Digital Camera World Verdict
The Pexar Starlight is a striking digital photo frame. Its 'Gallery Lighting' feature, which gives the entire frame a subtle golden glow, really does lift it from its surroundings and draws viewers' attention. The large, 16x9 ratio 15.6in LCD panel is unusual, too, and this widescreen look also sets it apart from the crowd, although it means all images are cropped. It's a stunning-looking frame, but an expensive one.
Pros
- +
Eye-catching backlit Gallery Lighting feature
- +
Massive 64GB memory holds 80,000+ photos
- +
Large 15.6in widescreen display
Cons
- -
16x9 aspect ratio crops both phone and camera images
- -
On the pricey side
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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
Display | 15.6-inch anti-glare touchscreen |
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 (141 pixels per inch) |
Inbuilt storage | 64GB |
Color gamut | 60% NTSC |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi, SD, USB-A, USB-C |
Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
Brightness | 320 cd/m2 |
Sound | Built-in Speaker |
Photo formats | JPG / JPEG / PNG / WEBP / HEIC |
Video | MP4, 3GP |
App | Frameo |
Orientation | Portrait / Landscape (Auto-Rotate) |
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.
Features ★★★★★ | This is a big display, and with enough storage for 80,000 photos, it's unlikely you'll run out of storage space any time soon. |
Design ★★★★★ | The wood-effect surround is refreshing in a market dominated by minimalist black and white frames, and the glowing surround is stunning. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | The touchscreen works well, and while the resolution isn't as high as some frames, you'd be hard-pressed to tell from a suitable viewing distance. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It's one of the more expensive digital photo frames at full price, but is often discounted. You are paying for lovely quality, though. |
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