Are digital Wi-Fi photo frames worth the money in 2021?
If you’re on the edge and wondering whether digital Wi-Fi photo frames are still worth the money – you’re not alone. It’s a common question that we hear coming up all the time. Are these frames still relevant? Do they have what it takes to compete in 2021 and beyond? In short, the answer is yes – but it depends.
We almost always recommend going for a premium digital frame as they have features like Wi-Fi, cloud storage, and tons of unique functions to make sharing easier for the family. These premium frames also have a much better build quality. Both the display and the frame are kept to higher standards and aren’t going to pack up after 4-5 months after buying.
Premium frames have much better displays in terms of resolution, size, and accuracy. You’ll find that most cheap or mid-range frames make big sacrifices in this area – usually to the frame’s display resolution. Premium frames have higher resolution panels that are more than the standard 800×600 or less for cheaper frames.
In terms of features, premium frames often come with mobile apps & web dashboards that let you share photos from anywhere in the world. You can often send videos & audio messages through the mobile app – and can send to several frames at the same time, though this isn’t always the case.
Some premium frames like the Pix-Star have a web interface that lets you link external photo albums from social media and photo-sharing sites like Facebook & Google Photos. In some cases, the web dashboard can be used to remotely control several frames in the family – letting you start slideshows, manage storage, and much more. This is quite a unique feature and isn’t universally offered.
Whether you’re a big family that’s spread all over the country, an individual user or you want something elderly-friendly, premium digital Wi-Fi photo frames are still excellent choices. You can use them to share photos from anywhere and at any time. They’re easy to use and packed full of useful features that give them a unique and special place in your home & family life. Below we take a look at one of the best of these premium frames.
What are the best digital Wi-Fi photo frames?
Pix-Star’s digital photo frames are arguably the most versatile and capable of the premium frames on the market. Unlike many other top frames, they don’t charge any recurring or subscription fees to unlock features like video playback, cloud storage, use of the mobile app/web interface, etc. Learn more about Pix-Star’s 10-inch digital frame and Pix-Star’s 15-inch digital frame.
Pix-Star’s frames offer free-for-life cloud storage for all their frames. This cloud storage is automatically backed up and created when photos & other media are sent to the frame. Each frame has its cloud storage that can be remotely managed via the web interface. With Pix-Star, you can remotely manage & control up to 25 connected frames from a single user account.
Additionally, Pix-Star remote control feature lets you start slideshows, manage local & cloud storage, adjust the frame’s settings, and much more – from anywhere in the world. All you need is an online frame and a decent internet connection. You can control up to 25 connected frames once you’ve logged into them via the web dashboard. You can create multi-frame control groups that let you control the frames at the same time to bulk manage functions, settings, and slideshows.
Pix-Star’s mobile app lets you send photos from anywhere in the world to several frames at the same time. You can send up to 250 photos in one go and can even send video clips & audio messages. Mobile apps are super convenient as we almost always have our phones with us. You can capture new photos directly inside the app, so you can select photos/albums/collections to send. Pix-Star’s frames let you send videos with a maximum length of 2-minutes – which is more than almost all other premium frames on the market.
Pix-Star’s frames have tons of useful features like web music & radio, weather forecasts, versatile and highly customizable slideshows, 8GB of internal storage, web album support (viewing photos from social media and photo-sharing sites), and much more. When you consider the fantastic price point, no hidden or extra costs, and the robust feature set, it’s easy to see why Pix-Star’s frames are one of the best on today’s market. Learn more about Pix-Star’s digital photo frames here and why they’re an excellent choice for 2021 and beyond!
Do digital Wi-Fi photo frames need cloud storage?
Cloud storage is an excellent feature for families and those with elderly users. It unlocks features like web albums that let you link, sync, and view selected photos from social media, photo-sharing, and online storage platforms directly on your frame. Traditionally, you’d need to manually download and send them to your frame via other methods.
With frames like the Pix-Star, your photos, videos, and audio messages are automatically saved to the cloud as they’re sent to the frame. This keeps all the family photos safe and easy to manage from a single place. You can often use the web interface to control and manage all the frames in the family. It’s a feature that relies heavily on cloud storage and functionality.
How to send photos from a phone to digital Wi-Fi photo frames?
Download the frame’s supported mobile app to your phone. Add your frames to the mobile app (usually via their unique email address). Select the photos from your phone’s gallery to send to your frame, or capture new photos directly through the app.
You may need to grant various permissions to grant the app access to your phone’s camera or gallery. This is normal and should be expected. Select the frames to send the photos, videos, and/or audio messages, hit send, and wait a couple of moments. The photos should be automatically saved to internal storage and should be ready for viewing right away. Read our guide here on how to send photos from your iPhone to your digital photo frame.
Can digital Wi-Fi photo frames play video & audio?
Video & audio playback aren’t universally offered features – even among premium digital frames. It’s something that’s rarely found outside of the premium frame market. That being said, some top frames like the Pix-Star offer extensive video & audio playback functionality. With Pix-Star’s frames, you can play 2-minute video clips (more than almost all other premium frames) and audio clips.
You can listen to the radio & web music, and even play songs over slideshows. Videos can be included in slideshows and you can control whether they play muted or not. Pix-Star’s frames have built-in speakers and can connect to external speakers or headphones via USB or the 3.5mm audio input port.
