Are Kodak digital picture frames worth the money?
If you’ve ever been into cameras or photography, Kodak is a name you’ve probably come across – though it’s not the first to come to mind when you think about digital picture frames.
With market-leading brands like Pix-Star garnering all the attention, smaller budget brands like Kodak struggle to find their place in the market. Technological advances and tech ecosystems are resulting in non-Wi-Fi digital picture frames like Kodak’s are being left behind. It’s important to look at missing features and functions when deciding whether a digital frame is worth it or not.
The first and most important missing feature is Wi-Fi connectivity. Kodak digital picture frames can’t connect to Wi-Fi. This means there are no online sending/receiving options (email, mobile apps, web albums, etc.). While this often makes the frame simpler to use, the reality is quite different. Frames like the Pix-Star are Wi-Fi compatible, have tons of features, and are arguable easier to use.
Another major drawback of Kodak digital picture frames is the low-resolution displays. This leads to fuzzy-looking pictures and poor video playback quality. Unfortunately for Kodak, we are used to the high-resolution screens on our modern phones and laptops so you’ll immediately notice the low-resolution image.
The only way to send media to a Kodak digital picture frame is through a USB or SD card. This is severely limiting, especially when you consider compatibility issues (if you use Mac). You can only use an SD card, meaning SDHC cards from cameras aren’t compatible. Combine this with a little to no internal storage and Kodak digital picture frames quickly feel outdated.
Elderly users have reported they struggled to set up and use Kodak digital picture frames. It’s not uncommon to see reviews where it takes them several days to set up and use the frame. Poorly written and insufficient user manuals and documentation are partly to blame here. The menus aren’t easy to navigate, and you can have very limited control over the order and style of slideshows. Kodak digital picture frames feel unintuitive to use, especially if you’re not tech-savvy.
One of the biggest cons of Kodak digital picture frames is their 16:9 aspect ratio. This is made worse by a not-so-great auto-crop or auto-fill feature. Pictures are often cut off at the bottom and portraits are so small they’re hard to see. Combine this with the very low resolution, small display, and the viewing experience is underwhelming. You need to manually edit and crop images to match the awkward 16:9 aspect ratio – something that elderly users are never going to do.
In summary, while the Kodak digital picture frame has the basic functions you’d expect from a budget frame – it isn’t worth the asking price. If you have the budget, you would be better off with a Wi-Fi digital frame like Pix-Star’s 10” frame. You’d get a ton of features and functions that aren’t possible on these non-Wi-Fi frames – and one of the best frames on the market.
What should I buy instead of a Kodak digital picture frame?
Despite the Kodak digital picture frame being intended as a budget model, it’s not as cheap as most other budget models. Budget digital frames in general are a hard sell as they almost always lack Wi-Fi capabilities. They usually have very limited feature sets and only support basic functionality.
It’s better to save a little longer and get an 8-10” digital frame that’s Wi-Fi compatible, has a lot of features, and is easy to use. Pix-Star’s 10” digital picture frame is probably the best choice. It’s fully Wi-Fi compatible, has a large 1024×768 display, and more importantly, a 4:3 aspect ratio.
You can play videos, audio, and have fine control over the order and style of your slideshows. On top of this, you can link web albums and pictures from social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, as well as import pictures from online storage platforms and photo sharing sites.
Pix-Star’s frames are still compatible with USB/SD cards, so you’re not losing any functionality when comparing it with the Kodak digital picture frame. There’s a significantly larger 8GB internal storage for offline viewing (including web albums).
When you consider features like the ability to control the frame remotely, viewing the weather, calendar & reminder apps, and even listening to the radio – it’s hard to ignore the value for money. While the asking price is higher, it’s still lower than most of the competitors. There are no recurring monthly or annual fees.
Pix-Star’s frames are known for their ease of use and how well-suited they are for elderly users. Their rich feature base and clean user experience give you all the functionality you’d expect from a top-of-the-line digital picture frame – while still getting great value for money.
Do Kodak digital picture frames have good displays?
Like most other budget digital frames, Kodak’s digital picture frames don’t have top-of-the-line displays. Kodak digital picture frames let you make some changes to the brightness of the pictures, but don’t let you control their play order or randomize slideshows. You can’t change color or hue settings either.
Kodak digital picture frames don’t have the brightest screen and their viewing angle is rather narrow. The display is quite small and is hard to see from across the room. These types of frames are designed to be used while sitting on your lap or directly in front of you.
Colors on the display are usually accurate, but skin tones are washed out. The low-resolution display isn’t great, especially considering the price of the frame. Pictures and videos are noticeably blurry at times.
Can a Kodak digital picture frame use Wi-Fi?
None of Kodak’s digital picture frames are Wi-Fi enabled. All of their frames are completely offline. There are no web album features and the only way to send photos to the frame is by connecting a USB or memory card directly to the frame.
Why do Kodak digital picture frames have bad reviews?
There are quite a few reports of quality control issues like dead pixels and faulty remote controls. Another common complaint is that the resolution of the displays isn’t made clear in the product description – especially on Amazon. Since Kodak’s digital picture frames have an extremely low-resolution screen, people are often disappointed when they see the display in real life.
The price is also a little high for a budget or entry-level digital frame. It can be easy to confuse these frames with Wi-Fi digital picture frames like the Pix-Star. They have far more robust designs and better quality control, and this is reflected by the higher price tag. They also have better displays with higher resolutions and offer more control over image quality and display color.
