4 Best Digital Photo Frames in 2024 to Display Your Pictures
In-depth comparison of the best digital photo frames of the year. Discover why digital picture frames still make great gifts, even in 2024.
If you’re looking for the perfect way to display your favorite photos at home, this guide to the best digital photo frame is for you.
Do you have thousands of old photos lost in messy folders on hard drives or smartphones overflowing with random pictures? A digital photo frame may be just what you need…
Refreshingly simple and well-designed digital frame with tactile functionality and just the right features.
Despite any prejudices you may have about these dated gadgets, digital picture frames are simply the best way to display your photos.
(They also mean you don’t need to spend time worrying about the correct picture frame sizes for your photo prints!)
Fortunately, modern frames make it simple (and affordable) to do so, and they also make thoughtful gifts for grandparents!
Let’s take a look at the best digital photo frame of the year.
Best Digital Picture Frames in 2024
| Image | Product | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carver by AuraOUR #1 CHOICE |
| View Price → |
 | Mason by Aura |
| View Price → |
 | Nixplay Seed |
| View Price → |
 | Muse Frame |
| View Price → |
All the products reviewed below have met the criteria of being affordable, having a resolution of at least 1024×768 pixels, offering a 4:3 aspect ratio, and being simple to operate.
Here is our list of the best digital photo frames right now.
Top 4 Digital Photo Frames
1. Carver by Aura | Best Digital Photo Frame – Our #1 Choice
Dimensions: 10.63 x 7.5 x 2.6″ (270 x 190 x 66 mm)
Weight: 764 g (1.68 lb)
This might be the best digital picture frame 2024 has to offer.
As a photographer, I take thousands of photos every year. Sadly, they spend most of their time hidden away in storage drives. With the Carver by Aura electronic photo frame, I’m able to create bespoke collections of my favorite images and display them.
The Carver has a similar shape to the Mason below; however, it’s a little larger, slicker and looks like a minimalist high-end photo frame.
There are no apparent buttons and only a single cord that connects to the rear of the frame for power. Plus, you can only use the Carver in landscape orientation – for portrait photos, it pairs two pictures side by side.
The photo screen is a stunning back-lit 10.1″ display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 and 224 PPL.
Images pop from the screen of the Aura Carver digital photo frame, and the detail and quality are brilliant. With the ambient light sensor built-in, it automatically detects the best light setting for the display.
The Carver is pure black, and as a result, the images it displays appear perfectly framed. There are two alternative color options: a white frame and a black-and-white one.
As with the Mason photo frame, there’s an invisible touch bar at the top of the frame for selecting images and powering off the frame. A single tap in the middle will result in image information appearing for a few seconds on the screen.
You can invite others to share their photos on your frame via the Aura app. Another neat addition is the ability to double-tap the middle of the sensor bar to see a red heart icon float up across their image – this sends the image owner a ‘like’.
The Carver by Aura blends in perfectly with my workspace and displays my travel images all day long
My only real gripe with this digital photo frame is that I can’t transfer images from my Mac directly to it. While it’s handy to set and control the frame from the Aura mobile phone app, I would like to upload images from my computer. However, the images are not stored on the frame but instead on Aura’s unlimited cloud storage service.
Instead, I had to transfer the images from my Mac to my iPhone via Airdrop and then add them to the frame via the Aura App. Sending them directly from any computer – via an app, site, or editing software would be a logical next step.
The App and the overall setup process are straightforward, with step-by-step instructions provided on-screen the first time you power it up.
The App works with iOS and Android, and if you have an iPhone with the Live View photo setting, your animated images will also be displayed on the frame.
I’ve found the Carver to be an excellent tool for my creative photography pursuits.
The best digital frame provides me with an excellent display for recalling my many trips – all of which were photography-centric excursions. It, in turn, gives me inspiration for future travels and the ability to showcase my work.
I had never thought of a digital photo frame as a solution to displaying my cherished travel images – photobooks are great, but they gather dust on a shelf. The Carver by Aura digital photo frame now takes pride of place in my workspace.
2. Mason by Aura | Best Digital Photo Frame #2
Dimensions: 10 x 7.5 x 2″ (254 x 190 x 50 mm)
Weight: 1587 g (3.5 lb)
Shooting to fame after Oprah Winfrey named it one of her favorite things of the year, the Mason by Aura is refreshingly attractive and well-designed and our pick as the best digital photo frame of the year. This might be the best photo frame for your needs.
As soon as you receive the Aura Mason photo frame, you know it’s not going to be a run-of-the-mill product – the packaging is impressively high quality, with a gorgeous heavyweight blue box, perfect to be offered as a gift for a photographer or family member.
The set-up is simple and actually quite fun – details like the silver cube-shaped plug and braided fabric wiring make the process of getting the Mason ready a tactile and enjoyable one.
The Mason frame feels great, with its semi-rough contoured surface a refreshing change from the soul-less black plastic boxes typical of lesser digital photo frames.
Both the graphite and white quartz colors are neutral enough to suit any living room – the one adorning ours is graphite, which looks great on a wooden cabinet.
Everything is minimal and beautifully designed – this is Mason’s power cable.
There’s no remote control for the Mason photo frame, but that’s by design – everything is controlled via the free Aura app on your iOS or Android smart device.
You can add photos in several ways, including straight from your phone’s camera roll, any albums you already have there, or straight from Google Photos.
Since Google Photos offers unlimited free storage for photos up to 16MP in size, this essentially makes it dead simple for you to upload all your photos, then select favourites to have sent over to the Mason frame.
All the Aura digital photo frames offer unlimited free photo storage, too, so there’s no worry of running out of space.
The Aura app controls everything, and thankfully it’s as simple and minimal as the frames themselves.
The Aura App allows you to easily share images with family and friends who own an Aura Frame.
The one thing that I wish the Aura Frames app offered is a larger selection of web-based services to allow you to add photos to the Mason. Google Photos is fine for most people, but as a photographer, I’d love Adobe Lightroom CC integration, Flickr, or even DropBox.
The Mason’s 9″ 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution screen looks fantastic, with photos almost jumping out at you – contrast, sharpness, and color rendition are the best we’ve seen on a digital picture frame.
An automatic light sensor adjusts screen brightness if the ambient light in your room changes, meaning that during the day, you’ll still be able to see everything perfectly clearly.
Then, at night, a message pops up to notify you that the Aura Mason is entering a power-saving hibernation mode – the same thing apparently happens when the presence sensor detects a lack of movement in the room. However, this was obviously harder for us to test!
Another neat feature is selecting the next/previous photo – the Mason has ‘invisible’ touch screen strips on the top (or side if you display it in portrait orientation).
Sliding your finger across the top is highly addictive, and there’s another touchscreen strip on the side that allows you to view any info you’ve added to the photo or send a flurry of hearts up the image – a cute effect that our kids love!
Slide your finger across the touchscreen panel to advance/return the photos.
If you’re a fan of fancy animations from one photo to the next, unfortunately, there’s nothing here that the Mason offers.
However, fans of simplicity in design and functionality will fall in love with the Aura Mason – it looks like a genuine photo frame, and the way it can display your photos is faultless. It’ll even automatically crop your images with the wrong orientation for the frame.
If you’ve got an iPhone with the Live Photo feature, you’ll be able to see your photos come to life on the Aura Mason, too… albeit for a couple of seconds! (See also our article on how to make a video a live photo.)
Gifting the Mason is a great idea, and Aura makes it all very simple – you select the photos, invite the recipient with a personal message using the Aura Frames app, and then place your order for the frame.
As soon as the recipient sets up their frame, they’ll see your pre-selected photos and notes.
When sending the frame to my mother, I chose to let her set up the frame herself (to test whether a 70+-year-old could do it easily… which she could!), then I shared an album from the app on my phone to her frame.
Being able to take photos of our kids on my iPhone, then have them sync over to my mum’s Mason frame over 15,000 km away in the UK, is incredible!
If you find the process of emailing photos you’ve taken tedious, then using the Aura app in this way is a breath of fresh air.
My mum now has all our latest photos appear right in the frame in her living room for her visitors to enjoy :-)
Overall, the Mason frame by Aura is a fantastic product and one that I highly recommend if you’re someone (or know someone) who doesn’t currently display or print images in some way.
Pictures are meant to be shared and enjoyed, and the Aura Mason makes this process simple, fast and fun. Highly recommended!
3. Nixplay Seed
Dimensions: 10.2 x 1 x 6.7″ (259.08 x 25.4 x 170.18 mm)
Weight: 480.81 g (1.06 lb / 16.96 oz)
If you’re the kind of person who needs the latest gadgetry, or you’re buying a gift for someone who knows how to use tech like Amazon Alexa, smartphone apps, and Cloud Storage, the Nixplay Seed is the digital photo frame for you.
Even though I recommend the NIX Advance for those who don’t care for, or understand Wifi, the Nixplay Seed is actually my pick of the best digital photo frame for everyone else.
It’s worth noting that there are a couple of other products in the Nix range that offer all the same Wifi functionality of the Seed – one called the Nixplay Edge, which also offers SD/USB input, but in my opinion, it’s not as good looking as the Seed.
Then there’s the Nixplay Iris, which features a rather tacky ‘faux-frame’, which, in my opinion, looks awful and also has a higher price than the Seed.
Let’s start with the bad news – having WiFi functionality comes at a premium – the Nixplay Seed is currently about $100 more than its analog counterpart… but for that extra cash, you get SO much more functionality :-)
I won’t go into too much detail regarding the basic functionality and operations of the Nixplay Seed since it’s basically the same as the Advance.
All you need to know is that photos and videos look beautiful on the Seed, and the device itself looks and feels great, too – I especially like the stand, which transitions into the cable that actually powers the device:
The slim, cable-stand design looks great and stands/powers the Nixplay Seed in either portrait or landscape orientation.
The Nixplay Seed’s build quality is excellent and feels more ‘premium’ than the Advance. The buttons on the frame and on the remote feel good to touch, and there’s a 1-year parts and labor warranty should anything go wrong.
Ah, and one more awesome thing about this digital picture frame – every time someone purchases the Nixplay Seed, one seed gets planted by Trees for the Future in their generous ‘Seed for a Seed’ initiative.
By donating trees, their goal is to provide sustainable resources to poor families to help them to feed themselves and restore biodiversity where they live.
Let’s concentrate now on what you’re getting for that extra investment of your money with this awesome WiFi photo frame.
You’ll notice the Nixplay Seed doesn’t actually have any slots on the rear to insert physical storage devices like SD cards or USB sticks. Instead, you have various options to get your multimedia content onto the frame: Via the Nixplay App, via Social Media/Cloud Storage, via email, or via the Nixplay Cloud.
Upload photos from your computer or tablet or even from your social media platforms.
Whatever method you choose to send new photos and videos to the Nixplay Seed, the recipient will be alerted via the frame’s screen, turning light blue and showing a “Hello, you have a new picture!” alert, which dissolves after a few seconds – I’d actually prefer for the notification to stay there until dismissed manually.
One thing I love about the Nixplay Seed is the ability to configure all the options via the Nixplay Cloud, which mirrors all the settings within the frame’s menu.
This means that even if you’re giving the frame to someone who’s not comfortable with tech goods, you can set everything up for them in advance (they still have to configure the frame initially to connect to their home WiFi, though).
If you own multiple digital photo frames or have gifted multiple frames to friends and family, you can choose to control up to 5 of them via your one Nixplay Cloud login.
That way, you can create various playlists for each frame, then drag and drop your photos onto the playlists to send to the respective recipients.
Being able to transfer photos to the Nixplay Seed even from other countries is simply amazing, and can take a lot of the friction out of sharing the most recent photos to your loved ones.
Since there’s no physical (non-WiFi) way of adding new images and videos to the Nixplay Seed, you’re given 10GB of free Cloud storage and 8GB of internal memory storage (for when the Seed is offline).
Depending on the size of your media, 18GB of combined storage is roughly 50,000 photos.
If you find you’re running out of space, there’s also the ability to increase storage with one of the Nixplay subscription plans, but I don’t think this will be necessary for most.
Our favorite size is the 10″ frame, which offers great value for money.
One unique feature of the Nixplay Seed is the ability to connect it to any Alexa-enabled device and simply ask Alexa to display any of your playlists to any Nixplay frame, wherever the frame is!
All in all, I absolutely love the Nixplay Seed digital frame. Being able to share photos that I take of my kids using my mobile phone and then a few taps have them load on my parents-in-law’s frames (in different countries!) in a few seconds is incredible.
The Nixplay web app is great for more granular control when you’re on your desktop computer, but I found myself hardly using it after the initial setup.
The beauty of the Nixplay Seed is having your most recent photos appear instantly on a frame, whether that frame’s in your living room or in the living room of your family in another country!
If you have the budget for the Nixplay Seed, and if you’re thinking of gifting it to a recipient who’s able to do the initial WiFi network connection themselves, I highly recommend this digital photo frame.
You’ll be happier not spending time in front of a computer to send/manage photos, and the recipient will be happier not having to do the same to view their photos.
Available in 10″, 10: widescreen, and 13.3″ models, I’d go as far as to say that the Nixplay Seed digital frame should be on everyone’s gift list this year.
4. Muse Frame (21″)
Dimensions:11.1 x 19.3 x 1.4″ (282 x 491 x 35 mm)
Weight:6400 g (14.11 lb / 225.75 oz)
If you’re immersed in the digital art world or looking to gift something unique to a tech-savvy art lover, the Muse Frame is a unique product.
While not designed as a digital picture frame for photographers per se, it’s a premium digital art canvas for those who prefer to display their best images or NFTs as artwork.
The Muse frames are designed by artists, built and framed in custom aluminum art frames available in several colours.
They’re designed to be hung from a wall, but herein lies the main disadvantage that we found – the hanging A/C power cord, which needs to be permanently attached for the frame to function.
The best option would be to install the Muse Frame over some kind of wall-cavity-enclosed power outlet to conceal the cable completely.
Still, for most of us, we have to make do with the cord permanently visible or place the frame on a shelf, as shown in the photo above.
Once you’ve got past this initial niggle, the Muse Frame is an attractive and intuitive digital art frame, available in various sizes to suit your wall or exhibition space.
The setup process is straightforward, thanks to its user-friendly mobile app, allowing for quick changes and updates to the displayed art.
The rear of the Muse Frame includes a mounting plate and bubble level to ensure you hang it straight.
The frame’s software feels slightly clunky, with redundant features in the backend that seem to have been left over from an Android mobile app framework.
However, with your images loaded via the app, the viewing experience is enjoyable, with your media library scrolling between images and video files.
Muse bridges the gap between the digital and the physical, by showcasing the most compelling digital art, from your mobile device onto the Muse Frame.
You can control the Muse Frame via the mobile app, or an included remote control, although we couldn’t work out how to simply advance to the next photo using any of the (many) buttons on the remote.
If you want to use the frame as it was intended to display digital artwork, Muse Frames come with the Sedition Art Stream pre-installed with a complimentary subscription so that you can access over 6,000 pieces of art.
The remote control is mainly used for initial setup and manual control of video files but, oddly, cannot be used to control photo viewing.
For those who appreciate the fusion of technology and artistry, the Muse Frame is truly a testament to how far we’ve come in appreciating digital art forms.
It may be somewhat overkill as a digital photo frame, but if you need something premium that resembles a modern photo frame for your wall, it’s in a league of its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose a digital photo frame?
You should work out your budget first – spending a little more on the frame will yield a much better display, and the overall experience of adding pictures to the frame will be better, too. Next, work out what size screen you like, and finally, make the decision based on the look of the product itself.
How does a digital photo frame work?
You usually install images onto the internal hard drive of a frame, a USB stick, or via Wifi/Bluetooth. Images are then displayed automatically.
Can I transfer pictures from my iPhone to a digital picture frame?
Yes, depending on the model of the frame. The Mason by Aura, for example, allows you to transfer photos to it via its free app wirelessly.
How many photos does Aura hold?
Aura frames come with unlimited storage. So, technically, there’s no limit to the number of photos it can hold as long as it’s connected to Wifi. If the connection is broken, the frame will display the photos saved to the local cache.
Does Nixplay require a subscription?
No, you don’t have to pay for a Nixplay Plus membership provided that all your videos are 15 seconds or shorter and you don’t mind a 5GB video storage limit.
What is the best digital picture frame for seniors?
Plug-and-play frames, like the NIX Advance, work best for the elderly since they eliminate the need for Wifi setups altogether. The Mason by Aura is a good runner-up for older people.
Who sells digital photo frames?
Aura, Nixplay, Aeezo, Skylight, Aluratek, Feelcare, and Dragon Touch all make and sell digital photo frames. You can find many of those brands at Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
Final Words
Digital photo frames have been around for years. You often see them reduced in bargain bins at superstores, so they’ve lost a lot of their appeal.
Despite this, there’s still no better way to display multiple photos in your house, especially if you don’t have the budget/patience/skills to print and frame your photos.
Some choose to stream images to a TV using a device like the Apple TV or re-purpose an old iPad to display photos, but both these methods assume you already have these devices and obviously prevent you from using the devices for anything else at the same time.
If you’re looking for a simple, affordable way to display an automatic slideshow of your images at home, they’re still hard to beat.
Using WiFi to transfer photos to the frame, even from other countries, is an incredible feature that makes it easier than ever to share your latest pics with loved ones.
As I mentioned before, they also make excellent gifts, particularly for grandparents or the tech-un-savvy!
I’d recommend loading images on a USB stick (or adding them to a Cloud folder if your frame has WiFi) before gifting the device – then, all the recipient has to do is plug it in to enjoy the slideshow you’ve created.
Refreshingly simple and well-designed digital frame with tactile functionality and just the right features.
Usnea Lebendig is an experienced photographer and reviewer who loves to photograph professionally and in moments where the world’s beauty and/or strangeness leaps in front of the lens.
