Can the Vankyo digital photo frame work offline?
The Vankyo digital photo frame is better used offline due to the 5GB limit on wireless data use. This means that once you’ve used the mobile app to send 5GB of photos or videos, you’ll need to buy more capacity. This isn’t possible any longer as the Vankyo digital frame has been discontinued and their services are no longer available. Most people who have bought this frame since its discontinuation has struggled to register the frame’s ID with the mobile app – leaving them with a frame that can only receive photos and videos by USB/SD card.
Most premium digital photo frames offer great offline functionality. For example, Pix-Star’s digital frames have 8GB of internal storage, full USB/SD card support (with no maximum capacity limit), and most settings and slideshow controls are available offline. You can start slideshows, manage local storage, view synced web albums, and play slideshows directly off a connected USB/SD card. Unlike Vankyo’s frames, you can start slideshows from multiple sources at the same time (e.g., web albums, photo-mail, etc.).
Does the Vankyo digital photo frame offer cloud storage?
The Vankyo digital photo frame does not offer cloud storage – something that many competing top digital frames like the Pix-Star offer for free. Vankyo frames also limit how much wireless data you can use, with a 5GB limit. Every time you send photos from the mobile app, this data will be used up. Once it runs out, you won’t be able to use the mobile app any longer. Previously, you could buy more space, but since these frames have been discontinued, there’s no way to purchase additional capacity.
This is a major limitation that other top frames like the Pix-Star – and even subscription-based frames like the Skylight or Nixplay – don’t encounter. Pix-Star’s frames are a particularly great alternative as you get free-for-life cloud storage, multi-frame control groups, and unlimited use of the mobile app for sending photos, videos, and audio messages to your Pix-Star frames.
Can I play videos and audio on the Vankyo digital photo frame?
The Vankyo digital photo frame can play videos with their recorded audio. While there’s no way to play audio files directly on the frame, the audio from videos will be played automatically upon viewing. Vankyo’s frames let you play video clips with a maximum length, which is one of the longest on the market.
Unfortunately, when played in slideshows, the video will be cut off at the same length as the slideshow’s transitions. For example, if you set photos to change every 15-seconds, videos will only play for 15-seconds.
Another key point worth noting is that Vankyo digital photo frames aren’t easy to find. They’ve been discontinued on almost all platforms, with most of their frames no longer being able to connect to the mobile app. This means that the only way to send videos to these frames would be via a USB/SD card.
Does the Vankyo digital photo frame use a touchscreen?
The Vankyo digital photo frame uses a touchscreen – something that we rarely recommend choosing. They’re less durable, more prone to scratching, and constantly need to be cleaned. The oil and dirt from your fingers build up on the display, making it hard to view the screen in a well-lit room or from an angle. Top frames like the Pix-Star use features like a handheld remote, motion sensors, and remote configuration support to eliminate the need for a finicky touch display.
It’s worth noting that the Vankyo digital photo frame is no longer available and was discontinued a while back. Today, you won’t find these frames on popular sites like Amazon – or even directly on the Vankyo website. We don’t suggest getting a touchscreen frame (don’t worry, they’re not very popular and most premium frames avoid them). Instead, we suggest getting a versatile and feature-packed frame like the Pix-Star as it’s interconnected, is easy to use, and caters well to the modern home & family!
How does the Vankyo digital photo frame compare to the Pix-Star?
On paper, the Vankyo digital photo frame seems like an excellent option. It offers a ton of great features at a good price point – seemingly beating out many renowned premium frames. Pix-Star’s frames – on the other hand – are some of the most popular and widely used frames on the market in 2022. They’re packed with premium features and real-world functionality to rival the best – offering great value for money and a frame that specifically caters to the elderly user and family.
Both Vankyo and Pix-Star’s frames offer video and audio playback, Wi-Fi connectivity, access to a mobile app, internal storage, and USB/SD card support. Unfortunately, the Vankyo frame uses 16:10 displays with white matte-finish bezels around the sides of the display – making their “10-inch” screen look like a 7-inch screen.
Vankyo digital frames use a touchscreen – which we don’t recommend – with less durability, reliability, and the need to be constantly cleaned and wiped down. They’re also more prone to scratching and fingerprints. Most photos sent to the Vankyo frame will be surrounded by black pillar bars due to the awkward aspect ratio. By contrast, Pix-Star’s frame uses a 4:3 aspect ratio that perfectly matches the aspect ratio that most smartphones capture pictures in.
Pix-Star offers several important features that Vankyo’s frames don’t. For example, with Pix-Star’s frames, you get free-for-life cloud storage, multi-frame control groups, remote configuration support, web albums (importing photos directly from social media & photo-sharing sites to your frames), a web interface and mobile app, and much more.
You can remotely start slideshows, manage local & cloud storage, sync new web albums, send photos by email or mobile app, and much more. You can manage up to 25 Pix-Star frames from a single user account no matter where you are in the world – an ideal feature for families.
Unfortunately, despite all its great features and excellent price point, the Vankyo digital photo frame is no longer available. It’s was removed long ago from the Vankyo website and pulled from shopping platforms like Amazon. While the Vankyo frame may have been a decent alternative to the Pix-Star today (though you’d have to sacrifice some premium features you’d get with Pix-Star), the line has been discontinued – making the Pix-Star the frame-to-beat, and one of the best value for money options on today’s market.
