From baby pictures to videos to funny GIFs, you can share so much on a digital picture frame. But which one is the best option? There’s a huge price range for digital photo frames, from under $30 to nearly $300. Different options vary tremendously: You have Wi-Fi photo frames, frames with onboard and external storage, and different screen resolutions. We’ve curated a list here to help you sort through and find the best digital photo frames for you.
1. Dragon Touch
Dragon Touch’s Classic 10 Digital Photo Frame features a gorgeous touch screen display of 1280×800 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio. It offers instant and unlimited photo and video sharing via a Wi-Fi and Cloud network. Further, it boasts a whopping built-in 16GB storage capacity to store over 40,000 photos and also supports SD card and USB drive. I love how the frame is easy to set up leveraging its 10.1″ touch screen and can be operated using an iOS or Android app, ‘OurPhoto.’ Moreover, you can allow friends or family to share pictures through the app, an email, or simply by turning the frame into an FTP server. The frame is pretty flexible with its personalized sleep mode and auto-rotating setting for better viewing. USP: Large storage capacity and easy to operate using the appBuy it from Dragontouch.com
2. BSIMB
The BSIMB M12 is one of the cheapest options on our list here. But that also makes it one of the best value options if you’re after a digital frame on a tight budget. At Just $40, this frame won’t break the bank. But it doesn’t compromise too much on features, either. You get a 1024×768 TFT display that’s only 5mm thick. It doesn’t feature WiFi connectivity, but it offers a simple plug-and-play experience with SSD or USB storage. The frame can play videos as well, up to 1080p, though these’ll be letterboxed and downscaled. One big plug is the 4:3 aspect ratio: This is the native aspect ratio at which phones tend to shoot photos. So you’ll be able to showcase photos without cropping or letterboxing.
3. MRQ
The MRQ 8 is another great budget option, with an offer price as low as $42.49. You get a surprising amount of features for the price. For starters, although the screen resolution is only 1024×768, you get an IPS panel, unlike the BSIMB M12’s TFT. The IPS panel here offers significantly better color accuracy, blacks, and viewing angles. You have support for both USB and SD card storage, with SD cards up to 32 GB supported. Interestingly, you also get a 3.5mm jack for audio out (if you ever want to use this frame to watch a short movie). And the screen itself features auto-rotation. For just a few dollars more than the BSIMB 12, you get a better quality display and slightly better connectivity.
4. PhotoSpring
The PhotoSpring is a higher-end option, coming in at $159.95. That’s a lot of money for what’s essentially just a screen to display photos. You do get a significant amount of connectivity and features for the price, though. The PhotoSpring has built-in storage, from 16GB up to 64GB. We suggest sticking with the smaller option: there’s no point in 64GB of space unless you want to showcase all the photos you’ve ever taken. The PhotoSpring app on iOS and Android gives the frame additional connectivity. You can pick and send pictures and videos directly to the frame from your phone. Moreover, the on-display touch interface makes browsing local images a breeze. At 1280×800, it’s not the sharpest 10.1 in screen but it’s more than adequate for showing pictures.
5. Skylight
The Skylight frame is another high end option. We like it particularly because of its design: You have the display placed inside what looks like an actual photo frame. This makes it a lot easier to integrate the Skylight with the rest of your home decor. You get a standard 1280×800 screen and wireless connectivity. You can email your photos straight to the frame. One issue is that the Skylight doesn’t support video and GIFs out of the box. You’ll need to pay for a $39/year Skylight Plus subscription to display video. The Plus subscription also gives you access to the Skylight mobile app and the option to display text captions. While it’s handy, it’s somewhat disappointing, since PhotoSpring offers most of these features at no additional cost.
6. Aura
At $299, the Aura is a very expensive photo frame. We’re at the point where you could just buy a small TV. Why would you want to buy the Aura instead? The 2048×1536 resolution means that the Aura has one of the sharpest displays we’ve seen on a photo frame. This delivers pixel density that’s comparable to the iPad. Connectivity is excellent, with support for wireless transfer and Alexa. The intelligent photo curation feature is also interesting: By using facial recognition, the Aura app on your phone recognizes your closest relationships (or at least the people you take pictures with most often) and sends these pictures straight to the frame. But despite being this feature-packed, we’re stil; not sold on the price. The Aura is a very well-designed, high res display. But that $299 price is just way too high. You can get an entry-level iPad (which also has a fantastic, high-res display) for just $30 more. Mount it on your desk with a simple stand and you’ll get a more versatile photo frame than the Aura can ever hope to be.
7. Pix Star
The Pix Star 10 is a great mid-range contender. At $154.99, it’s just right as far as the price is concerned. You do end up getting a rather low res 1024×768 display, but it’s IPS which somewhat makes up for that. You get WiFi, USB, and SD card storage connectivity. This makes it particularly versatile. The WiFi connectivity is particularly impressive: Through your connected Pix-Star account, you can have the frame access your social media photos from Instagram, Facebook, and elsewhere. None of this costs an extra penny. All in all, while the display resolution is on the low end, the Pix Stars other features make it a great buy.
8. Aluratek
If you’re looking for absolutely the cheapest photo frame money can buy, Aluratek has what you’re looking for with the ADPF07SF. At $29.95, it’s even cheaper than the BSIMB 12. This makes it accessible to anyone, even if you’re just dabbling in photo frames. If you don’t like it, at that price, it’s no big loss. You get a 4:3 aspect ratio which is great for photos. However, it comes at a low resolution of just 800×600. Interestingly, the frame itself is made of wood, so it won’t stand out too obviously from your other living room items. You get basic connectivity with USB and SD card storage. There is no touchscreen or remote control. Photos show up as soon as you’ve connected a storage device. You get a simple direction keypad for the basic interface, but that’s about it. With that low res 800×600 screen, we feel the Aluratek cuts one too many corners. At $12 more, the MRQ 8 simply offers better value.
9. Camkory
Branding isn’t extremely important when you’re buying a digital photo frame. This makes generic options like the “Digital Photo Frame 1280×800,” by Camkory, viable purchases. And what you give up in terms of a brand logo, you gain in terms of extra value. This generic photo frame features a higher-res 1280×800 display, a clear step above budget offerings like the MRQ 8. It”s an IPS panel, too, meaning good color reproduction and viewing angles. You can connect an SD card or USB drive for storage. The frame supports a wide range of photo and video formats, so you won’t be in a situation where videos or photos just don’t play. A drawback is that it’s not battery powered. You’ll need to connect it to a power outlet. This somewhat limits the locations where you can place this frame. If you’re fine with this caveat though, this frame gives you arguably the best image quality at this price point.
10. Atatat
What we said about generic brands applies to this excellent frame as well. Coming in at just $79.99, it remains one of the cheaper options on the list. Despite this, it has a high resolution 1920×1080 IPS display that is only beaten by the $300 Aura. It delivers significantly better image quality than frames like the PhotoSpring that cost twice as much. Apart from the excellent screen, you have support for SD Cards and USB as is standard, as well as background music support and adjustable brightness. If you can live without wireless connectivity, this is an excellent choice. Going through this list, there’s definitely a photo frame here for everyone. Whether you’re looking for the cheapest possible photo frame, the one with the best connectivity, or the one with the sharpest display, you’ll find what you’re looking for. Which photo frame did you like the most? Let us know in the comments below. Related Posts:
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