and most people have spares but it would be nice if it came with one as a package. 

Verdict

There's really not much to dislike about the Aeezo frame, it does everything you could want it to do and more. It might not have the nicest finish or the most high resolution possible but for the price, you certainly get a lot for your money. It's available in either black or white depending on your style and home furnishings and the simple design means it won't look out of place no matter where you put it. The fact it's so quick to set up and easy to add photos is a massive plus - perhaps the only two downsides are that you can only add 10 photos at a time via the app and it can't be used with cloud services.

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Samsung The Frame has been a standout success for the world’s biggest TV seller. As a TV screen that prioritizes effortless design over perfect image recreation, it will appeal mostly to occasional TV watchers, those who want their big black slab of a screen to fade into the background for most of the day.

The Frame’s central conceit is that it can be disguised as a picture frame, with magnetic bezel accessories and a low-energy standby mode that displays artworks, photographs, or screensavers – much like the best digital photo frames, but one that also works as a television. Intrigued yet?

Specifications

Sizes available: 32, 43, 50, 55, 65, 75, 85 inches

Panel type: LCD (QLED)

Backlight: Dual LED

Resolution: 4K (43-85 inch), Full HD (32-inch)

Ports: HDMI 2.0 (3), HDMI 2.1 (1), USB 2.0 (2), Ethernet

Key features

Samsung The Frame is, in many ways, a frame first and a TV second. But the TV part is still crucial to address. 

In most sizes of The Frame (43-inch and above), you’re getting a 4K QLED panel, of the kind found in the Q60T or Q70T, as well as Samsung’s Quantum Processor 4K. This isn’t a budget picture, then, though it’s worth noting that you won’t get the high-end performance associated with Samsung’s most expensive 4K or 8K screens.

The Frame gets the usual sweep of formats, including HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+, the last of which uses dynamic metadata to better calibrate the TV’s settings for impactful images – though you’ll need to be watching content that uses this format to get the benefit. You won’t, however, get Dolby Vision or Atmos formats – so if you’re a cinephile used to having those needs served, you have been warned.

The smallest 32-inch version is stuck at 1080p resolution, while the 32-inch and 43-inch Full HD models are capped at 60Hz – though larger sizes offer 4K/120Hz support for those that want it. HDMI 2.1 support means you can connect the latest games consoles too.

The real wonder of The Frame, though, is in how it operates outside of dedicated viewing time. It features a dedicated Art Mode for displaying artworks and photographs – whether you use some of Samsung’s free samples, buy access to collections from internationally renowned galleries in the Art Store, or upload your own photos and sketches to show off to visitors. Why put children’s drawings on the fridge, when The Frame can put them on the big screen?

Build and operation

Build is where Samsung The Frame truly shines. Without any accessories, The Frame is a panel encased in a thick, black bezel – offering a firm outline rather than the zero-bezel, all-screen designs of Samsung’s premium lineup.

This bezel is also magnetic, allowing you to attach a variety of frame designs that can differ in their style, size, and color. Want a minimalist pink frame, or a wooden effect to better ape the picture frames around it? Samsung can offer both, and given the ease of attaching them, you may well want a mix of frames to change it up every now and again. This screen is, unsurprisingly, larged intended to be wall-mounted, though it does come with a fair of hefty, stable feet if you wish to place it on a counter instead – and there’s even a tripod option with the latest model for those that want to showcase their display more boldly.

Samsung’s Tizen is also one of the best smart TV platforms in the business. It’s well laid out, easy to navigate, and features a broad sweep of key streaming apps such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, and more. It’s very easy to mirror other devices onto Samsung’s platform, through Samsung SmartThings or Apple AirPlay, while picture-in-picture options allow you to open different apps and images simultaneously.

In terms of ports, The Frame boasts three HDMI 2.0 ports, a single HDMI 2.1 port (for 4K/120Hz passthrough), two USB 2.0 ports, and Ethernet.

The Frame also supports multiple voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant, if that’s how you like to navigate your devices – and Samsung’s own Bixby assistant is included, too, if you wish to pity it.

Performance

The 2021 version of Samsung The Frame does offer a boost to picture performance, which previously has felt like the bottom priority of this set. This model uses a new lighting system called Dual LED, in which Samsung utilizes a cold backlight as well as a warm backlight, to enhance brightness across the color spectrum.

It’s not quite a Full-Array backlight, which would offer much better brightness control and coverage, but it’s still a slight improvement on the basic edge lighting used in previous models of The Frame. Color performance is certainly improved, if only average, and we assume that any more headway in this area would make The Frame’s hefty price tag unbearable – Samsung had to cut costs somewhere, after all.

Samsung excels when it comes to upscaling, too – and The Frame’s Quantum Processor 4K aptly handles even SD content (within reason), with a good hand on fast motion. Keep in mind, though, that you’re nowhere near the excellent contrast, color depth or black levels of OLED or high-end Mini-LED screens.

On the audio side you’re getting an ample 40W, which means the screen can get louder than the average 4K TV, though The Frame is a bit light on bass, with driver design that prioritizes mids and highs for clarity. These speakers can’t support Dolby Atmos, either, but Samsung is smart enough to make sure that The Frame can decode the Atmos format if you connect your display to a compatible soundbar.

Samsung The Frame: Verdict

Samsung’s The Frame is a one-of-a-kind TV. That doesn’t mean it’s for everyone, but aesthetes who want a capable, occasional TV experience married with sleek presentation shouldn’t be disappointed.

The 2021 model is unsurprisingly the most advanced so far, with a tweaked backlighting system that helps elevate the Frame beyond previous versions – though it might be the brilliant software native to all Samsung TVs that make it such a delight to interface with. 

Tizen is an exceptional platform, while the Art Mode and Ambient Mode baked into this screen make it a multi-use wonder, even if you’ll need to pay a subscription cost to access wider arrays of artwork from around the world.

The best part, though, is that you can turn the TV off, and enjoy the screen in a whole different way.

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There is a fantastic deal on the older 10-inch Facebook Portal this Month, which gets you this much-talked-about bit of tech for a massive £90 discount. The deal lasts until 7 November, and is from Facebook direct - and billed as its headline Black Friday camera deal. There are offers on other Portal models too…

The Facebook Portal is best known as an easy way to enjoy video calls with friends and family. The service is set up to use the Facebook Messenger service, allowing to make video calls to your contacts - through a large LCD screen that can sit on your kitchen or desk – or get carried from room to room. The big 10-inch screen is an appeal for group chats – but it is also really popular with people who don't have a smartphone or a laptop. So if you have an elderly relative, say, who misses out on family video chats – this is the perfect device for getting them included in the conversation.

Other stores where the Black Friday discounts have already started include:

• Wex Photo Video – Great deals from the UK's biggest camera outlet
• Park Cameras – Amazing savings from the imaging specialist
• John Lewis – The latest deals from one of the most trusted retailers
• Jessops - Cashback and coupon deals from the iconic camera store
• Amazon – Get your camera kit delivered fast with Amazon Prime
• Adobe - 39% off the Creative Cloud all-apps plan
• Apple – Check out the latest iPhones and Macbooks direct from Apple
• Dell – Save up to £300 on XPS & Inspiron laptops
• Microsoft – Save up to £500 on select Surface Pro
• Mixbook – Up to 50% off all items, including photo books & calendars 

But what people don't realize, is that the Facebook Portal is a great digital photo frame – giving you a screen that can display your favourite photographs when you are not using the device for video calls. 

This amazing offer is on the  version of the Portal which has a 10.1 inch screen – and which is available at this £90-off-price in either black or white.  It will allow you to make calls via Messenger or WhatsApp, but also works as an Alexa device. That means you can use this Portal to check on indoor security cameras and outdoor security cameras, to play music, listen to the radio - and a whole lot more

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This year, why not treat your loved ones to a personalized photo advent calendars from CEWE? Starting at just £8.99, you can pick 24 of your favourite photos to be printed on the inside of each door plus a large photo to be printed on the front. Choose from a pre-filled chocolate calendar, a photo calendar, or even order one you can fill yourself to make it extra special.

CEWE is an award-winning photo book and photo printing service specializing in custom products. There's still plenty of time to order your loved one a personalized advent calendar before 1 December so you can make every day in the lead-up to Christmas exciting.

There are lots of options to choose from starting at just £8.99 for a photo calendar up to £39.99 for a Kinder Egg calendar. If you want to make it extra special, the fill your own option allows you to choose what goes behind each door which only adds to the surprise. Customers can pick 24 different photos to be displayed behind each door plus a main photo to be printed onto the front. 

Orders need to be placed by 24 November to guarantee delivery by 1 December so don't delay! It might take you longer than you think to decide on the perfect photo to put on the front.

Whether you're buying for a son, daughter, partner, auntie or your best friend, you can be sure these extra-special calendars will make the whole of December feel more magical. 

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Manfrotto has announced its new EzyFrame backgrounds, all measuring 2x2.3m and available in six different vintage styles: Ink, Sage, Walnut, Pewter, Aubergine and Crimson.

Tobacco, Olive, Smoke and Concrete EzyFrames have been available for a while and due to the success of the Ezyframe range Manfrotto has added these six new models, expanding the options to ten backgrounds, perfect for fashion, beauty and portraiture.

If you think the style of the new backgrounds looks familiar that’s because they have been available for a while in the form of Manfrotto’s more portable Collapsible Reversible Background range which measure a smaller 1.5x2.1m. This makes the new models 46% larger than than the Collapsible Reversible ones so are far more suitable for full length portraits and fashion or beauty shoots in a studio environment, though the Collapsible Reversible options looks like the better choice if you like portability and shooting outside.

It’s worth noting that Lastolite products like the Collapsible Reversible backgrounds have now been rebranded as Manfrotto to simplify the branding in its photo accessory ranges.

All six of the new EzyFrame Vintage Backgrounds have an RRP of £429.95 and the covers will cost £250.95, while the Aluminium Frame Support Kit is already available for £69.95. Manfrotto tells us that kits will be available bundling together the frame, cover and carry case but no price has been mentioned for this yet.

There’s also a cover available for each specific background style which has a 6” skirt to help cover the bottom edge of the frame to help your background and blend it in seamlessly with your chosen floor surface when shooting full length portraits.

The new models will also be fully compatible with the Manfrotto Frame Support Kit which includes a support leg to help keep the frame secure and can also have weight added to it to add further security.

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There is a fantastic deal on the original Facebook Portal this Month, which gets you this much-talked-about bit of tech for half price. The deal lasts until 30 July, and is from Facebook direct - you save a massive $110 dollars if you use the discount code PORTALSUMMER.

The Facebook Portal is best known as an easy way to enjoy video calls with friends and family. The service is set up to use the Facebook Messenger service, allowing to make video calls to your contacts - through a large LCD screen that can sit on your kitchen or desk – or get carried from room to room. The big 10-inch screen is an appeal for group chats – but it is also really popular with people who don't have a smartphone or a laptop. So if you have an elderly relative, say, who misses out on family video chats – this is the perfect device for getting them included in the conversation.

But what people don't realize, is that the Facebook Portal is a great digital photo frame – giving you a screen that can display your favorite photographs when you are not using the device for video calls. 

This amazing offer is on the original Gen 1 version of the Portal which has a 10.1 inch screen – and which is available at this 50%-off-price in either black or white.  It will allow you to make calls via Messenger or WhatsApp, but also works as an Alexa device. That means you can use this Portal to check on indoor security cameras (and outdoor security cameras), to play music, listen to the radio - and a whole lot more.

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