![Aura Frames carver](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/03/09/11/Aura%20Frames%20carver.png)
The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?
These versatile devices will look great in your home
Digital photo frames have come on in leaps and bounds since their inception. In 2024, the best digital photo frames will look like design pieces in your home, and come packed with tech to make your photos look as good as possible.
Designed to look like standard photo frames, the devices can be propped up on a shelf or desk, or you can hang them on your walls, to display all your favourite photos on a loop within a single frame. The clever devices make ideal gifts for loved ones, as you can preload them with meaningful photos – gaining you serious brownie points from grandparents or distant friends and family.
When it comes to choosing the best digital photo frame, you’re going to want to think about storage as well as the aesthetic. Some photo frames come with local storage – meaning you can slot a memory card or USB drive (loaded with your photos) into the back of the frame. This is great if you have privacy concerns, and tends to be a more budget-friendly option, but it makes it more of a faff to update your photo selection.
Alternatively, you could opt for a cloud-based photo frame – upload your photos, via an app, to the cloud, which then beams the images into your frame. This means you can change and add to your selection with ease, and invited friends and family can add photos to the mix remotely, too.
Plus, a selection of digital frames can do a lot more than show you a carousel of your favourite photos. The Amazon Echo show and Google hub, for example, have built-in voice assistants and can even display on-demand streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
We spent a few months putting these devices to the test in our homes. Of paramount concern was how they looked in situ – we wanted something that enhanced our lives and homes as well as made our photos look great. Of course, we were mostly focused on them as photo frames, but we looked at how useful the multipurpose screens were, too. Lastly, we looked at value for money – did the product justify the price tag? Here are the ones that put us in a good frame of mind…
There are two big brands in the digital photo frame biz: Aura and Nixplay. They produce the best digital photo frames in terms of picture quality, features and size of the canvas. Nixplay’s photo frames have artificial intelligent smarts that can focus on faces, while Aura’s frames are just beautiful to have in the home, with portrait photos being displayed side by side. Digital photo frames from both brands are smart, so you can upload photos straight from your phone.
Aeezo is a fairly new digital photo frame brand that offers more budget-friendly options. Amazon and Google also make digital photo frames, but they’re considered “smart displays” because their main purpose isn’t to display photos.
While most digital photo frames are smart and wifi-compatible, meaning you can upload photos directly from a cloud storage service such as Google or Dropbox or directly from the manufacturer’s app, you don’t necessarily need a wifi connection to use these types of devices. Most of the digital photo frames on our list have a slot for an SD card, so you can import photos to the device without having to connect to the internet.
The easiest way to upload pictures onto a digital photo frame is to download and use the brand’s app. Aura, Nixplay, Aeezo, Google and Amazon all have their own individual apps that allow you to transfer photos from your phone’s library directly to the photo frame, over wifi. Most brands also have a browser uploader if you’d prefer to transfer photos from your PC or Mac, and both Aura and Nixplay’s photo frames have either a USB or SD card slot, if you’d prefer to upload offline.
If you want a way to display hundreds of photos in one single frame, a digital photo frame is an excellent investment. Some even double up as smart speakers, enabling you to play music and ask questions. They make great gifts and there is a huge range of styles to choose from. It’s the most modern way of showing off your pictures in your home.
We’re totally in love with the Aura carver – it’s slick, easy to use, looks great on our bookshelf, and, most importantly, really showcases our photos beautifully. If you’re looking for something with even more impact, the Vieunite frame is absolutely breathtaking – but expensive. If you have a smaller budget, Hijoy is a great bet – it’s simple but gets the job done well.
Bring your memories to life with the best photo printers