Can the Frameo digital picture frame work offline?
The Frameo digital picture frame can work offline through a combination of its internal storage and SD card support. You can play slideshows from the frame’s internal storage and manage local storage without needing to connect to Wi-Fi.
On a side note, there are many complaints that the Frameo digital picture frame struggles to stay connected to Wi-Fi – constantly disconnecting and going offline. This can be a major annoyance as you will often lose files to disconnections (or have to re-sync them over and over again).
This is a common issue with many cheap and mid-range frames – and another reason why we recommend saving up a little longer and getting a premium digital picture frame like the Pix-Star!
How to send photos to the Frameo digital picture frame?
There are only two ways to send photos to the Frameo digital picture frame. The first is through the Frameo mobile app, and the second is via a connected SD card. Unlike most top digital picture frames, Frameo doesn’t support importing photos directly from your computer or external sources like social media and photo-sharing sites (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Google Photos, etc.).
Like other premium digital frames like the Pix-Star, Frameo’s mobile app lets you capture new photos directly inside the app, or by selecting the desired pictures from your phone’s gallery. It’s also worth noting that a connected SD card is limited to 32GB and you need to import the photos to the Frameo’s internal storage before viewing them in slideshows.
Does the Frameo digital picture frame offer cloud storage?
The Frameo digital picture frame does not offer cloud storage or automatic cloud backups. This is a commonly offered feature in the premium range, making the Frameo digital frame appear as more of a mid-range option.
Competing digital frames like the Pix-Star and Dragon Touch offer cloud storage; whereas other top options like Nixplay offer cloud storage (but you need to pay an extra fee to expand/unlock the feature). If you’re looking for a digital picture frame for the modern home & family, both Wi-Fi and cloud capabilities are must-have features.
How does the Pix-Star compare with the Frameo digital picture frame?
Pix-Star’s frame is one of the most versatile digital frames on the market at the moment. While the Frameo digital picture frame might seem very similar to the Pix-Star on paper – when you look closer – you’ll see they are very different in terms of functionality and versatility.
Pix-Star’s frames offer free-for-life cloud storage; whereas Frameo doesn’t have cloud storage. Pix-Star offers web albums (importing photo albums directly from social media & photo-sharing sites); whereas Frameo requires you to download the photos to your phone first then send them to the frame via the app.
Pix-Star’s frames offer remote-control functionality, whereby you can manage and control up to 25 connected Pix-Star frames. You can change their settings, start & manage slideshows, manage local & cloud storage, sync new web albums, change slideshow sources, update firmware, and much more. Frameo’s frames don’t offer any remote-control function.
Pix-Star’s frames use a more versatile 4:3 aspect ratio that perfectly matches the aspect ratio in which our smartphones capture photos. This means no black bars, no cropping, and no distortion – something that you’ll struggle with on Frameo’s frames.
Finally, Frameo digital picture frames use touchscreens – something we recommend avoiding. These touch panels are much more expensive than non-touch panels. They’re a lot less durable and are more prone to scratching and taking damage from normal use. You’ll find that the display needs to be wiped down after every use if you don’t want to ruin the viewing experience.
Is the Frameo digital picture frame any good?
On paper, the Frameo digital picture frame seems like a great deal. Its price is lower than most premium digital frames, you have access to a mobile app, there’s 16GB of internal storage, and you can send up to 20 Frameo frames at the same time. Unfortunately, when it comes to real-world practicality, the cracks start to show.
These frames don’t offer any cloud storage or automatic cloud backups. Everything needs to be stored locally and there’s no way to manage this local storage remotely – despite Wi-Fi capabilities. While the 16GB of internal storage is a great premium feature, the lack of cloud storage and USB support (SD cards are limited to 32GB), you may be left wanting.
Additionally, the 16:9 aspect ratio is a big no for a premium frame. Modern smartphones shoot in 4:3 and most DSLRs shoot in 3:2. This means that for a picture to use the whole display on the Frameo digital frame, it would have to be manually cropped. This is a significant time sink and can be a major frustration for families.
Videos can be played on the frame, but they’re limited to just 15-seconds. By comparison, Pix-Star’s frames let you play 2-minute video clips and include them in slideshows. Videos need to be in MP4 and can only be sent to the frame via the mobile app (note that there is significant compression on Frameo’s video files).
Finally, unlike many competing digital frames like the Pix-Star, Frameo’s frames don’t support web albums. Web albums refer to photo albums that are imported directly from social media, photo-sharing, and online storage platforms to your frame’s internal storage. For comparison, Pix-Star’s frames let you import photos from almost a dozen different platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Google Drive & Photos, etc. With Frameo, you would need to manually download these photos, load them to your phone, and send them via the Frameo mobile app.
All in all, while this frame appears great on paper, it is missing a ton of essential features and functions. In practice, the Frameo digital picture frame is more of a mid-range frame with some premium features (with a price to match). We still suggest spending a couple of bucks extra and getting a truly premium digital picture frame like the Pix-Star. They’re better for families, more versatile, and some of the only digital frames that cater to both families and elderly users – so they’re an excellent choice for 2022!
